Wireless Extreme For Mac
Raja made a good case to consider options like Netgear's Nighthawk R700 and R6250, TP-LINK's Archer C7 v2, and Edimax's BR-6478AC. All of them have strengths and weaknesses; some are very inexpensive (less than half what Apple's AirPort Extreme retails for), some have myriad configuration features so you can extensively tweak their performance and abilities. If that sounds good to you, then have at it. But understand what you're giving up. Simplified setup and management There's a lot more to recommend Apple's devices than simply 'brand loyalty,' as Raja dismisses.
Apple makes its network devices as easy to use as the Mac and the iPhone. And that goes a long way to effectively targeting Apple's customer.
That's because, put frankly, most Wi-Fi router manufacturers absolutely suck at making their devices easy to set up and use. They require you to use web-based interfaces. They present you with page after page of configuration information, myriad checkboxes and radio buttons that are either not well-described or not described at all, clad in techno jargon. Setting up a Wi-Fi router can be tremendously intimidating to the layperson. Hell, I worked in IT, and I find setting these things up intimidating.
Most people buying these devices aren't IT people. They're not computer hobbyists either. They're just regular consumers who know they need Wi-Fi in their home. What's drawn them, by and large, to Apple equipment is because they know it's easy to use and comfortable for them. The AirPort Utility, by comparison, makes it a dream to set up and run an Apple router.
It's included in OS X in the Utilities folder; you can download a Windows version, and a free App Store version is available for iOS devices. The software's great at connecting your Apple router to the Internet and making sure it's properly configured for whatever you need to do. Apple's network device choices The AirPort Extreme was introduced last year, when Apple's Haswell-based MacBook Air made its debut — the first Mac to support 802.11ac, the faster Wi-Fi implementation that's now standard across the board in every Mac that Apple's released since then. It comes with three Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, along with a USB 2 port to attach a printer or an external hard drive that can be shared on the network. A fourth Gigabit Ethernet WAN port is used to connect to your Internet device - a cable or DSL modem or router, for example.
But what really makes the AirPort Extreme special is the software that Apple includes on the Mac and makes available for free download for the PC. AirPort Utility, found in the Utilities folder of your Mac, can help you set up and manage an AirPort Extreme within a couple minutes of opening the box.
Apple's Time Capsule is much the same story — it's the exact same device as the AirPort Extreme, though it's equipped with an internal 2 TB or 3 TB hard disk drive that's visible to the Time Machine software built into OS X. That makes it a cinch to use as a network-based backup system for the Mac. You set it once and forget about it, and every time your Mac is connected to the network it'll back up, so you'll always have a way to recover in the event of a catastrophic failure. I'll readily admit that the AirPort Express is becoming a hard sell. It's a tiny box with unremarkable network performance — relegated to 802.11n — and it's pricey for a device in its category. But two things make it worth considering: Software and AirPlay.
It's every bit as easy to configure because it works with the same utilities that support Apple's other routers, and it doubles as an AirPlay audio router. In other words, if you hook the AirPort Express up to your stereo or to speakers using the mini jack that's built into it, it will appear in iTunes as an AirPlay device, so you can stream audio to it.
Other considerations Here's another reason to consider an Apple-branded router: AppleCare coverage. If you've purchased, or plan to purchase, Apple's AppleCare service coverage to protect your Mac, AppleCare also covers an AirPort device. Here's the relevant details from Apple's North American coverage terms. (i) Under APP for Mac, (a) one compatible Apple branded display if purchased at the same time as the Covered Equipment, (b) an Apple-branded mouse, Magic Trackpad, Apple Battery Charger and keyboard if included with the Covered Equipment (or purchased with a Mac mini), or (c) an AirPort Extreme Card, an AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme Base Station, Time Capsule, an Apple-branded DVI to ADC display adapter, Apple RAM modules and MacBook Air SuperDrive if used with the Covered Equipment and originally purchased by you no earlier than two years before the Covered Equipment purchase.
In other words, you don't need to buy a separate AppleCare coverage plan for your AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule or AirPort Express. It's automatically covered within two years of the AppleCare-covered device's purchase. What this means is that if you have an AppleCare-covered device and something goes wrong with your Apple router, you can call Apple and expect to get help and expect to get it repaired or replaced at no cost to you. That's certainly better than the standard factory warranties of many other routers from other manufacturers.
Also, good luck getting competent Mac or iOS-centric support from most of third-party router makers. The bottom line I've laid out some practical considerations for considering an Apple router for your next Wi-Fi networking purchase, but obviously one size does not fit all, and Haroon Raja makes some great suggestions for people who are more technically inclined and less intimidated by technology. Please and decide for yourself what your next 802.11ac Wi-Fi router should be. And if this nomenclature confuses you, I also recommend Raja's illuminating to brush up on the latest Wi-Fi technology. But getting the best 'bang for your buck' is about more than which router is the fastest or can be configured the most extensively. It also involves how happy you'll be after the sale, and how seamless is the experience of setting up and using the device. People don't just buy Apple routers because they're sycophants and acolytes that will buy anything with an Apple logo on them.
I'm sure there are a few people out there like that, but many others do it because they've had positive experiences with Apple equipment and expect the same from Apple's routers — and the devices deliver. They're trying to reduce stress, eliminate grief to get connected, and make sure they'll get after-sales support and service without dealing with huge headaches.
Have you purchased an AirPort Extreme or another Apple router? Are you happy with it? Or are you considering one? Let me know if you have any questions or comments.
Print Last week we started our review of the Airport Extreme Base Station (“AEBS)” with a brief history of Wi-Fi. If you missed it, you can read the article. Today we are going to share the results of our tests to see if you should consider upgrading your Wi-Fi router, even if it is working fine.
Our Configuration Not everyone has the newest and fastest Apple hardware and at Apple Tech Talk, we think it’s important to give you information that resembles what you might expect as an average user. That’s why we will often provide test results using Apple products that are one or two (or maybe more) generations old. For these tests, we thought it was important to see what impact an upgrade to the Airport Extreme Base Station had on both old equipment and new. We’re going to compare an AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5 th Generation) Base Station (“AEBS-n”), which was released by Apple on June 21, 2011 with the latest 802.11ac (6 th Generation) Base Station (“AEBS-ac”), which was released by Apple on June 10, 2013. To simulate what you might typically have in your home, the AEBS is connected to a Cisco DPQ3212, Docsis 3.0 cable modem with a service provider that guarantees Internet download speeds of 100Mbps and upload speeds of 10Mpbs when using a wired Ethernet connection. The modem is also used to provide television and telephone service. In addition, we have three Airport Express g units, set up to support Air Tunes music streaming, connected to the AEBS and located at various locations one floor above the AEBS location.
Finally, we use a Wi-Fi “n” adapter connected to an LG TV to stream video such as Netflix, Hulu, etc. Across the network.
Wireless Extreme For Machine
Finally, we have a 3TB WD MyBook connected to the AEBS to act as a networked storage area. Realtek gbe family controller driver for mac. We tested the performance using a mid-2009 MacBook Pro, a 2015 MacBook Air, an iPhone 5s and a Second Generation iPad.
Extreme Wireless Support
The MacBook Pro was used in the same room as the AEBS but the MacBook Air and all of the iOS devices were one floor above the AEBS. All of our speed tests were run on which is operated by Ookla, the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications. Airport Extreme Base Station Test Results MacBook Air Results We started our tests with the 2015 MacBook Air. When running on the AEBS-n we got extremely slow response with download below 10Mbps and upload speeds almost at the stated limit of the ISP.
We ran the test on both the 2.4 GHz and the 5 GHz bands and the results were almost identical. When testing the new router on the 2.4 GHz band, our download speed jumped from 9.43Mbps to 89.54 Mbps, an improvement of almost 900%. Upload speed improved only slightly from 9.87 Mbps to 11.87 Mbps. While only an improvement of just under 20%, we should keep in mind that our ISP only guarantees 10 Mbps upload so we are well above that. Moving to the 5 GHz band got us an even better result. Download speeds increased another 35% to 120.85 Mbps and Upload speeds remained virtually unchanged. Given that the MacBook Air supports the newest 802.11ac protocol, we were not surprised to see that under the AEBS-ac router, there was improvement, but even we were surprised at how much better it was.
MacBook Pro Results Anyone who questions whether it matters how close a computer is to the router will be interested in these result. Remember that the MacBook Pro is in the same room and less than five feet from the AEBS. As a result, our initial results on the AEBS-n where far superior to the comparative results of the much newer MacBook Air at 46.56 Mbps. Upload speeds were comparable to the upload speeds of the MacBook Air on the faster router. Even though the MacBook Pro is over five years old and does not support the latest 802.11ac protocol, we saw a 150% increase in download speed to 116.30 Mbps which exceeds the ISP’s guaranteed service rate and a modest 2% increase in upload speed when operated on the 2.4 GHz band.
Unlike the MacBook Air, we saw virtually no change in the download or upload speeds when switching to the 5 GHz band at 115.78 Mbps down and 11.92 up. 2 years getting to this excellent article – but I learned a great deal. These devices are sort of the real world applications that many (If not most) Apple users face. I have the newest model of the AirPort Extreme, and 2 Airport Expresses that I have been using it since 2013 (Earlier for the Airport Expresses).
Extreme Wireless Charger
I just purchased another from Apple for a spare. I never have had ONE DAY of problems with it. I have an older iMac (2008) and MacBook Pro (2012) along with an iPhone SE. Not everyone has the latest and greatest offerings from Apple. My old devices just work. I have bookmarked Apple Tech Talk and will be visiting regularly.