Is it worth it to buy a 1st-gen Airport Base Station?

doctorgonzodoctorgonzo
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I have the option to buy one for about $100 and I am thinking about using it with my iBook (700Mhz, previous gen) and a standard (not Extreme) Airport card.



I plan on plugging it into my router and using it for the sole purpose of providing wireless access for this one machine.



Is there anything I should know before I commit to the purchase? Any hidden problems with the older hardware that will make my life hell soon after I buy it?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 13
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DoctorGonzo

    I have the option to buy one for about $100 and I am thinking about using it with my iBook (700Mhz, previous gen) and a standard (not Extreme) Airport card.



    I plan on plugging it into my router and using it for the sole purpose of providing wireless access for this one machine.



    Is there anything I should know before I commit to the purchase? Any hidden problems with the older hardware that will make my life hell soon after I buy it?



    If we are talking about the graphite one don´t do it. They had heat issues.



    $100? It must be possible to get a cheaper one. I bought one for that price here (second G)
  • Reply 2 of 13
    nericksonnerickson Posts: 20member
    I bought a 1st generation Airport. It has been the best $300 I ever spent. I have used two TiMacs and an iBook with it and it works great. I can't imagine that your ISP would be any faster with Extreme, only if you were transfering files among a home network. I could be wrong, though. I have thought about buying one of the refurbs at SmallDog for $100 just as backup. Hmmmm...



    (yes, the TiMacs aren't nearly as good at AP range as the iBook is. I have a small house, though.)
  • Reply 3 of 13
    bioflavonoidbioflavonoid Posts: 723member
    Works great with our 7 macs - all with Airport cards.

    3 TiBook

    2 iBooks

    1 iMac

    1 Cube
  • Reply 4 of 13
    doctorgonzodoctorgonzo Posts: 529member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Anders the White

    If we are talking about the graphite one don´t do it. They had heat issues.



    $100? It must be possible to get a cheaper one. I bought one for that price here (second G)



    I've been trying to find any Base Station for less than $170. I don't want or need the "OMG EXTREME!!!!!" Base Station, just something that will function reliably.



    The only place on the web I can locate one has nothing but the 1st gen Base Station for $109 - and only a few left in stock as it is. I don't want to go the eBay route. I'd rather deal with a reputible dealer.



    I just can't seem to find one.
  • Reply 5 of 13
    eskimoeskimo Posts: 474member
    Have you considered base stations by companies other than Apple? Since Apple's Airport is 802.11b compatible it should work fine with whatever Macs you want to connect to it. Most are administered over the web so they dont' need specific mac software. I've seen 802.11b base stations going for as low as $30 after rebate at places like amazon and buy.com.
  • Reply 6 of 13
    doctorgonzodoctorgonzo Posts: 529member
    Hmmmm....I've thought of it, but have been too afraid of incompatibilities to seriously consider it in the past.



    This looks interesting



    Opinions?
  • Reply 7 of 13
    eskimoeskimo Posts: 474member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DoctorGonzo

    Hmmmm....I've thought of it, but have been too afraid of incompatibilities to seriously consider it in the past.



    This looks interesting



    Opinions?



    That's why the IEEE has standards such as 802.11b to provide for interoperability across various systems. Netgear makes decent products, all you need is a web browser to configure it.
  • Reply 8 of 13
    doctorgonzodoctorgonzo Posts: 529member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Eskimo

    That's why the IEEE has standards such as 802.11b to provide for interoperability across various systems. Netgear makes decent products, all you need is a web browser to configure it.



    As I've learned in the past, a product that professes compatiblity is not always 100% compatible.



    I appreciate your help in this matter (and that of the rest of you) and I now have my wireless router on its way.



    I'm currently trying to get a better price on an Airport card, but if all else fails, I'll just pay the $78 w/Free Shipping that Amazon is offering.
  • Reply 9 of 13
    the pie manthe pie man Posts: 425member
    I've got a first gen base station I would be willing to sell. Never had any problems with it (and am baffled by the heat comment?)



    I am getting rid of it because I have just combined my router / base station into one unit - a Linksys wireless router.



    If you are interested you can email me at shopping at imagemason dot com.
  • Reply 10 of 13
    ghost_user_nameghost_user_name Posts: 22,667member
    I´m midly surprised that the problems with the first gen. went over the collective head of the AI crowd. The heat problem even spun off its own web site www.basestationrepair.com .
  • Reply 11 of 13
    doctorgonzodoctorgonzo Posts: 529member
    Well, today all the pieces of the puzzle came together and I now have a lovely Airport card sitting in my iBook and the utterly fantastic Netgear MR814 router in the other room.



    A true base station would have been nice, but this setup works like a dream. The router has some nice security features. It fully supports 128-bit WEP and restricting wireless network access to certain MAC addresses.
  • Reply 12 of 13
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    $100? There are better ways to spend that kind of money. Wireless internet routers cost around $50 and on sale about $30. They do the same thing with the exception of the cool UFO look. Same speed, newer electronics, encryption (new?), but cheap.



    OK, misread your post. But really, other companies have web set-up and pretty good documentation. Try to save some $$$\
  • Reply 13 of 13
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by DoctorGonzo

    I'm currently trying to get a better price on an Airport card, but if all else fails, I'll just pay the $78 w/Free Shipping that Amazon is offering.



    PowerMax has this Airport card available for $65.



    EDIT: Just so you know, a friend of mine is selling an airport card here for $50 shipped.
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