Ah jeez, what can I say. I can do most anything with a computer, Apple or PC, but when I try to configure a network, gremlins keep any of it from working. When my Netgear "lost its settings" spontaneously, they were kind enough at technical support to offer to fix it for me for 99 bucks. When I declined they offered up that I might go to their website for support tips. But I had spent too many hours when I first bought that router, I was done. So I purchased this router and it is just like other reviewers have said: plug it in, stick in the disk, answer a few simple questions, and it's done. THIS is how consumers LIKE computers to work. Bemoan the higher price tag if you want, but I will pay a little extra for things that just do their dang job and don't aggravate me NEEDLESLY! Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Simultaneous Dual-Band) (MC340LL/A)
This review is going to mention a number of products--because a wireless network is all about infrastructure and integration. I purchased the AirPort Extreme to pull a number of other devices together, so I hope shoppers considering it will find this kind of review useful.
Since 2001 I have used the original AirPort (graphite), the AirPort Extreme (2003) with modem, and a host of Netgear and Linksys wireless routers to set up 802.11x networks at work and at home. The latter work well in their applications, and this review is not intended to knock any of them.
Apple M8209LL/A AirPort Base Station
Apple M8799LL/A AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port
But at home, I'm not a masochist. I want my networking system to work with my gear, and I don't want to spend hours setting it up and more hours dealing with changes to my system.
When we replaced our home theater system after an equipment meltdown (thankfully insured), I wanted to add a Logitech Squeezebox to the receiver, streaming music from a ReadyNAS Duo. The problem was that the older AirPort Extreme was in our office at one end of the house, and didn't have the range to reach the family room where the Squeezebox receiver is located.
Netgear ReadyNAS Duo 2-Bay (Diskless) Desktop Network Storage RND2000
Logitech Squeezebox Duet WiFi Internet Radio
My first thought was to add an AirPort Express as an extender--plug it in at a suitable halfway point and allow it to extend the network. This was only half the solution, because the most recent AirPort Express is an 802.11N-centric device, and it proved to be nearly impossible to set up a stable Wireless Distribution System (WDS) with the older AirPort Extreme.
Apple Airport Express
The solution turned out to be recognizing that, gradually, all of the wireless devices in our home now support at least 802.11G, and our computers all support 802.11N. On AirPort devices that also support 802.11N, it turns out that Apple has developed a much simpler way to link AirPorts in an extended network.
The new AirPort Extreme arrived two days ago. Installation was classic Apple: open, remove plastic cling wrap, and plug in. Using AirPort Utility, I entered the new base station and network passwords, and needed to reset my cable modem to allow it to recognize the new MAC address it was feeding. (I should also note that AirPort Utility allowed me to view the settings of the OLD AirPort while I was setting up the NEW AirPort.) Installation took a grand total of 12 minutes, including slitting the packing tape on the shipping box.
The second step was setting up the AirPort Express. This involved setting a base station password, naming it, and then following the three step procedure in the Help menu for "Extending a Wireless Network." The steps are: Click a checkbox in the AirPort Extreme's settings to "Allow This Wireless Network To Be Extended," choose a popup menu item in the AirPort Express's settings to "Extend a wireless network", and tell the AirPort Express which network it is extending along with password.
Once settings are saved, the network is extended. Using the 802.11N standard still involves a small hit in networking speed, but because of the greatly increased throughput it's not as large a decrease as in earlier versions.
This kind of configuration would have involved multiple instances of changing IP addresses, network SSIDs, and finger-crossing with other routers. (Believe me, I've done it successfully, and I plan for a two-hour session, even with known configurations.)
With the AirPort Extreme and Express, it just happened. My Squeezebox is now happily streaming music to the receiver, TiVo is receiving streamed programs from Netflix with (almost) no rebuffering--a huge improvement--and both my spouse and I are happily living in the 21st Century!
TiVo TCD652160 HD Digital Video Recorder
TiVo AG0100 Wireless G USB Network Adapter for TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs
As I said at the top, I don't want to spend hours tearing apart and troubleshooting my network at home--home is for relaxing and enjoying time with friends and family. The AirPort Extreme is ideal as one building block of that equation.
Purchased from a military exchange.
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT:
REQUIRED:
Management Utility requires a downstream computer running a recent version of Windows or OSX.
NOT DESIGNED TO BE MANAGED FROM A LINUX CLIENT.
PROS:
-No integrated web server for modifying device settings (must use AirPort Utility)
-Manual Setup option includes all of the necessary tools to secure your network
-Integration of External Hard Drives via integrated USB Port is SUPER easy (just plug it in)
-Supports USB Hubs for more drives/printer sharing (I haven't tried this)
-Supports Full US 101 Keyboard Character Set in Passwords/Pass Phrases
-Works great in a "Double NAT" network environment
CONS:
-Only three integrated "downstream" ethernet ports
-Only one status light for system health
EXCRUCIATING DETAILS:
NETWORKING:
I purchased this router to better secure my mixed-platform network and aid our family's transition from WinXP to Mac. I ran the initial setup from a "Wired" PC and went immediately to the Manual Setup. Transition of all of my network devices from my older subnet to the new subnet was painless once I got over my own boneheaded mistakes. Throughput on the wireless side of my home network was increased significantly (as advertised) vs. my older Linksys Router. I've retained the older subnet to support some WiFi devices that can't support the latest security protocols. Despite the Armageddon like proclamations about "Double NAT-ing" I've experienced absolutely no problems with our internet enabled devices accessing the internet.
AIR DISK:
For me this was mostly painless, but there are some limitations worth noting. AEBS does not support NTFS, however this is a non-issue (keep reading to see why). AEBS supports FAT32 and HFS+ (FAT32 is grossly inadequate for modern hard drive sizes and hard drive image archival).
PLEASE NOTE: If using an AirPort Extreme Base Station, even for a Windows environment, I recommend that you get a disk preformatted for HFS+ (Mac OS Extended). This will give you all of the advanced storage capabilities of a modern file system and the AEBS comes with software that will translate the HFS+ disk into FAT32 for your Windows PCs. SOME LEGACY SOFTWARE (in my case Ghost v9) will self-impose a 4GB file size limitation (part of the FAT32 specification), but Windows itself will roll with it.
TIME MACHINE WITH AIR DISK (I no longer recommend use of this undocumented feature):
There is a procedure for enabling an AirDisk for use with Time Machine. It's a NON-SUPPORTED/UNDOCUMENTED FEATURE of the AEBS. The process is very simple and requires no advanced knowledge (just a normal ability to follow instructions). I won't list the process here because this is a product review ("google" Time machine and AirPort Extreme). However, don't call Apple for help with this as it's not officially supported.
(UPDATE APR 2011) - This will work for a month or two, and then unexpectedly quit. Further examination indicated a progressive build up of file system errors due to the way Time Machine interacts with target volumes (most likely the WHY behind Apple's decision not to support this feature). As a result, I quit using the AirDisk with Time Machine workaround and I now use a FireWire drive connected to a Mac as our Time Machine target.
OVERALL:
I think this is a great product for any networking environment that includes Macs. This solution should also be considered in Mixed Mac and Windows environments. The features on this router are optimized for the OS X operating system, so those utilizing a Windows only environment should pay close attention to the FAT32 limitations of the AirDisk feture. - Apple - 80211n - Wireless Router - Wireless N'
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