Help me upgrade my Airport 5th Gen

[Royksöpp]

I currently own a 5th Gen Airport and It's served me well for over 6 years but I've recently upgraded my internet plan and I want to take full advantage of the speed. I need some help in picking out a new router. I'm not looking for anything complicated, and I'm not looking for multiple devices. I want one good router for less than $150. I'm considering a refurbished Airport Extreme 6th Gen.

This is what I'm working with.

1. Space is less than 1000 SQ FT
2. 2 iPhones, 2 iPads, and 2 Macs
3. Directv Receiver and 3 Rokus
4. Occasional Gaming on 2 consoles

 

[fhall1]

I know I'm going to get a lot of blowback from people here, but from the requirements you list, I'd go with the refurb AE 6th generation too. I love mine.

 

[Ledgem]

I know I'm going to get a lot of blowback from people here, but from the requirements you list, I'd go with the refurb AE 6th generation too. I love mine.

I don't see why you'd get blowback, it's still a good router. I kept my 5th generation and bridged the two using Powerline networking adapters, and Apple's software made it really easy to set up. For simplicity and cost, I think the Airport Extreme 6th generation is a good choice.

I recently switched over to a Synology router, after my AE6 suffered some hardware failure of the ethernet ports. Its range is superior to the AE6 and it has a lot of fancier features, but the amount of time I've spent setting it up and troubleshooting some things (and still troubleshooting some things) makes me really appreciate just how much work Apple put into its routers to ensure that they "just work." Synology's router management software is really sleek, far more advanced than the old website-looking configuration pages in the past, but the experience makes me feel a bit wistful that Apple shut down their router division.

 

[fhall1]

Thanks for the kind words....I figured most folks would jump in with things like I'm crazy to recommend it because the AE6 is "old technology" and "no more development for Apple network products" (I still don't know if this was definitively proven or just a rumor). But I agree, I use both an AE5 and an AE6 in my setup, along with two "current" gen Airport Expresses and the ease of setup, along with how well they play with everything else on our home network (not just the Apple stuff) makes me think I'd get another if one crapped out. As a matter of fact I have a Gen 6 Timecapsule that replaced my original AE6 (got it for a great deal on here)....and my original AE6 is sitting in its box as a spare - just in case.