Have an older round airport hub that is about 7-8 years old. It still works okay, but would I be able to get significantly better signal strength by buying the latest model?
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Replacing AirPort Extreme
- Thread starter BlackMamba14
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You would get an improved antenna design and better connectivity technology. As per range it'll vary depending on your house.
802.11n technically has a wider range than 802.11g, though. So yes, it's supposed to be improved.
it depends on your computers and other devices (like 
TV or printers) you have on the network, and what you do on your network.
if all you're doing is surfing the web, and don't have fast internet*, and have one or 2 computers, then the round one is fine.
another thing to think about is what kind of network cards you have in your devices.if they only have 802.11g capabilities, then there's no reason to upgrade the base.
if your computer is fairly new (3-4 years probably) then it will have the faster 802.11n card.
there are also 2 types of 802.11n (2.4GHz and 5 GHz) the 5 is faster, but tends to not go through walls as well as 2.4 does
the newer base stations are "simultaneous dual band" meaning they do both 2.4 & 5 at the same time.
to check what kind of network card your mac has, go the the menu, then "about this mac -> more info..." then go to the "network -> wi-fi" section.
on my mac i have this.
channels 1-11 are 2.4GHz, 36 and up are 5Ghz.
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so to sum up
fast internet, 4 or more computers/devices on the network with 802.11n capabilities, or lots of internal traffic and you should upgrade.
TV or printers) you have on the network, and what you do on your network.if all you're doing is surfing the web, and don't have fast internet*, and have one or 2 computers, then the round one is fine.
**fast internet in this case is greater than about 20 Mb/s, chances are you would have to pay for a speed upgrade.
For time warner in manhattan, you'd have to be a level or 2 above "standard" and paying $20 a month extra to be "fast".
any kind of DSL is not fast
FIOS (verizon fiber) is fast.
If you do have fast internet, or are moving files around locally (to another computer on your network, or a time machine for example) a newer model might help.For time warner in manhattan, you'd have to be a level or 2 above "standard" and paying $20 a month extra to be "fast".
any kind of DSL is not fast
FIOS (verizon fiber) is fast.
another thing to think about is what kind of network cards you have in your devices.if they only have 802.11g capabilities, then there's no reason to upgrade the base.
if your computer is fairly new (3-4 years probably) then it will have the faster 802.11n card.
there are also 2 types of 802.11n (2.4GHz and 5 GHz) the 5 is faster, but tends to not go through walls as well as 2.4 does
the newer base stations are "simultaneous dual band" meaning they do both 2.4 & 5 at the same time.
to check what kind of network card your mac has, go the the
menu, then "about this mac -> more info..." then go to the "network -> wi-fi" section.on my mac i have this.
Modes tells you what kind of networks you can join.
channels 1-11 are 2.4GHz, 36 and up are 5Ghz.
----------
so to sum up
fast internet, 4 or more computers/devices on the network with 802.11n capabilities, or lots of internal traffic and you should upgrade.
Yes, at 5GHz. At 2.4GHz it's as penetrating as 802.11g. What increases the range are the multiple antennae.