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1) Can I use airport extreme + external hard disk as a server ? I mean, can I run operating systems such as ubuntu on it ?

2) Is it a bit noisy ? Can I place it in my sleeping room ?

3) Can airport extreme expand networks ? On the Apple website they say only Time Capsule can do it: www.apple.com/wifi/

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  1. The AirPort Extreme serves your files via AFP and SMB (Mac and Windows file sharing, respectively). I'm not aware of any alternative OSes that can be installed on the base station.

  2. The AirPort Extreme is completely silent. It seems to be convection cooled. I don't think it even has a fan, but maybe it does for when it's running in hotter environments. Your hard disk will certainly be the bigger concern, noise-wise.

  3. Yes, the AirPort Extreme can do the same things the Time Capsule can do with respect to joining and extending networks.

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I have one in my bedroom. My wristwatch is louder when across the room! – drewk May 29 '10 at 16:37
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1) No, the reason for this is that the Airport Extreme only acts as a NAS (Network Attached Storage) server when a drive is connected.

2) No idea, but I would not think that it is very noisy since it's just a router.

3) I do not surely know, but I think that it isn't possible to do network repetition on it.

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As for 3), even an Express can do it, but your mileage may vary if the first base station is not Apple hardware. – Arjan May 29 '10 at 16:12
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