2011 vs 2013 Airport Extreme/Time Capsule range

[etn]

Hello Everyone,

Apologies if this question has been asked before, I searched the forum but could not find a satisfactory answer.

I own a 2008 (1st gen) Time Capsule. I recently moved from a small apartment to a house and the TC does not reach everywhere in my house. I therefore plan to upgrade my TC to a 2011 or 2013 Airport Extreme or Time Capsule, not yet decided on which. I assume the same generation AE and TC will have identical range and performance, the difference being only the hard drive in the TC.

There are currently good deals on previous (2011) generation devices (4th gen TC or 5th gen AE) which makes them very tempting $$-wise.

Question to all of you who upgraded from 2011 to 2013 AE/TC, has the range of latest gen been improved over the previous one? If yes I'll go for a 2013 device, if not I'll save some bucks and stick to a 2011 model.

Side comment, I do not (and will not in the coming >3 years) need 802.11ac wifi as I have no device supporting it, nor do I have any plan to acquire one in this time frame.

Thanks in advance for you help!

Etienne

 

[FreakinEurekan]

My 802.11ac TC won't arrive until tomorrow, but I can tell you that the 2011 version of the Extreme has SUBSTANTIALLY better range than the 2008 version. The newest likely improves some more due to just antenna changes if nothing else, and I really like the fact that I don't need to deal with an external power supply any more - but if price is a concern I wouldn't hesitate to use the last gen. I'm only upgrading to go from Extreme to TC.

 

[mfram]

I upgraded from the 2011 model TC to the 2013 model. I have gotten much improved range and throughput using the new model over the previous one. I upgraded it because I wasn't able to stream HD video with my previous WiFi network. The new one can do it solidly. The upgrade was well worth it for me. YMMV.

 

[etn]

Great, thanks guys
I'll go for a 2013 then.

Have a great day,

Etienne

 

[opinio]

I upgraded from the 2011 model TC to the 2013 model. I have gotten much improved range and throughput using the new model over the previous one. I upgraded it because I wasn't able to stream HD video with my previous WiFi network. The new one can do it solidly. The upgrade was well worth it for me. YMMV.

Same here. Agree with above.