Product Review: AirPort Express

Up until 10 minutes ago, we employed a D-Link wireless router for our our wireless networking needs. It cost $80 CAD at our local Future Shop and worked just fine. We rarely had to reboot it and never gave us any major problems. But as our needs changed, we realized there were certain things the D-Link router just couldn't do.

I don't need to print all that often (usually just driving directions... and knitting patterns...), but to walk into my husband's office to use the printer is a feat in and of itself. The room is a barrage of papers, wires, DVDs, CDs and camera equipment. I am forced to place my beloved iBook on the floor (to hook up the printer via USB) and I have to sit there - on the floor - until my printing is done. Not a HUGE deal, but not at all a pleasant or convenient experience.

When we set ourselves up with iSight webcams, we had to bi-pass the router to get them to work. It took at least 1 hour to figure out we had to open ports on the D-Link router to allow for video conferencing and another hour to figure out which ports to open and how to open them.

On top of all of that, it took another 20+ minutes just to figure out how to password protect our connection. Here's the breakdown:

D-Link Router:
Cost: $80 CAD
Total Set-up Time: 2.5 hours (approx.)
* cannot print or play music wirelessly

AirPort Express:
Cost: $160 CAD
Total Set-up Time: 8 minutes. (exact)

How to set up AirPort Express

Step 1: Connect the appropriate cables to the ports you want to use. (ie. the Ethernet cable connected to your DSL or cable modem for internet, the audio cable connected to your stereo if you want to play music wirelessly, and a USB cable connected to a compaticle USB printer if you want to print wirelessly).

Step 2: Plug AirPort Express into an outlet. Wait for the green light. (If the light flashes amber, disconnect the modem from its power supply, wait a few seconds and then reconnect.)

Step 3: Open AirPort Setup Assistant (this utility app comes installed on all MACs with an AirPort card - which is all recent models) and follow the few easy steps to name your network and create password to protect your connection. (We named our network "Cerebro". Heh.)

That's it. You're Done. And it just works.

That should be Apple's new slogan: "It.Just.Works."

You will likely need to "add" your printer before you start wirelessly printing like a Wireless Printing Fool (it takes 5 seconds to do this - literally), but you would need to do that if you were printing for the first time via USB.

This afternoon we're going to purchase a mini-stereo cable so we can take full advantage of AirTunes (the ability to play music from your computer wirelessly through a stereo).

Overall, as you can see from the 5-star rating, I am extremely pleased with AirPort Express. It has the compact and sleek design you have come to expect from an Apple product, it already has all the proper ports open to allow for audio/video conferencing, password protecting and naming your network is done quickly and easily during the set-up process, and you can print and listen to music wirelessly. The same cannot be said for the D-Link router which is and does none of these things.

A product that is ten times more useful than it's competitor, is certainly worth twice the price.