Home > Consumer Reviews > Apple M8799LL/A AirPort Extreme Base Station with Modem and Antenna Port

Got this primarily so we could work anywhere in the house on our PC laptops. Granted, a Linksys wireless router would have been cheaper, but the Airport Extreme also serves as a wireless print server and that (plus the fact that our primary computer is a Mac) was what sealed the deal for us. Our cabling setup is:
Cable modem -> Linksys Wired 4-Port Router -> Airport Extreme -> Lexmark Optra E312L

Our laptops use Linksys Wireless-G cards and get good reception throughout the house. Our G4 and PS2 are hooked directly into the wired Linksys Router for their connectivity. The trick to using it with an existing router is to turn off the NAT addressing feature of the Airport Extreme so that it acts only as an Ethernet "bridge" to the wireless computers; the Linksys router assigns all the IP addresses for everything on the system including the PC laptops. The PCs can print wirelessly to the laser printer via the Airport and so can the Mac. Bonus!

Setup was very quick - about 15 minutes to get everything plugged in. The hard part was getting the security set up correctly (and yes, you'd better secure your wireless network) as the format for passwords was different on the Mac vs. PC platforms. Had to do some Web searches to find out how to make them speak the same language (hex). Has worked flawlessly since then. If I had to do it over, would buy it again in a heartbeat.

I have to say that this is one of the best wireless routers that I have ever seen. It is an absolute breeze to set up. Just plug it in and open a simple setup utility and you can have it running in under five minutes. Despite its' ease of use, it is also full featured. It allows for WPA Enterprise security, which is the standard for wireless security at almost every major organization. It also comes with WPA Personal which is as secure but requires you to only enter a single password making setup extremely easy. Though it would be a very weak signal, it is possible to make a connection with the base station up to the stated 150 feet even with walls in the way. (It won't pass easily through steel or concrete, but wood/plaster walls don't interfere much) Besides the other great features such as a built in firewall and simple printer sharing, the base station has fast transfer speeds and allows for up to 50 users at a time. I would however recommend against using the "Interference Robustness" feature unless it is absolutely necessary due to a large amount of interference. While over short distances it will improve reception, it reduces the overall range by as much as two thirds. Overall, however, I haven't seen another product of this kind that comes even close to this station, especially at this price.

I got this base station with my new 17" powerbook and I can say for certain it is well worth the money. I also have the original Airport base station that I bought when my son was born (so I can compare).

Now, the near five-fold increase in bandwidth will not effect Web surfing (unless you REALLY have a nice internet connection). But it very dramatically will increase the speed of transferring files between computers. When I got the new powerbook I moved all the data from my old laptop to the new. I hooked the old one up by ethernet and just kept the new wireless. Files were transferred at a great clip-- WAY faster than if I kept them both using the old base station. And this increase was in the mixed bandwidth mode (compatible with computers that can only use 802.11b).

As opposed to another review for the other Airport Extreme model, I see no decreased range at all-- but no real increase either. Adding the optional Antenna would presumably make it even more than the old base stations, but I have not done this. However, the speed is so much better that even bad reception does not adversely affect websurfing or file downloads. I have had mixed experience with other Wi-Fi systems (LinkSys, for instance).

As an important addition, the USB port to attach a printer or scanner is great. That way you need not buy a print server to share a printer and have the computers all be wireless at the same time.

I've set-up more Wireless networks than I can remember over the last 3 years usually using Linksys router.

However I've heard nothing but good things about this router so I decided to buy one and If I didn't like It I would return it and get a Linksys, and so far this has been much better.

Set-up does not live up to the Apple standard of simplicity, the Linksys routers I've used took about 5 minutes to get up and running, this took me 3 hours because settings wouldn't save and the security settings caused the Wireless base to disappear from the Airport admin page however after I resolved those problems the Airport extreme base stations really started to shine.

The range alone was worth the extra money, without a doubt the best feature. The Linksys I tested at my home had only about half of the range. I live in a pretty big house and there isn't a single spot in my home where I'm not getting full bars I can actually get full bars in the middle of my street, that's pretty good. The cross compatible router works better on my Windows laptop than the Linksys range and speed wise.

Note to Apple, easier set-up and better admin software will back it much better.

The wireless revolution has seriously altered the way I work. It didn't seem like it was that big of a deal, to be able to work anywhere in the house on a laptop. And then I was home over Thanksgiving and tried my father's - it was incredible. So, soon after I had my own and I love it - I even ended up getting another one for my wife's laptop.

Whether it's browsing amazon.com late at night in bed, checking morning email in the kitchen while the kids run around, or being able to set up a writing desk anywhere in the house without worrying about an accessible internet port - the airport system is awesome. Even if you only have a desktop computer it's worth it - you can to put the computer in a place where there's no internet plug, without the 40 foot cord draping your wall to connect it. All in all, a wireless system may seem extravagant, but once you have one you'll wonder how you got by without it.

The airport card, along with the base station, allows you to connect several computers, even ones that don't have wireless cards in them (i.e., we have two laptops on the wireless system, and then one iMac that doesn't have an airport card is plugged directly into the base station). You can print, scan - anything - wirelessly, as long as those extra components are connected to the base station.

If you have a big house and the base station won't be centrally located, you may want to look into the antenna. I have a 2500 square foot house and the base station is at one end of it. I can get access from anywhere in the house without the extra antenna, though in one or two places it's a weak signal. My father's house, on the other hand, is over 5000 square feet and the base station is at a far end - you can't even get a signal on the other side of the house. However, he purchased the antenna and the signal is now very strong wherever you are. A warning - you should make sure your airport network is password protected, especially if you get the antenna. The signal will be broadcast through half your neighborhood and if not protected, people can get on and use your airtime, clogging up your bandwidth.

Make sure you get the right card! There's the airport extreme card and the regular airport card (I believe they are both compatible with either base station). Check Apple's website for direct compatibility between your computer and the two different cards. They are different sizes and will only fit in the right kind of slot.

One final word - I've heard from others that certain products from Net Gear or other wireless manufacturers accomplish the same thing as the airport card and base station for much cheaper. I can't attest to the validity of this, but it might be worth looking into. I'd exercise extreme caution, since if you go with Apple products it will be covered with tech support, even if it's more expensive. And putting third party hardware in your computer will likely void the warranty on your computer.