AEBS + ext HDD + Airport Express

phuviano · Jan 11th, 2008, 02:58 AM

I want to hook up an airport express to my current setup. I have the latest AEBS (N router), and its set to 5 ghz N only. I also have an external HDD hook up to it by USB. If I were to hook up an airport express to it, would my ext HDD be accessible to the airport express?? So in other words, anyone that would be connected to the network @ 2.4 Ghz, would they be able to access my ext HDD because its hooked up to my AEBS directly, and not the airport express itself.

chas_m · Jan 11th, 2008, 04:51 AM

This is not my strong suit, but if you hook up a Express to your current setup, you will have to change your network to a mixed g and n setup, meaning your top speed becomes 2.4GHz.

Doesn't it?

To answer the other part of your question, at present you cannot connect a hard drive to the Airport Express. The USB port in the airport express only "sees" printers.

If your Express was acting as a BRIDGE and the HD remained connected to the AEBS, *then* everyone on your network could see it.

phuviano · Jan 11th, 2008, 03:26 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by chas_m
	This is not my strong suit, but if you hook up a Express to your current setup, you will have to change your network to a mixed g and n setup, meaning your top speed becomes 2.4GHz. Doesn't it? To answer the other part of your question, at present you cannot connect a hard drive to the Airport Express. The USB port in the airport express only "sees" printers. If your Express was acting as a BRIDGE and the HD remained connected to the AEBS, then everyone on your network could see it.

Can you not extend the network by RJ 45 cables (wired, not wireless)??? I thought you could, but I'm not sure, and that's why I'm asking.

I don't want to hook up my ext HDD to the AE, its hooked up to the AEBS and will stay that way. My initial question was wether I could see the HDD while extending my network (wired) through the AE.

chas_m · Jan 11th, 2008, 05:32 PM

Ah. Now I see. Sort of.

I'm still confused by what you mean when you say "extending my network (wired) through the AE."

You already have a wireless base station, and you want to use the AE as a bridge to extend it. You would do this wirelessly, not wired.

If the AE is acting solely as a bridged device, then yes your HDD connected to your AEBS will be "seen" by computers accessing the network via the AE.

i-rui · Jan 16th, 2008, 01:29 AM

so can teh new AEBS do a mixed G & N network? i thought any G device on the network slowed down all speeds to G?

I was thinking about getting a new AEBS or Time Capsule, but i use a few AE to stream music, DOes that mean i can't achieve N speeds?

gmark2000 · Jan 16th, 2008, 02:01 AM

If you used n, then it would be at 2.4Ghz transmission since the G would switch off the 5Ghz frequency.

i-rui · Jan 16th, 2008, 02:48 AM

does the frequency affect the speed transmission? It's still N right?

chas_m · Jan 16th, 2008, 07:56 AM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by i-rui
	so can teh new AEBS do a mixed G & N network? i thought any G device on the network slowed down all speeds to G?

That is what I said in my first post on this thread -- any G-only device on a network slows the network to G speed. That's my understanding, if someone knows different please correct me.

	Quote:
	I was thinking about getting a new AEBS or Time Capsule, but i use a few AE to stream music, DOes that mean i can't achieve N speeds?

That's my understanding, yes.