Mac to Mac: The AirPort Extreme Base Station

By Jonathan Berohn

It used to be that one Internet connection plus one desktop computer plus one laptop equaled one big headache. You either had to buy a network hub and run wires all over your house or unplug one of your computers if you wanted to get online with the other. Then along came AirPort wireless networking...and liberation from the tyranny of the Ethernet cable. Voila—wireless Internet connections and true mobility for your laptop computer. Nice day? Surf out on the deck. Big game on? Surf in front of the TV.

Like any first generation technology product, though, the first AirPorts had both some limitations and some flaws. They didn’t have any built in security, and they had a disturbing tendency to fry their capacitors. The new AirPort Extreme takes care of these issues and does it at higher speeds, with improved range, and with a wider variety of configuration options. Unfortunately, since it’s still an Apple product, it doesn’t address the other problem that you usually have with Apple products—namely that it costs more than the follow-on competitors.

Apple did recently knock $50 off the price, but at $249 the AirPort Extreme base station is still significantly more expensive than competing products from companies like LinkSys and Microsoft. Even the scaled down $199 version is significantly more than the competitors’ products.

On the plus side, though, using the Apple base station lets you take advantage of the built-in security and firewall. If you try configuring the PC-based competitors’ products, things don’t always go as smoothly as you would hope. The AirPort Extreme also offers a built-in modem, a physical Ethernet port, and a USB port for setting up a network printer. In short, you do get a lot for your money. Ultimately, it comes down to this—if you want ease of use, high end features, and Apple’s trademark compatibility, AirPort Extreme is a great home networking option. If you don’t need all these features, and you don’t mind tinkering around with web-based interfaces, you might want to consider the competition.