Macworld goes in-depth on the new AirPort Extreme

Dudes,

Why all this talk about the missing gigabit? Yes that sucks, but the big win here is the filesharing of USB drives -- not only FAT-formatted drives, but drives formatted in HFS+.

Yes, I've run a filesharing server off Linux, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. You have to manage two OS's, and you're always wrangling compatibility issues like the filesystem issue. Either you store your files in FAT (less reliable) or ext2/3 (can't plug the drive into OS X). Even if you skip running a dedicated server, I'm guessing none of the generic filesharing routers support HFS+.

Also, I would _hope_ that Apple's router would integrate with upcoming Apple technologies -- like letting you back up Time Machine to network-shared drives, or supporting ZFS. But maybe I'm kidding myself there...

Does anyone know whether there will be a way to upgrade the wireless cards to 802.11n on slightly older Macs such as the early 2006 Core Duo iMacs? Or perhaps a dongle?

Having converted from PC to Mac early last year, I have been on the lookout for more ways in integrate Apple products into my home and work routine. However, Apple's networking products have a horrendous price/performance ratio. They seem much too overpriced and offer little benefit I can't get elsewhere for much less.

The TUAW article points out... "Most notably, he unfolds fancy new technology like... a new time-based access control system which lets you specify times that each device can access the internet."

Is this a joke? Am I supposed to be happy because Apple will let me do what Linksys, Dlink, Netgear, and most other router manufacturer's have been letting me do for years?

As a new Mac convert, I may have drunk the Apple Kool-Aid, but I have NOT had dollars miraculously appear in my wallet since the conversion.

I still shop with common since, and not mere fashion (oh, look, a router that matches my nifty iMac!), in mind.

I also noticed that Apple went from 3 models to 1.
They no longer have a model that supports Power over Ethernet.
So a simple solution would be to offer another model that has Gigabit.

Here's What I'd like to see
$79 Airport Express
$99 Airport Extreme (3 10/100 ports, 1 USB)
$149 Airport Extreme (5 Gigabit ports, 2 USB)

This would make Apple competitive with the rest of the industry.
Why does it seem like they don't want to sell more of these?l

I'm getting one. The lack of gigabit ethernet is unfortunate, but not a showstopper for me. I'll just just use it as a wireless accesspoint anyway.

RE: "unless you are running tons of P2P and local traffic between your computers attached to this router"

This has nothing to do with P2P.

I am talking pure local traffic. Sharing photos, videos and music from shared drives and/or other machines is too slow over fast ethernet. I have two shared NAS drives over fast ethernet and there is always a considerable amount of lag & delay, without having two users on one share.

Over gigabit you get speeds closer to USB & FW drives and there is additional bandwith on the router for other simultaneous uses.

For the price of the extreme, I can get a Belkin N1 (which contains the same Atheros AR5008 "XSPAN" chipset as my MBP), a gigabit switch, and a nice dinner.

I'm also gonna have to pass because I set up an old PC with ubuntu linux to share files and print. When I get around to it, I should be able to use it to remotely play music with Amarok's html interface. So the extra features that the extreme has aren't needed here - I can get more for cheaper with stuff that's laying around.

I do wonder if my old ibook can be upgraded to n by adding a new airport card, or if the antennas aren't right. Also, I'd buy an airport express that was n, since the express more closely priced for what it is, not like this $180 joke.

And - the extreme has a power brick. Look at the power slot! Sheesh.

" 8. I disagree with all this whining around the Gigabit ports ... "

Apple continuously tout themselves as innovators & visionaries. First to do this & that with their products. Some mac lines have had gigabit ethernet standard for years. So why can't their router? By your reasoning there shouldn't even be gigabit ports in over half of Apple's offerings because they'll be used in a home environment.

And, yes, you will have a bottleneck when you connect to a remote system via wireless. But what about Apple users that have wired networks, which are admittedly much faster and more reliable? They only make 1 single network product. This is the big overdue router update, so why not gigabit? Keep it simple with one product. If cost is absolutely prohibitive ... then why not make the extreme 2 edition with a series of gigabit ports and a little extra hard drive space for $50 extra?

Fact is that many pro-sumers & reporters point fingers where they have to be pointed. Some like it. Some don't. A whole bunch of other people don't care. At least by voicing feedback some 'issues' get addressed down the road.

I've got mine pre-ordered.

Regarding the lack of gigabit ethernet ports, unless you are running tons of P2P and local traffic between your computers attached to this router, the lack of giagbit support shouldn't be that big of an issue.

The bigger issue should be having 802.11n devices to increase the WiFi bandwidth.

I'm all for better options like gigabit, but given that there's still a lot of businesses that barely have 20% of their computers (mostly servers) running off gigabit ethernet, this seems more like a luxury than a requirement.

@ 9 and 10:

I sure hope you’re both right about the new Extreme base stations having a better range than the *current* model. Without the Hawkings high gain antenna, I couldn’t get a signal in 90% of the house...with it, I’m clear and quick, all the way to the back deck upstairs (aka: my “summer office”).

Hope springs eternal......