airport extreme posts

iPhone 3GS users report slow or inconsistent Wi-Fi connections

by David Winograd (RSS feed) on Jul 8th, 2009

A number of iPhone 3GS owners have reported slow and inconsistent data speeds, along with widely varying amounts of signal strength, when using Wi-Fi.

Users note that signal strength can fluctuate between one and full bars even when standing right next to the router or when a computer nearby shows a constant signal. This goes along with a commensurate reduction in speed. Even at full signal on both the computer and the 3GS, one user reports getting a maximum of 3Mbit downloads on the iPhone while getting nearly 7Mbit downloads on a MacBook using the O2 network. The fluctuating signal strength problem has affected me since I brought home my new iPhone 3GS.

The other, more widely reported problem is a sizable speed decrease in the iPhone 3GS as compared to the iPod touch and iPhone 3G tested under the same conditions. In one case an iPod touch garnered download speeds of 4579ms and uploads of 1363ms, while the iPhone 3GS showed only 1360ms down and 160ms up.

Continue reading “iPhone 3GS users report slow or inconsistent Wi-Fi connections”

Tags: airport extreme, AirportExtreme, iphone, iphone 3gs, Iphone3gs, ipod touch, IpodTouch, wifi

Filed under: Tips and tricks, Internet, Security, TUAW Tips

Staying Safe: securing your wireless connection

by Michael Jones (RSS feed) on Jul 1st, 2009

Recently, we reported on AT&T's push to make it easier for iPhone & iPod touch users to connect to their Wi-Fi Hot Spots. One of our readers, Jamie Phelps, pointed out on his blog that AT&T's Wi-Fi service is not actually a "secure connection," as is advertised in various places on their website; we had overlooked this, and mistakenly reinforced the company's shaky claim in our post.

This brings to light an important point about wireless networks and security, however. It's really easy (and sadly all too common) to hop on to an available wireless signal in your office, at the hotel, or your favorite coffee spot and not even think twice about logging in to your e-mail or checking your bank balance.

What many users don't realize is even though the server you are connecting to (i.e. your bank's website) may employ several layers of security, the connection between your computer and the wireless access point is very likely to be unsecured. Anyone who is within range of your computer can trivially monitor the traffic being sent between your computer and the access point, allowing them to see what websites you may be visiting or capture details about other services that you may be connected to. This isn't because of some gaping vulnerability or software bug, it's just an inherent part of how wireless networks work.

So, what can you do to protect yourself? Read on for a list of simple steps you can take to ensure that your wireless connection is safe and secure.

Continue reading “Staying Safe: securing your wireless connection”

Tags: aebs, airport, airport extreme, AirportExtreme, att, encryption, hot spots, HotSpots, how to, HowTo, networking, security, security 101, Security101, wifi, wireless

Filed under: Wireless, Airport

Apple updates Time Capsule and AirPort Base Station firmware

by Victor Agreda, Jr. (RSS feed) on Jun 24th, 2009

Last night Apple released a firmware update for Time Capsule, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n. Here are the fixes:

Fixes some problems with extending and maintaining connectivity with extended networks
Fixes an issue with clients that enable 802.11 "Power Save"
Fixes connectivity issues with some third-party devices
Fixes an issue when the base station is configured for PPPoE
Fixes some Back To My Mac issues with connectivity and support for third-party routers

All of those sound like issues that could affect quite a few people -- especially those with (gasp!) "third-party" devices. I've certainly had issues with Back To My Mac using a Netgear router, so we'll see if this helps. In any event, firmware updates are recommended especially if you've had any of the above symptoms.

Tags: 802.11n, airport express base station, airport extreme, AirportExpressBaseStation, AirportExtreme, firmware, time capsule, TimeCapsule, update, wireless

Filed under: Hardware, Airport

Apple updates Time Capsule and Airport Extreme with internet sharing

by Mel Martin (RSS feed) on Mar 3rd, 2009

A closer look at the gaggle of Apple hardware updates today shows a rather useful change to both Time Capsule and the Airport Extreme base station.

MobileMe members can access any file on a hard drive connected to either product via the internet. The older versions allowed hard drive sharing to people on the same network. Now the feature has been extended to allow you to get these files from anywhere.

You initiate the sharing by registering your Airport Extreme or Time Capsule with your MobileMe account. When you are away from your Mac, that hard drive will show up in the Finder sidebar. The drive must be a USB drive -- there is no support for either flavor of Firewire on the AE or TC.

It does not appear that this remote sharing feature has been added to the last generation of these products, although a firmware update might be able to accomplish it. No word from Apple on whether or not this will happen. Update: the Apple Sales internal site (thanks Mr. X) is listing the following... looks like that feature is going to work on the older gear!

Note for existing AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule customers
Existing AirPort Extreme (MA073 and MB053) and Time Capsule (MB276 and MB277) customers can access their AirPort Disk / Time Capsule disk through Mobile Me over the Internet by upgrading to AirPort Utility 5.4.1 and AirPort firmware 7.4.1. Subscription to Mobile Me online services is required for this feature. Simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi and Guest Networking features are only available to new AirPort Extreme (MB763) and Time Capsule (MB764 and MB765) customers.

This update is obviously designed to boost the attractiveness of the MobileMe service, to which Apple has been showing increased attention of late. Apple specifies that Leopard is needed for this feature, so Windows subscribers to MobileMe appear to be out of luck

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

Tags: Airport Extreme, MobileMe, Time Capsule

Filed under: Airport, Software Update

The inevitable return of AirPort Extreme Update 2008-004

by Michael Rose (RSS feed) on Oct 24th, 2008

Now you see it, now you don't -- and now it's back. The very brief tenure of AirPort Extreme Update 2008-003 (it was available on Tuesday for a while, but then withdrawn) has given way to the shining reign of update 004. The update is a 2.2 MB patch recommended for all Intel machines on 10.5.5, resolving "some issues with Airport connections when roaming in large WiFi networks."

Some of the commenters who installed the earlier build didn't experience any obvious ill effects; others reported installation hangs, lockups on reboot or problems connecting to wireless LANs, so your mileage may vary -- with any luck the new build has a steadier grip on stability.

You can download the new update via Software Update or (shortly) from the Apple support downloads page.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in

Tags: airport extreme, AirportExtreme, breakingnews, software update, SoftwareUpdate

Filed under: Accessories, Airport

Power over Ethernet kit for Airport Extreme Base Station

by Mat Lu (RSS feed) on May 18th, 2008

Back in the day, the white dome Airport Base Station supported Power over Ethernet, which allowed the station to be mounted far away from an outlet (e.g. on a ceiling) powered by just the ethernet data cable, great for preexisting buildings where running power for base stations might be expensive or impossible.

The most recent Airport Extreme Base Stations have lacked this convenient feature, but MacWireless is now offering a PoE kit that works with the 802.11n AEBS. The $59.98 kit contains both an injector that plugs into the outlet and a splitter for the other end that goes to the AEBS, allowing both data and power to be sent over a single Cat5 cable up to 330 ft long. A shorter 200 ft range kit is $39.98.

[via MacNN]

Tags: AEBS, airport extreme, AirportExtreme, PoE, power over ethernet, PowerOverEthernet

Filed under: OS, Airport

Time Machine via Airport Extreme not officially supported

by Mat Lu (RSS feed) on Apr 9th, 2008

As we noted when the latest Airport Extreme Base Station firmware shipped, Time Machine now seems to recognize USB hard drives connected to the AEBS as valid backup locations. Was this feature added deliberately? Well, Glenn Fleishman over at TidBITS took the trouble to ask Apple about this and he reports that they told him that this is an unsupported feature (and not much else). This is unsurprising given that Apple never made mention of the feature connected with the firmware update (though it was originally promised before Leopard shipped). Fleishman himself even speculates that it was turned on by accident.

So what's the upshot? Apple is offering no support for using your AEBS this way, and so if you have a problem you're pretty much out of luck as far as they're concerned. Further, considering that there have been reports that the Airport Disk can be unreliable, it's probably not a good idea to depend on an Airport Disk and Time Machine for your only backup.

Tags: AEBS, airport disk, airport extreme, AirportDisk, AirportExtreme, time machine, TimeMachine

Filed under: OS, Software Update

AirPort Extreme Update 2008-001 for Tiger

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Mar 28th, 2008

Today Apple released an AirPort Extreme Update for those Mac users running Mac OS X Tiger (version 10.4). Here's the information that Software Update gives us:

This update is recommended for all Intel-based Macintosh computers running Tiger OS and improves the reliability of AirPort connections.

You can get this update by either opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update) or by downloading the installer package from the Apple Support downloads site.

Tags: AirPort Extreme, AirportExtreme, Mac OS X, MacOsX, Tiger, update

Filed under: Airport, Leopard

Is your Airport Extreme suddenly Time Machine-happy?

by Michael Rose (RSS feed) on Mar 19th, 2008

Update 9 pm ET: Our comrade David Chartier from Ars Technica points out that the 7.1.3 firmware itself may not be necessary for the new functionality to work; he says he tested a 7.1 AEBS with a machine running Time Capsule & Airport 1.0, and Time Machine was able to see the remote disk. Other readers have reminded us that the disk must be formatted as HFS+ with journaling, and you may have to mount it in the Finder before Time Machine sees it. The freeware TimeMachineScheduler is disabled by this update, comments note.

Update 6:45 am Thursday: More comments point out that if you take a locally-connected Time Machine drive and attach it to an AEBS, you will be starting over with new backups (because the remote backups are stored on sparseimages, not as folders). Something to keep in mind if you already have a long backup history -- you might want to use a different drive.

Sometimes the fixes are subtle and quiet. Once TUAW reader Peder downloaded today's Airport updates and ran the utility, he noticed a new version of the Airport Extreme firmware queued up and ready (v7.3.1). When he installed and rebooted his AEBS -- which happened to have a USB hard drive hanging off of it... well, let him tell you:

After downloading the latest Airport-update I checked for updates for my AirPort Extreme. After upgrading to version 7.3.1, Time Machine recognised the attached USB-drive.

If this is a reproducible result -- this means you, everyone, go ahead and start testing this firmware! -- that means that the now-you-see-it, now-you-don't Time Machine to AirDisk feature of Leopard has finally arrived. Sure, the Time Capsule is a one-piece solution and quite economical, but for all the AEBS owners out there who have been waiting patiently, this would be a very nice bit of March madness indeed. [Response to "just-a-guy" below: Remember, this is the Airport EXTREME only; the Express doesn't support AirDisk at all.]

Seeing the same results as Peder? By all means let us know. He was kind enough to send us a few screenshots, see below.

Gallery: Time Machine via AirDisk

Tags: airport, airport extreme, AirportExtreme, time machine, TimeMachine, tweet-this

Airport Extreme firmware updated to 802.11n draft 2

by Michael Rose (RSS feed) on Aug 29th, 2007

Got a shiny new AirPort Extreme base station, speeding those bits around the ether? Today Apple released new firmware for the fast-but-flat access point, version 7.2.1, downloadable directly or via the AirPort Utility. You'll need version 5.1 or better of the AirPort Utility to install the patch (you can get 5.2.1 via the Base Station Update 2007-002).

In addition to the usual bug fixes and security updates, this patch is WiFi certified for 802.11n draft 2.0. This certification may help when integrating the AE with third-party devices. Then again, it may not...

via MacFixit

Tags: airport extreme, AirportExtreme

Filed under: Software Update

AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002 for Mac

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Aug 13th, 2007

Do you have an AirPort Base Station? Do you enjoy applying updates? Well then, buster, today is your lucky day. Apple has just released an update by the name AirPort Base Station Update 2007-002 for Mac. You'll need any flavor of OS X 10.4 to get this update, as well as an AirPort Extreme or Express. This update, 'includes general fixes and compatibility updates for the following applications: AirPort Utility, AirPort Disk Utility, AirPort Base Station Agent.'

I know our very own David Chartier has encountered many issues with AirPort Disk, so here's hoping this update fixes it.

Tags: airport, airport express, airport extreme, AirportExpress, AirportExtreme

Filed under: Airport, Apple

Airport Extreme Base Station now with Gigabit Ethernet

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Aug 7th, 2007

Apple has quietly updated one more product today. Hidden at the end of the iMac press release we find out that the Airport Extreme Base Station now sports Gigabit Ethernet ports (one WAN, 3 for devices) whereas only yesterday they were 100baseT. The Airport Extreme Base Station tech specs haven't been updated on its own site as of yet, but the picture above was snagged from the Apple Store. They are still priced at $179.

Thanks, Stephen Chan.

Tags: airport extreme, AirportExtreme, gigabit

Filed under: Airport, Software Update

Apple posts Airport update

by Mat Lu (RSS feed) on Jul 31st, 2007

Last week many, many of you reported problems with wifi since the OS X 10.4.10 update. Fortunately, Apple appears to have heard your cries of anguish and has released the Airport Extreme Update 2007-4. Apple doesn't say much about what the update contains but does say it "is recommended for all Intel-based MacBook, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini computers and improves the reliability of AirPort connections."

So, for those of you who had problems, did this fix it?

Thanks, Kender!

Tags: 10.4.10, Airport Extreme, AirportExtreme, Software Update, SoftwareUpdate, wifi

Filed under: Hardware, Software, Internet Tools

Apple posts AirPort Extreme Base Station w/802.11n Firmware 7.1.1

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Jun 11th, 2007

If you've got an Airport Extreme Basestation and haven't yet downloaded Firmware 7.1, this is your chance to do that and more. Today, Apple has released Firmware 7.1.1 for the Extreme Basestation with 802.11n. This includes all the fixes from 7.1, plus improved support for:

Printers and Routers, VPN, PPPoE, WDS(ACL), WEP(TSN)
Localized file naming, port mapping, IPv6, and NAS
Improved stability with keychain passwords
Improved support for third party applications saving files to a USB disk
Improved support for AirPort USB disk stability and power saving, disk read/write performance, disk file sharing and passwords
Addressed an issue where Base Station would not request a password when expected

Get it while it's hot (though we're guessing this won't be the only "new" release from Apple today).

[Via MacMinute]

Tags: airport, airport extreme, AirportExtreme, firmware

Pogue tests 802.11n routers, blasts Netgear

by Michael Rose (RSS feed) on Apr 12th, 2007

In today's New York Times, friend to Mac users and finder of lost loves, David Pogue does a nice user-focused job of reviewing four 802.11n wireless routers (story, video), evaluating performance and ease of setup for the Apple, Belkin, Netgear & Linksys offerings. His conclusion: the Airport Extreme, while slightly more expensive than the other units and lacking Gigabit support on the Ethernet side, is far and away the best performer (up to 90mbit transfer speeds, almost double the best results with the other three routers, testing details in his video) and certainly the easiest to configure and control. He also points out that current Macs are firmware-updatable to 802.11n, while most other PC manufacturers will make you buy a new card to get your speedy on.

For the real entertainment, however, check out Pogue's behind-the-story blog post. His experience with the Netgear software installation for a USB 802.11n adapter -- a madness-inducing swirl of EULAs, unsigned drivers, UI design from Graphix-R-Us, and plain ol' Windows user-hostile behavior -- is both familiar and chuckle-worthy.

Update: Clarified the 2nd paragraph to note that Pogue's issues with the Netgear installation were specific to the adapter, not the router itself.

Tags: 802.11n, airport extreme, AirportExtreme, david pogue, DavidPogue, nyt

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