Manage updates with the Download AppApple AirPort Extreme Base Station (summer 2011)
Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MD031LL/A
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Apple AirPort Extreme cures networking headaches for novice Mac users with a simple setup, but competing devices offer Windows users more network customization and faster speeds for less.
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CNET editors' review
Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station (summer 2011) price range: $169.99 - $314.98
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 07/11/2011
The good: Installing the AirPort Extreme Base Station is painless thanks to Apple's AirPort Utility, and a power boost offers increased networking performance over the previous model.
The bad: The router only has three LAN ports, network storage is limited to HFS+ formatted hard drives, and it costs more than competing devices that have more features.
The bottom line: The Apple AirPort Extreme cures networking headaches for novice Mac users with a simple setup, but competing devices offer Windows users more network customization and faster speeds for less.
User reviews
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Best vs. the rest
by jpbeef on September 13, 2011
Pros: Fast, good range, dual band, N network capabilities.
Cons: None so far.
Summary: This thing is great. I bought the Linksys E4200 and returned it since it really was not better then my Belkin (2 years old). I then bought the AirPort Extreme ...
Summary: This thing is great. I bought the Linksys E4200 and returned it since it really was not better then my Belkin (2 years old). I then bought the AirPort Extreme and was blown away by how fast it is. With the other two routers it took about 30-40 minutes to download a TV show in the worst part of my house, with the AirPort it took only 4-8 minutes. I have 3 Mac laptops, 2 Xbox 360's, apple TV, printer, and 2 IPhone's, running on the network. I have 20mbs from Comcast. With the other two routers I would only get 6-10mbs (at best, usually less) with speed tests and with the Airport I get 15-20mbs almost constantly. You can get it refurbished on the Mac/apple website which makes it just as affordable as the competition. Good luck with your wireless endeavors.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Brilliant router for all platforms
by edex67 on February 21, 2013
Pros: Fast network speeds
Gigabit
USB storage that actually works
It *does* support port forwarding
Decent config UI compared to the glitchy Java-based web UIsCons: No utility for Linux
AirPort Utility 6 missing featuersSummary: A great router. It replaced a Belkin router that was always crashing and dropped several computers regularly from the network. Had previously purchased an E2500 but this also suffered from ...
Summary: A great router. It replaced a Belkin router that was always crashing and dropped several computers regularly from the network. Had previously purchased an E2500 but this also suffered from similar problems, even with OpenWrt so I assumed this was a hardware issue. Purchased the Extreme and was amazed about how stable it was. I hate the phrase 'it just works' but it is surprisingly close to this. The setup is reasonably easy but I preferred to use AirPort Utility 5.6 to fine tune the settings of the router. Lost 1/2 of a star purely because of the missing features of version 6 of the Utility.
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Out of the box fast, Apple simply works!
by Jhugen on March 29, 2012
Pros: Quality product from Apple that is initiative and reliable. Never had a single problem with this router and it's been feeding an iPhone, Macbook, iMac, 2 PC's and an iPad. I'll continue using it until they dish out a faster model!
Cons: I would say the only thing would be price, but when something works as well as this does, price becomes less of an issue.
Summary: For the money and quality you won't find a better router. If your an exclusive Apple user this is a no brainer, but even if you are a PC ...
Summary: For the money and quality you won't find a better router. If your an exclusive Apple user this is a no brainer, but even if you are a PC person, this might make a believer out of you in terms of Apple products. Give it a try, Apple stands behind their products, if you're not satisfied simply return it, however unlikely that may be.
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Misleading review
by YannAntony on December 29, 2011
Pros: A must for Mac and iOS users but not only
Apple support
It worksCons: Quality has this price
Summary: Very surprising review
The increased performance is mainly due to the switch to Broadcom BCM4331.
DynDNS is available
Port forwarding is available
FAT Drives are supported
MAC adresses can be ...Summary: Very surprising review
The increased performance is mainly due to the switch to Broadcom BCM4331.
DynDNS is available
Port forwarding is available
FAT Drives are supported
MAC adresses can be set using the standard utility menu
Performance is also monitored using this program. It gives the communication mode, the rate,
the signal level and the noise
A simple utility can give the speed thanks to SNMP. Have a look at AirPort flow. -
The cnet review is misleading/wrong
by LoneVVolf on September 25, 2011
Pros: It DOES work with DynDNS (http://dyn.com/support/airport-time-capsule-with-dynamic-dns/), though it's a bit more complicated than it has to be
It DOES support port forwarding (http://www.iclarified.com/entry/index.php?enid=889)
It DOES support sharing FATCons: Requires the setup app to configure
Expensive -
Powerful product
by computernut2010 on July 12, 2011
Pros: Ease of use make this thing really amazing! Setup is easy and using it with a Mac is a dream!
Cons: Design did not change and still reminds me of the old Mighty Mouse style...
Summary: One of the best Apple products I have ever used!
Summary: One of the best Apple products I have ever used!
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Easy set-up, excellent range, dual bands
by NJAnalyst on July 12, 2011
Pros: I purchased this router as replacement for an older, single band Time Capsule. The advantages over the Time Capsule are the dual bands for my multiple mobile devices (iPhone 4, iPad, iPod Touch), my iMac and MacBook, plus the improved signal range and eas
Cons: Price is higher than competing routers. Lack of QoS. Runs hot. Interferes with my 5.8 GHz cordless phones.
Summary: The Airport Extreme is an excellent router for Apple users with multiple mobile devices and computers. I replaced my more convenient, but riskier Time Capsule with this router and a ...
Summary: The Airport Extreme is an excellent router for Apple users with multiple mobile devices and computers. I replaced my more convenient, but riskier Time Capsule with this router and a new external HD firewired to my iMac for my backups which now run much faster than the older setup that relied on over the air backups. On the other hand, I now have more interference with my 5.8 GHz cordless phones and need to replace them with a new 6 Dect system. Overall, I am pleased with my new router.
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Not just Novice Users will benefit
by frogh on July 12, 2011
Pros: Easy to use. Easy to update, Easy to Secure, setting just make sense
Cons: Price. Does not include the Audio Ports of the Express model
Summary: If you are a Mac User, you really should not look at any other device unless you are an IT geek interested in convoluted configuration dialogs. One of the best ...
Summary: If you are a Mac User, you really should not look at any other device unless you are an IT geek interested in convoluted configuration dialogs. One of the best reasons to buy an Apple Airport device is the Airport Utility. It makes the configuration and management of the device(s) very easy. It also alerts you to firmware updates without you having to go look for updates. Most home users know nothing about networking and/or proper Router Maintenance. The Airport utility walks you through the set-up and alerts you when you choose settings that might not work.
The Airport Extreme device itself allows for simple network access and sharing support for Apple devices. Many 3rd party devices do not allow Apple Native file sharing especially if you have older machines. The Airport Device also allows you to have a dedicated N-Network and dedicated G-Network which keeps iPhones and iPod touches that only support 802.11g from dragging down the whole network.
While not an inexpensive unit, the simplicity of its interface and rich feature list including printer and drive sharing make it a top pick for any Mac owner.0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I disagree with Mr. Yu.
by ralphd0223 on July 11, 2011
Pros: I had an iPad, a 13 inch MacBook, Samsung network Blu-ray, HP Pavilion 14" laptop, 2 3GS iPhone, 1 iPhone 4 and received better performance by 60% than the Asus RT-N56U. I have Charter communications 60mbs/per second service. Most people have more than
Cons: Expensive.
0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Apple
- Part number: MD031LL/A
- Description: Introducing the AirPort Extreme Base Station. The AirPort Extreme is the perfect wireless solution for home, school, and business. As it blankets your space with a blazing-fast, secure wireless network, it opens up a world of possibilities for home entertainment, sharing files, printing, and more. Surf the web, chat, send email, or exchange photos from any computer or from your phone. Print or access a shared hard drive - wirelessly. Set limits for when your kids can access the Internet. Secure your network with a firewall and strong encryption. Even use AirPort Extreme as the perfect companion to Apple TV.
General
- Packaged Quantity 1
- Device Type Wireless access point
- Width 6.5 in
- Depth 6.5 in
- Height 1.3 in
- Weight 1.7 lbs
Processor Memory / Storage
- Optical Storage None
Networking
- Form Factor External
- Connectivity Technology Wireless
- Data Link Protocol IEEE 802.11b,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11a,
IEEE 802.11g - Network / Transport Protocol Bonjour,
L2TP,
PPTP,
TCP/IP,
DHCP,
DNS,
IPSec,
PPPoE - Remote Management Protocol HTTP,
SNMP - Frequency Band 2.4 GHz,
5 GHz - Capacity Connection / user qty : 50
- Status Indicators Status
- Features MIMO technology,
DNS proxy,
IPv6 support,
Firewall protection,
VPN passthrough,
MAC address filtering,
DHCP support,
NAT support - Encryption Algorithm WPA2,
TLS,
40-bit WEP,
LEAP,
PEAP,
TTLS,
WPA,
128-bit WEP - Authentication Method RADIUS,
EAP-FAST - Compliant Standards IEEE 802.1x,
IEEE 802.11g,
IEEE 802.11a,
IEEE 802.11n,
IEEE 802.11b,
Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Antenna
- Antenna Internal integrated
Communications
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Bays None
- Expansion Slot(s) None
- Interfaces 1 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A,
1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45 ( WAN ),
3 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45
Miscellaneous
- Compliant Standards AS/NZS 4268,
EN 300.328,
ARIB STD-T66,
EN 301.893,
RCR STD-33,
UL 60950,
CSA C22.2 No. 60065,
RSS-210,
FCC Part 15 B Power
- Power Device Power adapter - External
Battery
- Type None
Software / System Requirements
- OS Required Microsoft Windows 7 SP1,
Microsoft Windows XP SP3,
Microsoft Windows Vista SP1,
Apple MacOS X 10.5.7 or later Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
- Humidity Range Operating 20 - 80%
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Apple products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Apple
- Address:
One Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA 95014 - Phone: 1-408-996-1010
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