My next door neighbor has some Netgear stuff that outperforms the latest AE by miles. I can see his 5GHz network from 100 miles away, but I have to be within 2.3 inches of my AE to see my 5Ghz network. Let me re-emphasize that he's my next door neighbor, so interference from microwaves or cordless phones can be factored out, so please take that into consideration before defending the AE's putrid performance.
But, hey, my router's industrial design is much better than his.
Mmmm. The trolling is strong with this one… unlike his knowledge of routers.
Lol I just bought my first AirPort express a couple weeks ago. Hope they don't discontinue this line, we love the AirPort & would definitely buy a time machine or extreme in the future.
I have an older time capsule (the flat one) and a new Airport Extreme and both are going strong. The time capsule is more of an extender now but still backs up my aging MacBook Pro flawlessly. The range on the 5ghz band could be better but both devices are still going strong.
I wonder if Apple would consider offering an integrated do-all home "hub." A device that combines ATV, Time Machine, Airport (with at least 4 Gigabit ports) AND a cable/DSL modem. Just plug into your home cable or phone line, login to your Apple ID, and you could be set with WiFi, streaming/apps, centralized server and backup. An external (Bluetooth?) mic/sensor array could provide Siri and/or gesture control.
It is not that difficult for the reasonably tech savvy to piece the parts together to get the features above. I've done most of it for my own place. But I don't even suggest to any of my non-tech friends or family that this would be a good solution for them, even if I had the time or inclination to set it up for them. However, if there were a single appliance that could easily do all this, I would be happy to sell the concept to anyone.
I wanted the the same as well, I just read on this thread people putting router in their Closet. Wow. Because everyone I know tend to put router next to the TV in living room, connecting to TV / STB / Apple TV, Modem along with Time Capsule or NAS as well as their Gaming console. So it make sense to lump it into a one thing.
I am not so sure about DSL / Cable Modem, simply because the difference around the world in ways they Connect to the internet. You will have to support ADSL / ADSL2 / VDSL / VDSL2 / G.Fast / Cable DOCSIS 1.0 - 3.1, along with FTTH ONT. That is RJ45 / Coacial Cable / Fibre Slot all in the same product. Hardly something Apple's character would do. But if they do, then it will cover likely 95%+ of world wide Home Internet connection users. ( 5% of user using Satellite and 4G )
Yeah, the built-in modem is the biggest stretch due to the complexities you mention. It would not be horrible to leave that part out...
Although in my dreams, I could see a modem module, something with a form factor similar to an SFP that would be installed according to what the service provider requires. Would Apple have a similar dream? Probably not, but as you say, I also think they could cover the majority of users in the world with some sort of combined or separate RJ-45/Coax/Fiber module(s).
It's beyond me why Apple doesn't finally make an ARM version of OS X. With a high-powered 64-bit ARM CPU a unit could run OS X server in the background while serving as a WiFi access point, AND have an AppleTV UI on a HDMI port. That unit being always on, could then serve media streaming, backup, HomeKit, and off-load a lot of crap that's now on iCloud which causes lots of strain with the spooks of various governments, which becomes a non-issue once data is stored with customers.
It's beyond me why Apple doesn't finally make an ARM version of OS X. With a high-powered 64-bit ARM CPU a unit could run OS X server in the background while serving as a WiFi access point, AND have an AppleTV UI on a HDMI port. That unit being always on, could then serve media streaming, backup, HomeKit, and off-load a lot of crap that's now on iCloud which causes lots of strain with the spooks of various governments, which becomes a non-issue once data is stored with customers.
Why does it have to run OS X? Always I see these comments about OS X on ARM, but there is an OS they have already on ARM, and that's the OS that gets more attention simply because it's on way more devices one can assume. The OS they develop on ARM with all the apps already running on ARM, why not just make the necessary changes to the OS that is already there to do the things you suggest, which I think is a great idea. I've often thought an iOS based device of some sort that manages your home networking needs and provides ATV functionality (or at least manages the data and streams it to an ATV), wouldn't it make more sense for Apple to put their investment there instead of such a radical change to get OS X to run on ARM?? iOS is maturing greatly each iteration, iOS will get there eventually, why have two OSes "there" instead of just the one, which is their future? Seems clear to me which one they'd choose.
One day soon it's going to be obvious to everyone that there is no functional difference between OS X and iOS and people will stop insisting that it makes sense to port OS X to ARM, that iOS does everything that other OS does, only much better and is already on that chipset.
If their routers had a full set of features and were any better than other strategies, I might buy them. But without traffic shaping features other consumer routers have it’s little more than an expensive system designed for people without anything more than the very most basic needs.
Maybe Apple is becoming more aware of the health risks of wi-fi radiation? Using wi-fi for backup purposes never made any sense, when you can use ethernet or lightning to do the same job far faster and more reliably, without nuking your kids brains.
They should get creative and call the echo competitor the Apple Apple.
Very good, that's funny, but at the same times it's actually a great idea. Imagine an Apple shaped speaker/device, while most likely not the greatest shape to maximise audio quality, it'd be a very identifiable object to have around your house.
Maybe Apple is becoming more aware of the health risks of wi-fi radiation? Using wi-fi for backup purposes never made any sense, when you can use ethernet or lightning to do the same job far faster and more reliably, without nuking your kids brains.
What an enjoyably daft statement! If WiFi nukes kids' brains (pretty sure that's not actually a thing...), I'm betting WiFi backups are not going to be the final burst of radio waves that will cause their heads to explode.
You can still use ethernet or lightning to do your backups if you want. You can also not install WiFi routers and turn your home into a big Faraday cage to keep the neighbors' RF out.
WiFi backups are good because they can be automated and don't require you to think about doing it. If they happen daily or even hourly, you don't need Ethernet bandwidth to keep up. Also, if you're like the vast majority of people out there for whom doing backups usually comes up as a regretful post facto wish, automated WiFi backups are a really great thing.
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Although in my dreams, I could see a modem module, something with a form factor similar to an SFP that would be installed according to what the service provider requires. Would Apple have a similar dream? Probably not, but as you say, I also think they could cover the majority of users in the world with some sort of combined or separate RJ-45/Coax/Fiber module(s).
With a high-powered 64-bit ARM CPU a unit could run OS X server in the background while serving as a WiFi access point, AND have an AppleTV UI on a HDMI port.
That unit being always on, could then serve media streaming, backup, HomeKit, and off-load a lot of crap that's now on iCloud which causes lots of strain with the spooks of various governments, which becomes a non-issue once data is stored with customers.
One day soon it's going to be obvious to everyone that there is no functional difference between OS X and iOS and people will stop insisting that it makes sense to port OS X to ARM, that iOS does everything that other OS does, only much better and is already on that chipset.
What’s better, exactly?
Such as?
You can still use ethernet or lightning to do your backups if you want. You can also not install WiFi routers and turn your home into a big Faraday cage to keep the neighbors' RF out.
WiFi backups are good because they can be automated and don't require you to think about doing it. If they happen daily or even hourly, you don't need Ethernet bandwidth to keep up. Also, if you're like the vast majority of people out there for whom doing backups usually comes up as a regretful post facto wish, automated WiFi backups are a really great thing.