Airport Extreme needs an upgrade?

[Tadros]

So I noticed that the Airport Extreme is now on it's 5th generation, my Airport extreme is 1st gen. I was wondering if I should upgrade? My wifi range isn't amazing, and the speed degrades the further I am, even with two current gen Airport Expresses acting as bridges around the house. Is it worth it to upgrade or is the one I have fine?

 

[tmagman]

never hurts to get a new router once in a while. They are on 24/7 and no matter how well built, theres always going to be degration like any electronic device. I replaced my old D-Link DIR-655 about 8 months ago when it was starting to slow down and have the odd glitch requiring a hard reset, and that was a smart move. I switched to a AEBS but still keep the old D-Link sitting in my portable kit and is great for if i need to build a hotspot on the go at a LAN party or a friend's house (yes i'm that nerdy). Its never a crime to upgrade

 

[blevins321]

I think you should upgrade. When you use bridges, you actually decrease the available wireless bandwidth because of the cross connections that need to happen. You'd benefit greatly from the N wireless, too.

 

[Tadros]

Does anyone have any experience upgrading a first gen to a current gen? I'm wondering what the big differences are. I'm pretty sure my 1st gen has n capabilities.

 

[Tadros]

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Anyone else any thoughts?

 

[CWallace]

Does anyone have any experience upgrading a first gen to a current gen? I'm wondering what the big differences are. I'm pretty sure my 1st gen has n capabilities.

I've owned every gen of the AE and the 5th by far has been the most impressive in terms of performance and range. Compared to a 1st gen, it will probably be significant in terms of range and performance.

 

[Weaselboy]

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Anyone else any thoughts?

Here is a test by Anandtech that showed a big difference in performance with the new one.

If you have the money and your existing setup is giving you marginal performance, it would say it is a good upgrade.

 

[mstrze]

I bought the newest gen recently to replace my 4yo 1st gen. My main reason was for simultaneous dual-band operation, meaning I could have my speed-craving items on the faster 5GHz band and the slower items on the 2.4GHz band on one unit without using two devices as I was doing in the past. Now all of my items are on the same network AND operating at their top 'connection speeds'.

This new model also seems to have a stronger signal and operates arguably faster too.

 

[DaveTheRave]

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Anyone else any thoughts?

Don't fix it if it ain't broke is my first thought, but you might benefit from faster N-speeds, better security, better range, and being able to use 2 bands at the same time.