Apple Airport Extreme Router Review

Being Really Fast Compensates for other Big Flaws

I recently switched from PC to Mac and bought a Macbook Pro. While I was at the Apple store spending way too much money, I decided that I'd drop another $179 to purchase their new Airport Extreme Router. The thought of surfing 5x faster was really appealing, especially since I have had ongoing problems with my home Linksys router.

Once I got the router set up, it swiftly delivered on its promise of fast speeds. The key is the 802.11N standard which is more efficient than the previous B and G. Using a hi-speed cable connection from Comcast, I am routinely clocking in at 3.1Mpbs - which is about as fast as a T1 line! For home use, nothing could be better. YouTube videos and other media used to be unwatchable but now they load in lightening speed. I have gotten very used to my high speeds and would never want to go back.  The unit also looks nice and sleek on the desk.

Unfortunately, there are more than a few things I do not like about the Airport Extreme. For one, it was very difficult to set-up. I'm an Apple newbie, so I thought it was me - until I hired an Apple expert to come over and set it up and it took him 2 hours. The problem was with the firmware and my old printer. I also don't like that there is no audio port. I had an old Airport Express that I used to play iTunes through my home stereo and this unit does not have it (I guess Apple wants you to buy an Apple TV). Finally, the unit only supports 10/100 Lan port - which is very old school.  The network hard drive I bought two years ago supports Gigabit Ethernet and it is a crime that this router won't support it.

Bottom line: I can easily forgive the shortcomings of this router for one big reason - I get blazing download speeds.