Airport Extreme 802.11N (5TH GEN)

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0057AVXJA
• Item model number: MD031LL/A
  

By : Apple
List Price : $179.00
Price : $173.26
You Save : $5.74 (3%)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The perfect wireless solution for home, school, and business, the Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station blankets your space with a blazing-fast, secure wireless network opening up a world of possibilities for home entertainment, backups, printing, and more. This 5th generation version of the AirPort Extreme operates in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands simultaneously to ensure top performance for all your devices, and it provides a Guest Networking option for easy Internet sharing. It also enables you to share your entire wireless network with up to 50 users at the same time as well as turn a USB hard drive into a shared drive that's accessible wirelessly on your network and now over the Internet.

Simultaneous Wireless-N Dual-Band Support
The Apple Airport Extreme is based on the Wireless-N (IEEE 802.11n) specification and it uses multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) to transmit multiple data streams simultaneously--resulting in data transfer speeds up to five times those of 802.11g wireless networks while also providing up to twice the range. It's compatible with Mac computers, PCs, and wireless devices such as iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch that use 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g technologies.

Additionally, some Wi-Fi devices use the 2.4 GHz wireless band (such as the iPhone, iPod touch, and other devices using 802.11b/g). And other devices can use both the 2.4 GHz spectrum as well as the higher speed 5 GHz spectrum--such as 802.11n-based Mac computers and Apple TV.
The Airport Extreme operates simultaneously on both bands, without you having to choose one spectrum over the other--enabling your Wi-Fi devices to receive optimal performance in speed and range. Plus, devices that can connect to the Airport Extreme on either band will automatically use the best available band.
See how the Airport Extreme delivers fast wireless networking to any home or small business.
Gigabit Ethernet
In addition to Wi-Fi networking, the AirPort Extreme Base Station includes three Gigabit Ethernet ports for fast wired connectivity with desktop computers, network drives, and more.
Easy Setup
Launch AirPort Utility and you're just a few short steps away from creating the ultimate Wi-Fi environment. Mac users can access the AirPort Utility located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder, while Windows users can access AirPort Utility by selecting Start All Programs AirPort.
Guest Networking Capabilities
Allow guests to use your Internet connection without sharing your password or giving them access to the rest of your network. Simply enable the guest networking feature using the AirPort Utility application and create a separate Wi-Fi network just for your friends. You can set up this guest network with a different password or with none at all. Your primary network--including your printer, attached drives, or other devices--remains secure.
Sharing a Hard Drive
The AirPort Extreme can turn an external USB hard drive into a drive you can share with all the users on your network and access securely over the Internet. This feature--AirPort Disk--is a simple and convenient way to share files among everyone in your family, office, or class.
Just connect the external hard drive to the USB port on the back of your AirPort Extreme and all the documents, videos, photos, and other files on the drive instantly become available to anyone on the secure network--whether they use a Mac or a PC.
Wireless Printing
With its wireless printing capabilities, you can plug a printer into the AirPort Extreme, add it to the printer list on your Mac or PC, and start printing--all without a cable tethered to a computer. AirPort Extreme uses the Mac- and PC-compatible Bonjour networking technology to let everyone on the network take advantage of one centrally available printer.
If you want to share a hard drive as well as share a printer across a network, you can connect a USB hub to the AirPort Extreme and attach your devices to the hub. Share both a printer and a hard drive, multiple printers, multiple hard drives, or a combination.
Specifications
Wireless Protocols

• IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n

Frequency Bands

• 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz simultaneously

Compatibility

• Interoperable with Wi-Fi Certified 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11n enabled Mac computers, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Windows-based PCs
• NAT, DHCP, PPPoE, VPN Passthrough (IPSec, PPTP, and L2TP), DNS Proxy, SNMP, IPv6 (6to4 and manual tunnels)

Size and Weight

• 6.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches (LxWxH)
• 1.66 pounds

Interfaces

• One Gigabit Ethernet WAN port for connecting a DSL or cable modem
• Three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports for connecting computers or network devices
• USB 2.0 port for connecting a USB printer or USB external hard drive
• 802.11n wireless

Security

• Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2)
• Wireless security (WEP) configurable for 40-bit and 128-bit encryption
• MAC address filtering
• NAT firewall
• Support for RADIUS authentication
• 802.1X, PEAP, LEAP, TTLS, TLS, FAST
• Time-based access control

What's in the Box
AirPort Extreme Base Station, power supply with cord, printed documentation
The AirPort Extreme Base Station from Apple is a compact Internet router with powerful wireless capabilities. The router allows you to share your Internet connection between several computers via the draft 802.11n wireless protocol. It also features three standard 10/100/1000Mbps RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet ports. The router is also fully backwards compatible with legacy 802.11a/b/g devices. A USB port is present for printer and hard disk sharing. The router also features a firewall to protect you from malicious software that can attack your computer from the Internet, as well as wireless security to insure that your data remains private. It includes configuration software for both Mac OS X and Windows, making it a true cross-platform solution.

 

Airport Extreme 802.11N (5TH GEN)

 

Technical Details

• Package Content - AirPort Extreme Base Station, Printed documentation, Power cordFeatures
• Connect your DSL or cable modem to the AirPort Extreme Base Station, then set it up with the AirPort Utility, available as download
• AirPort Extreme works simultaneously on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, allows all devices on the network to use band automatically.
• Set up a separate Wi-Fi network with a separate password for your visitors and enable the guest networking feature
• Have several computers in your home or office but only one printer? No problem.
• And up to twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks.
• Connect a compatible printer to the USB port on the AirPort Extreme Base Station and printer is instantly available to all the computers (Mac and PC)
• In minutes, you and up to 50 others can use your Mac computers or PCs to surf the web, stream video, share photos without wires.
• The latest 802.11n wireless technology is up to five times the Wi-Fi performance
• Your guests can use the Internet but can't access other parts of your private network

Customer Reviews

Although setup is quick, it is the high performance 802.11n dual RF bands and the creation of my own cloud storage (HD on USB port) that makes the AirPort Extreme a best-in-class choice!
Setup:
After reading the other reviews, I knew this was going to be quick and easy. I started a pot of coffee thinking I could enjoy a cup while plugging in the AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) and configuring it. Here are the steps:
1. Attached an ethernet cable from the AEBS to my ISP connection. Plugged in the AC adapter and power cord. AEBS powered up. Status light flashed green for a second, glowed amber for several seconds, then flashed amber until the AEBS was configured from a computer.
2. From my MacBook Pro (wireless access works fine for this step), the airport utility app had already launched and was waiting for me (otherwise, go to Applications\Utilities\AirPort Utility.app). Followed instructions that included typing in a router name and two passwords. The default AEBS configuration selects channels and RF bands automatically to optimize speed.
3. Plugged a spare hard drive (in my case: Mac OS Extended (Journaled) formatted 1 TB HD) into AC outlet and the USB port. As soon as the HD had started, it showed up as a MBP network drive device on 'Finder'. I then created a folder, transferred a file, and read it back.
At this point, the coffee machine beeped to let me know my coffee was ready. I was done before the coffee was even ready - about three minutes from opening the box to being operational! Gotta luv it.
Basic Performance Testing:
Not about to let the coffee go to waste, I proceeded with some performance testing. I conducted some very basic data throughput tests by transferring files from the MBP through the AEBS to the HD. This test arrangement kept my ISP download and upload data rates out of the equation. For the wired tests, the MBP was connected to one of the three AEBS Gigabit ports.
Test 1 (a control test configuration between MBP and HD via USB on MBP):
Write to HD: 33.8 MBytes/sec
Read from HD: 34.3 MBytes/sec
Test 2 (wired data transfer)
From MBP to AEBS via Gigabit port, then from AEBS to HD via USB): 13.6 MBytes/sec
From HD to AEBS via USB, then from AEBS to MBP via Gigabit port): 18.3 MBytes/sec
Test 3 (wireless data transfer - 5 GHz RF band)
From MBP to AEBS, then from AEBS to HD via USB): 7.8 MBytes/sec
From HD to AEBS via USB, then from AEBS to MBP): 12.6 MBytes/sec
Test 4 (range test, 5 GHz RF band between MBP and AEBS with a max capacity of 300 Mbits/sec):
3 ft, devices in close proximity: 300 Mbits/sec
50 ft, indoors, no ext walls in path: 243 Mbits/sec
70 ft, outdoors, one ext wall in path: 144 Mbits/sec
80 ft, outdoors, one ext wall in path: 104 Mbits/sec
Default settings seem to provide high bit-rate connections. Using 'manual setup' in Airport Utility.app, I tested several variations on the configuration without improving the rate/range for the 802.11n wireless provided by the default setting of the APBS. Reading data from the HD back through the AEBS to the MBP was always faster than writing data to the HD. Including ethernet into the data transfer path (Test 2 compared to Test 1) reduced data rates in half. Including WiFi into the data transfer path (Test 3 compared to Test 2) reduced data rates to 2/3. Range test performance was very good for distances within 50 feet.
My own storage cloud:
Originally, I envisioned just using the HD (USB port on AEBS) as a network drive for a SVN (i.e., software version control) repository in support of software development on my MBP. But, I realized that this drive is a common storage location for all my devices (MBP, iPad, iPhone, iTouch) that is accessible wirelessly on my local WiFi. And with a VPN connection, from anywhere with WiFi access to the internet. Simply stated, I have my very own cloud! We aren't talking about a skimpy few GB either, but a full TB of dedicated exclusive mine-only cloud. Now, that's cool.
Why buy the 5th generation AEBS:
- High performance 802.11n wireless performance
- Easy and quick setup
- USB port for attaching a hard drive or printer
- Capability to create my very own AEBS WiFi storage cloud for all my devices
- Guest access to ISP without access to other devices or attached USB device
- Sleek clean stylish look
I am so completely pleased with this purchase.

I switched to this router from my old modem/wireless router in one and am very pleased. Installation of this router was simple and painless, with the Mac doing all the work, literally. Plugged it in and OS X recognized it and setup went without a hitch. I've also paired this with an external hard drive, and now I can use Time Machine to wirelessly create backups, which is perfect for any MacBook/MacBook Pro/MacBook Air owners who don't want to continuously plug in a hard drive to allow backups; just set it up and Time Machine takes care of the rest! Very happy customer.

 

Airport Extreme 802.11N (5TH GEN)