Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Gigabit) MB053LL/A Reviews

• Best of the best

  
  By ATB2PLCVQ2XC9 on 2007-09-28
  I own an iMac G5, a Nintendo Wii, an Airport Express, a Nintendo DS, a HP Printer, and an XBox 360, and this thing works flawlessly with all of them. I can't speak for Windows based PC's, but the Airport Extreme was a breeze to setup on the Mac. The new Airport layout does most of the work for you and all you have to do is click when it tells you to. So simple a caveman could...well, you know.
  
  *One note: If you install it, it says its working, but you're still not on the internet, then restart your cable provider's box and when it comes back on you'll be up and running. This didn't happen to me, but it did happen to a friend of mine. Just thought I'd pass the word.
  
  

• What Apple doesn't tell you but should

  
  By A32O5FZH994CNY on 2008-01-04
  Apple can tell you a lot of good reasons to buy almost any of its products. I should know because I have bought an awful lot of them.
  
  But I did not "get" why I might want Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (Gigabit) MB053LL/A. It is true the base station was adopted for the new 802.11n draft standard, but my two Macs predate the introduction of either the standard (which is still in draft) and the base station. So I figured to take advantage of the extreme speed increase 802.11n offered over 802.11g, I would need at a minimum a new air card, adding significantly to the cost.
  
  I even stood around the Apple Store staring at the box for the Airport Extreme trying to figure out why I might want to spend a significant amount of money for a base station whose capabilities required even more money to be spent. So I didn't get it.
  
  At home I continued to ask myself that question, and then in a MacWorld blog I found the answer. I wasn't even sure I had the right information so I called Apple and the product specialist had to look it up to confirm it.
  
  OK so what should Apple have told us right off the bat? It is this:
  
  ALMOST ALL INTEL-BASED CORE DUO iMAC, MACBOOK, AND MACBOOK PRO MODELS ARE PRECONFIGURED FOR 802.11n.
  
  The software for the base station includes unlocking software for you Mac. Install the software after you have plugged in the base and you will fly. This base station allows for very high-speed wireless connections.
  
  So why is this product worth $179 when you have a perfectly good 802.11g router running your system? That is sort of like asking why you might want a Ferrari to replace your Ford Focus. Speed, speed, speed.
  
  

• Excellent wireless router..

  
  By ACVGH6J8GWEH6 on 2007-09-21
  First, I have to comment about another reviewers statement that the Airport doesnt work with XP SP2. I set it up wirelessly for my wifes Dell that has XP SP2 on it and have no problems whatsoever. The setup was simple and as with most Apple products it walks you through the process and I had her computer up and running within 10 minutes. If you need to share a (PC) printer through the Airport, it includes Bonjour software which will walk you through the set up process for a pc and in an additional 10 minutes she was printing from the Airport as well. If you have a Mac it's even simpler. The data throughput is exceptional and I have never had a problem with a sluggish connection. The range is also pretty impressive as my wife will sometimes go out on the deck (the Airport is on the second floor on the opposite side of the house) and has never had a problem. I recently switched to this router after using a another "n" router and had quite a few problems with it. The Airport is the type of device that Microsoft has never mastered...a true plug and play device.
  
  

• Apple fanboi hates it

  
  By A1W2N766WD6SSU on 2007-12-23
  I am an Apple product supporter, but I cannot give this thing any positive comments. I bought this to replace my apple "UFO" router, mainly because it supports connecting a USB hard drive. Since I bought it, it has constantly dropped PPoE connections and the USB drive is rarely reachable. I was hoping that firmware updates would fix this it, but it made it even worse. After installing 7.2.1, I couldn't authenticate the hard drive. I have had to revert back to older firmware versions to be able to connect to the drive.
  
  I AM a huge apple supporter, but this thing is garbage. My rose-colored can glasses see right through it.
  
  Avoid.
  
  

• Could not get it to work after 6 hours of work

  
  By A1AAWU7U0D6MIW on 2007-10-14
  I tried to upgrade my Netgear system to this Airport Extreme for better speed and range. The router itself looks very nice, and well packaged. I have a DELL PC running Window XP with Comcast cable modem. After loading the program, the computer could intermittently see the "base station" router. Had multiple phone calls with Apple tech and Comcast tech support, tried re-booting, manual reconfiguration, reset the Arris Comcast modem, changing ethernet cables, and the Apple tech finally gave up, but would not recommend me to return it or go in for an exchange. Rather, he recommended me to go to an Apple store for them to test the router. The Apple tech commented that he had a few calls within the last few days with similar problems. I decided it was not worth the effort to drive to the Apple store, and returned the router to Best Buy. Reconnected the old Netgear back, and all my computers work fine, including one desktop and 3 notebooks working through wifi. With all the 5 star reviews, I thought I shold post my negative experience. The tech support guy was nice and patient.
  
  
• Terrific Experience, Worth the Price
  By A137YN42MHHIVX on 2007-10-30
  Setup was a breeze - finally an first-class application dedicated to setup instead of some geek-created web page.
  
  I finally setup wireless security. Something I've always wanted to do but other routers were so opaque I could never figure out what was appropriate or how to configure it after I decided.
  
  Windows and Macs on my router as well as 2 Netgear print server bridges (yes, they work!).
  
  
• One of the best, if not the best pre-N router on the market today
  By AVPNQUVZWMDSX on 2008-04-27
  I have been using many wireless routers (Linksys, D-Link, SMC, Netgear, Siemens...) over the years, since the early days of 802.11b, but this is my first experience with an Apple router (second, really: I've just replaced my first generation Airport Extreme router with this one which has a Gigabit switch instead of the original 100BT, so this is an update of the review I posted for the original model)
  
  There is no need to comment on the manufacturing quality, design and packaging: in typical Apple fashion, they're miles ahead of the competition. For instance, unlike all the other routers I ever used that came with a 110v only power supply, the Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS for short) comes with a universal worldwide power supply equipped with a standard power cord.
  
  Performancewise, it is exceptional. I have been putting it through its paces over the past few days and it's barely breaking a sweat in situations where my previous routers (Linksys WRT54G and Netgear WGN824) would progressively get slower, or just plain crash and require a reboot. Coverage is excellent, better than my WGN824's which was already quite impressive.
  
  Apple has traditionally be doing things differently, and it shows here again: unlike most routers, which are managed by accessing a built-in web server, this router can only be configured using the "Airport Utility" configuration program. The bundled CD contains a Mac OS X and a Windows version of the utility (I can already hear groans from the Linux geeks). The utility is extremely simple to use, although I haven't tried to use the more advanced features such as setting up another router like the Airport Express as a range extender.
  
  One problem you might run into is the lack of support for "legacy" devices: although the AEBS offers a compatibility mode with WEP devices called "WEP (Transitional)" which lets WEP and WPA coexist, this mode imposes restrictions on the keys that may not work for you (for instance you won't be able to reuse an existing 40-bit WEP key). The problem is that WEP-40 and WEP-128 are not compatible with the 802.11n standard, so you have to choose between speed or full backwards compatibility. Also, you should know that WEP-40 and WEP-128 are not very secure: there are utilities out there that can crack these keys easily.
  
  Note that 802.11n gives a significant speed boost to the AppleTV and laptops equipped with compatible cards (such as Apple's Core 2 Duo laptops with the 802.11n enabler installed -- you can find the enabler on the AEBS CD). Unless you own one of these machines, there is no harm in switching to a non-802.11n radio mode. How? Just hold the command key (or control on Windows) while clicking on the "Radio Mode" popup in the Wireless tab of the AEBS configuration utility. Extra, non-n modes appear in the list, and once one is selected the WEP-40 and WEP-128 modes become available under Security. If you select WEP-40 or WEP-128 security, you can enter a hex key by prefixing it with a dollar sign.
  
  The AEBS also comes with a versatile USB port, which can be used to attach hard disks and/or a printer (USB hubs are supported). Unlike other base stations or NAS boxes, the AEBS does not require that you reformat the disk; all you have to do is plug it in and voilà! Instant NAS, all your files show up on the network. Some very basic access control features are provided. I plugged in the external USB drive I use to backup my MacBook, and now I can do automated backups without having to worry about remembering to plug in the drive: it just works wirelessly. The AEBS also lets you share a USB printer.
  
  Now that Apple has released the Time Capsule devices, they've also released a version of firmware (7.3.1) that supports Time Machine in similar fashion. Unfortunately some people complain that this feature does not work reliably for them. I've experienced a more annoying problem: the Nortel Contivity VPN software I use to connect to my office network no longer works reliably. I found out on Apple's forums that this is a fairly common complaint and a known problem, so I assume it will be fixed in the next release; reverting firmware to version 7.2.1 fixed the problem (and disabled Time Machine support).
  
  In conclusion, this router is a fantastic performer. Although it's one of the most expensive 802.11n routers out there, its feature set, build quality, performance and top-notch customer support more than make up for the price difference. Despite a couple of quirks, I recommend it highly -- although if you need Time Machine support you're better off buying Time Capsule at least until Apple addresses the problems in firmware 7.3.1.
  
  EDIT - Firmware 7.3.2 was released on 6/30/2008, and I have had no problems using the Nortel Contivity VPN since installing it.
  
  
• Read the Apple discussion group before buying this router
  By A3NUSAVQ5N8OTL on 2007-12-26
  There is a very widespread problem with this product. It disconnects from the internet at random times, often several times an hour. There are extensive threads about this problem in the Apple discussion group devoted to this router. It's a serious issue that affects many users, including me. I'd avoid buying this router until Apple solves this problem. Do your homework before shelling out your money. Unfortunately, I didn't, so am back to using my old router while waiting for a fix from Apple.
  
  
• Solid product with a couple of obsure missing features
  By AI6ZTD6CLETVV on 2007-11-02
  There isn't *that* much to say about a WiFi router in the end, but here's the good:
  
  * Good performance -- I used to have a lot of connection stability problems with d-link and linksys routers in the past, possibly because the apartment building I live in is flooded with signals (there are times that I can scan and see over 50 APs). But I haven't had any problems with this.
  
  * Looks good -- Most routers are designed to look like Japanese robots or something. This has the clean Apple look, and it looks good on the shelf under the TV with the DVD player and sound system (my cable TV and cable internet both come in near there).
  
  Here's the bad:
  
  * Having to install the Apple Airport software to configure or manage the router. That's absolutely ridiculous, Apple. Every single other one in the world has a browser-based admin interface. Get with it.
  
  * You can't enable both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously. You have to choose one or the other. I had a dual-band (non 802.11n though) a/g D-Link router before, and it could basically run as two access points at the same time on different radios. They could have different SSIDs as well. I assumed before I bought it that you could do this with the Apple, but you can't. (If you're wondering why, it's because I get better performance [due to less interference] on the 5 GHz band for my laptop, but I have some devices [iPhone, iPod touch] and might own others that only run on 2.4 GHz.)
  
  * For some reason, Microsoft Outlook can't communicate properly with MS Exchange over SMB over a Nortel VPN IPSEC tunnel over this router (whether wireless or over a wire). The Nortel VPN tunnel works fine otherwise, and I think if you ran Outlook/Exchange over HTTP it would be fine (all other HTTP traffic over the Nortel VPN tunnel is fine), and it is just fine over IMAP as well. I found someone else had this problem on Apple's discussion forum, but there isn't a fix out as of now.
  
  * The ability to share a USB drive over the network is awesome. But it has to be formatted FAT32 (or the Mac FS), not as NTFS.
  
  
• TOPIC: USB printer & hard drive adventure
  By A30XVXQHZAYMPL on 2008-01-02
  The overall performance of the Airport has been amply discussed. I'd like to comment more on my experience with AirPort's USB support on Windows XP. Specifically, what to expect if you attach a USB hard drive.
  
  Installation was a bit quirky, at times the AirPort utility prog failed to recognize the unit. The Printer Wizard setup also installs the Bonjour program, a startup service required for an attached USB printer to be recognized across the network. It's a snap to setup the printer- Bonjour immediately saw my HP printer and set it up. However, all PCs on the network need Bonjour service installation in order to see and use the printer (at least that's what I did to finally get it going). Running memory usage is about 4k. This is annoying for those who maintain the startup list as lean as possible. The AirPort utility also automatically loads but I disabled it without problems.
  
  Once things are up an running printer function is flawless.
  
  Now concerning the hard drive on USB. First, it MUST be formatted to FAT32. To do this the drive has to be connected to the PC, not the AirPort. Depending on your needs FAT will be a problem. For XP users, formatting the drive to FAT32 is a headache since this function is hit or miss within XP, and most USB drives come NTFS preformatted which the AirPort will not recognize. Unless you are moderately computer savy it's a frustrating experience. In my case, the XP Disc Management utility did not list FAT32 as a formatting option so I had to search elsewhere.
  
  NExt you can search and download freeware to do the formatting within XP. The most recommended program crashed on several of my PCs so I was unable to test it. There's also a DOS freeeware prog which does a good job (tested), but it's command line and may be complicated for some folks and takes a little Googling to find it.
  
  Using an original Windows boot disk also works but is a major hassle. Furthermore, some Windows versions do not support FAT. Some drives come with installation CD and give formatting options.
  
  Finally, you can format to FAT by attaching the drive to a MAC or Linux computer. I have a Ubuntu partition so that's what I did.
  
  Now this is important: FAT32 limits file size to 4GB max. No way to get around it AFAIK. Do not expect to store files >4Gigs and access them on the network, for example large media files. I found the transfer speed to the drive extremely slow though I don't have numbers. You have options as to security of access, such as password protection.
  
  In my case, the purpose of the drive was to transfer media files and use them on a Sony PS3. Since the PS3 also limits file size to 4GB that's fine by me. But if I wanted to access larger size mediaI I'd be out of luck. I hate streaming to PS3 so having a portable drive \from which to run media is best for my needs. I suppose most people store files way below 4GB so it won't matter.
  
  You can also attach a small hub so as to use several USB devices, such as multiple printer or drive combinations.
  
  The reason I give this 3 STARS is that Apple is not upfront regarding the required FAT32 format for USB drives. Sure, the small print mentions it, but the inherent limitations of this format are not thus fooling unsuspecting buyers. I love it as a router and for printer networking. Lousy if you attach a hard drive and expect to store large files.
  
  
• Drops wireless connections all the time
  By A1BY6D7YSTYBQ9 on 2007-12-06
  the wireless network does not function properly. The wireless network just disappears and can not be brought back easily, sometimes you can not connect for hours. The ethernet ports continue to work, but the whole point of the product is to be wireless. Also, the disk access does not work as advertised. The airport does not always recognize the disk password and will not attach automatically.
  Do not buy this product until Apple fixes all the bugs!!
  
  
• most problematic router i've ever used
  By AU7UARXFICEXI on 2008-02-17
  The major problem is that this unit crashes and restarts itself at odd moments. Try to transfer a lot of files from one machine to another and BOOM down she goes. If this were a Linksys unit, well these never crashed in my last 7 years of using them, but if I restart a Linksys everything previously connected via wire and wireless all reconnects and everyone goes about happily.
  
  If an Extreme restarts (and it will), then everyone who was connected needs a reboot or to have their networking restarted manually. For me this means two desktops, one laptop, and a PS3. Doesn't matter what operating system... I mean, even the PS3 is locked out from re-accessing the network... there's an obvious failing here in this unit.
  
  So even in the best case of wanting to change some parameters, you change them, boom the unit reboots, and then you run around the house power cycling stuff and manually restarting networks.
  
  Apple probably blames everyone else for doing something wrong I would think.
  
  Also, this unit surprisingly has no web interface. Everything else on the market has a web interface so you turn them on and configure with your web browser. Not the Apple. You have to install special Apple software to do this. Of course this software is not so nicely designed for Windows (Apple will tell you the fix is to buy a Mac). Worst off, at times it decides that you don't own an Apple Airport Extreme. It tells you it couldn't find any in range (even if you're connected on a wired network).
  
  It just shrugs its shoulders and gives up. Because this is Apple software, if it doesn't Just Work, it doesn't work at all. You can't give it an IP address to connect to and since there is no web interface you're stuck with an unconfigurable router. The really funny thing is that while the Apple software tells you that no router can be found, you can continue using the network and internet, as every other single feature continues operating. The only piece of software that *can't* see the router is Apple's own configuration software.
  
  Honestly, this is lunacy. This is not even Alpha-release kind of quality. And this product has been around a long time now.
  
  Which gives you a good idea of the kind of support that you can expect from Apple. Quickly looking at their support boards there are messages such as "Apple support says that is a known problem with the Extreme but there are no plans to fix it."
  
  The company consistently makes engineering decisions that hurt the purchasers of its product, and if it determines the cost/benefit analysis says they should just leave it, that's what they do until enough people make noise to get it fixed. A responsible company just fixes its products when broken.
  
  Beyond this kind of broken-beyond-usability state, you can expect other gems like the following:
  
  "USB port turns external hard drives, printers, and other devices into network resources"
  
  The USB port on this device seems to run bone-crunchingly slow. Take your USB disk and plug it into your computer, then plug it into the Extreme's port, and check the transfer times. Over GIGABIT ethernet with a direct connection to this device I get 2 megabytes per second. Connected directly, 17 megabytes per second. An order of magnitude performance hit. Maybe this is useful for sharing printers, but last I checked, you can share printers just fine off of any other computer. So I am not sure what use this USB port is because 2 megabytes per second will take a day to back up a normal sized hard disk on a new computer.
  
  Apple designs some nice machines, I bought a mac mini, and it and the Apple display have been beautiful with no problems. I own two Apple TVs, both of them have performed flawlessly though Apple hasn't exactly been cracking the whip with updates and having the CEO refer to the product that you invest money in as a "hobby" for his company doesn't exactly give you the warm fuzzies about support. But if it works, support is not a big deal.
  
  In this case, the product doesn't work right. I've been buying wireless routers since the original Orinoco Gold over 10 years ago. None of them have been as fussy as this router, none have as consistently failed as this one, and none have been such a general unworkable pain. Never with any of them have I had to run around rebooting every single device on my network to be allowed access again.
  
  This is a serious product failure on the part of apple. When it works, its great, but it's not robust and that great does not last.
  
  
• Airport Extreme consistently drops network
  By A1VOKXYZI9OSEB on 2008-01-03
  I wanted to upgrade from my Airport Express Base Station and replaced it with the Extreme Base Station (XBS). After working well for a few days it began shutting don the network at random times and for several hours. Then it would mysteriously start working again. This went on for many days. Calling Apple support was a complete waste of time. I finally gave up in disgust and went back to the old (dome topped) base station which has worked perfectly ever since. Will try to get my dinero back from Apple. I am an Apple bigot and an experienced user. Do not waste your money or time with this until Apple fixes it. Go to the Apple web site and look in the Airport forums to see all the trouble people are having.
  
  
• It just works
  By A23OMC7043VU8V on 2007-09-06
  I am new to Apple (macbook pro) don't know what took me so long... I had a Linksys wireless G router that worked good, until I wanted to hook up a video conference on my laptop. Couldn't hook up no matter what I did... then I read about the new MBO53LL/A Airport Extreme and how much more power it had versus the G models. I bought one and wired it up to my dsl following the directions and within 2 hours I was hooking up to a wireless video iChat with family! It solved all my hook up problems... It just works.
  
  
• Awesome Router!
  By A2EBYVM50TZ7KG on 2007-10-16
  I had a Linksys router before I purchased this one that served me well. However, I began getting too many signal drops. I decided it was time to purchase a new router. I thought this was going to be easy, but it wasn't. I purchased another Linksys router, but I kept getting a signal drop occasionally on my Macbook. It was driving me crazy. I returned it and purchased a D-Link router. I experienced the same problem - dropped signals. So, I bit my lip and bought the Apple Airport - the most money I ever spent on a router. I was at my wits end. Since this was my first Apple router, I wasn't going to wing it in installing it on my computers (a Windows Vista desktop, Dell laptop running Windows XP SP2, and Macbook) - so I called Apple support. Awesome support, let me tell you. The guy walked me through everything I needed to do to set up the router and get all the computer's connected to it. I also have my Canon printer connected through it through the USB port. It works fantastic as well! So far, and I had this router for about 4 months now, I received no dropped signal at all.
  
  Also, let me mention that I have a Nintendo DS that I also use with this router and I've had no problem setting it up either.
  
  Needless to say, I am EXTREMELY pleased with this purchase and definitely recommend this product.
  
  
• Buggy Router Can't Deliver
  By A2UAFP4A9D4APQ on 2007-11-04
  With the latest firmware, 7.2.1, this router will crash when you try to access an attached USB drive via the Bonjour software. After going through the Apple forums, I discovered I needed to revert back to an earlier release. So I reverted to 7.2.0, and it was stable for several hours, and I thought everything was going to be ok. However, 5 minutes ago, I watched my apple network drop out again (the router rebooted).
  
  I've setup many enterprise routers. Although, I might have picked a bad apple, I'm convinced this is a pile of crap. I wasn't trying to do anything complicated. This firmware has been out for weeks with no fix. Don't drink the Apple Kool-Aid, stay away from this thing...
  
  
• Excellent router...once it is set up
  By A3NEAETOSXDBOM on 2008-01-02
  I use this router to connect to the internet wirelessly with both my new MacBook and my 4-year old IBM Thinkpad T40(for which I need backward compatibility for 11g), and through an ethernet cable with my desktop pc. All three computers share the same printer.
  
  I gave this unit 5 stars even though setup was a nightmare because I don't think it was the fault of the unit. My internet provider is Comcast, and for whatever reasons the base station was not recognized until I plugged the ethernet cable from my cable modem directly into my MacBook. I then had to unplug and restart the cable modem several times before the Airport Extreme finally picked up the correct IP address, DNS Server info etc. Finally, I had to go into manual setup and change to a specific channel number rather than obtaining a channel automatically because I was getting interference. I wound up with level 2 Apple tech support to walk me through all of this.
  
  In retrospect, I think that I should have intially unplugged my existing wireless router (even though it was no longer connected to my cable modem) and also unplugged both the power cord and phone cord to my cordless 2.4 phone, as I ultimately did, since these may have contributed to my setup problem, though I am not sure.
  
  Once the unit was setup, it worked great. Even though I cannot take advantage of the highest speed because I need bacwards compatibility for my PC laptop, there is still a noticeable improvement in wireless range.
  
  As for the printer setup, I also needed some help from Apple tech support. I discovered that if you are using Bonjour on a PC, you need to download the sofware from Apple's site because that download for some reason contains components that are not available in the software on the CD that comes with the unit. Once I downloaded from the Apple site, everything worked fine.
  
  Apple tech support is very helpful, so don't hesitate to call them.
  
  The unit has a nice appearance, and unlike my previous router, has no antenna sticking up. In addition, it was a breeze to set up a secure wireless connection on my MacBook, and with only minor configuration I was able to do the same on both my laptop and Palm T/X.
  
  Once I got past the setup problems, which I don't necessarily blame on the unit, it was a pleasure to use it and I am happy with my purchase.
  
  
• I have an Apple addiction
  By A1XB1FPP0FAQSB on 2007-10-04
  Let me just start by saying that I am completely bias on Apple products. I have a MacBook Pro. I have talked family members into buying Apple's. I have convinced people where I work to get Apple machines for video purposes. The reason I keep doing this is because the products just work.
  
  I bought the Airport and had it up and running in less than 5 min. I went in and did some tweaking of course, but total time was still less than 30 min.
  
  The Airport had a firmware update which I was alerted to from Apple's Software Update. That was downloaded and installed quickly. The router rebooted and I was good to go. Services which didn't work before between my computer and MacBook ( Such as iTunes sharing ) started to work. My MacBook no longer has issues joining my wireless network after waking up, and I have great range.
  
  I say if you don't have a router, don't waste your money on something cheaper. You get what you pay for.
  
  
  
• Apple offers no support for this product!
  By A1FXCDPQ7D89L0 on 2007-10-20
  If you ever need support for this thing, forget about it! I had to reinstall my Windows OS and when I started installing all my software I couldn't find the Airport Utility Disk which you absolutely must have to run the router. You cannot download it anywhere (that's right, nowhere, not even from Apple!). You are stuck buying the Utility disk again from Apple for $17.26. I had no choice so I went ahead and placed my order but rather than sending it overnight like the Apple representative said they would they sent it via FedEx GROUND from California to Illinois; to arrive a week after I ordered it. When I found out I called Apple Care and they said there was nothing they could do! I was already in a pinch because I had to buy the disk and wait, instead of being able to download it (who does that anymore??!!). If the rep had told me it would take that long when I placed the order I would have paid extra for express or overnight shipping. But, they told me it would be shipped overnight! So now, basically Apple has, to paraphrase the situation, told me, we don't care that you don't have an internet connection (I'm connected at a coffee shop right now), it's my fault for buying an Apple product. DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!
  
  
• Not up to Apple's standards
  By A22PIB1I3F6QM9 on 2008-01-01
  This device is easy to set up and use, but it is surprisingly buggy. See Apple's discussion pages for a long list of complaints about using it as a disk server. We have also had problems using it as a print server -- we have to reset it frequently. Apple seems unresponsive. This is an acceptable product, but not nearly as nice as Macs or iPods.
  
  
• Serious shortcomings flaw this potentially wonderful router
  By A2RB0PK3SE8BPG on 2008-03-02
  Update, June 5, 2008: With the release of new firmware for the router, and a couple of new releases of the Leopard operating system, the router provides much more stable access to the attached hard drive, at least from a Mac. It's still a bit iffy when attempting to read or write from an XP or Vista machine, though. I'd upgrade the rating from one to three stars, based on the improved performance. (End of update).
  
  I purchased this router to add two capabilities to our home network: shared printing from PCs and Macs, and a shared USB hard drive. In switching from a Netgear router, I lost a lot of internet filtering features offered by Netgear, which are strangely absent on Apple's product. I guess they figure I'll add my own proxy server into the mix to handle that. What a pain! Using the USB port for a shared drive has been extremely unreliable, and it cannot be written to reliably from either of our Macbooks running Leopard or from our XP or Vista machines, either wirelessly or via a network cable. Yes, the printing works great. And the wireless coverage is very good--probably better than the Netgear router. I've also encountered problems when making configuration changes to the router, such as invoking hardware access control (MAC address). The router simply freezes up. I recommend against purchasing this product unless you'll be happy with basic router functionality and no shared hard drive.
  
  
• A wonderful wireless router
  By AGLY5SMUP2JKP on 2007-10-26
  Normally a 802.11n wireless router should not cost more than $90. This Apple Extreme costs close to $180. What? Its price is almost two times more expensive than its competitors.
  
  To be fair, those 'competitors' are not competitors when you put their specifications and this Extreme's specifications side-by-side. This wireless router has a USB port that allows you to print wirelessly to any printer with a USB port or to access files from a massive USB drive. A non-Apple router with similar specifications will eventually cost about the same.
  
  Too bad that the latest Leopard's Time Machine does not allow wireless backup (yet) ... but this is another limitation hopefully to be improved by Apple soon.
  
  I have to take one star off for this product despite its elegant design and wonderful engineering. Why? If you happen to use WPA (and you should) with a short password (less than or equal to 8 characters), the software (called AirPort Utility stored under ~/Applications/Utilities/) will keep complaining that you do not have a valid IP, even though you do. I spent quite a bit of time troubleshooting in the wrong direction as a result of this. I would expect the AirPort Utility software should have warned users of this often-overlooked requirement of WPA passwords [...]
  
  
• Expensive....
  By A1O7GMWFQTTAA8 on 2007-11-16
  Works like charm, provides much better coverage than my old Belkin, disables my daughter's access to Internet after 9 PM and handles Epson R200 printer. But:
  - it is so hot, it can be used to keep your coffee warm - nice in winter, but very uncomfortable during summer
  - setup is very difficult and a very un-Apple.
  - any change (even the smallest) requires a restart = VPN drops
  - similar products from competition are significantly cheaper
  
  P.S. If you want to control your child's access with that product, you need to make sure all of your neighbors have password protected WiFi's.
  
  
• flaky
  By A3DW8URF3KQQ5H on 2007-12-04
  The site says my network will be up in minutes. It's been over a month. This thing looks like it's all set up...then just isn't there the next time. Looks like it drops your IP address. One of the first times I plugged it in, it automatically downloaded airport firmware 7.2.1, but I think unsucessfully and now the whole thing is unstable. Sometimes you plug it in, all the green lights at the back stay on and the main light stays off. Or sometimes it's blue. Or yellow. Green is rare.
  This base station aint cheap. It looks cool...but I have to take it back to the store, just like the other guys who posted here...coz it doesn't work! Boo.
  
  
• Router crashes at least once a day
  By A31UR5JR8P95YL on 2008-01-14
  Setup is easy and this is definitely a good-looking product, but it's just not stable. At least once a day, both my laptops stop seeing a wireless signal from the router. I have to unplug the router to get it working again. One of the laptops is a PC, the other a Macbook. I've tried messing with the settings, but nothing seems to fix the problem. I did find a discussion thread on the Apple website that had some recommendations like turning off IPv6 or downgrading firmware to a previous version - I'm running 7.2.1 - but nothing has worked for me.
  
  If Apple doesn't come up with a fix soon, I'll have to go buy a linksys or other wireless router.
  
  
• Horrific buggy hardware
  By A2TLBGKASEHR8 on 2008-01-23
  This is the worst product Apple has ever produced. With the latest firmware wireless connection is prone to random drops, the USB hard drive functionality is utterly useless as the speeds are abysmal, and if you have two macs transferring a large file with this base station will take longer than on a $10 11G router. Don't take my word for it, read apple discussions for all the woes users of this product experience.
  
  
• Reliable router with great device sharing capability
  By AU30NN0H2Q1E on 2008-04-10
  I bought this router to replace an old Linksys 54G SpeedBooster unit. It is no doubt expensive, compared with other options on the router market. This fact, combined with the lack of a web-based config utility make me deduct one star from my review. The range is great on this unit, and it has been stable so far for me. In N-only mode or connected-Ethernet mode, I notice a big uptick in performance. However, that speed increase suffers a little when you have mixed mode units. I was really frustrated with the unit after the initial purchase a few weeks back, mainly due to the buggy firmware/software combo and the lack of Time Machine integration. Also, Bonjour for Windows has problems seeing devices when it has to deal with VPN software. However, two big things happened: First, Apple updated the firmware to 7.3.1, which has made a HUGE difference. It is more stable and more importantly I can do Time Machine backups over the air to my WD hard drive. I now have a printer and an external HD connected via the Belkin MacMini 4-port USB hub to the AEBS. The setup works wonderfully (at least for now,) and Time Machine is fully functional wirelessly. I also found some great user forums on the Apple site that provide a very easy workaround for the shortcomings of Bonjour when dealing with VPNs. So, all in all, I am happy with things, now that Apple has fixed many of the firmware issues.
  
  
• Great Product!
  By ABSIVDSNICG8N on 2007-10-06
  I originally purchased a Netgear WNR854T (Wireless-N gigabit router). I had nothing but problems trying to get this to work. Internet connection kept dropping or connection to router from PC would go down.
  
  I eventually gave up and purchased the Apple Airport Extreme as a replacement.
  
  The Apple Airport was easy to setup. I was on the Internet literally within 10 minutes without any issues. My PC to the Airport is connecting at gigabit speed via one of the lan connectors on the back.
  
  I haven't had any problems with it all. The utility to configure the Airport is easy for the novice or the more experienced who want to manually configure some of the Airport's options.
  
  I used a Netgear wireless-N adapter to connect from a pc in another part of the house. Works fine with the Apple Airport.
  
  A Nintendo Wii connects and works perfectly with the wireless connection.
  
  
• Airport a Breeze to use
  By A1W5XOF2QIF93Y on 2007-10-17
  I purchased the airport to replace a lynksis wireless G router that I had to restart about 3 times a day.
  Range is great - I get full signal anywhere on my house & yard (bout a third of an acre) and much faster wireless speed overall as compared to the Lynksis router. Havent had to restart it a single time. Ridiculously easy to set up. just a few clicks, it found all the proper fields and off it went! I use a Macbook pro 2.33 Dual core.
  
  Product itself gets 5 stars, but overall rating is a 4 considering its THREE TIMES MORE than the mostly comparable lynksis Wireless G model. But that Mac for you. Their stuff ain't cheap.
  
  
• 100% Flawless
  By A3RMJVYVDM5249 on 2007-12-10
  I owned a trouble-free D-Link wireless router for years but was ready for faster 802.11n speeds. I connected the Airport, inserted the DVD, ran through the setup on a Windows XP notebook, and presto - everything worked. I was EXTREMELY impressed to find that I could even connect my Brother multifunction to the USB port on the back of the Airport and print wirelessly. I still can't figure out how Apple pulled that off considering I never downloaded any drivers - it just seemed to happen magically.
  
  For fastest speeds, use Airport Utility software to switch the radio mode to the 802.11n 5 Ghz frequency. You will lose backwards compatibility with 802.11g devices but for me that didn't matter (and I'm happpy to keep my connection invisible to neighbors!)
  
  I am using the Airport with a ThinkPad T60 and a MacBook Pro, both of which connect flawlessly at speeds at least 4x faster than my previous 802.11g router allowed.
  
  Overall, this is a 5-star product in a sleek and sim design. Highly recommended.
  
  

• V-dimension Helius

• Apple Airport Express
• Apple Mighty Mouse Wireless Kit
• Apple Mac OS X Version 10.5.4 Leopard [5-User Family Pack]
• Apple Keyboard Kit
• Apple Wireless Keyboard Kit