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Also who would actually buy a router from Apple? Get an Asus rt-n16.

Well how about 450Mbps vs 300Mbps?

Or dual band 2.4GHz & 5GHz vs single band 2.4GHz?

Or simultaneous 2.4GHz & 5GHz networks?

But that might just be me. ;)
 
I wish it was easier to fully explain the nuances of wifi technology like this to the technology inept. I am a salesperson at a computer store and if there is one apple product that people balk at the price of more then any other its the airports. People think the endless number of $40 to $60 routers from Linksys, netgear, belken, etc are the same level of product. As far as they are concern 802.11n is better then 802.11b/g and thats about as far as they care and then they complain they have to restart their routers all the time or that their internet is slow.
 
How is $179 reasonably priced? I agree that Apple's consumer wireless routers are best-of-class (or nearly so), but it's hard to say that they're "reasonably priced".

It's very well priced for the hardware. But clearly it's far too powerful for you, because if it wasn't then you wouldn't be asking this question in the first place. Sure a $40 wireless router will get the job done, but the Airport Extreme will far outreach that $40 router and far surpass it's speed.

What about the routers that have a built-in ADSL modem? I'm on the second one (Trendnet TEW-436BRM, first was a Buffalo WBMR-G54) and even that one disconnects/locks up randomly.

I've never seen a wireless router/modem all-in-one solution that works well. Sure they can handle 5+ connections, but as soon as all those connections start demanding bandwidth, the thing will crap out or just slow way down simply because it can't handle the load. And we're talking about the best of them.

Best thing to do is always just get a modem from your ISP (they're almost always free with your service anyway, you turn them back in when you cancel your service) and buy a good wireless router yourself.
 
can someone tell me a new 2011 time capsule, 2tb , 299, with 75 dollars off a good deal?

i already have a western digital my passport 500gb hard drive, but not sure if i should take up on this offer
 
How could there be such a vast improvement in the "downstairs" and "kitchen" areas?

Was the old router just absolute carp?

It sure was. I would assume the scales deadened the signal quite drastically. With only the gills permitting signal passthrough, I can see how you'd have to be on the same horizontal plane to get reasonable reception.
 
How is $179 reasonably priced? I agree that Apple's consumer wireless routers are best-of-class (or nearly so), but it's hard to say that they're "reasonably priced".

the Airport Extreme competes with routers like the Linksys E4200, which is around $160.
 
I heard apple routers have problems with xboxs and stuff like that. Can anyone that has one confirm or deny?

We have a new (current gen) AirportExtreme, and we run two XBox 360s off of it with no problems.

Also, two SmartTVs, two blu-ray players, an iMac, a MacBook Pro, two iPhones, an iPad, an iPod Touch, and two Windows laptops, and a Wii. We even have an old first generation AirportExtreme running as a wireless bridge connected to it.

These things run like champs.

Just last week I tried to "skimp" by buying a Linksys for $50 less than the new AE but I just couldn't get it configured to work with my UVerse. After a full day, I gave up and bit the bullet and bought the new AE. I plugged it in, set up the dual band network, set my other AE into bridge mode, and everything just worked like butter.

I don't know why I bothered, after all that was how I got to the AirportExtreme in the first place. Years ago I was uber cheap, so I always bought the cheapest. I had Linksys, Buffalo, ActionTec, you name it. They would all die, lock up, reset, or cause problems. Over and over, I pulled my hair out... I gave up fighting, and paid the extra for the AE which plugged in and worked from day one, never needing a reboot or a reset. After all these years I guess I forgot that lesson, and tried again. I went on consumer review sites and tried to find the best non-apple router I could find. I read and read, and picked one with high reviews which was supposedly a robust "pro" model with lots of power and features. Nope - still caused me hassle.

Sure, maybe I am a fanboy. But these Airport Express routers are *worth every penny* in my book.
 
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the Airport Extreme competes with routers like the Linksys E4200, which is around $160.

See my previous post, but that is the one that I ended up trying. Best Buy had it for $135. I won't repeat myself other than to say I couldn't get it to do what I wanted it to do. YMMV
 
I've never understood why Apple puts such high-end features like gigabit, guest mode and simultanious dual-band in their routers, but leaves out basic routing features like QOS or hardware features like having four Ethernet ports (the standard on every other router).
 
I heard apple routers have problems with xboxs and stuff like that. Can anyone that has one confirm or deny?

None here. My P3 works with it superbly also. Of course as with all networking and computer stuff in general, results may very.
 
So, still no QOS. Probably the only thing keeping me from upgrading. Maybe I should, anyway. Can't get my Dlink to handle timed access control at all.
 
No QoS = PoS

I simply won't buy a router that does not have QoS or allow me to run a third party firmware like tomato to enable QoS.
 
(sigh) I've read and read but maybe I missed it.

Can someone break down a logical reason to upgrade to the newer Extreme if one already has a 2010 model?

Selling them is probably not an option since people won't justify paying Apple's prices over everyone's favorite free hotspot - linksys. Normally I could sell existing hardware to pay for new hardware. I just don't think that'll be the case here, and it'll be hard to offload otherwise.

I even know people who own Apple computers who wouldn't buy the routers.
 
(sigh) I've read and read but maybe I missed it.

Can someone break down a logical reason to upgrade to the newer Extreme if one already has a 2010 model?

Selling them is probably not an option since people won't justify paying Apple's prices over everyone's favorite free hotspot - linksys. Normally I could sell existing hardware to pay for new hardware. I just don't think that'll be the case here, and it'll be hard to offload otherwise.

I even know people who own Apple computers who wouldn't buy the routers.

The graphs shown are based on the 2010 model vs. the newer 2011 model. So if you're having range/throughput issues with your 2010 AEBS, the new one may be of benefit to you.

I've sold previous editions of the AEBS on Craigslist for around $75-85. You could probably get more for the dual-band 2010 model.
 
Can someone break down a logical reason to upgrade to the newer Extreme if one already has a 2010 model?
Well, the only real upgrade is more power. So, if wireless power is an issue to get to hard-to-reach parts of your home, there could be a reason. But that would have to be pretty critical to you, considering the cost. Otherwise, no, no reason at all.
 
I heard apple routers have problems with xboxs and stuff like that. Can anyone that has one confirm or deny?

I have a home network of 3 Macs a PS3, Xbox360, Sony Tv, Apple Tv, all connected back wired/wireless to a TimeCapsule and haven't had any issues with compatibility or speed.
 
$179.00 for a router. What a joke.

I have to agree. I find that Mac users are either minimalist (just a Mac Mini on a KVM switch and no other Apple products) or they go all the way, laptop, tower, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Monitor, mouse, glide pad and so on. Rarely do I seen anyone in the middle ground of jsut three to four Apple products in their home or office.
 
The graphs shown are based on the 2010 model vs. the newer 2011 model. So if you're having range/throughput issues with your 2010 AEBS, the new one may be of benefit to you.

I've sold previous editions of the AEBS on Craigslist for around $75-85. You could probably get more for the dual-band 2010 model.

Well, the only real upgrade is more power. So, if wireless power is an issue to get to hard-to-reach parts of your home, there could be a reason. But that would have to be pretty critical to you, considering the cost. Otherwise, no, no reason at all.

Again (as seen above) most people aren't going to pay over $100 for a router these days. They just aren't. Linksys' $50 routers run the roost.

So I guess I'll just keep what I've got. Haven't had any issues with either, frankly. And it was a pain to set them up the way I've got them now.

One thing I would like to see is whether file copy speeds for LAN are improved. They're not "terrible", but it's gotten to the point I favor Gigabit Ethernet every time I need to copy a VM across.
 
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