Is the Airport Extreme worth the price?

It's very easy to set-up. You can even set it up with your iphone or ipad. And if you want to wirelessly print or AirPlay to speakers then it's a no brainer.

 

AirPort Utility. It's just a router so yes, Windows machine can connect to it. It can even print wirelessly to it through Bonjour printing.

 

I wasn't aware the Extreme supported AirPlay. How would you connect speakers to it?

 

Sorry, I'm just thinking about AirPort Express. Ha!

 

Definitely worth it

Before 2007, I've had a Linksys, Belkin, and Sony Wireless Routers.
Although they all did the job, every once in a while, I would have to reset/unplug the router when my computers would not link up to the internet.

Since switching to an Apple Airport Extreme, I've not had to turn off or touch the router. For me, this is worth every penny and will always by an Airport Extreme. I will say that I used an original, first model Airport Express before, and that gave similar problems as the the other routers before it. However, I have not been using recent versions of Airport Express/Linksys/Belkin so I cannot comment. My hunch is that you will be happy with the newer Airport Extreme Routers and it will complement your Apple ecosystem. The newer 2011 models of Airport extreme also have the newer chipset which makes it faster and with far greater range than the generation before it.

 

My third generation AirPort Extreme runs absolutely hassle free since day one. I only reboot it when Apple seeds a firmware update. It also serves as print server for one of my printers.

 

I just got the "new" generation AP Extreme for Christmas...to replace a 3rd gen Extreme...I'm BLOWN away by how much faster it is! The range seems to have almost doubled as well!

The new Extreme is a Monster...check out anandtech for their (very extensive) review. Very detailed, and a lot of comparisons. On the market right now, to get the same capabilities (simultaneous, dual band 2.4/5ghz radios), you'll pay $180 no matter which direction you choose. And being that is the case...no question, the AP Extreme is a Home Run!

Jer

 

Taking this discussion a step further, how does the new TC with the dual band wireless compare to just the AE?

 

I was hesitant to buy the AirPort Extreme as it comes with a NZ$300 price tag. I already had 3 AirPort Express devices and figured the AirPort Extreme is what I needed to just complete everything. Aside from a few issues during set-up (my fault) and a few network drop outs from my bedroom which seem to have resolved themselves, I'm very happy with it. It's pretty much plug in, set up and leave it alone forever.

 

I'm an IT Architect and very familiar with designing large scale networks including wireless.
The AE is more reliable than any other device on the market by a substantial margin.
Customer service is also far better.
It is missing some of the wonky features like QOS, Quality of Service, that allow you to tune what sort of traffic will get priority. Most people will never use this but some will and will care.
The app based management, instead of web, is actually an advantage in my view and it is much easier to administer multiple devices if you have them.