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Airport Extreme 802.11ac -- any need to replace it?

C

cbsnbiker

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 16, 2007
102
37
Several years ago, I gave a gift of a last-generation (although I didn't know that fact at the time) Airport Extreme 801.11ac (the tall one).

I had the idea of replacing it for a Christmas gift this year.

Question: is there any practical reason to replace the Airport Extreme? It still works fine. There are no reception problems. A printer is plugged into it, and it works just fine. Usage is a mixture of 801.11ac and -n devices.

Would a new device do anything appreciably better than this Airport does?
 
Typically, ISP service is slower than most AC WiFi. Thus, the only possible gain is file transfer speeds between hosts on the same network which might be faster with WiFi 6 devices. But if the ISP link is 100Mbps or less, nothing you do on the router or access points will speed up internet service.

Also, if the user devices are all AC or slower, upgrading the router will do very little.

For instance, my ISP service is 75Mbps which is more than adequate for 4K + 1080P streaming simultaneous from two Apple TVs, a host of iPhones, Macs, iPads, and smart home stuff. My AC network never seems to hiccup, so I would gain nothing by upgrading.

If my ISP service were faster, say 500Mbps or better, then it might make sense to explore WiFi 6 routers.
 
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cbsnbiker said:
Would a new device do anything appreciably better than this Airport does?
Click to expand...
In my experience, no.

If you were having problems, I would say go for it, but if everything is okay with your 6th Gen AirPort Extreme, and you have no complaints, then I would stick with that.

If you file share or transfer stuff from one device to another within your network, there could be benefits of newer equipment, especially with a wired connection if you had multiple equipment with 2.5Gbps+ link speed.

The 6th Gen AirPort Extreme is still really good for my needs, and I have purchased multiple 6th Gen models to expand my network after trying an expensive and highly rated Linksys tri-band mesh system that actually performed worse than my aging AirPort Extreme.
 
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I have an all AirPort Extreme network at home with multiple units. My friend just got a brand new WiFi 6 modem from Bell Canada for his Gigabit internet access. I get faster speeds on my AirPort Extreme 802.11ac than he does. He doesn't have any WiFi 6 equipment, so it's a pointless feature for him anyway. We both have 802.11ac Macs and iDevices and I get ~500 Mbps download at 25 feet away. No complaints, and the Apple hardware is uber stable, more stable than many other non-Apple solutions unless you go with higher end $$$ stuff. In fact, this latter point is why I stuck with Apple gear. In an Apple environment, it works seamlessly and it's easy to administer.

BTW, I get automatic handoff between AirPorts in this house with my Mac and iOS/iPadOS gear, as I move around the house. The downside is that this automatic handoff does not work properly with non-Apple WiFi clients, but I don't care because all my non-Apple clients are stationary anyway (eg. thermostat, TVs, etc.).

The other downside is this setup doesn't support features like QoS, but it sounds like that isn't an issue for the OP's gift recipient.

techwarrior said:
Typically, ISP service is slower than most AC WiFi. Thus, the only possible gain is file transfer speeds between hosts on the same network which might be faster with WiFi 6 devices. But if the ISP link is 100Mbps or less, nothing you do on the router or access points will speed up internet service.
Click to expand...
That may be true, but Gigabit service is extremely common in many countries now. I'm on Rogers Gigabit cable, my friend I mentioned above is on Bell Gigabit fibre. Mind you I'm downgrading to 500 Mbps cable service next week, to save ten bucks a month.

I think the bigger issue is most of us don't own many (if any) WiFi 6 clients, and even if we do, sometimes the equipment we have doesn't max out WiFi 6's capabilities.
 
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I have an Airport Time Capsule (same router, but has a hard drive for Time Machine backups).
If you have it set up in the default configuration it will broadcast on both 5Ghz (a/n/ac) and on 2.4GHz (b/g).
I suggest check Airport Utility and see if any of your devices are dropping down from a/n/ac to b/g due to poor reception on the 5GHz band, especially if being used in a different room far from the router (5Ghz does not penetrate walls well). In which case these devices may be throttled to a speed slower than your ISP, and it may be worth considering another system, like mesh. If this is not the case, there is likely no advantage in upgrading.
 
Thank you, everyone. It sounds like staying with the Airport Extreme is good for now.

Two more questions:

How much of a difference will it be when WiFi 6 devices are added?

Is there any security issue with using the current Airport Extreme? I get the impression that it no longer receives security or other updates, correct? Is that an issue?
 
cbsnbiker said:
Thank you, everyone. It sounds like staying with the Airport Extreme is good for now.

Two more questions:

How much of a difference will it be when WiFi 6 devices are added?

Is there any security issue with using the current Airport Extreme? I get the impression that it no longer receives security or other updates, correct? Is that an issue?
Click to expand...
Short answer yes!
 
Wi-F i6 is like 95% what B was back in day in penetration! Plus The distance stay 6 all way you can go! where 5 was one way(download fast) this is duplex speed on every connection some to 5 devices to 20 devices! Money and knowhow can be eye opening!

The best replacement announced replacement is the Synology RT6600ax!
 
philbake1 said:
I seem to remember when Apple announced they were killing the routers in Spring 2018 that they would support them with updates for 5 years.
Click to expand...
Do you have a link for the 5-year support statement? I couldn't find it.

Maybe they just mean hardware repairs/replacements out-of-warranty?

I think there’s been only one since then, however.
Click to expand...
The last software update was in 2019. Firmware 7.9.1
 
This supports what I have been thinking - hooked up a new m1 Imac recently, and bought a vintage G3 grape imac I hope to play old mac games on - airport extreme has worked flawlessly for my 2008 Apple IMac (now donated) and now my M1 Imac - hate to replace something working well - especially when I read the reviews on a large percent of new routers and modems. I do plan to upgrade my ARISS surfboard modem though to the docsis 3.1 -
 
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