Apple - AirPort Extreme Base Station - White

I am not an Applehead so I do not recommend this because it's sold by apple. I do lots of wi-fi installs, these units seem to just work so much better than the Netgear & Linkys units. Packed with antennas, easy to setup, and better, stronger signal. The other plus is its easy to add an express to extend range in larger houses. Costs a few bucks more, but It's well worth the price. Highly recommended.

I'm a Mac consultant by trade and have been since 1992. The AirPort Extremes just keep getting better. Better antennas in each iteration give a stronger signal. They're intelligent as the AirPort will flag when there is an Internet connection problem automatically on your Mac if you used it to configure the AirPorts. Firmware updates are easy; the app will post a badge when there's an update or an issue. The app will also inform you if there is double NAT for example; the light on the front of the unit will flash yellow. (Putting the AirPort in "bridge mode" will resolve this issue. I still plug Google's DNS numbers, 8.8.8.8, in the DNS setup. The app works pretty well for configuration but not 100% of the time. Sometimes, I'll have to do a reset and configure the Extreme manually. That and only 3 Ethernet points gets dinged a star. It's convenient to use an IPhone or iPad the Apple app to login onsite to see how the WiFi network is configured. One can also run the updates directly from an iOS device. I haven't figured out why there's inconsistency within the app when reporting what devices are connected. Sometimes, it will give me the shared name of a device like "Bob's iMac" and other times it will only give me the MAC number which is not exactly useless, it's a pain to go around to different devices to find out what the MAC number is. Especially if it's something like an HTC cellphone. The newer AirPort no longer has an external power supply, so there's no longer that big lump of plastic inline. It makes it easier to fish the power cable behind a desk unencumbered. They are pricey but I only put in AirPort Extremes as they seem to last longer and I had too many callbacks with the cheap $60 WiFi routers that die in three years and are harder to configure. I admire the shape. Very clean and elegant. They've gone to a tower style and it looks like it has cooling via convection compared with the old, flat AirPorts.

This is a great router, and well worth the price. Which should be noted is the same or less than similar featured routers like the Netgear Nighthawk. I was only getting 20-25mbps with my newly upgraded 105mbps service from Comcast using the Linksys Wireless N router I had previously. The Apple Airport extreme was super easy to set up using my iPad, and I immediately got speeds in the 120-125mbps range over wifi on all my devices with Wireless N or AC support. Easily the best router I've owned. It has the easiest set up (at least if you have an iOS device or Mac--I can't speak to the PC set up app), works great and looks better than other routers. Highly recommended.

I have a three story home and I had my modem on the middle level. I had connection issues and lag time on the 1st and 3rd level, no matter the devices used. I moved the modem and added my AirPort Extreme to the 3rd level. I no longer have connection issues or lag time. My son games, my daughter connects on her laptop and I can watch Netflix all at the same time. Why didn't I get this sooner? I have the 2nd gen in my classroom that is still working after 7 years. This is my first home purchase and I am extremely satisfied after a month!

I had a lot of problems with setup, but turns out it was the cable company's fault. Which wasn't surprising, since we were having constant problems with my connection. Now that everything is on Apple, I can monitor the network better and see which devices are using what amount of bandwidth. I had an old Airport Express, which I am using as an extender in the far corner of the house, and that was easy to set up as well.

I've had an Airport Extreme in the past, then I switched to an Airport Express since I was living in a smaller apartment and now I am back at an Airport Extreme due to the lack of LAN ports on the Airport Express (although I knew this going into the Express I just only had a single LAN connection that I needed before, but that has changed recently). The Airport is as beautiful as you'd expect with it being an Apple product. Normal routers are cheap, light plastic. They're bulky, complicated to setup and in most cases the support for them is based overseas. The Airport has some weigh to it, yet it's very space saving and easy to setup. Setup can be done from a computer (Mac or PC) or iPhone/iPad/iPod touch. It's fast, it covers a wide area and offers more than enough LAN (up to three with gigabit speeds) and wireless connections (up to 50 at once!) to suit my needs. The current generation Airport Extreme is a little pricer than the previous generation so if you want to save some money, you may consider the 802.11n version which is currently priced a little over $150. The support (in terms of how many devices actually utilize) 802.11n is still relatively light at this time, but give it a year and 802.11ac will most likely be the new Wireless-N. One last cool feature on these is beamforming. Beamforming currently only works on the latest generation of MacBook Air, but you'll most likely see it in future versions of iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac. This base station has SIX antennas (versus four in previous generations) and it knows where an 802.11ac device is on the network. Then AirPort Extreme targets its signal to that device. So your Wi‑Fi signal is stronger, clearer, and faster. If you don't have a backup solution in place, currently, and you are a Mac user I'd highly recommend the Time Capsule version of this which includes 2-3TB of storage. I already have a NAS so I opted to just do the Extreme.

I own a lot of Apple products and when I came into The Rochester, Mn location looking to get a new router, as mine was over 5 yrs old and lost connection alot. I first talked to a geek Squad rep and he was helpful somewhat, but a Apple Rep came down the Router Isle and overheard us talking and took over the conversation in a nice way and showed me the Airport Extreme and explained why it is so awesome. I did not know Apple made routers and how well they worked. He showed me how easy they were to set up and OMG he was spot on as when I got home it made a huge difference with all my devices. I do not lose connection at all anymore and it covers over 2,200 sq feet and my home is 2856 sq feet.. I have many things that use WiFI and all I had to really do with some of my devices was just reset the internet and reconnect to the new router. This is such a AWESOME router. Once again Apple makes great products. I could not thank the Apple rep enough for his time and showing me such a great product. It also has many great features.

For years I have setup my home with routers that were inexpensive and easy to plug in and go. I've always been accustomed to the speeds at which they provided and I never really had complaints. Recently, some of my devices would drop their wireless connection each day. It was a pain to me and my family. I decided to purchase a new router and started to move toward a purchase that was routine. Until I came across the AirPort Extreme. i researched the reviews and thought let's try it. OH WOW! It was super easy to get my network up and running. I have 5 Apple products, 2 Windows devices, XBOXone, Bluray player, and TV all connected. 2 of these items are using the wired ports while all remaining items are wirelessly connected. The devices are typically on at the same time and we have never experienced a speed reduction. Speaking of speed. My wireless internet used to drag around 10-15Mbps from my high speed service that says it runs at 100Mbps. I now crank speeds of 40-50Mbos wirelessly. My wired connections rip at 80-90Mbps!! The signal strength is awesome. My devices stay connected on all 3 levels of my home. I now have connection out on my patio and in the garage!! I am more than overjoyed with this purchase. It's ease of install, speeds, signal strength, and stability are very welcoming. I have suggested this to friends and family and highly suggest it for you.