Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station
The elegant airport extreme base station is a Windows/Mac wireless router that’s easy to set up and use. For Mac users who own current Intel-based Apple desktops and laptops, the AirPort Extreme’s compatibility and features are worth the $179. Windows-only users (especially those with older 802.11a/b/g wireless clients), on the other hand, can find less-expensive Windows-based options.
Setup is simple. Those inexperienced at setting up a wireless network will want to peruse the user guide, if only to make sure everything gets correctly connected. On the router’s back are three 10/100Mbps Ethernet LAN ports and a USB 2.0 port that you can use to network a printer or an external hard drive or both, if you connect a USB hub to the port.
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Although all Draft N routers and access points aren’t delivering the maximum performance they claim on the box, the AirPort Extreme did achieve better results. Reception was strong in both mixed and Draft N-only modes at up to a 50-foot range in real world testing environment. The router was able to service multiple clients accessing files from two different sources with no difficulties. When pushed out past 50 feet, signal strength steadily degraded, maxing out at roughly 100 feet.
In the timing tests, transferring a 100MB file took 36 seconds in a mixed environment, while a 500MB file took 2 minutes and 50 seconds. The numbers improved when shifted to the 5GHz 802.11n frequency, with a 100MB file taking just 17 seconds to transfer, and a 500MB one 1 minute and 46 seconds.
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Apple MA073LL/A AirPort Extreme Base Station
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