AirPort Extreme firmware hasnt been updated in years

[BayouTiger]

So easy for so many to forget that most folks are not tech savvy and most routers are not terribly friendly for a novice to set up, particularly if you need to extend them to multiple locations. Apple has always done this well and made the setup about as simple as possible. That's why I recommend the Airport Express in particular to many friends and family. Sure, I think Asus and Netgear are better, and in my offices I use SonicWalls, but for many folks the Airports do an excellent job of providing the 20% of the functionality that 80% of the users need. The other 20% that need advanced features can certainly do better.

Hell for that matter a lot of folks buy routers when all the really need is an access point which Asus does brilliantly in their units like the RP-AC68U

 

[phrehdd]

So easy for so many to forget that most folks are not tech savvy and most routers are not terribly friendly for a novice to set up, particularly if you need to extend them to multiple locations. Apple has always done this well and made the setup about as simple as possible. That's why I recommend the Airport Express in particular to many friends and family. Sure, I think Asus and Netgear are better, and in my offices I use SonicWalls, but for many folks the Airports do an excellent job of providing the 20% of the functionality that 80% of the users need. The other 20% that need advanced features can certainly do better.

Hell for that matter a lot of folks buy routers when all the really need is an access point which Asus does brilliantly in their units like the RP-AC68U

I think you raise a valid point but I have a different view -

Apple can keep their front end to the routers etc. "simple," yet provide more. They did it in the past before they further limited its use in past incarnations of the software. As well, nothing stops Asus and Netgear from doing the same and still providing advanced features (make the interfaces show up in two formats - standard and advanced or a similar concept).

Both the Asus and Netgear offerings are simply superior offerings than the Airport Extreme. If any of them want to make friendlier interfaces they could (and perhaps should). The set it forget it notion is a bad one as not only are features missed, but performance and security are compromised. I would prefer a "help me as I go" setup for novices.

 

[dugbug]

Firmware update 7.6.7 is recommended for all Apple 802.11n Wi-Fi base stations including AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule. This update improves the stability and performance of your base station.



This update:

• Fixes an issue which may prevent communication between clients on the same network
• Improves performance with an extended guest network
• Addresses potential naming conflicts with Bonjour Sleep Proxy