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AirPort/AirPort Extreme
- Thread starter Metalchic
- Start date
Patrickool93
Well-known member
Airport is standard 802.11b and Airport Extreme is 802.11g or 802.11n depending on the age of the mac. All current Core 2 Duo macs are 802.11n.
Scott Baret
Well-known member
Of course they're non-standard. It's Apple, after all, and they've had to find some way to keep that trait alive after killing off ADB, etc.
You can go to any wifi location (coffee shop, etc) and use your Apple laptop fine there with an AirPort. And it works the other way around too--a PC can use an AirPort base station without a problem.
Those gimmicks remind me of the "turbo" button that used to be on PCs around 1995-1996...anyone else remember that?
You can go to any wifi location (coffee shop, etc) and use your Apple laptop fine there with an AirPort. And it works the other way around too--a PC can use an AirPort base station without a problem.
Those gimmicks remind me of the "turbo" button that used to be on PCs around 1995-1996...anyone else remember that?
madmax_2069
Well-known member
well the turbo button on those did serve a purpose, it made the computer run at its top speed (mhz) but is what the computer was normally capable of in the first place. but was just a way to sell you a computer making the buyer think it was something special.
those just cut the speed in half ( i think) from its normal speed when the button was off.
those just cut the speed in half ( i think) from its normal speed when the button was off.
tomlee59
Well-known member
Those buttons had a real purpose beyond marketing. Many early games, for example, used timing loops that depended on CPU clock frequency. In turbo mode, many games were just too fast (or goofy). Disabling turbo reset the clock to 4.77MHz, allowing those games to run at the correct speed.
madmax_2069
Well-known member
i was mainly talking about the 386 and 486 class of computers. i know about the timing on the older ones like the 8086 and 8088 era and some 286 class ones (more of a compatibility mode then a turbo mode, but did the same thing). my wyse 286 had that funtion.
the 386 and 486 class computers was to fast for those older games anyway (they would run funky even at slow speed on them) unless you had a program (speed compensation) that made the older game run right on the faster systems.
i remember having to use a program like that to play a old game on a faster computer. a old game called vette running on a some faster 386s and 486 - pentium machine was a bit hard to play unless you had a program to virtually slow the machine down.
anyway, back on topic, from what i have read on sites is that there is a bit of s difference between G or G+ or other company's markings like linksys speedboost or other.
mainly the B has the speed of 11MB (more like in the 5MB range) and G has a speed of 54MB (more like in the 20MB range) and G+ is suppose to be around 108MB or something like that (but really in the 30MB-40MB range) on paper due to the some G+ or similar standards binding 2 channels as one.
really it also depends on if you have pure G or pure G+ gear and depends on how far you are away from the AP or router and if the software supports that speed, the G+ is also suppose to reach farther then standard G does.
but you never get the rated speed of any wifi standard (even tho it says its connected at such speeds).
its like this ( in base stations)
Airport B
Airport extreme is G (2 different models one was called express that had airtunes)
Airport express is N ( not the same as the express G) but supports A/B/G and N
and like this (Airport cards)
Airport is B
Airport extreme is G
and integrated Airport Extreme (is shown as A/B/G and N )
the 386 and 486 class computers was to fast for those older games anyway (they would run funky even at slow speed on them) unless you had a program (speed compensation) that made the older game run right on the faster systems.
i remember having to use a program like that to play a old game on a faster computer. a old game called vette running on a some faster 386s and 486 - pentium machine was a bit hard to play unless you had a program to virtually slow the machine down.
anyway, back on topic, from what i have read on sites is that there is a bit of s difference between G or G+ or other company's markings like linksys speedboost or other.
mainly the B has the speed of 11MB (more like in the 5MB range) and G has a speed of 54MB (more like in the 20MB range) and G+ is suppose to be around 108MB or something like that (but really in the 30MB-40MB range) on paper due to the some G+ or similar standards binding 2 channels as one.
really it also depends on if you have pure G or pure G+ gear and depends on how far you are away from the AP or router and if the software supports that speed, the G+ is also suppose to reach farther then standard G does.
but you never get the rated speed of any wifi standard (even tho it says its connected at such speeds).
its like this ( in base stations)
Airport B
Airport extreme is G (2 different models one was called express that had airtunes)
Airport express is N ( not the same as the express G) but supports A/B/G and N
and like this (Airport cards)
Airport is B
Airport extreme is G
and integrated Airport Extreme (is shown as A/B/G and N )
Last edited by a moderator:
~tl
68kMLA Admin Emeritus
Yeah, only the new Airport Extreme base station has 802.11a and 802.11n support. The Airport Express is still b/g only:
http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/
http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/
http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
Anonymous Freak
Well-known member
Alrighty, here it is:
"AirPort" is Apple's trade name for 802.11b, which is an 11 Mb/s protocol over 2.4 GHz. They had one PCMCIA-based card that was available, and two base stations, the original "Graphite", and the slightly newer "Snow", that are both "UFO-shaped". Both models have a dial-up modem, the Graphite model has a single 10 Mb/s Ethernet port, the Snow model adds a second 10 Mb/s Ethernet port, but is otherwise identical, functionally.
"AirPort Extreme" is Apple's trade name for anything faster than that. It has been used in computers to denote an 802.11b/g card, an 802.11a/b/g card (the Intel Macs before 802.11n,) and an 802.11a/b/g/n card. The b/g card is a 'standard' card that Apple sold as an add-in for some computers. The a/b/g card and the a/b/g/n card have never been available for purchase alone. For 802.11b and g, these cards operate at 2.4 GHz. For 802.11a-compatible cards in -a mode, it operates at 5 GHz. For the 802.11n-compatible card, it can operate at either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. (Note that very few base stations support 802.11n's 5 GHz mode.)
In base stations, there was the original "AirPort Extreme", which was another "UFO-shaped" base station, this one supporting 802.11b and g. This model has a USB port for printers (no disks,) and was available with a modem and an external antenna port. There was also a Power Over Ethernet model available.
Then there is the current "AirPort Extreme with 802.11n" base station, which has two revisions. One has 10/100 Mb/s Ethernet (Apple calls this the "Fast Ethernet" model,) one has 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet (Apple calls this the "Gigabit Ethernet" model.) The two n models support 802.11b/g/n in 2.4 GHz model, and 802.11a/n in 5 GHz mode. You cannot have it in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz mode simultaneously, you have to pick which frequency you want it to operate in, and that determines if you get -a or -b/g compatibility. Both revisions support USB printers and disks, but they lack a dial-up modem, or antenna port.
"AirPort Express" refers only to the small 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz base station. This is the only model to support "AirTunes", and it also supports a USB printer (but not a USB disk.) This name does not refer to any cards, nor to the wireless technology itself, the way "AirPort" and "AirPort Extreme" are used. This term is used SOLELY for the one base station.
"AirPort" is Apple's trade name for 802.11b, which is an 11 Mb/s protocol over 2.4 GHz. They had one PCMCIA-based card that was available, and two base stations, the original "Graphite", and the slightly newer "Snow", that are both "UFO-shaped". Both models have a dial-up modem, the Graphite model has a single 10 Mb/s Ethernet port, the Snow model adds a second 10 Mb/s Ethernet port, but is otherwise identical, functionally.
"AirPort Extreme" is Apple's trade name for anything faster than that. It has been used in computers to denote an 802.11b/g card, an 802.11a/b/g card (the Intel Macs before 802.11n,) and an 802.11a/b/g/n card. The b/g card is a 'standard' card that Apple sold as an add-in for some computers. The a/b/g card and the a/b/g/n card have never been available for purchase alone. For 802.11b and g, these cards operate at 2.4 GHz. For 802.11a-compatible cards in -a mode, it operates at 5 GHz. For the 802.11n-compatible card, it can operate at either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. (Note that very few base stations support 802.11n's 5 GHz mode.)
In base stations, there was the original "AirPort Extreme", which was another "UFO-shaped" base station, this one supporting 802.11b and g. This model has a USB port for printers (no disks,) and was available with a modem and an external antenna port. There was also a Power Over Ethernet model available.
Then there is the current "AirPort Extreme with 802.11n" base station, which has two revisions. One has 10/100 Mb/s Ethernet (Apple calls this the "Fast Ethernet" model,) one has 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet (Apple calls this the "Gigabit Ethernet" model.) The two n models support 802.11b/g/n in 2.4 GHz model, and 802.11a/n in 5 GHz mode. You cannot have it in both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz mode simultaneously, you have to pick which frequency you want it to operate in, and that determines if you get -a or -b/g compatibility. Both revisions support USB printers and disks, but they lack a dial-up modem, or antenna port.
"AirPort Express" refers only to the small 802.11b/g, 2.4 GHz base station. This is the only model to support "AirTunes", and it also supports a USB printer (but not a USB disk.) This name does not refer to any cards, nor to the wireless technology itself, the way "AirPort" and "AirPort Extreme" are used. This term is used SOLELY for the one base station.
