Airport express with a non-apple wifi router

[catburlow]

First, sorry for the english... but I cannot do better

My purpose is to listen to the music inside my powerbook on my good speakers in the living room wirelessly.

I have 4 macs all with wifi integrated and already an internet connection but with a router that is not Apple (I don't have choice here since the companies of my countries just give you the router with the connexion so it is zyxel). My internet connection is working correctly and all my macs are connected via wifi to the internal and external world.

My problem is the following: I bought an airport express and I really don't understand how to set it up. Do i need an apple airport base for airport express to work? How do I set up my airport express to make it work with the speakers of my living room (everything is in the same room).?

Thanks in advance

[whitecloud1]

It depends what you want to do with it.
I also have a Zyxel router but don't need to use Airport express to increase the signal.
I don't think that's possible anyway.
I use the Airport Express for 2 things:
1. At school I have an ethernet connection socket in all classrooms, so I just plug the ethernet cable into the Airport express and have wireless via my Powerbook.

2. I teach Music and can play my music files via iTunes to a Hi-fi using the Airport Express.

There are 2 programs supplied for setting up the Express.
See Utilities folder. I use Airport Admin as it has more options than Airport Setup. The Admin gives the option of setting up profiles, so I use one profile for just iTunes and turned off the networking option - This changes the flashing amber light to constant green.

I use another profile when I also want networking.
Both profiles are encrypted connections but I Use a 3rd when I want an open connection e.g. for others to use at work.
I'm assuming your Zyxel has wireless. If not, you can simply connect it to your Express via ethernet cable and you'll have wireless.

Hope this helps.
JB

[catburlow]

Thanks for your quick reply!
What I want to do is only for music. Searching for google I saw people talking about airtunes. But in the apple page they said there is a cd with an assistant to help you choose the speakers from itunes but I don't see any Cd inside the box that I bought....

[gsahli]

You must join the wireless network in client mode:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302153

[catburlow]

Thanks Gsahli... Really the kind of information I needed. Thank so much. I search a lot by internet but doesn't find this really useful page. One more precision: on point 11 they said:

---------
Enter the name of your AirPort Express.
Tip: If you don't know the name, it's what appears in iTunes as the name of your AirTunes remote speakers.
-----------
But on my side nothing appears in itunes. I don't have any menu that appears as speakers. Does this must appear just once the airport express is plugged and this without any setting. Or do I miss something.

[gsahli]

I hope someone else has an answer for that -- or you can go to the Apple Airtunes page:
http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/airtunes.html

(I have never used an Airport Express!!!)
Looks like Express Assistant software is important.
Maybe you should install the Assistant, reset the Espress, and start over.

[catburlow]

Ok I really thank to everybody. thanks to all of you I was able to suceed in it! Fantastic! The conclusion:
- I follow th instructions in http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=302153 so when adding the airport express the aitunes system inside itunes appear. Quite easy to install following the first part of the instructions
- I'm totally silly: I discover that there's an assistant cd but it was hidden by the manuals. I suppose it was the easiest way to set it.
Anyway it works thank to all of you!

[catburlow]

One thing more: I have a usb epson stylus dx4800 printer so I try to plug it to the airport express to be able to print wirelessly. It works BUT the scanner option (it is a multi use printer) does not seem to work wirelessly. Does somebody experience something similar?