Airport Express - using in conjunction with existing Wireless Router

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pjays

109 posts

Master Geek

#136232 19-Nov-2013 23:25

I currently have a Linksys3500 Router providing my Wireless network. Its been problem free, has a good range and I don't want to touch it.

In a different room - I have a music system that is constantly having a number of apple devices plugged into it (MP3 connection) to play music from spotify, pandora or the collection on the device.

Can I setup an Airport Express close to this music system and plug a cable from the Airport express into the stereo. And then use Airplay to stream from the various apple devices to send music to this. It can connect to my exisiting WiFi network, but, I don't want it to replace what I currently have.

Can I do this, or am I trying to do something for which it is not intended?

- thanks

saeran

139 posts

Master Geek

#937626 19-Nov-2013 23:35

That should work just fine!
I have three airport express's and they have no problem joining and extending my existing main network.
Good luck!

RunningMan

8953 posts

Uber Geek

#937648 20-Nov-2013 06:46

Yes, they will do that fine.

You can set them up in several ways:

1)Join your existing WiFi network.

2) Connect via ethernet to your existing network, and also provide WiFi themselves

2) Connect via WiFi and extend your existing network.

PJ48

295 posts

Ultimate Geek

#938684 21-Nov-2013 21:50

If you dont want to interfere with your existing network, then configure the AE to "join your wifi network" and then allow Airplay. As long as your Apple devices have good Wifi coverage in the room to the Linksys, you will have perfect Wireless music streaming. Sometimes when you first set up an AE, the easy config screen you get presented with automatically wants to extend rather than join the network, but you can easily change it back in Airport Utility on an Apple IOS device.

Extending the network can in theory increase coverage if you have a dead spot at that end of the house, but when you extend a network over wifi, speed tends to suffer due to the overhead constraint of lots of back and forwards communication between the two access points.