How good is AirPort Extreme as router in 2022?

[Mike Boreham]

I am using my AirPort Extreme (last version) as a router (with wifi off) to connect my my BT Whole Home Mesh wireless access point system.

I currently have a Virgin Super Hub 3 in modem mode.

Next week I am receiving a Virgin Hub 5 and I am wondering whether to ditch the AirPort Extreme and use the Hub 5 as my router, still using the BT Mesh.

I am concerned that the AirPort Extreme is several years old and not had any updates for some years, while the Hub 5 is supposed to be Virgins latest and greatest. OTOH I have a Fing subscription which analyses the performance and security of my network continuously and gives it a clean bill of health.

Thanks for any advice or opinions?

 

[satcomer]

You right Airport is very old now! 2012 is calling you back dude! I say g with a modern Wi-Fi 6 router or mesh mode router that still gets updates! to be cutting g edge look at he new Synology RT6600ax!

 

[Mike Boreham]

You right Airport is very old now! 2012 is calling you back dude! I say g with a modern Wi-Fi 6 router or mesh mode router that still gets updates! to be cutting g edge look at he new Synology RT6600ax!

Thanks! After my excellent experience with the BT Mesh I don't think I could go back to single point WiFi which that Synology is AFAICT.

Any recommendations for a cutting edge WiFi 6 Mesh Router?

 

[satcomer]

Thanks! After my excellent experience with the BT Mesh I don't think I could go back to single point WiFi which that Synology is AFAICT.

Any recommendations for a cutting edge WiFi 6 Mesh Router?

Maybe the EEro Pro 6e system!

 

[Mark Anderson]

It's a great router, and is inherently more secure than others due to its design. For instance Apple routers have no default admin username and password, and you don’t use a web browser to configure them, which means standard methods of attacking most routers don’t work on them. The AirPort Extreme is capable of handling up to 50 simultaneous connections. The AirPort Extreme supports simultaneous dual-band broadcasting. It has a theoretical throughput of 450 Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1300 Mbps on the 5GHz band. The AirPort Extreme only has three Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports in a competitive field where four ports are standard. Of course, more ports on tap are available simply by connecting a hub.

 

[Herbit]

I compared the Wifi with my "free" cable modem router from last year and the AirPort Extreme still performs better. I'm getting about 500 Mbps nearby and 250 Mbps in the next room (on the 5 GHz band). Still more than enough for me. I configured it with a mechanical time switch that reboots it every night, which seems to help for reliability. No reason for me to replace it!

 

[Boyd01]

I am still using my Airport 802.11ac Time Capsule (same as the Airport Extreme with an internal disk) and it's been great. I don't use it for backups anymore (I have a 2012 Mac Mini as a file server for that) and I am using Verizon's router with my FIOS internet. But I use the Time Capsule for wifi because it's much faster. My house is pretty small and I get good coverage throughout as well as outside in the vicinity. I use wifi calling on my iPhone because it's much better than the weak cellular signal in my rural location.

No plans to replace the Time Capsule until it dies.

 

[belvdr]

Haven't used one of these for years. I've moved on.

 

[GMShadow]

Still use the 802.11ac model at home, and have my folks set up with an 802.11n and ac models in bridge mode to give them enough coverage. The ac model they've got took a lightning hit recently, which amusingly just fried the WAN port, so the n model had to become the primary again.

I know eventually I'll have to move on, but these have been the first routers I've had where the only time you need to reboot is for config changes.

 

[belvdr]

Still use the 802.11ac model at home, and have my folks set up with an 802.11n and ac models in bridge mode to give them enough coverage. The ac model they've got took a lightning hit recently, which amusingly just fried the WAN port, so the n model had to become the primary again.

I know eventually I'll have to move on, but these have been the first routers I've had where the only time you need to reboot is for config changes.

I've had some bad and some good routers. The WRT54G (the original, not the new model) would run forever without issue. Some of the cheapo routers from all manufacturers were the worst. I had an AEBS 4th gen and it was among the most average I've used. It would hang periodically, especially later in life. The best thing I ever did was to split the firewall from the WiFi. I run a Netgate now for the firewall and a separate system for WiFi. It's solid.

 

[DominikHoffmann]

I understand the inherent security of the AirPort Extreme. I decommissioned mine about three to four years ago. I was looking for features that it doesn’t have, like VLANs, a more configurable guest network, etc.

Because I was looking for something that would get security updates far into the future, I chose a Netgate appliance, which runs open source software. That way, there are people who will check up on the manufacturer’s security claims. Not sure, whether that can be said about the likes of Netgear or Linksys.

For WiFi I use three EnGenius access points, each with their own Gigabit Ethernet backhaul to my main switch. They are powered by Power over Ethernet (PoE), which makes wiring them a lot easier.

 

[bigpoppamac31]

I hope it's okay if I revive this thread. I have a last gen Airport Extreme which could be starting to have issues. Neither my MBP (2015) nor my iPhone SE (2nd gen) can connect to the 5Ghz band of my AE. Is it simply an issue that a reset would fix or would it be time to switch to a new router. My AE is connected to the modem/router of my internet provider. I believe the router portion is turned off on the ISP modem/router.

 

[xraydoc]

I hope it's okay if I revive this thread. I have a last gen Airport Extreme which could be starting to have issues. Neither my MBP (2015) nor my iPhone SE (2nd gen) can connect to the 5Ghz band of my AE. Is it simply an issue that a reset would fix or would it be time to switch to a new router. My AE is connected to the modem/router of my internet provider. I believe the router portion is turned off on the ISP modem/router.

It's certainly possible your AirPort Express is dying. You can try a reset and see if it helps. My wifi network is made up of multiple AirPort Express units and so far still going strong, though I anticipate replacing them with a wifi 6E network this summer.

If you need a replacement in the meantime, Airport Extreme 802.11ac (the tall ones) can be found on eBay for about $45.

 

[rayward]

I was using my AirPort Extreme up until I moved into a new house about 6 months ago. My only option for high-speed internet at the new place is Comcast, which comes with their xFi Gateway. I compared the range and wifi speeds using the AEBS vs. the gateway and, I'm sad to say that the gateway blew the doors off the AEBS.

 

[DSL Steve]

Finally retired my last generation (ac) Airport Extreme after 10 years of extremely reliable service.

It's still working fine so I'll keep it as a backup. Since I work from home, didn't want to wait till it failed. After 10 years, it owes me nothing.

Replaced it with an Ubiquiti AmpliFi Alien. Couldn't be happier.

 

[MBAir2010]

My AirPort Extreme is still sending strong signals to 3 MacBooks and a Mini.
My HomePods thrive on that router and my signal is strong, but not that far for passerby.
im temped to use my express on my lower level room, but the AP_extreme sends strong signal
to the MacMini without a hitch!

 

[AlumaMac]

AirPort Extreme, Airport Time Capsule, and Airport Express still going strong here serving 5 Macs, 1 PC, 3 IOS devices, 2 Raspberry Pi’s, 2 ATV’s, 1 printer, and 4 home devices.

 

[haylo]

Just to chip in that I have 3 x extreme AC and they are all running really well running an extended network at speeds I think even Eero's would struggle to match

 

[Euroamerican]

I have two Airport Extremes (last model) and one mini deployed. I have retired two minis and an older Extreme.

The current routers are working just fine! We get almost a gig of througput through the AE's ethernet ports on our 1 gig service.

 

[DominikHoffmann]

I have two Airport Extremes (last model) and one mini deployed. I have retired two minis and an older Extreme.

The current routers are working just fine! We get almost a gig of througput through the AE's ethernet ports on our 1 gig service.

Do you remember, when the last security update was released?

 

[Aves]

Do you remember, when the last security update was released?

for the latest model Airport Extreme and Aiport Time Caspsule, 7.9.1 was released in 2019.

I have a setup similar to the one Euroamerican has: latest model Airport Extreme and an Airport Time Capsule in the house, plus an Airport express in the garage and other in the basement just to expand.
Everything works great, flawlessly.
I have a bunch of connected devices (4 Apple TVs, 6 HomePods mini and 2 HomePods, many domotic outlets, sensors, bulbs, Macs, iPhones, PS4, a couple of echos, Smart TVs etc) and I never ever had an issue with HomeKit or networking....the only time I have some problems is when Spectrum is down!

 

[kirigiri]

For the past 9 years, I've used an Airport Extreme (A1521) as a router and WiFi base station, extended via an Airport Express (A1392) and an Airport Extreme (A1301) that are both connected to the A1521 via a MoCA network. No problems at all.

 

[DanTheMan72]

I have two Airport Extremes (last model) and one mini deployed. I have retired two minis and an older Extreme.

The current routers are working just fine! We get almost a gig of througput through the AE's ethernet ports on our 1 gig service.

Could you help me? I have 1 gig Comcast service. I have it hardwired with CAT5e from modem to "office" base station AE, then out from there to an ethernet switch and on to 3 other AEs. This has been stable for 3 years with good signal. But speedtest is only about 200-300 on iPhones 12 Pro, even right next to router (900+ on hardwired PC).

Configuration: WPA2 Personal, DHCP and NAT on "office" (bridge mode on others), NAT-PMP enabled, Timed Access, 5gHz with same network name, auto channels, auto IPv6, IPv6 Native mode, Share IPv6 Connection off, Global Hostname off, Allow Setup over WAN off, IGMP Snooping off, Guest network off.

Is there anything obvious in my configuration that would explain the inability to get higher speeds on the iPhones? Thank you!

 

[rayward]

Is there anything obvious in my configuration that would explain the inability to get higher speeds on the iPhones?

I believe the issue you have is the old wifi standard on the AEs that is limiting your wifi speeds. I have 1gig Comcast too, and I use the Comcast gateway plus a Comcast "pod" (with ethernet backhaul) to provide me with mesh wifi. I get 400-500mbps on my iPhone 14 Pro and the connectivity is excellent.

 

[Aves]

Could you help me? I have 1 gig Comcast service. I have it hardwired with CAT5e from modem to "office" base station AE, then out from there to an ethernet switch and on to 3 other AEs. This has been stable for 3 years with good signal. But speedtest is only about 200-300 on iPhones 12 Pro, even right next to router (900+ on hardwired PC).

Configuration: WPA2 Personal, DHCP and NAT on "office" (bridge mode on others), NAT-PMP enabled, Timed Access, 5gHz with same network name, auto channels, auto IPv6, IPv6 Native mode, Share IPv6 Connection off, Global Hostname off, Allow Setup over WAN off, IGMP Snooping off, Guest network off.

Is there anything obvious in my configuration that would explain the inability to get higher speeds on the iPhones? Thank you!

you don't mention what models of AE you have.

I have the latest tower, both AE and TC and with my configuration I get 400 with Spectrum (pretty much what I pay for) and around 800 on the local network.

As a suggestion, I would use Airport Utility to scan for other networks and check what channels are using...then select manual channel to try yo use a channel less congested.

I'm using channels 8/161