There are a few A1143/"1st gen", n-draft Airport Extreme routers on Craigslist. I could really use one for my aging network... My original Airport Extremes are constantly needing rebooted. Are there any disadvantages to using the draft-n routers?
It's a nice router, a lot of people prefer the design over the current model since it can plug straight into the wall.
Unless it's dirt-cheap, I'd buy from the Apple Refurb store (full warranty) rather than Craigslist:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...express-base-station-with-80211n-and-airtunes
Are there any disadvantages to using the draft-n routers?
It might only support 10/100 Mbit wired connections. I believe the 2nd gen started shipping with gigabit ethernet. You might want to check out the airport extreme wikipedia page and make sure it supports everything you need.
For what it's worth, I still use my old A1143 but only in bridged mode as a secondary wireless access point these days. Everything still works fine. I use a newer netgear router but I still use the extreme so I can get WIFI throughout my entire house.
If you have the packing cardboard box, you can check the MA073 or MB053 designation. Or you can check the serial number.Thanks for the reply. The wikipedia page says it has gigabit ethernet, thankfully.
Edit: Oh no, I just realized there are 2 versions of the A1143, one that has gigabit ethernet, and the other that does not. Both were released in 2007. That's not goodI wonder how you tell the difference?
I'm actually talking about the regular Airport Extreme, not the express. Although, there is one of those that I'm going to try to talk down to $20.
Forget the 1st gen Extreme, lousy antenna and no simultaneous dual-band. Also power supply issues I seem to recall? Not sure about that.
Even if it's dirt cheap? I figured it could be used in client mode in the future when I'm able to afford the newest model.
Unfortunately, I need to use 5ghz because there are about 30 routers in range of me in the 2.4ghz band. However, my roommate has an iPhone, so I have to keep a 2.4 network going.
I'm actually talking about the regular Airport Extreme, not the express. Although, there is one of those that I'm going to try to talk down to $20.