How many Airport Express do I need?

[boyy89]

Greetings everyone, I have a question regarding the Airport Express (AE).

But before that, here are my setup:

Living Room: Modem and wireless router
My room: Macbook, printer and speakers

Question: I would like to connect my non-wireless printer via USB to the AE so that I could have wireless printing and to also connect my speakers through the audio-out connector of the AE.
So do I only need to have 1 AE placed in my room Or/And have another AE replacing my current router (which means I have to get 2 AE)?

Much thanks!

 

[stay8899]

Greetings everyone, I have a question regarding the Airport Express (AE).

But before that, here are my setup:

Living Room: Modem and wireless router
My room: Macbook, printer and speakers

Question: I would like to connect my non-wireless printer via USB to the AE so that I could have wireless printing and to also connect my speakers through the audio-out connector of the AE.
So do I only need to have 1 AE placed in my room Or/And have another AE replacing my current router (which means I have to get 2 AE)?

Much thanks!

U need only one in your room connecting the printer and speaker.

Connection options:
1. Wired bridge mode, ie. Lan cable between your router in the living room to the AE in your room. This setup is ideal.

2. Wireless bridge mode, where AE connects to your router wirelessly. This will adversely affect your wifi bandwidth -> slows down all devices connected including your macbook.

 

[boyy89]

U need only one in your room connecting the printer and speaker.

Connection options:
1. Wired bridge mode, ie. Lan cable between your router in the living room to the AE in your room. This setup is ideal.

2. Wireless bridge mode, where AE connects to your router wirelessly. This will adversely affect your wifi bandwidth -> slows down all devices connected including your macbook.

Thanks for the reply!

It would take a long cable to bring it back into my room.

Just a thought: If I were to choose option 2, Wireless bridge mode, and changing my current router with another AE, would the wifi bandwidth slows down too? Which is to say there will be two AE(s).

 

[stay8899]

Thanks for the reply!

It would take a long cable to bring it back into my room.

Just a thought: If I were to choose option 2, Wireless bridge mode, and changing my current router with another AE, would the wifi bandwidth slows down too? Which is to say there will be two AE(s).

No it wont help. The problem is with Wireless bridge mode where half the bandwidth is used for AE to router communication (same with AE to AE communication). Think of it this way, your device transmit info to AE (via wireless), AE relay the info to router (again via wireless), so whatever wireless bandwidth you have is effectively halved.

The other way is use powerline adaptor - one adaptor at living room to router, and another at your bedroom to AE. The performance will depend on the quality of your power lines, but at least it will not affect your wifi throughput that much.