Apple Sets Wi-Fi on Fire

Apple Sets Wi-Fi on Fire

AirPort Extreme is no ordinary 300 Mbps 802.11 draft-n base station, network accessible storage server and print server

The Top Line

Apple AirPort Extreme

Apple Inc.

Price: $179

Platforms: Management and disk auto-mount from Windows and Mac clients; gateway/router capabilities accessible to all Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n clients; file and print services available to all platforms that support CIFS (common internet file system) or Apple File Protocol sharing; clients running Apple Bonjour or compatible zero-config software can connect to base station and services without name server access

Executive Summary: At $179, Apple's AirPort Extreme 802.11 draft-n wireless base station is priced like brand X, but Cisco couldn't have done it any better. Apple's claim of 5X performance and 2X coverage relative to 802.11g is no mere boast; it was proven for this review. Apple's new base station is easy to manage from Windows and OS X, and current AirPort Extreme admins will appreciate the rewritten AirPort Utility's expert features like logging and performance charting. If you plug a USB printer and a hard drive into AirPort Extreme's USB port, it will automatically be shared to Windows, Mac and other platforms able to work with these platforms' native network protocols. As for security, you can keep unauthorized clients off your network and limit the periods during which authorized clients can connect. From corporate campuses to LAN parties, AirPort Extreme is a base station that blurs the boundaries between base station and server.

Pros:

802.11n draft standard built into most Core 2 Duo notebooks and iMacs, plus wireless-equipped Mac Pros; AirPort Extreme install CD unlocks this capability

Flexible management supports automated and manual setup from Windows or OS X

Fast authentication and IP address assignment

Supports faster 802.11n draft standard in addition to 802.11a, b, g and n

Operates on either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands (not both)

Built-in USB 2.0 port for sharing printers and storage devices, optionally to the WAN

Auto-mounting of shared network volumes

Bluetooth-style pairing for individual client authorization

Cons:

All configuration changes require lengthy reboot

No Web or console-based management

Testing initially encountered performance and connectivity problems; resolved by Apple