Airport Extreme Base Station?

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Is this worth the money? I am a new Mac user and have an older Netgear G router. Was thinking of upgrading to the Apple Extreme Base Station, just wanted to get your thoughts.
 
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Let me add...we may connect a Wii to it (we have one now, but don't have it hooked up to our current router).
 

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Is this worth the money? I am a new Mac user and have an older Netgear G router. Was thinking of upgrading to the Apple Extreme Base Station, just wanted to get your thoughts.

The Airport Extreme base station has come in a number of different configurations....so it sort of depends on which one you're talking about. There's the:

- Airport Extreme Base station that is wireless "n", and currently sells for $179:

AirPort Extreme Base Station - Apple Store (U.S.)

- Airport Extreme Base Station that is wireless "n", and currently sells for $99.00:

AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n and AirTunes - Apple Store (U.S.)

- and the older Airport Extreme Base Station (shaped like a flying saucer) that's wireless "g", and looks like this:

airportextbase.jpg


So it sort of depends on which one you're talking about (and upgrading from your Netgear "g" router)...whether it's worth upgrading or not.

HTH,

- Nick
 

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Sorry, I was referring to the new one that sells for $179.

Ok that narrows things down a bit. Now you have to let us know if your computer or computers support wireless "N" networking.

I know that you said you are a "new Mac user"...but that doesn't always automatically mean you have a newer model Mac. Some/many folks start out with an older/used Mac as their first Mac...so I don't want to make any assumptions.:)

Thanks,

- Nick
 
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I have a new iMac (about a month old).

I have an older laptop that I may or may not use - but I am not sure how to tell what it supports.
 

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I have a new iMac (about a month old).

I have an older laptop that I may or may not use - but I am not sure how to tell what it supports.

Ok...I just wanted to make sure that you had at least one computer that was "N" compatible. I'm sure that new iMac is "N" compatible.

Here's the deal. That $179 Apple Airport Extreme Base Station is pretty cool, and has some cool features (wireless print server for example)...and is probably easier to setup than non-Apple wireless routers.

But a highly recommended "N" wireless router from a bunch of knowledgeable folks here on Mac-Forums is the D-Link DIR-655. There was a special on it earlier this week on the internet for $65 dollars (shipped)...and regularly sells for about $80-$90 bucks. That's pretty much $100 less than the $179 Apple Airport Extreme Base Station.

Of course if you don't need all the "bells & whistles" of the $179 model...and you would still like to stick with Apple products...you could consider the $99 Apple Airport Extreme Base Station.

HTH,

- Nick
 
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I love my Airport Extreme. I've been using them for years and they've always been rock solid, probably the best routers I've used. It's super simple to setup and configure.

I have the newest one now also and the dual radio feature which allows my "N" devices to stay at N speeds while my other devices can function at the slower speed on the same network is pretty awesome.

Are there cheaper routers that do the same thing? Sure. But you have to pay more if you want a router that:
- Took a lot into account when designing the UI to make it simple and easy to use.
- Physically looks much better than any other router. So if you care about that part depending on where you put it, that could be a factor also.
 

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I have the newest one now also and the dual radio feature which allows my "N" devices to stay at N speeds while my other devices can function at the slower speed on the same network is pretty awesome.

Hey Schweb (or anyone else)...as you mentioned (if I understand correctly) the "dual radio feature" on the $179 Airport Express base station allows your "N" devices to operate at the higher "N" speeds...while allowing you to use "G" devices on the same network (without slowing down the "N" devices).

So does this mean that the $99 dollar Airport Express base station (and most other "N" routers)...if you have both "N" & "G" devices on the same network...that the "G" devices will slow things down...and thus the "N" devices won't operate at full "N" speeds?

Another option. If someone already has a "G" router...and wants to get a newer "N" router...would it seem feasible to have both routers running at the same time (in the same home)...and have both a "G" and an "N" network. So that the "N" devices would log into the "N" network, and the "G" devices would log into the "G" network?

Obviously the $179 dollar Apple Express Base Station makes this MUCH easier...but for us "cheap-skates"...maybe the "dual-router" setup I described could be a solution for a mixed wireless (N & G) household.

Thanks,

- Nick
 
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So does this mean that the $99 dollar Airport Express base station (and most other "N" routers)...if you have both "N" & "G" devices on the same network...that the "G" devices will slow things down...and thus the "N" devices won't operate at full "N" speeds?

Yep, that's exactly how it works.

[qupte]Another option. If someone already has a "G" router...and wants to get a newer "N" router...would it seem feasible to have both routers running at the same time (in the same home)...and have both a "G" and an "N" network. So that the "N" devices would log into the "N" network, and the "G" devices would log into the "G" network?[/quote]

You could do that, but the devices would be on separate networks, so it's not quite the same.

Obviously the $179 dollar Apple Express Base Station makes this MUCH easier...but for us "cheap-skates"...maybe the "dual-router" setup I described could be a solution for a mixed wireless (N & G) household.

Yeah as long as you don't care about them talking to each other or being on the same network then you can do that. This would also affect file sharing and bonjour, etc.
 

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Thanks for the fast reply Schweb.

Having separate networks is not a problem...my main priority would be to maximize wireless speed for the "n" devices. I definitely have a mixed "n/g" home...and I wouldn't want the "g" devices slowing down the "n" devices.

Thanks again,

- Nick
 
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I wouldn't be surprised if Dlink or Linksys also have newer dual radio routers, I just haven't looked, but it might be worth it to see if there's a cheaper option.
 

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I wouldn't be surprised if Dlink or Linksys also have newer dual radio routers, I just haven't looked, but it might be worth it to see if there's a cheaper option.

Yeah...I hadn't seen the "dual radio" feature on the $179 Airport Express Base Station before...or on other non-Apple routers...including the "member favorite" D-Link DIR-655 here on Mac-Forums.:)

So when I was reading up on the $179 Airport Extreme Base Station (due to this thread)...I was initially confused by the dual radio feature.

Thanks for the info,

- Nick
 

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