Yaspan Tech, Computers, Gadgets, Reviews, News and Analysis
The Apple AirPort Extreme is an individual-looking router that boasts super-fast WiFi speeds. At £199/$199 it’s not cheap, but it looks great and performs at top wireless speeds.
Which Apple WiFi router should you buy? AirPort models compared
The AirPort Extreme has six internal antennae (Apple says it has put the antennae at the top, creating a higher platform for dispersing the signal), offering simultaneous dual-band wireless networks with support for all wireless bands. There’s a limited set of connectors at the rear, though – a single USB 2.0 port, three gigabit ethernet LAN ports and one ethernet port for a WAN connection.
The router has been designed with ease of setup in mind, either via a Mac or an iPhone or iPad. Instead of the usual web-browser-based administration interface, a dedicated software application, AirPort Utility, is built into OS X.
It automatically detects the router, and configuration screens load quicker than on a browser-based interface. Annoyingly, though, changing some settings still requires a full reboot.
The AirPort Extreme (version 6) features simultaneous dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11ac wireless, Gigabit Ethernet WAN port for connecting a DSL modem, cable modem or Ethernet network, USB2 port for connecting a USB printer or hard drive; and three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports for connecting a computer, Ethernet hub or networked printer.
