Customer Reviews

Apple M8799LL/A AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Got this primarily so we could work anywhere in the house on our PC laptops. Granted, a Linksys wireless router would have been cheaper, but the Airport Extreme also serves as a wireless print server and that (plus the fact that our primary computer is a Mac) was what sealed the deal for us. Our cabling setup is:
Cable modem -> Linksys Wired 4-Port Router -> Airport Extreme -> Lexmark Optra E312L

Our laptops use Linksys Wireless-G cards and get good reception throughout the house. Our G4 and PS2 are hooked directly into the wired Linksys Router for their connectivity. The trick to using it with an existing router is to turn off the NAT addressing feature of the Airport Extreme so that it acts only as an Ethernet "bridge" to the wireless computers; the Linksys router assigns all the IP addresses for everything on the system including the PC laptops. The PCs can print wirelessly to the laser printer via the Airport and so can the Mac. Bonus!

Setup was very quick - about 15 minutes to get everything plugged in. The hard part was getting the security set up correctly (and yes, you'd better secure your wireless network) as the format for passwords was different on the Mac vs. PC platforms. Had to do some Web searches to find out how to make them speak the same language (hex). Has worked flawlessly since then. If I had to do it over, would buy it again in a heartbeat.

I've set-up more Wireless networks than I can remember over the last 3 years usually using Linksys router.

However I've heard nothing but good things about this router so I decided to buy one and If I didn't like It I would return it and get a Linksys, and so far this has been much better.

Set-up does not live up to the Apple standard of simplicity, the Linksys routers I've used took about 5 minutes to get up and running, this took me 3 hours because settings wouldn't save and the security settings caused the Wireless base to disappear from the Airport admin page however after I resolved those problems the Airport extreme base stations really started to shine.

The range alone was worth the extra money, without a doubt the best feature. The Linksys I tested at my home had only about half of the range. I live in a pretty big house and there isn't a single spot in my home where I'm not getting full bars I can actually get full bars in the middle of my street, that's pretty good. The cross compatible router works better on my Windows laptop than the Linksys range and speed wise.

Note to Apple, easier set-up and better admin software will back it much better.

I have to say that this is one of the best wireless routers that I have ever seen. It is an absolute breeze to set up. Just plug it in and open a simple setup utility and you can have it running in under five minutes. Despite its' ease of use, it is also full featured. It allows for WPA Enterprise security, which is the standard for wireless security at almost every major organization. It also comes with WPA Personal which is as secure but requires you to only enter a single password making setup extremely easy. Though it would be a very weak signal, it is possible to make a connection with the base station up to the stated 150 feet even with walls in the way. (It won't pass easily through steel or concrete, but wood/plaster walls don't interfere much) Besides the other great features such as a built in firewall and simple printer sharing, the base station has fast transfer speeds and allows for up to 50 users at a time. I would however recommend against using the "Interference Robustness" feature unless it is absolutely necessary due to a large amount of interference. While over short distances it will improve reception, it reduces the overall range by as much as two thirds. Overall, however, I haven't seen another product of this kind that comes even close to this station, especially at this price.

I got this base station with my new 17" powerbook and I can say for certain it is well worth the money. I also have the original Airport base station that I bought when my son was born (so I can compare).

Now, the near five-fold increase in bandwidth will not effect Web surfing (unless you REALLY have a nice internet connection). But it very dramatically will increase the speed of transferring files between computers. When I got the new powerbook I moved all the data from my old laptop to the new. I hooked the old one up by ethernet and just kept the new wireless. Files were transferred at a great clip-- WAY faster than if I kept them both using the old base station. And this increase was in the mixed bandwidth mode (compatible with computers that can only use 802.11b).

As opposed to another review for the other Airport Extreme model, I see no decreased range at all-- but no real increase either. Adding the optional Antenna would presumably make it even more than the old base stations, but I have not done this. However, the speed is so much better that even bad reception does not adversely affect websurfing or file downloads. I have had mixed experience with other Wi-Fi systems (LinkSys, for instance).

As an important addition, the USB port to attach a printer or scanner is great. That way you need not buy a print server to share a printer and have the computers all be wireless at the same time.

The wireless revolution has seriously altered the way I work. It didn't seem like it was that big of a deal, to be able to work anywhere in the house on a laptop. And then I was home over Thanksgiving and tried my father's - it was incredible. So, soon after I had my own and I love it - I even ended up getting another one for my wife's laptop.

Whether it's browsing amazon.com late at night in bed, checking morning email in the kitchen while the kids run around, or being able to set up a writing desk anywhere in the house without worrying about an accessible internet port - the airport system is awesome. Even if you only have a desktop computer it's worth it - you can to put the computer in a place where there's no internet plug, without the 40 foot cord draping your wall to connect it. All in all, a wireless system may seem extravagant, but once you have one you'll wonder how you got by without it.

The airport card, along with the base station, allows you to connect several computers, even ones that don't have wireless cards in them (i.e., we have two laptops on the wireless system, and then one iMac that doesn't have an airport card is plugged directly into the base station). You can print, scan - anything - wirelessly, as long as those extra components are connected to the base station.

If you have a big house and the base station won't be centrally located, you may want to look into the antenna. I have a 2500 square foot house and the base station is at one end of it. I can get access from anywhere in the house without the extra antenna, though in one or two places it's a weak signal. My father's house, on the other hand, is over 5000 square feet and the base station is at a far end - you can't even get a signal on the other side of the house. However, he purchased the antenna and the signal is now very strong wherever you are. A warning - you should make sure your airport network is password protected, especially if you get the antenna. The signal will be broadcast through half your neighborhood and if not protected, people can get on and use your airtime, clogging up your bandwidth.

Make sure you get the right card! There's the airport extreme card and the regular airport card (I believe they are both compatible with either base station). Check Apple's website for direct compatibility between your computer and the two different cards. They are different sizes and will only fit in the right kind of slot.

One final word - I've heard from others that certain products from Net Gear or other wireless manufacturers accomplish the same thing as the airport card and base station for much cheaper. I can't attest to the validity of this, but it might be worth looking into. I'd exercise extreme caution, since if you go with Apple products it will be covered with tech support, even if it's more expensive. And putting third party hardware in your computer will likely void the warranty on your computer.

I've been using wireless at home using Linksys WRT54Gv2 router for a couple of years. I've been using to get connections for a laptop (12" Apple Powerbook on Airport Extreme card) and G4 PowerMac on original aiport card on the Linksys wireless router. The Linksys worked fine (but not perfect) with my older computers. However, I started having problems with VERY FREQUENT dropped connections using the Linksys when I started to use the new MacBook (Intel CoreDuo 2Ghz.)

The wireless connection kept dropping so frequently. I looked up on the web and found that MANY people were having problems with frequently dropped wireless connections on their Macbooks and Macbook Pros. I realized that those who had the problems were using either Linksys or a non-Apple wireless router. I wanted to make sure that it wasn't the hardware that was causing the problem. So, I took the laptop to the Apple store and spent about 40 minutes using their wireless connection. I was relieved to know that it isn't a hardware issue with my laptop. So, I decided to get the Airport base station. So far, I haven't had the issue of dropped wireless signals with this Airport Extreme base. Maybe Linksys or Apple will come up with a new firmware or software to remedy this problem. But if you don't want to wait and see and avoid the frustrations, I would strongly recommend getting the Apple airport base station.

Apple builds products that are easy for anyone to use. They don't require a lot of knowledge about the hardware. The base station was very easy to set up. The Airport Setup Assistant runs you through all of the important steps in language that is as plain as possible. If you want finer control, you can then move to the Airport Admin Utility.

The only problem I ran into during setup was getting the base station to work with my Comcast cable service. The first call to tech support ran me through the essential setup items, making sure that I had everything set up properly. The second call was to Comcast, who said it certainly wasn't their problem. Back to Apple. After that call, I really can't say enough good things about Apple's tech support. For one, it's not outsourced. You're talking to someone who speaks English very well. The second thing is that they're not working off of a script as far as I can tell. They try the standard fixes, of course, but they're able to work with whatever comes up. After probably 30 minutes or so of trying everything we could think of, the support person went up the chain - I've never seen that from tech support before - to a product specialist. When that advice didn't work the next step was to actually have me talk to a product specialist. By that time it was 30 minutes or so after quitting time on a Friday, so the product specialist was no longer available. The support rep actually apologized for not being able to put me on the line with the specialist. I was impressed that he worked as long as he did after quitting time on a Friday without any hint of trying to hurry along and get rid of me. I was about to call tech support again today (Saturday), but decided to give the setup one more try. It worked! I don't know why or how the problem was solved. I'm just happy it all works now.

The Airport Extreme Base Station is a little expensive, but compared to the grief I've had with a less expensive wireless router, and the excellent support I received from Apple, I couldn't be happier with my purchase.

My husband and I finally decided to try living wirelessly, and for those of you still plugged into the wall, you don't know what you're missing!

We both use laptops, and it's just so convenient to be able to carry our laptops around with us and access the internet from anywhere in our apartment. I search for recipes online, and sit my laptop on the kitchen bench to substitute recipe books. Forgot to send an email? no need to get out of bed - you can send an email from anywhere in your house (providing you have a laptop).

This unit would suit both laptop and desktop computers, but it's more suitable to laptop. We are now considering purchasing the Apple Airport Extreme so that we can have wireless internet when traveling, as well as use it as an airport within our apartment when we are home.

Sure, apple airports costs more that other wireless units, but you are paying for a name you can trust, reliability, and a quality product.

Highly highly highly recommended!

The new base station is great. But don't be taken in by the advertising for the external antennas sold by Dr. Bott. They do nothing to extend the range of the airport and in most cases decrease signal strength. Check out the discussions on the Apple web site for more info on the external antennas.
Other than the external antenna port being a waste of time because there are no good antennas for it, the new ABS is a nice access point. And best of all, the new Windows utility for configuration is quite handy. Thankfully Apple has finally realized that the Airports aren't just "Macintosh" peripherals but are also used by many Windows users.

The AirPort Extreme Base Station was very easy to install and configure...and this was installing it via a Windows laptop!

As a longtime Mac user, I have always had Macs at home. But since I went into web design and development, I found I needed a PC to test my sites for cross-browser issues, which led to me buying a PC laptop. I've always felt that Apple hardware and software had the best ease of use. When I found out that AirPort would install natively on a PC, it was a no-brainer!

The AirPort base station and software installed without a hitch. In fact, all I did was run the install software from the CD using the wizard, and it was up and running. I couldn't have asked for more. I connected my Mac desktop to the the base station via the ethernet port, and voila, internet connection shared between the two machines. Excellent!

I live in a fairly large house with the office at one end, towards the back, on the upper floor. The laptop is downstairs on the other end toward the front of the house. And I still get two bars of reception, which is fine with me! All in all, an excellent product!