Airport Extreme 812.11ac

I bought this router last night and have it setup and running. Not ready to do a review yet. Is anyone else using this router? It seems to be fast and stable. Very easy to get the devices up and connected. Very odd that you have no web interface to the router. There are very few settings that you can see or change. It comes with usb 2 connector for a hard drive which seems old to me for a new device of this price.

When you name the router it in effect names the 2.4GHZ network. You have the option to name the 5GHZ network in airport utility. If not it seems to use the same name as the 2.4GHZ. It's not really clear if the 5GHz needs a name of its own? You can select channels for each network but they are set to automatic by default. It is also unclear if you should change them. Airport utility is not very helpful.

There is not much you have control over. Don't think I like that. Perhaps I'm missing something? I'll keep messing with it for a day or so before I quit and take it back. Right now I'm not too impressed.

I did find the following which makes sense to me:
So, to review again....If you leave the AirPort Express in the default setup, devices will automatically connect to the band with the best signal quality based on their capabilities and distance/location in relation to the AirPort Express. Isn't that what you really want?

Do I need this router in my home network? No! This is my hobby and I like to tinker with things. So tinker I will.

You may not be able to tinker with any Apple router but most don't need to but they do have a reputation for lasting a long time .
If you like tinkering get a Netgear or D-Link.

osxx said:

You may not be able to tinker with any Apple router but most don't need to but they do have a reputation for lasting a long time .
If you like tinkering get a Netgear or D-Link.

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When you say last a long time, how long would that be?
I think I am now having problems with mine, and it's less than 2 years old. Is that old?
I seems the wireless signal strength has deteriorated. It has been fine until today. Now it just seems erratic.

My first one is still working at a friends house bought in 2006 so 7 years on that one my second which I bought for simultaneous radios is now 2 years old.
Most of the problems in the past were the power bricks you may want to check that before tossing the unit.
The advantages of the new TC is a router that can back up your Mac's with full Apple support and beaming tech of 802.11ac and yes you can get another brand and do the same just minus Apple support for some thats not an issue but for the average person that may be the deciding factor.

2007 Airport Extreme here - still chugging away. Not much point in upgrading for me until my ISP gets faster speeds at a sane price point.

Rule of thumb about 3/4 years is a good run. Unplug if a thunderstorm threatens.

You most certainly can get to advanced settings, but they don't make it easy -- because there's very little need to mess with it for 98 percent of buyers, so why complicate matters?

Read post #2 on this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4455870?start=0&tstart=0

osxx said:

My first one is still working at a friends house bought in 2006 so 7 years on that one my second which I bought for simultaneous radios is now 2 years old.
Most of the problems in the past were the power bricks you may want to check that before tossing the unit.
The advantages of the new TC is a router that can back up your Mac's with full Apple support and beaming tech of 802.11ac and yes you can get another brand and do the same just minus Apple support for some thats not an issue but for the average person that may be the deciding factor.

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Sorry, but what do you mean by "power brick"? If you mean power supply units, I haven't changed or moved mine at all recently.

neilf said:

Sorry, but what do you mean by "power brick"? If you mean power supply units, I haven't changed or moved mine at all recently.

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The power supply can and will eventually go bad some in a few years others many years down the road if the voltage drops on some models over a volt then erratic behavior to just not working at all.

AirPort Extreme 802.11n

XJ-linux said:

2007 Airport Extreme here - still chugging away. Not much point in upgrading for me until my ISP gets faster speeds at a sane price point.

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I bought my Airport Extreme just before the 802.11n spec was finalized. So mine is acutally a pre-n release. I have installed all the updates for it and never had any issues with them. There is a web interface that can be accessed but you need to enable it when you are first setting up the router - or least mine does. I have had my AirPort Extreme since 2006 and it has never had any problems. Still works as if it were brand new and everything.
Hope this helps you out. Oh - I agree with not needing to upgrade the router until my ISP has better speeds for decent prices $225.95 is a little out of my price for only 108/25 (Down/Up)....

Coincidentally, I just ordered a refurbished 2011 AirPort Extreme today for $99. It's an upgrade for me (simultaneous 2.4Ghz & 5Ghz broadcast). My Mini and ATV are wired, and my printer, MBAs and iPhone5S run Wireless N (not Wireless AC) so I'm fine with Wireless N and a happy guy!