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My WinXP computer attaches to my next-door neighbor's Cox cable network via an "extender" Airport Extreme (he is an Apple computer user and he did the setup). We share his cable access to the internet. It works great and is noticeably faster than my original DSL phone line connection. When my sister, who has a Verizon FIOS setup, had trouble getting a signal on her iPad in some rooms of her house, I figured an Airport Extreme "N" could be used to extend her cable network... all WiFi signals are standard/identical, right? Apparently not; after many attempts, I decided it wasn't ever going to work! I then did some Google research that I should have done before starting. I bought a second Airport Extreme, so I now had two Airport Extremes: one to use as a new base wireless station and the second to extend the signal of the first. I used a Windows utility (provided by Apple) to set them up. I am computer-savvy, but far from a pro at this, so it took me a number of attempts, plus more Google searches to get both Airports set up. As it turned out, I had to attach one Airport to the original FIOS wireless router using an ethernet cable from a LAN port on the original router to the WAN port of the Airport Extreme and then use the Apple WinXP utility on the lan-attached Win7 computer to create a new wireless network with it's own name. At that point I had 2 wireless networks: her old router and the new Airport. The Airport had access to the internet via the LAN on the old router. Finally I set up the second Airport (wirelessly) to extend the new network I'd created with the lan-attached Airport. I used a laptop for that, but probably could have used the desktop. Bummer that I had to buy 2 Airports, but it does work fine. If you try this, be prepared to make a bunch of attempts, because setup doesn't always proceed smoothly.Read full review
Apple finally designs a true multi-port router! I'm an avid Apple computer user, but I have to admit that I've never owned an Airport base station, until now. I've got multiple computers using wired and wireless internet connections, so I've always used either a D-Link or Linksys router for my home network because these routers also provide 4 wired ethernet ports. Up until now, the Airport base station family has really only provided 1 wired ethernet port. So, instead of opting for the ease of use and exemplary integration of the Airport base station, I've just used these third party wireless routers. This new Airport Extreme Base Router is both elegant in form and function. Apple has used the mac-mini enclosure as the template for this router. It includes 3 wired ethernet ports and a powered USB2.0 port. There aren't any external antennas or blinking lights on the face of this device. There's just a single green light on the front that lets you know all is well (it also turns amber and/or flashes to let you know if there's a problem). Apple has kept the activity LEDs, they just placed them on the rear of the router. For me, I don't need to have the reassurance of blinking LEDs to know whether my router is working properly. Setup is a breeze! It literally took less than 5 minutes to set it up. The Airport Setup Assistant walked me through the several setup steps, and before I knew it, my network was up and running with WPA2 encryption. I was an early adopter of this device, so I had to manually install the new Airport base station software. If your software is up-to-date then you should already have the correct software installed. Much has been made of the fact that Apple only provided 100baseT wired ethernet ports instead of 1000baseT (gigabit ethernet) on this router. This really is a non-issue! Most commercial routers only provide 100baseT ethernet connections, so Apple is just on par with the industry. I guess most people see Apple as a technology innovator and assumed that Apple would incorporate gigabit ethernet. The reality is that most home networks can't take advantage of gigabit ethernet so it really shouldn't matter. One of the best features of this router is the USB port. The USB port allows you to connect a printer or hard drive and make them network devices without the need for another computer. You can add a USB hub and add any number of printers or hard drives. At this point, I don't think you can operate any other devices via the airport network. This router does bring new technology to the table. It brings the speed of 802.11n (up to 150Mbps) and extended range using MIMO antenna technology. Apple has designed this base station to the draft IEEE 802.11n standard. The base station can operate at either 2.4 or 5 GHz. Unless you're running a pure 802.11n network, you'll have to operate at 2.4GHz. The one feature that all users will notice is the improved signal coverage. I've been able to use my powerbook all over my house, where before, I had several dead spots. I highly recommend this to any Mac user with a wireless network. The three wired ethernet ports make this a more practical device for operating multiple computers. The USB port allows you to install a printer or hard drive and make them available via Bonjour sharing. The price ($179) is slightly higher than the competition but great technology is worth the premium.Read full review
This unit , even though not the current Airport Extreme was easy to set up and run the home network. This unit was used to extend our current wireless system throughout the entire home and home office. Using the Apple Airport utility, the set up could not have been easier. Apple makes superior products, with setup and configuration a no brainer. I would recommend the Airport Extremes to anyone wanting a easy to use robust Wireless N Router.
I bought this to use as a WAP (Wireless Access Point)for my home network, as my kids have ipods & I am planning on buying an ipad. Very simple to set up, No CD came with it, but it doesn't matter, because you can download the latest software version from the apple support website, which makes 99% of the software that comes packaged with a product totally useless anyway. So, once I started to run the software, it automatically looks to apple for any firmware updates, and automatically installs them. It took me a total of 15 minutes to get this thing up & running. It has been running for a few days now without any problems. I have it sitting on top of a cabinet In a home office nook in my kitchen. The signal goes all the way to the perimiter of my property, (1 acre) without any issues. So I will be able to cut my lawn & listen to pandora radio on my ipod touch. Only time will tell as to reliability, but it is working perfect now. It was an Apple refurbished unit, but cosmetically it looked perfect, with no marks, scuffs or anything. It looks brand new.Read full review
If you are like me and need a router for internet on a couple of computers and streaming through an Apple TV, this router is more than sufficient. The price is right. Once I reset the router to factory settings (I was able to find this one Apple support and figure it out in 10 minutes) I was good to go. Solid quality, working great.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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