Finding Out The Age Of Your Apple Airport

Apple Airport is a line of residential gateways that combine the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, NAS, and other functions. The first Apple Airport was announced at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco on January 7, 2003. Since then, there have been six generations of Apple Airport, with the latest model supporting 802.11ac networking. Apple discontinued its lineup of wireless routers in 2016 but continues to provide limited hardware and software support as of 2023. In this paragraph, we will discuss how to determine the age of your Apple Airport and provide an overview of the different generations of this product.

Apple discontinued the AirPort line in 2018

Apple's AirPort line was discontinued in 2018. The AirPort line was a series of wireless routers and network cards that used Wi-Fi protocols. The line included the AirPort Base Station (later AirPort Extreme), the AirPort Time Capsule, and the AirPort Express.

The AirPort line was first introduced in 1999, with wireless cards being discontinued in 2009 following the Mac transition to Intel processors. The AirPort Extreme was introduced in 2003, with the AirPort Express base station being released in 2004, and the AirPort Time Capsule in 2008.

The death of Apple's AirPort line had been expected for some time, with Bloomberg reporting in November 2016 that Apple had disbanded the hardware division responsible for its routers. Since then, Apple's AirPort offerings had been slowly rendered obsolete by the rising popularity of mesh Wi-Fi systems.

Apple confirmed the discontinuation of the AirPort line in an April 2018 statement to 9to5Mac, noting that they were exiting the wireless router business and selling off remaining AirPort inventory. While the news disappointed fans of Apple's routers, it came as no surprise. Apple's AirPort products will continue to be supported for years to come, but there are no plans for future hardware revisions.

Apple's decision to leave the wireless router market was unusual, as the company rarely discontinues product categories. This move benefited other wireless router makers, with Apple retail stores now selling routers from Linksys, Netgear, and Eero.

AirPort Utility can be used to update an AirPort base station

To update your AirPort base station:

Step 1: Connect to the Internet

Ensure that your base station and Mac or iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch) are connected to the internet. If your base station is performing a Time Machine backup or sharing a hard drive on your network, make sure that none of your devices are currently using that drive.

Step 2: Restart Your Base Station

Open AirPort Utility on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and select your base station. If you have multiple base stations, restart your primary base station last. You may need to enter the base station password if prompted.

To restart, on Mac, choose "Base Station > Restart" from the menu bar. On iPhone or iPad, tap the base station in AirPort Utility, then tap "Edit > Advanced > Restart Base Station." If you encounter difficulties restarting through AirPort Utility, simply unplug the base station for a few seconds and then plug it back in.

Step 3: Check for Firmware Updates

After restarting, select your base station in AirPort Utility to view its details. If you have multiple base stations, start with the one farthest from your primary base station.

On Mac, a pop-up details window will display an "Update" button if an update is available. Simply click the button to install the update. On iPhone or iPad, the details screen will show a numbered badge next to "Version" when an update is available. Tap "Version," then "Download and Install."

Your base station will automatically restart after the update is installed. Repeat these steps for any additional base stations, updating your primary base station last.

Notes on Software Compatibility:

It is important to note that newer versions of the Apple AirPort Utility do not support older base stations, and attempting to use them may result in an error message. Similarly, older versions of the Base Station Utility will not launch on newer Macs.

To address this issue, a launcher applet is available that tricks the computer into thinking it is running an older version of OS X, allowing the older AirPort Utility to run. This workaround has been reported to be effective as of OS X High Sierra (10.13.5).

Additionally, when using newer versions of macOS, such as Mojave or Catalina, you may encounter issues with the launcher applet. To resolve these problems, you may need to modify the script by adding a "/" in front of "AirPort" in the script. For Catalina specifically, you can use the command "xattr -d com.apple.quarantine" to remove the "unknown developer" attribute and enable the launch of the older AirPort Utility.

AirPort Base Station Generations:

To identify the generation of your AirPort Extreme Base Station, you can refer to the label on the bottom of the device, which includes the model number. Here are the correlations between generation, model number, and part number:

1st generation: A1143 MA073LL/A

2nd generation: A1143 MB053LL/A

3rd generation: A1301 MB763LL/A

4th generation: A1354 MC340LL/A

5th generation: A1408 MD031LL/A

Alternatively, you can use the AirPort Utility to determine the generation of your AirPort Extreme Base Station.

AirPort Extreme combines functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point and NAS

AirPort Extreme is a line of residential gateways that combine the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS (network-attached storage). It is one of Apple's former AirPort products. The latest model, the 6th generation, supports 802.11ac networking in addition to older standards.

The AirPort Extreme has gone through three distinct physical forms. The earliest models featured a round "flying saucer" shape, similar to the original AirPort Base Station. From 2007 to 2013, the devices took on a flat rounded rectangle shape, similar to the layout and size of the Mac mini or early models of the Apple TV. The 2013 model had a more vertical form, taller than it was wide.

The AirPort Disk feature allows users to plug a USB hard drive into the AirPort Extreme for use as a NAS device for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows clients. Users can also connect a USB hub and printer. However, the performance of USB hard drives attached to an AirPort Extreme is slower than if the drive were connected directly to a computer due to the processor speed on the AirPort Extreme.

In terms of wireless access, AirPort Extreme can be used as a wireless access point for devices that lack Wi-Fi capability. This can be achieved by setting up the AirPort Extreme to "extend a wireless network," allowing devices to connect to it via Ethernet.

Apple discontinued developing its lineup of wireless routers in 2016 and formally discontinued the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule products in 2018, exiting the router market. However, as of 2023, Apple continues to provide limited hardware and software support for these products.

The first AirPort Extreme was announced in 2003

The first AirPort Extreme was announced on January 7, 2003, at the MacWorld expo in San Francisco. The AirPort Extreme was the next generation of Wi-Fi wireless networking technology based on the new ultra-fast 802.11g standard.

The AirPort Extreme was a significant upgrade from the previous 802.11b standard, offering data rates of up to 54 Mbps, which was nearly five times faster than the older standard. This new standard allowed for much faster wireless networking, with the ability to support up to 50 users per base station, making it suitable for both home and school use.

The AirPort Extreme also introduced wireless bridging, which allowed users to extend the range of their wired network by connecting multiple AirPort Extreme Base Stations together. This eliminated the need for costly and cumbersome cable installations. Additionally, the AirPort Extreme Base Stations included a USB port for low-cost wireless USB printer sharing, making it even more versatile and user-friendly.

The original AirPort Extreme Base Station was priced at $199 (US) and offered advanced features that improved wireless networking capabilities for both consumers and institutions. This announcement marked a significant step forward in wireless technology and contributed to the growing popularity of Wi-Fi.

AirPort Extreme has gone through three distinct physical forms

The AirPort Extreme has gone through three distinct physical forms. The earliest models had a similar plastic housing to the original AirPort Base Station, in a round "flying saucer" shape. These are known as the "Original" or "Round" generation AirPort Extremes.

The second form, from 2007 to 2013, took on a flat rounded rectangle shape, similar in layout and size to the Mac mini or early models of the Apple TV. This form factor was in play for five generations of the product.

The third form, from 2013 onwards, had a more vertical structure, taller than it was wide. This was also when the "6th Generation" Airport Extreme was introduced, which added the Wireless-AC standard and bumped up the antenna count to six.

Frequently asked questions