UTV Clicksilver With Airport Express

sensate

Hi all

Currently have UTV Clicksilver Broadband service at home with cables running all over the bloody house.

Looking to set up a wireless network and very attracted to Apple's Airport offerings.

Does anybody out there have similar experience setting this up with Clicksilver. I'm hoping to get by with the cheaper Airport Express setup and forego the Airport Extreme Base Station. Finding it difficult to get real-world scenarios out there of people who have done this.

Basic setup will be Airport Express situated in kitchen, connected to phone jack via DSL modem with powered speakers playing iTunes audio. Primary PC running XP Pro will be situated one room away, approx. 12 feet through a wall, with wireless network card. An occasional laptop with built-in wireless will share the broadband connection every now and again.

Anybody doing anything similar with some advice to share?

Many thanks

dub45

sensate wrote:

Hi all

Currently have UTV Clicksilver Broadband service at home with cables running all over the bloody house.

Looking to set up a wireless network and very attracted to Apple's Airport offerings.

Does anybody out there have similar experience setting this up with Clicksilver. I'm hoping to get by with the cheaper Airport Express setup and forego the Airport Extreme Base Station. Finding it difficult to get real-world scenarios out there of people who have done this.

Basic setup will be Airport Express situated in kitchen, connected to phone jack via DSL modem with powered speakers playing iTunes audio. Primary PC running XP Pro will be situated one room away, approx. 12 feet through a wall, with wireless network card. An occasional laptop with built-in wireless will share the broadband connection every now and again.

Anybody doing anything similar with some advice to share?

Many thanks

The major problem with proposed wireless set ups is that it is virtually impossible to predict how they will behave in advance of trying out the set up. What you are proposing allowing for the relatively short distances should work fine (I think:))

I have airport express but I use it just as a link in a network where it takes the music and plays it through a hi fi system but its pretty to close to my wireless router. But I certainly have not had any problems with it.

Just to give an example of unpredictable stuff I installed Tiger on my mac yesterday and the wireless performance has deteriorated markedly! nothing else has changed so has to be Tiger but.........

GarfieldConnoll

Dub45,

My God, my arch nemesis on boards is an Apple head too! There's a Star Wars moment in here somewhere For the love of God, accept the attempt at humour.

I run Panther and Airport Express. More than happy with the setup on both PC and Mac (writing this on PC laptop).

Would be more than happy to help with Airport Express setup/ trouble shooting.

Garfield.

PS> Wrong forum, but how's Tiger.

G.

dub45 wrote:

The major problem with proposed wireless set ups is that it is virtually impossible to predict how they will behave in advance of trying out the set up. What you are proposing allowing for the relatively short distances should work fine (I think:))

I have airport express but I use it just as a link in a network where it takes the music and plays it through a hi fi system but its pretty to close to my wireless router. But I certainly have not had any problems with it.

Just to give an example of unpredictable stuff I installed Tiger on my mac yesterday and the wireless performance has deteriorated markedly! nothing else has changed so has to be Tiger but.........

dub45

GarfieldConnoll wrote:

Dub45,

My God, my arch nemesis on boards is an Apple head too! There's a Star Wars moment in here somewhere For the love of God, accept the attempt at humour.

I run Panther and Airport Express. More than happy with the setup on both PC and Mac (writing this on PC laptop).

Would be more than happy to help with Airport Express setup/ trouble shooting.

Garfield.

PS> Wrong forum, but how's Tiger.

G.

G.

I dont want to be diverting this thread but if I was you I certainly would not go near Tiger for the moment as it definitely has issues around the Airport side of things - there are various threads around it out there in other non boards universes:)

Sensate, dont know if you are interested too much in the audio side of Airport Express but here is a very interesting
article . there is lots of helpful stuff too on the Apple site if you have not already had a look there.

parsi

I have an Express as wsell but it is just a node in my network. I originally installed it when I had my PC and it was a pain to do. You need to rad the documentation carefully (including teh web stuff) and use the admin tool. It took a few attempt. If you use WEP make sure you have the leatest firmware..

sensate

Many thanks all for replies. Generally positive with exception of parsi's bad experience ... Dub45, one of the main reasons for going this route is the audio one so thanks for excellent link.

Think I'll forge ahead with this.

My first hurdle is to replace the default zyxel modem which UTV supplied to new Clicksilver customers in 2003 - prestige 630. Nothing terribly wrong with this except the fact that it doesn't have an RJ45 connection at the back. My intention is to cable from the phone jack at the wall into new modem ... out from the RJ45 on this and into the RJ45 on the Airport Express ... and have PC in other room pick up the wireless connection.

Anybody any thoughts on this ...

parsi

Well it was only negative for the setup ;-)

The unit itself performs brilliantly - I connect it using fibre (toslink) to my home cinema system in the front room or using a normal 3.5" plug to a cheapo set of speakers in the kitchen. It's size makes it nice and portable though if you're using it as an access point it becomes less so.