With Apple abandoning AirPort, here are the best alternative Wi-Fi routers for Mac users

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  • Reply 101 of 121
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    Discontinuing its boxy wireless router isn't such a big loss in terms of aesthetics.  I don't side with the people who think 3rd party routers are ugly.  They are, after all, WIRELESS devices and to be good at what they do you need a plethora of antennae. 

    HOWEVER, Apple's decision to kill its external display line is indeed a loss seeing that LG did a pretty bad job of making their display look nice.  I just finished watching the video review of the 4K.  Matte borders around a glossy screen???  And based on what was said in that review, it would appear that there is insufficient anti-reflective coatings on the glass (even though the reviewer said he wasn't bothered by reflections since the display is so bright).

    Since a router is usually hidden and a display always in front of your face, it makes sense that the look of a router shouldn't matter but the display should.
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 102 of 121
    PJ PJ Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    My guess is that apple is going to add the wifi extenders directly into the apple tv as there want is to make it the hub.
  • Reply 103 of 121
    Why are you recommending the  D-Link Ultra AC5300 when it has so many poor reviews at Amazon and the like?
  • Reply 104 of 121
    LeBart1968LeBart1968 Posts: 16unconfirmed, member
    But as long as you're so stuck on Steve Jobs, don't forget, this is the crop to executives he set in place before resigning. So, apparently he's not so smart after all? 
    Smart yes, but not a visionary regarding his executives.
  • Reply 105 of 121
    @pslice probably one from Cisco, they signed a partnership in 2015
  • Reply 106 of 121
    What many of you don't realize is that the demise of even the largest companies can happen very quickly.  I am still a huge Apple fan, but I have to say that I have seen more missteps in the last 12 months than the preceding 12 years.  

    I won't go over the array of issues and missed updates (overly delayed to the point of diminished productivity relative to the market, without logical reason) we are seeing from Apple at this time.

    Apple still make amazing products, no doubt.  Sadly, the evolution is becoming so minimal it is getting harder to see it, but the real issue is 2 fold: 1) Stagnation or discontinuation of existing product lines  2) failure to innovate

    With the Macbook Pro update falling in the, "so-so" to "disappointing" range, the iPhone 7 coming with some limited innovation and iPad sales weakening, we see the three most iconic Apple products (iPod is no longer relevant) all in a state of uncertainty.  

    The net effect of all this is that Apple is losing it's luster.  The 'panache" of owning an Apple product has taken a MASSIVE hit the last 1 to 2 years, I believe people are missing how BIG of a deal this aspect alone is.  It is only because they were held in such high regard that they could take that hit and still be among the top brands.

    I genuinely hope they can right the ship.  I was a very very early fan of Apple.  I would literally force Apple products on people because I loved them so much.  When the first iPhone came out I thought I would lose my mind.  When my first Macbook Air got delivered I marveled at it and had a manilla envelope in my briefcase that I would store it in.  I allowed 50+ people in my office and at the coffee shop, to play with my iPad on the release day.  Where are "those" types of Apple fans today ...?

    I ordered a new Macbook Pro this weekend.  It will be here in 2 weeks.  Am I excited?  .. A little.  Form factor is cool.  Disappointed about a few things as well.  I purchased because I needed a new computer.  If I didn't, I wouldn't have convinced myself I did need one as I had in years past.  The iPhone 7 is the first iPhone I haven't purchased.  My iPad Pro 12.9 is crucial to my daily life and probably less "replaceable" than my iPhone at the moment.  That said, I had to purchase the USB-c charger a few months ago because the charge times with the included adaptor were simply terrible.  My apple Watch is ok, I won't be picking up the new one.  My Apple Airport is awesome, sorry to hear when it dies there may not be one to take it's place.  These aren't the words of someone adoring a company and their products.

    So while we may see a small decline in Apple's current "numbers" what I think we are seeing is the beginning of a change in the tide.  I am still purchasing, but the passion is gone.  Another company can steal me and that hasn't been the case in almost 15 years.  When the real sales drop sets in, I think it is going to be rapid and brutal.  My hope is that they get their magic back and this day never comes, but sadly with each passing month and each release, or lack thereof, it seems more likely not less.

    Mr. Cook is a great man, but maybe not the man Apple needs.
    jdw
  • Reply 107 of 121
    I'm sure the current AirPort products will remain available for years to come. There isn't any need to upgrade them anyway.

    williamlondon
  • Reply 108 of 121
    Hard to know, but if I had to guess I would imagine Apple pulling the airports into a new class of products all associated with Homekit.
    macxpresswilliamlondon
  • Reply 109 of 121
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    Has Apple Insider really tried their top recommendation?  Clicking on the link provided in the article reveals an expensive product that gets only 3 out of 5 stars on Amazon, having been reviewed by all of 43 people.  Scrolling down that same page on Amazon reveals similar products with better ratings.  For example...

    ASUS RT-AC5300, 4/5 stars reviewed by almost 5100 people.

    D-Link AC3200, 4/5 stars reviewed by almost 850 people.

    Netgear AC5300, 4.5/5 stars reviewed by 11,150 people!

    Being a Mac user and having used Apple wireless routers exclusively, I don't know anything about the setup hassles that may accompany these routers, but in terms of quality and reliability, it would appear that the Netgear AC5300 aces them all.  It might be nice if AppleInsider would buy one to review extensively.


  • Reply 110 of 121
    Rayz2016 said:
    If people have multiple AppleTVs (which I very much doubt) then that's an ideal set up for a mesh network. 
    I have 4 AppleTVs.  One on each TV in and around my house. Why would that be surprising to you? (and yes, it would make for an ideal mesh network!)
    macbear01
  • Reply 111 of 121
    ... i don't even feel curious about seeing whether their software is as seamless as Apple's. ...Yes, call me old-fashioned,  but what I always loved was a seamless experience across accessories as well. 

    Thats what really [makes] a difference.... 

    My point is that it is all about the eco-system.Go back 5 years and talk to your average consumer wanting to connect their MacBook, iMac, iPhone, iPod. A lot of them didn't have a clue how this could be done. With the purchase of a single device (Apple router and a cable) - they ultimately had a choice, Apple or 3rd-party. If they went 3rd party it generally involved some research on the web and try to figure out how to connect to the new box to config it. If they chose Apple they plugged it in and inserted the Airport Utility CD; follow a couple steps (with pix of your equip) and voila you had a network and for a few bucks more you had an automatic TimeMachine backup system for your net also! P.S. Have you ever tried connecting to your provider supplied modem (COMCAST) to find out that the user could not configure something as simple as the setting to make it a bridge - not fun!?
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 112 of 121
    Looks like eero is on sale for Black Friday for $399: https://store.eero.com/

    Same deal appears to be going on at Amazon and Best Buy. I'm going to probably give it a shot, given I hear I can bridge my airport express to it for Airplay anyways.
  • Reply 113 of 121
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Rayz2016 said:
    If people have multiple AppleTVs (which I very much doubt) then that's an ideal set up for a mesh network. 
    I have 4 AppleTVs.  One on each TV in and around my house. Why would that be surprising to you? (and yes, it would make for an ideal mesh network!)
    I guarantee that 4 Apple TVs in a home is exceedingly atypical.
  • Reply 114 of 121
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,310moderator
    Rayz2016 said:
    volcan said:
    wiggin said:
    I suspect they are simply going to fold their Airport functionality into the Apple TV. It would be a great Trojan Horse to get Apple TV's into more homes, both for the media capabilities and as a home automation hub.

    I doubt it because people tend to have multiple Apple TVs in various rooms in their house but you only need one path to the Internet so it would sort of be overkill to have full router capabilities in every device.  I suppose they could make two models, one with and one without router functionality. 

    Besides, with respect to backing up, Apple wants you to use iClould storage so they can bill you monthly not just a one time sale of a Time Capsule. All good - I respect that decision. I think other wifi manufacturers can fill the need just like LG is doing for monitors. Makes sense to me. Only my two cents.
    If people have multiple AppleTVs (which I very much doubt) then that's an ideal set up for a mesh network. 
    The Apple TV makes a lot of sense as a router for a few reasons. If multiple people are watching the same content, it can cache TV shows and send it locally instead of opening multiple streams (this would work for iOS devices too, not just multiple Apple TVs). It could also allow someone to watch their TV shows abroad easily. Someone could be in a hotel in another country and not have access to their local TV shows. The Apple TV box could allow someone to connect like a VPN and stream shows as if they were at home. It also allows for automatic QoS (quality of service) where sometimes a file upload or excessive download will affect the video streams. The Apple TV box would be able to assess which traffic gets the priority so an iCloud backup for example doesn't interrupt a live sports game.

    The Airport Express is very similar to the Apple TV:



    The first gen model was just a plug:


    They could put wifi repeater functionality into their power plugs.

    The market for routers can be determined by looking at the revenues of the biggest companies selling them: TP-Link, Asus, D-Link, NetGear, Linksys

    http://investor.netgear.com/financials-Statements.cfm
    http://www.corpasia.net/taiwan/2332/irwebsite/index.php?mod=annual
    http://www.tplink.com/ie/about/?categoryid=103
    http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/lanwan-features/32666-smallnetbuilders-router-market-share-report-q1-2015

    Router Sales By Detailed Class

    TP-Link = $1.83b, D-Link=$0.8b, Netgear=$1.3b. Linksys is part of Belkin now and Asus sells a lot of things so it's harder to figure out how much their routers make.

    TP-Link + Netgear + D-Link = 60% of the market = $3.93b so total market is around $6.55b and this includes routers that people get from their ISP. Apple is included in these numbers too. In terms of $100 routers, this is 65 million units per year. The following says TP-Link sold 57.8m routers in 2015:

    https://threatpost.com/top-router-maker-tp-link-loses-control-over-configuration-domain/119072/

    Some companies will sell a large number of cheaper products and others fewer but at a higher price.

    Apple's marketshare has to be under 1% or it would be in the chart so 650k units per year maximum. This is 1 router for every 40 Mac buyers. Apple TVs sell about 5-8 million per year.

    Wifi functionality is needed but the standalone routers aren't selling. If they can fold the functionality into another product line without making them get too hot, that would be the better route to go. The vast majority of home users will stick with their ISP's router and like I say, these numbers are included above so standalone sales for networking equipment are even lower.
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 115 of 121
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    Marvin said:

    TP-Link = $1.83b, D-Link=$0.8b, Netgear=$1.3b. Linksys is part of Belkin now and Asus sells a lot of things so it's harder to figure out how much their routers make.

    TP-Link + Netgear + D-Link = 60% of the market = $3.93b so total market is around $6.55b and this includes routers that people get from their ISP. Apple is included in these numbers too. In terms of $100 routers, this is 65 million units per year. The following says TP-Link sold 57.8m routers in 2015:

    https://threatpost.com/top-router-maker-tp-link-loses-control-over-configuration-domain/119072/

    Some companies will sell a large number of cheaper products and others fewer but at a higher price.

    Apple's marketshare has to be under 1% or it would be in the chart so 650k units per year maximum. This is 1 router for every 40 Mac buyers. Apple TVs sell about 5-8 million per year.

    Wifi functionality is needed but the standalone routers aren't selling. If they can fold the functionality into another product line without making them get too hot, that would be the better route to go. The vast majority of home users will stick with their ISP's router and like I say, these numbers are included above so standalone sales for networking equipment are even lower.
    Interesting point about Linksys being part of Belkin, which is Apple's go-to third party accessory maker. Apple might turn over their AirPort development to Belkin/Linksys. 
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 116 of 121
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Marvin said:


    This design was brilliant for traveling, or in the case of some people that I know have split residences being able to easily pack and setup their secure router in a new location with two simple plugins.
  • Reply 117 of 121
    For us, a very important feature is printing to a USB printer attached to the router. I have not found ANY non Apple routers support this - that is, they all do for Windows, but they don't have drivers that work for Macs. But yeah - Steve Jobs was happy to lose money on products that were a part of the ecosystem.
  • Reply 118 of 121
    polymniapolymnia Posts: 1,080member
    Rayz2016 said:
    volcan said:
    wiggin said:
    I suspect they are simply going to fold their Airport functionality into the Apple TV. It would be a great Trojan Horse to get Apple TV's into more homes, both for the media capabilities and as a home automation hub.

    I doubt it because people tend to have multiple Apple TVs in various rooms in their house but you only need one path to the Internet so it would sort of be overkill to have full router capabilities in every device.  I suppose they could make two models, one with and one without router functionality. 

    Besides, with respect to backing up, Apple wants you to use iClould storage so they can bill you monthly not just a one time sale of a Time Capsule. All good - I respect that decision. I think other wifi manufacturers can fill the need just like LG is doing for monitors. Makes sense to me. Only my two cents.
    If people have multiple AppleTVs (which I very much doubt) then that's an ideal set up for a mesh network. 
    I have two ATV4s in my home. The idea of making ATVs into mesh network devices is intriguing. They have already entrusted their HomeKit communication hubs to the ATV hardware & software. Not to mention iPads, which can also operate as HomeKit hubs. Perhaps Apple will make ATVs into main mesh hubs and iPads could be used to support further excursions into basements, corners of the yards, etc, by operating as mesh nodes as well.

    It would explain why the AirPort engineers were reported as 'reassigned' rather than 'offered the opportunity to interview for other positions or a severance package if they declined'. The core competency is likely going to come in handy if they are transitioning their routers into the AppleTV platform.

    I am strongly considering a mesh network solution for my next WiFi upgrade. I have a medium-sized suburban rambler home on a medium-sized lot that I spend a lot of time in during the summer, I also own an adjacent lot which I am gardening extensively where I'd love to get some WiFi coverage. Granted, two lots of WiFi coverage is an edge-case, but larger suburban or rural properties cover this much area on a single lot. The single base station model seems to have gone as far as it can, mesh seems to be a breakthrough that is smashing the former limits without even needing new WiFi protocols.

    The eero looks great right now, but because it cannot directly connect to my PPPOE fiber internet service, I'm holding tight.

    I'll be watching the WiFi space carefully.
  • Reply 119 of 121
    bb-15bb-15 Posts: 283member
    My home wireless network has been flaky. 
    I had a cable tech redo most of the wiring so, the signal to the modem is good. 
    What's left? My 2011 AirPort Extreme 5th generation router. 

    I figure, get a new router. I look at all the miniature space ships being sold by other companies and I say no thanks. 
    I remember hassling with Linksys customer support many years ago. Never again. 

    Apple still sells the AirPort Extreme 6th generation router and I'm getting one this weekend. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 120 of 121
    I saw the headline for this article and thought "AirPorts?   Do people still really use these things?"
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