Lois Larson
Apple Airport Extreme is a wireless router that was launched in 2003. It is one of Apple's former AirPort products, which was discontinued in 2018. The Airport Extreme is capable of handling up to 50 simultaneous connections and supports dual-band broadcasting. It has a theoretical throughput of 450 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1300 Mbps on the 5GHz band. While some users have moved on to other routers, many continue to use the Airport Extreme and are satisfied with its performance and security.
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What You'll Learn
Apple discontinued the Airport Extreme in 2018
Apple Airport Extreme is a line of residential gateways that combine the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. In 2016, Apple disbanded the wireless router team that developed the AirPort Time Capsule and Airport Extreme router. However, the company continued to provide limited hardware and software support.
Two years later, in 2018, Apple formally discontinued the Airport Extreme, exiting the router market. The discontinuation was announced in an April 2018 statement to 9to5Mac. The company also stated that it would continue to offer bug fixes and security patches for the devices.
The death of Apple's router business had been long anticipated, with Bloomberg reporting in 2016 that Apple had disbanded the hardware division responsible for its routers. Despite the discontinuation, many users continue to use the Airport Extreme, citing its simplicity, speed, and reliability. Some users have also expressed their desire for Apple to return to the router market and release updated models of the Airport Extreme.
The technology developed for the Airport Extreme has been carried over to other Apple devices. Features such as AirPlay, AirDrop, and the sharing of files and data between Apple devices can be traced back to the work done with the Airport Express and Time Capsule routers.
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The Airport Extreme is capable of handling up to 50 simultaneous connections
The Airport Extreme is a residential gateway made by Apple Inc. that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. It is one of Apple's former AirPort products, with the latest model being the 6th generation, which supports 802.11ac networking.
The Airport Extreme can handle up to 50 wireless devices and 150 Ethernet devices simultaneously. This means that it can support a large network of both wireless and wired connections. For example, a user could have 25 wireless devices such as phones, iPads, and iPods, and another 25 or so wired devices, all sending and receiving data at the same time.
However, it is important to consider the bandwidth of the internet connection when connecting multiple devices. For instance, if you have 50 devices connected to the Airport Extreme but only have a 25 Mbps internet connection, each device will only receive a maximum of about 0.5 Mbps. This may be sufficient for light browsing or email, but only if there are a limited number of active devices on the network.
To increase the number of supported devices, multiple Airport Extremes can be connected. However, it is unclear whether the 50-device limit applies per access point or in total when using multiple access points. Additionally, it is worth noting that the Airport Extreme has been discontinued by Apple, so users may need to consider alternative options for future purchases.
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The Airport Extreme is more secure than other routers
The Airport Extreme is a line of residential gateways made by Apple Inc. that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. Although Apple discontinued developing its lineup of wireless routers in 2016, it is still considered a great router option.
The Airport Extreme is inherently more secure than other routers due to its design. Apple routers have no default admin username and password, and you don't use a web browser to configure them, which means standard methods of attacking most routers don't work on them. Additionally, the Airport Extreme can handle up to 50 simultaneous connections and supports simultaneous dual-band broadcasting. It has a theoretical throughput of 450 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1300 Mbps on the 5GHz band.
The Airport Extreme also has higher-quality firmware than most wireless routers, so it reliably supports things that other products don't, such as proper multicast support and NAT loopback (hairpinning). It is also much less likely to need to be rebooted. The Airport Extreme supports Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2), which provides an additional layer of security for wireless networks.
Furthermore, the Airport Extreme acts as a Bonjour Sleep Proxy, allowing other Apple devices to sleep and save power while still waking up when something on the network wants to communicate with them. This includes services such as AirPlay, iTunes Home Sharing, and Back to My Mac. The Back to My Mac feature also allows for secure remote administration and file/printer sharing.
While the Airport Extreme has not received updates in recent years, it is still considered a secure option for a router. The lack of updates may be a concern for some users, but the Airport Extreme's security features and design make it a more secure choice than other routers.
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The Airport Extreme is slower than newer routers
The Airport Extreme is a line of residential gateways made by Apple Inc. that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. The latest model, the 6th generation, supports 802.11ac networking in addition to older standards. However, compared to newer routers, the Airport Extreme is slower.
The performance of USB hard drives attached to an Airport Extreme is slower than if the drive were connected directly to a computer. This is due to the processor speed on the Airport Extreme. Additionally, older WiFi devices that don't support 802.11n can slow down the network.
Several factors can contribute to slow WiFi speeds on an Airport Extreme. For example, a neighbour could have hacked into your WiFi and be downloading large amounts of data. Old, legacy WiFi devices that don't support 802.11n can also slow down the network.
To improve WiFi speeds on an Airport Extreme, it is recommended to change the password/key and use one that is at least 16 characters long, containing a mix of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Additionally, enabling the Guest network for friends to connect to when they visit can help keep the main network faster.
While the Airport Extreme may be slower than newer routers, it still offers a simple and reliable option for those with basic internet needs, such as browsing the web and streaming. Some users have reported that their Airport Extreme provides fast enough speeds for their needs and that they are happy with its simplicity and ease of use.
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The Airport Extreme can be used as a network-attached storage (NAS) device
The Airport Extreme is a residential gateway device that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions. Versions of the system with a built-in network-accessible hard drive are known as the AirPort Time Capsule.
It is important to note that the performance of USB hard drives attached to an Airport Extreme may be slower than if the drive were connected directly to a computer. This is due to the processor speed on the Airport Extreme. Additionally, some users have reported that using a USB drive with the Airport Extreme can be unreliable, with frequent disconnects and the need to reboot the device to reconnect.
If you are accessing files over WiFi, it is recommended to use the 5GHz band for faster speeds and a more stable connection. The range is also a factor, as you will get faster speeds when closer to the AirPort base station.
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Frequently asked questions
AirPort Extreme is a residential gateway made by Apple Inc. that combines the functions of a router, network switch, wireless access point, and NAS, as well as other functions.
AirPort Extreme is considered a good router by many users. It is inherently more secure than other routers due to its design. For instance, Apple routers have no default admin username and password, and you don't use a web browser to configure them, which means standard methods of attacking most routers don't work on them.
The AirPort Extreme supports simultaneous dual-band broadcasting. It has a theoretical throughput of 450 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1300 Mbps on the 5GHz band. The latest model, the 6th generation, supports 802.11ac networking in addition to older standards.
Apple disbanded the wireless router team that developed the AirPort Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme router in 2016. In 2018, Apple formally discontinued both products, exiting the router market.
Yes, the AirPort Extreme can be used as a wireless router. It can create a local wireless network, which can be connected to the internet by a cable or ADSL or fiber model.
