Apple AirPort Extreme Base (MA073LL/A) 802.11a/b/g Wireless Access Point

I have been using wireless networks for about 3 years now and have always enjoyed the freedom to work anywhere I wanted, but have been unhappy with the limited speed. First we had 802.11b (11Mbps) networking which was good for nothing but browsing the Internet. We then upgrading to 802.11g (54Mbps) which was fast enough to transfer some data from computer to computer, but you still wouldn't want to use that method to move more than a gigabyte or two. Now, thanks you Apple's new Airport Extreme, we've got 802.11n which is amazingly fast. 540Mbps is more speed than we'll ever need for Internet browsing, and is very fast when it comes to transferring data.

I bought my Airport Extreme Base Station straight from Apple for about $159 (with the student discount). As always, Apple shipped it incredibly fast, even with the free shipping option (after ordering it was to my house in 2 days). I was a little surprised by the weight of this base station, it's still very light, but it's quite a bit heavier than the last Airport Extreme I bought. The compact design is nice and allows the base station to be placed anywhere. I really like the fact that Apple always keeps their antennas inside the base station.

The setup is still very easy, but it has changed considerably since the last Airport Extreme. Previously you'd basically plug the base station and that would be it assuming you didn't need to customize any settings. Now, you have to actually install the software from the included CD since the included Airport Utility in OS X isn't capable of setting up the new base station. The CD also includes an 802.11n enabler for the latest batch of Core 2 Duo Macs (which include 802.11n cards but are legally only allowed to run as 802.11g cards unless you purchase the enabler from Apple or buy an Airport Extreme).

Anyway, back to the setup, it's still easy but using the Airport Utility will take you through several steps like naming your base station, creating and naming your network, and using passwords to protect your network and base station. Using manual settings you can also setup the base station to interact with a printer, hard disk, other networks, broadcast power, and lots of technical tinkering that I don't understand. Needless to say, this base station is both very easy to use, and very flexible for power users.

I used routers from other companies and the Airport Extreme is hands down the easiest one to use. Linksys routers are bulky things with antennas sticking out of the top and require 10 minutes of software installation, while the Airport Extreme can frequently be plugged in and ready to go. To be honest I have no complaints concerning the Airport Extreme base station. It's very easy to setup and use, and it just works.

As far as wireless range, I get about 200 feet of strong and usable signal (I have gone to the neighbors and been able to use my laptop), but I usually throttle down my broadcast power to try not to attract attention to my network (I keep it password protected, but the name is still visible to everyone in range). In any case, this new Airport Extreme is far more powerful than the previous 802.11g routers that I've used. I get full signal strength throughout the entire house and 3 or 4 bars immediately outside the house.

So in closing, this is another great Airport Extreme from Apple. It's easy to use, very flexible, and it's competitively priced compared to other 802.11n routers. I'm sure many people will find the hard drive support very useful, and I'll continue to connect a printer to my Airport Extreme.