Best Buy Offering Refurbished Airport Extreme Base Station for $89.99

MacRumors · Jan 29, 2013, 05:30 PM

Best Buy is offering Apple's June 2011 Airport Extreme Base Station -- the current model that Apple sells new for $179 -- for $89.99 as its deal of the day.

Apple sells the same device refurbished for $139.

Quote:

Originally released June 2011

The sleek, easy-to-use AirPort Extreme Base Station with simultaneous dual-band support is the perfect wireless access point for home, school or small business. It offers fast, 802.11n Wi-Fi access for Mac computers, PCs and Wi-Fi devices such as iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV.

Article Link: Best Buy Offering Refurbished Airport Extreme Base Station for $89.99

Peace · Jan 29, 2013, 05:34 PM

hmmmm..I think Apple's getting rid of all it's 802.11n Peripherals.

haincha · Jan 29, 2013, 05:36 PM

Pretty good price if you have anything less than an N router at the moment. Waiting for some solid ac routers to be pushed. I am not really needing to replace my Airport Extreme, but it could possibly sway me towards it if it stays at the same price points.

tonyshaker · Jan 29, 2013, 05:37 PM

That's nice I think I will buy one really need it.

orangebluedevil · Jan 29, 2013, 05:57 PM

Is this worth it?

I currently have the standard 2WIRE router supplied by ATT Uverse that is 802.11 b/g. I pay for the 12 Mbps internet speed, because that's the max that they can provide to my apartment complex. When I'm on WiFi I usually get 3-4 Mbps. We have about 6 Apple devices and an xbox if that matters.

Do you think this router will really make a $100 difference going to 802.11n? Thanks gents.

Peace · Jan 29, 2013, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangebluedevil

Is this worth it?

I currently have the standard 2WIRE router supplied by ATT Uverse that is 802.11 b/g. I pay for the 12 Mbps internet speed, because that's the max that they can provide to my apartment complex. When I'm on WiFi I usually get 3-4 Mbps. We have about 6 Apple devices and an xbox if that matters.

Do you think this router will really make a $100 difference going to 802.11n? Thanks gents.

This one for $89 ? A big difference.

theBB · Jan 29, 2013, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangebluedevil

Is this worth it?

I currently have the standard 2WIRE router supplied by ATT Uverse that is 802.11 b/g. I pay for the 12 Mbps internet speed, because that's the max that they can provide to my apartment complex. When I'm on WiFi I usually get 3-4 Mbps. We have about 6 Apple devices and an xbox if that matters.

Do you think this router will really make a $100 difference going to 802.11n? Thanks gents.

I have turned off the wifi on my 2WIRE router on the first day. The drop from 12Mbps to 3 or 4 is way too much to put up with. Get a good router, even if you go with something other than this one. But at this price, it is quite competitive with other high quality routers. Besides, router management or setup is a bit easier if you are already an Apple centric household.

tevion5 · Jan 29, 2013, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangebluedevil

Is this worth it?

I currently have the standard 2WIRE router supplied by ATT Uverse that is 802.11 b/g. I pay for the 12 Mbps internet speed, because that's the max that they can provide to my apartment complex. When I'm on WiFi I usually get 3-4 Mbps. We have about 6 Apple devices and an xbox if that matters.

Do you think this router will really make a $100 difference going to 802.11n? Thanks gents.

I got the Airport Extreme 5th Gen for 100 Euro refurbished and I am very happy with it. Airport utility makes network managing a breeze. I can open Ports from my iPhone, something that's handy when I'm hosting Teamspeak and Minecraft servers and the like.
Works best I think if you have a heavy enough Apple ecosystem at home. I do and its perfect.

orangebluedevil · Jan 29, 2013, 06:26 PM

Thanks all. I get about 8-10 Mbps if I run speedtest.net, but then when I'm downloading something in iTunes it's about 3-4 Mbps. Again my connection is 12 Mbps max.

So if I get this, what is a ballpark estimate for my WiFi speeds?

Also, can I plug a 1TB external drive into the USB port and use that for Time Machine? That would be handy.

Rocketman · Jan 29, 2013, 06:29 PM

11ac here we come.

Doesn't Peace's avatar make you want to find a tab of acid for someone? Dedicate it to Steve.

ScruffyS · Jan 29, 2013, 06:30 PM

I found one of these used on amazon about two months back for something like $50. but with apple care and refurb I guess it's worth that

Undecided · Jan 29, 2013, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orangebluedevil

Is this worth it?

I currently have the standard 2WIRE router supplied by ATT Uverse that is 802.11 b/g. I pay for the 12 Mbps internet speed, because that's the max that they can provide to my apartment complex. When I'm on WiFi I usually get 3-4 Mbps. We have about 6 Apple devices and an xbox if that matters.

Do you think this router will really make a $100 difference going to 802.11n? Thanks gents.

I'm trying to get my head around what you said above. When you say you "get" 3-4Mbps, is that your connect speed (which ideally should be 54Mbps on 802.11g) or your transfer speed? A connect speed of 54Mbps should yield about 22Mbps in actual download speed, assuming there's only one wireless device. That "real" 22Mbps would be shared among all your wireless devices. Of course, internet speed would be limited to 12Mbps because that's your service's speed.

n goes to 150Mbps connect speed, based on two streams on one channel. You can also double the channel width to get 300Mbps (actually nowadays you can get three streams, so it's up to 450Mbps). Now, upgrading to 802.11n includes more than just speed benefits. First, n allows for more robust communications (it's too arcane to get into but that's the net of it). And, second, n can operate at 5Ghz, which is less crowded, and isn't used by bluetooth, and many other devices.

The bottom line is that n will help with communications within your network, but it seems like your internet connection won't be any better - unless your other devices are really choking the wireless bandwidth, which is unlikely unless you're constantly streaming video or moving files around.

shurcooL · Jan 29, 2013, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocketman

11ac here we come.

11ac sucks, it's barely twice as fast.

802.11ad is where it's at. 14 times faster.

Rocketman · Jan 29, 2013, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shurcooL

11ac sucks, it's barely twice as fast.

802.11ad is where it's at. 14 times faster.

Agreed, so why are the Apple noises around ac? I was able to buy an ac router last month in the real world. BTW 4x faster. Short range.

nsfw · Jan 29, 2013, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocketman

11ac here we come.

doubt it. its been this price before. just bestbuy clearning out return inventory they can't sell as new.

sinsin07 · Jan 29, 2013, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shurcooL

11ac sucks, it's barely twice as fast.

802.11ad is where it's at. 14 times faster.

What devices have this standard.

haincha · Jan 29, 2013, 07:06 PM

I try to explain to people, if you're paying extra money for faster internet but have a crappy router. Their wifi is still going to be slow. Some people don't understand the concept of a bottleneck.

My sister has an HDTV and a Blu-ray player. Connection is composite cable... Thinks she is getting HD.

There are some places you can skimp out on quality. If you actually care about internet speeds, your router is not something to skimp out on.

orangebluedevil · Jan 29, 2013, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undecided

I'm trying to get my head around what you said above. When you say you "get" 3-4Mbps, is that your connect speed (which ideally should be 54Mbps on 802.11g) or your transfer speed?

I "get" between 3-4 Mbps when downloading actual videos etc from iTunes. Speedtest will show about 7-8 Mbps usually. I am paying for 12 Mbps, because that is the fastest possible connection that Uverse can provide to me.

So I'm questioning, since my ceiling is 12 Mbps, if 802.11n is worth $89.

DukeSnyd · 07:21 PM

I have the first gen time capsule 500gb with draft n that I got in '07... Was trying to hold out for .ac. Worth the upgrade?

1934hotrod · Jan 29, 2013, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocketman

11ac here we come.

Doesn't Peace's avatar make you want to find a tab of acid for someone? Dedicate it to Steve.

Aw good I thought it was me having a flash back..

krravi · Jan 29, 2013, 07:30 PM

Great news. I have a refurb AE thats been working flawlessly for the last three years.

I just ordered another one for someone I know could use it.

nealibob · Jan 29, 2013, 08:23 PM

Please read the reviews before buying (and before parroting news). It looks like there is no quality control and no guarantee of receiving the right model. False economy.

paulevy · Jan 29, 2013, 08:32 PM

Best Buy and Apple expressly disclaim ant warranties and guarantees--this can be returned to BestBuy but it is not even warranted that it will work! And the offer expires in a little over 3 hours from now!

ScruffyS · Jan 29, 2013, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulevy

Best Buy and Apple expressly disclaim ant warranties and guarantees--this can be returned to BestBuy but it is not even warranted that it will work! And the offer expires in a little over 3 hours from now!

Ewww.. Wait, so does that mean that the $799 refurb'd MBAs Friday and Saturday are also not guaranteed or is it just this?

smithrh · Jan 29, 2013, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nealibob

Please read the reviews before buying (and before parroting news). It looks like there is no quality control and no guarantee of receiving the right model. False economy.

You gonna link to some of those reviews?

I have one of these, it works AWESOME and has since I bought it.

Hey, if you want to back up your post, great, please do so. But without specifics, you're just "parroting" yourself.

Jan 29, 2013, 06:29 PM	#10
Rocketman macrumors 601 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Claremont, CA	11ac here we come. Doesn't Peace's avatar make you want to find a tab of acid for someone? Dedicate it to Steve. __________________ Think Different-ly! The President campaigned against Congress. D Sen is led by D Sen ML Reid and D VP and Sen Pres Biden, under orders of D Pres Obama. http://www.gop.gov/indepth/jobs/tracker
	2

Jan 29, 2013, 07:15 PM	#19
DukeSnyd macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2007	I have the first gen time capsule 500gb with draft n that I got in '07... Was trying to hold out for .ac. Worth the upgrade? Last edited by DukeSnyd; Jan 29, 2013 at 07:21 PM.
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 07:30 PM	#21
krravi macrumors 6502a Join Date: Nov 2010	Great news. I have a refurb AE thats been working flawlessly for the last three years. I just ordered another one for someone I know could use it. __________________ 27" iMac - 3.4 Ghz Core i7,32 GB RAM, 1TB. Many iPad's,iPhone 4s,Apple TV,rMBP 2012 15" 2.6 Ghz 512 GB 16GB(refurb),MBA 2012,2.0 Ghz,8,256
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 08:32 PM	#23
paulevy macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2008	No Warranty and deal only lasts for 3 more hours Best Buy and Apple expressly disclaim ant warranties and guarantees--this can be returned to BestBuy but it is not even warranted that it will work! And the offer expires in a little over 3 hours from now!
	0

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Jan 29, 2013, 05:34 PM	#2
Peace macrumors P6 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Space--The ONLY Frontier	hmmmm..I think Apple's getting rid of all it's 802.11n Peripherals.
	1

Jan 29, 2013, 05:36 PM	#3
haincha macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2012	Pretty good price if you have anything less than an N router at the moment. Waiting for some solid ac routers to be pushed. I am not really needing to replace my Airport Extreme, but it could possibly sway me towards it if it stays at the same price points.
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 05:37 PM	#4
tonyshaker macrumors member Join Date: Feb 2012	That's nice I think I will buy one really need it.
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 05:57 PM	#5
orangebluedevil macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2010	Is this worth it? I currently have the standard 2WIRE router supplied by ATT Uverse that is 802.11 b/g. I pay for the 12 Mbps internet speed, because that's the max that they can provide to my apartment complex. When I'm on WiFi I usually get 3-4 Mbps. We have about 6 Apple devices and an xbox if that matters. Do you think this router will really make a $100 difference going to 802.11n? Thanks gents.
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 06:26 PM	#9
orangebluedevil macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2010	Thanks all. I get about 8-10 Mbps if I run speedtest.net, but then when I'm downloading something in iTunes it's about 3-4 Mbps. Again my connection is 12 Mbps max. So if I get this, what is a ballpark estimate for my WiFi speeds? Also, can I plug a 1TB external drive into the USB port and use that for Time Machine? That would be handy.
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 06:30 PM	#11
ScruffyS macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Vermont, Usa	I found one of these used on amazon about two months back for something like $50. but with apple care and refurb I guess it's worth that
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 07:06 PM	#17
haincha macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2012	I try to explain to people, if you're paying extra money for faster internet but have a crappy router. Their wifi is still going to be slow. Some people don't understand the concept of a bottleneck. My sister has an HDTV and a Blu-ray player. Connection is composite cable... Thinks she is getting HD. There are some places you can skimp out on quality. If you actually care about internet speeds, your router is not something to skimp out on.
	0

Jan 29, 2013, 08:23 PM	#22
nealibob macrumors newbie Join Date: Jan 2011	Please read the reviews before buying (and before parroting news). It looks like there is no quality control and no guarantee of receiving the right model. False economy.
	0