If not, wait. 802.11ac will be great. I'd personally love them to redesign the AirPort family with a LiquidMetal case, but that's just a fantasy of mine.
They ARE, however, the last products that still use plastic…
Does Apple make money with their Airport Extreme routers? With so many better units at much better prices I'm still amazed it's even still on the market.
These are a few models that wipe the floor with the Airport Extreme.
Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX200 WRT54GX2
You will ever hardly see the Airport Extreme anywhere near the top of list for routers,
At $180 Apples router is a bust, you will be better served going with any of the top 3 that are much less and offer better features. I understand it's nice owning something that has that pretty Apple symbol on it but in this case it is not better,
The last thing you want is any wireless devise made out of metal. Yes that includes notebooks, though I love the Macbooks dearly the wireless range is not ideal.
Does Apple make money with their Airport Extreme routers? With so many better units at much better prices I'm still amazed it's even still on the market.
...
I want what you are smoking. I have never before bought an Apple router, but my next router will be an Airport Extreme or whatever Apple offers to replace the Airport Extreme. My first router was a Siemens. All subsequent routers have been [Cisco] Linksys. My current router is a Cisco LInksys E3000. I don't buy junk. The E3000 set me back US$169.00, roughly the same price as an extant Airport Extreme. After I purchased the LInksys E3000, I learned that it was not necessary to replace a router every 18 months. Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever. As the buyer and owner of several not cheap Linksys routers, I can attest without fear of contradiction that they are not anvils.
I had avoided Airports in the past because they had only 3 LAN ports whereas Linksys routers had 4 LAN ports. My next router will be an Airport with a hub or switch to compensate for the reduced number of LAN ports.
LiquidMetal is radio transparent. Different alloys are transparent to different frequencies. It can be assumed that a LiquidMetal redesign of the AirPort family would include the appropriate one.
Quote:
Beyond that it is more difficult to get world wide approvals with metal cases. Especially in the case of devices with built in power supplies.
Apple doesn't seem to mind that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Me
Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever.
Indeed. We're actually still using a saucer 802.11g Extreme here at home. It chugs along like the day out of the box ('course, I have to keep the old version of AirPort Utility to manage it…). I recently bought the current Extreme n model (the one that got a model number change for a reason none of us have figured out yet), but have yet to set it up because I want to run a phone jack closer to the center of our computing circle than the one I'm using right now, and I also don't want to put the new Base Station in as dusty an environment as we have the old one. Purely for "keeping it nice" purposes.
Yes, that's a rather silly reason, I admit. There are other circumstances at play, though.
I realize that It's not the fastest but man is it reliable. I never have to reboot it. It appears all of the current Router leaders are using the Ralink
processors. Apple is still using the Marvell "Kirkwood" processor which is getting up their in age. They did modify the radio inside moving to more
powerful Broadcom parts but the Marvell chip is what's holding back throughput.
The question is "Does Apple move over to Ralink for the nextgen processor or do the design their own processor?"
They most certainly will come out with a new airport. Apple's latest strategy is synergy with all their products (airplay, connectivity, etc). To make that all happen the airport is the most essential piece. Also keep in mind the rumored apple tv, in order to prepare for all the future bandwidth req. they will need 802.11ac. I just wish the IEEE wasn't so extremely slow releasing better standards.
We have an office of about 30 folks plus big groups of visitors for meetings. I have 2 Airport Extremes to cover wireless. They are one of the least problematic devices I've seen. I've not had a single problem out of them for years. In fact I kind of forget about them till an update comes out.
The only issue I have ever had with my Apple Airport is with FTP redirection. My cable provider doesn't allow port 21, and for some reason I could never get it to redirect the port properly so I had to replace it with a Cisco 4200v2 I believe mine was the draft N version one or two back so that could have very well have been addressed later on. If they release a 802.11AC I will get one though. Even though I'm very deep into IT at the most senior level in one of the biggest IT firms I really like the simplicity after fighting with configurations in datacenter and design it's nice just to have things work at the dumb down level so I don't have to play with crap on my off days.
I want what you are smoking. I have never before bought an Apple router, but my next router will be an Airport Extreme or whatever Apple offers to replace the Airport Extreme. My first router was a Siemens. All subsequent routers have been [Cisco] Linksys. My current router is a Cisco LInksys E3000. I don't buy junk. The E3000 set me back US$169.00, roughly the same price as an extant Airport Extreme. After I purchased the LInksys E3000, I learned that it was not necessary to replace a router every 18 months. Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever. As the buyer and owner of several not cheap Linksys routers, I can attest without fear of contradiction that they are not anvils.
I had avoided Airports in the past because they had only 3 LAN ports whereas Linksys routers had 4 LAN ports. My next router will be an Airport with a hub or switch to compensate for the reduced number of LAN ports.
Well then enjoy, it looks like you've made up your mind. Stay away from the newest firmware though, It's not very good.
If you have sales figures though I would love to see them. Apple charges a real pretty penny for a product that is not very competitive in that price range. $180 is a lot of money for a router nowadays. Especially when you can get a Linksys E4200 for the same price, with a 3 year warranty.
They most certainly will come out with a new airport. Apple's latest strategy is synergy with all their products (airplay, connectivity, etc). To make that all happen the airport is the most essential piece. Also keep in mind the rumored apple tv, in order to prepare for all the future bandwidth req. they will need 802.11ac.
Along with the above, it is possible that the next generation of Airports and Time Capsules might include a Thunderbolt port.
I've got both the latest Airport Extreme and a top-end NetGear router - for ease of use, the Apple is best, for Pro-Users/Business, I'd suggest Linksys or Netgear.
Both my present units have run flawlessly since installation in August last year and I still have an old Airport Express on hand should anything go wrong.
I want what you are smoking. I have never before bought an Apple router, but my next router will be an Airport Extreme or whatever Apple offers to replace the Airport Extreme. My first router was a Siemens. All subsequent routers have been [Cisco] Linksys. My current router is a Cisco LInksys E3000. I don't buy junk. The E3000 set me back US$169.00, roughly the same price as an extant Airport Extreme. After I purchased the LInksys E3000, I learned that it was not necessary to replace a router every 18 months. Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever. As the buyer and owner of several not cheap Linksys routers, I can attest without fear of contradiction that they are not anvils.
I had avoided Airports in the past because they had only 3 LAN ports whereas Linksys routers had 4 LAN ports. My next router will be an Airport with a hub or switch to compensate for the reduced number of LAN ports.
And that brings up my question... why doesn't anybody build routers with a decent number of LAN ports? I want a minimum of 8. I guess it's form over function. Gotta keep that small rectangular box. No room for more ports. Sad.
And that brings up my question... why doesn't anybody build routers with a decent number of LAN ports? I want a minimum of 8. I guess it's form over function. Gotta keep that small rectangular box. No room for more ports. Sad.
Many routers are very cheap, so cost could be an issue if you're looking for a board with 8 real ports as opposed to 4 over subscribed ports. You should be able to find such a thing within commercial grade products, but that would be expensive.
Comments
If you need it, buy it.
If not, wait. 802.11ac will be great. I'd personally love them to redesign the AirPort family with a LiquidMetal case, but that's just a fantasy of mine.
They ARE, however, the last products that still use plastic…
Does Apple make money with their Airport Extreme routers? With so many better units at much better prices I'm still amazed it's even still on the market.
These are a few models that wipe the floor with the Airport Extreme.
The Netgear RangeMax 240
D-Link DGL-4300 GamerLounge Wireless 108G Gaming Router
Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router with SRX200 WRT54GX2
You will ever hardly see the Airport Extreme anywhere near the top of list for routers,
At $180 Apples router is a bust, you will be better served going with any of the top 3 that are much less and offer better features. I understand it's nice owning something that has that pretty Apple symbol on it but in this case it is not better,
The last thing you want is any wireless devise made out of metal. Yes that includes notebooks, though I love the Macbooks dearly the wireless range is not ideal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
The last thing you want is any wireless devise made out of metal.
Which is why I said LiquidMetal.
So how does that make a difference?
Beyond that it is more difficult to get world wide approvals with metal cases. Especially in the case of devices with built in power supplies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
Does Apple make money with their Airport Extreme routers? With so many better units at much better prices I'm still amazed it's even still on the market.
...
I want what you are smoking. I have never before bought an Apple router, but my next router will be an Airport Extreme or whatever Apple offers to replace the Airport Extreme. My first router was a Siemens. All subsequent routers have been [Cisco] Linksys. My current router is a Cisco LInksys E3000. I don't buy junk. The E3000 set me back US$169.00, roughly the same price as an extant Airport Extreme. After I purchased the LInksys E3000, I learned that it was not necessary to replace a router every 18 months. Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever. As the buyer and owner of several not cheap Linksys routers, I can attest without fear of contradiction that they are not anvils.
I had avoided Airports in the past because they had only 3 LAN ports whereas Linksys routers had 4 LAN ports. My next router will be an Airport with a hub or switch to compensate for the reduced number of LAN ports.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
So how does that make a difference?
LiquidMetal is radio transparent. Different alloys are transparent to different frequencies. It can be assumed that a LiquidMetal redesign of the AirPort family would include the appropriate one.
Quote:
Beyond that it is more difficult to get world wide approvals with metal cases. Especially in the case of devices with built in power supplies.
Apple doesn't seem to mind that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Me
Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever.
Indeed. We're actually still using a saucer 802.11g Extreme here at home. It chugs along like the day out of the box ('course, I have to keep the old version of AirPort Utility to manage it…). I recently bought the current Extreme n model (the one that got a model number change for a reason none of us have figured out yet), but have yet to set it up because I want to run a phone jack closer to the center of our computing circle than the one I'm using right now, and I also don't want to put the new Base Station in as dusty an environment as we have the old one. Purely for "keeping it nice" purposes.
Yes, that's a rather silly reason, I admit. There are other circumstances at play, though.
I've got a Time Capsule 2GB.
I realize that It's not the fastest but man is it reliable. I never have to reboot it. It appears all of the current Router leaders are using the Ralink
processors. Apple is still using the Marvell "Kirkwood" processor which is getting up their in age. They did modify the radio inside moving to more
powerful Broadcom parts but the Marvell chip is what's holding back throughput.
The question is "Does Apple move over to Ralink for the nextgen processor or do the design their own processor?"
They most certainly will come out with a new airport. Apple's latest strategy is synergy with all their products (airplay, connectivity, etc). To make that all happen the airport is the most essential piece. Also keep in mind the rumored apple tv, in order to prepare for all the future bandwidth req. they will need 802.11ac. I just wish the IEEE wasn't so extremely slow releasing better standards.
We have an office of about 30 folks plus big groups of visitors for meetings. I have 2 Airport Extremes to cover wireless. They are one of the least problematic devices I've seen. I've not had a single problem out of them for years. In fact I kind of forget about them till an update comes out.
In for 802.11ad =p
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Me
I want what you are smoking. I have never before bought an Apple router, but my next router will be an Airport Extreme or whatever Apple offers to replace the Airport Extreme. My first router was a Siemens. All subsequent routers have been [Cisco] Linksys. My current router is a Cisco LInksys E3000. I don't buy junk. The E3000 set me back US$169.00, roughly the same price as an extant Airport Extreme. After I purchased the LInksys E3000, I learned that it was not necessary to replace a router every 18 months. Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever. As the buyer and owner of several not cheap Linksys routers, I can attest without fear of contradiction that they are not anvils.
I had avoided Airports in the past because they had only 3 LAN ports whereas Linksys routers had 4 LAN ports. My next router will be an Airport with a hub or switch to compensate for the reduced number of LAN ports.
Well then enjoy, it looks like you've made up your mind. Stay away from the newest firmware though, It's not very good.
If you have sales figures though I would love to see them. Apple charges a real pretty penny for a product that is not very competitive in that price range. $180 is a lot of money for a router nowadays. Especially when you can get a Linksys E4200 for the same price, with a 3 year warranty.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
Stay away from the newest firmware though, It's not very good.
In what regard?
If I were you I would wait for the 802.11ac
Quote:
Originally Posted by AandcMedia
They most certainly will come out with a new airport. Apple's latest strategy is synergy with all their products (airplay, connectivity, etc). To make that all happen the airport is the most essential piece. Also keep in mind the rumored apple tv, in order to prepare for all the future bandwidth req. they will need 802.11ac.
Along with the above, it is possible that the next generation of Airports and Time Capsules might include a Thunderbolt port.
I've got both the latest Airport Extreme and a top-end NetGear router - for ease of use, the Apple is best, for Pro-Users/Business, I'd suggest Linksys or Netgear.
Both my present units have run flawlessly since installation in August last year and I still have an old Airport Express on hand should anything go wrong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Me
I want what you are smoking. I have never before bought an Apple router, but my next router will be an Airport Extreme or whatever Apple offers to replace the Airport Extreme. My first router was a Siemens. All subsequent routers have been [Cisco] Linksys. My current router is a Cisco LInksys E3000. I don't buy junk. The E3000 set me back US$169.00, roughly the same price as an extant Airport Extreme. After I purchased the LInksys E3000, I learned that it was not necessary to replace a router every 18 months. Apple Airports, I learned, are anvils. They last forever. As the buyer and owner of several not cheap Linksys routers, I can attest without fear of contradiction that they are not anvils.
I had avoided Airports in the past because they had only 3 LAN ports whereas Linksys routers had 4 LAN ports. My next router will be an Airport with a hub or switch to compensate for the reduced number of LAN ports.
And that brings up my question... why doesn't anybody build routers with a decent number of LAN ports? I want a minimum of 8. I guess it's form over function. Gotta keep that small rectangular box. No room for more ports. Sad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Curmudgeon
And that brings up my question... why doesn't anybody build routers with a decent number of LAN ports? I want a minimum of 8. I guess it's form over function. Gotta keep that small rectangular box. No room for more ports. Sad.
Many routers are very cheap, so cost could be an issue if you're looking for a board with 8 real ports as opposed to 4 over subscribed ports. You should be able to find such a thing within commercial grade products, but that would be expensive.