Apple M8799LL/A AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port

List Price: $139.99 Discount Price: $99.98

Features:

• Exchange files or play multiplayer games at data transfer rates of up to 54 Mbps
• Compatible with the industry-standard 802.11b wireless networking protocol
• Range of up to 50 feet at 54 Mbps and up to 150 feet at 11 Mbps
• Supports USB or Ethernet wireless printer sharing
• Includes built-in v.90 modem with an RJ-11 port and an external antenna port

Customer Reviews:

It simply works [Posted on 2007-07-17]
I struggled with a Linksys router which never worked, then a D-Link router that I had to reboot several times a day. Then I bought the Airport extreme. It took me longer to read the couple of paragraphs in the instruction manual than it did to set it up! I was up and running in ~10 minutes, it connects flawlessly, and pages load way quicker than the Duh-Link router.

Avoid a headache and buy this router first. Apple products rock.

Buy this model instead of the new (2007) one! [Posted on 2007-08-06]
Two months ago I purchased the new Airport Extreme Base Station which came out in early 2007. ..... IT IS GOING BACK IN THE BOX AND I AM GOING BACK TO THIS MODEL. ..... The new model constantly drops my Internet connection, whereas this model consistently works. ..... TRULY, A REAL KEEPER!

a good router, but too expensive [Posted on 2007-10-09]
For starters, you shouldn't even be looking at this old B/G WiFi. It was a decent choice a few years ago, but there are better options now. Maybe if you find a really cheap refurb unit.

WiFi N mode (and also A mode if possible) is the future. I love my Macs and my iPod, but AirPort is not cost-competitive. Apple's N router is $179, whereas Belkin F5D8233-4 N Wireless Router is half that price with nearly the same features (slightly slower wired ports).

Very Handy for a Dial-Up User [Posted on 2007-11-17]
Like all things Apple, this unit wis very well thought out and complete. A must for a Dial-up user.

You want the "extreme Extreme," not merely the Extreme. (What's in a name? Answer: the letter "n") [Posted on 2007-11-27]
[I feel a bit like Richard Dreyfus in "Close Encounters." I had just reviewed "The Maharishi Effect" and consequently had the domes of Vedic City, Iowa in mind, which in turn led me to the now unfashionable dome of the "old" Airport Extreme. Less preposterous, in any case, than playing with my mashed potatoes.]

Amazon is still listing this as a new and current product. Moreover, it's 50 bucks cheaper than the other Airport Extreme base station and has more as well as higher consumer approval ratings. No wonder some Apple wi-fiers are so confused.

If you have purchased a new Apple laptop or desktop machine in the last six months, it comes with the 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter installed and ready for action--provided you match it up with a compatible wireless router. The one you're looking at is 802.11a, b, g protocol. It'll probably work fine with your new Mac, but you won't be realizing the benefits of the "Draft N" standard which the new Mac is all primed for. Hard to swallow, but you pretty much have to retire this Extreme base station and replace it with the costlier Airport "more" Extreme base station (802.11n). That little letter "n," according to Apple, expands band width sufficiently to assure five times the speed and three times the coverage of your old wireless connection. So best make sure your purchase of a new machine is "not for nothing"--pick up the right router (the squarish one, not this dome-shaped model).

Reality check re: Apple's claims: I can't say that I've noticed astonishing differences, though I'm definitely not losing as much signal strength when I wander to the opposite side of the house with my laptop. If you have an older machine and don't plan to update its firmware, the pictured Airport (less) Extreme will most likely do you just fine. For that matter, forget what I've just written: to be none the wiser is to be neither more nor less happy.

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