Apple AirPort Express Base Station (Summer 2012)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MC414LL/A
$97.99 - $196.73 at 8 online stores
- CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Setup and ease of use: 9.0
Features and security: 5.0
Performance: 7.0
Service and support: 7.0
Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
- Average user rating: 1.5 stars out of 1 review
Where to buy
*Total price for the Apple AirPort Express Base Station (Summer 2012) are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.
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Apple AirPort Express Base Station (Summer 2012) price range: $97.99 - $196.73
- Reviewed by: Dong Ngo
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 06/11/2012
The good: The compact and pretty Apple AirPort Express Base Station (third generation) offers decent, dual-band wireless performance and, finally, an Ethernet port.
The bad: The AirPort Express Base Station doesn't support 450Mbps Wireless-N standard, 802.11ac, or even Gigabit Ethernet, and its USB port lacks support for external storage devices.
The bottom line: The new Apple AirPort Express Base Station is a decent upgrade to the previous generation, but it doesn't have much beyond its supersleek looks to impress us when compared with its peers.
Read CNET's full review
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Write Review Showing opinion 1 to 1 out of 1
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3 stars
Minimal design that sports minimal functionality.
by NUddin77 on December 5, 2012
Pros: Very small, looks great.
Cons: Lacks standard features/functionality. No UPnP support. No Linux support. No web interface for management, proprietary software needed. Can't list connected devices via wired, only Wifi devices listed.
Summary: Initial impressions out of the box was this is really tiny. Very small, small enough to fit in your palm and overall very minimal with only one indicator light on ...
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Summary: Initial impressions out of the box was this is really tiny. Very small, small enough to fit in your palm and overall very minimal with only one indicator light on the face. Design wise, it's definitely an Apple product.
But trouble starts as soon as I hooked it up to the cable modem. There is very limited information on how to hook it up or manage it. First sign of trouble: there is NO web interface for it. While it is a standard practice across all other brands, Apple decided that you have to download a separate utility to manage this router which is only available for Mac and Windows OS. My Linus laptop be damned. Even still, setup was just a nightmare.
Since I have a smart TV, a PS3 and a printer via Ethernet, I decided to use a unmanaged ethernet hub to have those devices wired into the network. Unfortunately, while they all were all connected and had internet connection through the hub->Airport->Cable modem setup, none of the devices were discoverable in the network for file sharing. So that means my PS3 can pull files (music, photos, videos) from my desktop PC for viewing. It does NOT support UPnP! Which also means that I could not find the network printer without knowing the exact IP address.
How can you find the IP address of all connected devices on your network? You can't! The Airport Utility only lists devices connected through Wifi only. It does not list anything connected via wire so you have to go to each device and look up its IP address.
Overall, except for it's minimalist design which looks great, this is a very poorly designed product for the price. You pay more for less. Apple had an opportunity make the best router but this was a disappointment. Stay clear and buy something else.
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show Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MC414LL/A
- Description: Featuring a better design, AirPort Express now supports simultaneous dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi. Set up your wireless network quickly. Create a network just for guests. Stream music to any room in the house, and print from any room in the house, too, all with the wireless technology.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Device Type Wireless access point
- Built-in Devices Print server
- Width 3.9 in
- Depth 3.9 in
- Height 0.9 in
- Weight 8.5 oz
Processor Memory / Storage
- Optical Storage None
Networking
- Form Factor External
- Connectivity Technology Wireless
- Data Link Protocol IEEE 802.11a,
IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11g - Network / Transport Protocol PPTP,
DHCP,
DNS,
IPSec,
Bonjour,
L2TP,
PPPoE - Remote Management Protocol SNMP
- Frequency Band 2.4 GHz,
5 GHz - Capacity Connection / user qty : 50
- Status Indicators Status
- Features DNS proxy,
IPv6 support,
Firewall protection,
DHCP support,
NAT support,
MIMO technology,
VPN passthrough,
MAC address filtering - Encryption Algorithm 40-bit WEP,
PEAP,
TTLS,
128-bit WEP,
WPA2,
TLS,
LEAP,
WPA2-Enterprise,
WPA-Enterprise,
WPA - Authentication Method EAP-FAST
- Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11g,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.1x,
IEEE 802.11a,
IEEE 802.11b Antenna
- Antenna Internal integrated
Communications
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Bays None
- Expansion Slot(s) None
- Interfaces 1 x USB - 4 pin USB Type A,
1 x Audio - SPDIF output/line-out - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm / TOSLINK,
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 ( WAN ),
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45 Miscellaneous
- Cables Included 1 x network externa
- Compliant Standards AS/NZS 4268,
UL 60950,
RSS-210,
EN 300.328,
ARIB STD-T66,
EN 301.893,
RCR STD-33,
FCC Part 15 B,
CSA 22.2 No. 60950 Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz )
Software / System Requirements
- Software Included Drivers & Utilities
- OS Required Apple MacOS X 10.5.7 or later,
Microsoft Windows 7,
Microsoft Windows XP SP3,
Microsoft Windows Vista SP1,
Apple iOS 5 Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 20 - 90% (non-condensing)
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