I had a failure on my version 4 Apple extreme

[lukester]

I spent the day trying to get it to work with my Fios router that has been working fine for a number of years. Just realized its a generation 3 model.
I gave up so I bought and just receive the new Version 6 Apple Extreme.
This morning I worked on it some more and found out that I had the WAN cable in the wrong channel on the FIOs router.. Finally got it up and running.

So now I have the new AE just delivered and wondering should I just keep my version 4 or go for the new one.. I spent $173 on it.
Does anyone know if the new AE is giving that much more for the money, worth the upgrade?

thanks.

 

[techwarrior]

The 3rd Gen APExtreme supported 802.11n Dual Band (2.4 + 5Ghz) for a max speed of probably 150 - 300Mbps. The 6th Gen APExtreme is 802.11ac which should max out at around 1300Mbps. If your FIOS speed is more than 300Mbps, or you do a fair amount of large file transfers over WiFi, stick with the 6th Gen. The 6th gen radio is stronger and supports beam forming which can extend and speed up the 5Ghz 802.11ac range for capable devices.

The 3rd Gen can be used to extend your WiFi if the coverage from the new Extreme fails to cover your space. If you do this, connect the old Extreme to the first via Ethernet and as far away from the router as possible, and set the Network to "Off(Bridge Mode)" and WiFi to "Create a Wireless Network" using the same SSID, password and Wireless Security (WPA2 Personal is best if all clients can support it.

Or, sell the older Extreme on eBay, do a factory reset first to wipe out all personal data.

 

[lukester]

The 3rd Gen APExtreme supported 802.11n Dual Band (2.4 + 5Ghz) for a max speed of probably 150 - 300Mbps. The 6th Gen APExtreme is 802.11ac which should max out at around 1300Mbps. If your FIOS speed is more than 300Mbps, or you do a fair amount of large file transfers over WiFi, stick with the 6th Gen. The 6th gen radio is stronger and supports beam forming which can extend and speed up the 5Ghz 802.11ac range for capable devices.

The 3rd Gen can be used to extend your WiFi if the coverage from the new Extreme fails to cover your space. If you do this, connect the old Extreme to the first via Ethernet and as far away from the router as possible, and set the Network to "Off(Bridge Mode)" and WiFi to "Create a Wireless Network" using the same SSID, password and Wireless Security (WPA2 Personal is best if all clients can support it.

Or, sell the older Extreme on eBay, do a factory reset first to wipe out all personal data.

thanks for the info..
I have the standard internet speed from Fios, not sure how to find out what it is. So with the old router it only gives up to 300mbps of speed plus the fact that it should give a greater distance of signal is worth it.. I didnt realize it was 8 years old now.. I guess I will keep the new one.
[doublepost=1511381827][/doublepost]

thanks for the info..
I have the standard internet speed from Fios, not sure how to find out what it is. So with the old router it only gives up to 300mbps of speed plus the fact that it should give a greater distance of signal is worth it.. I didnt realize it was 8 years old now.. I guess I will keep the new one.

I guess upgrading won't make much difference since I just checked my Internet speed from Fios. I get only up to 100 mbps.. So it doesn't pay to upgrade I guess.

 

[belvdr]

What I would suggest is to connect to your Gen4 from your normal location, hold Option and click the WiFi menu. It will show you the connection speed. If near 100Mb, I would suggest testing the Gen6 in the same manner. In basic terms, if you're connecting to the WiFi at 70Mb, you have no chance of getting close to optimal Internet speeds.

 

[techwarrior]

I guess upgrading won't make much difference since I just checked my Internet speed from Fios. I get only up to 100 mbps.. So it doesn't pay to upgrade I guess.

If your main concern is internet speed, both will probably give you 100Mbps to match your FIOS speed. If you transfer files or stream a lot of HD video from Mac to ATV for instance, the faster 802.11ac speeds might pay off, not to mention better range.

Personally, I would go for the newer router. ISP Speeds are likely to improve in the coming years as new technology arrives.

FIOS (Verizon) was a difficult nut so they offloaded the service to another company to manage. But, Verizon, ATT and TMobile are testing 5G fixed wireless in several markets. The thought is, due to lower costs of deploying the wireless, and theoretical speeds in excess of 1Gbps, this will become an attractive option. Cable and phone (DSL) will need to step up to remain competitive. In short, within 5 years, 1Gbps speeds might be pretty common, and routers that can keep up with that will be desirable.

 

[lukester]

What I would suggest is to connect to your Gen4 from your normal location, hold Option and click the WiFi menu. It will show you the connection speed. If near 100Mb, I would suggest testing the Gen6 in the same manner. In basic terms, if you're connecting to the WiFi at 70Mb, you have no chance of getting close to optimal Internet speeds.

I just did the option, wireless combo and saw the speeds, of 150 to 270mbs. Im not sure if thats because of the older router or that's all the speed that is available. I didnt want to open up the new router and try since they may not take it back if I do, I want to be certain its worth keeping it first.
[doublepost=1511442799][/doublepost]

If your main concern is internet speed, both will probably give you 100Mbps to match your FIOS speed. If you transfer files or stream a lot of HD video from Mac to ATV for instance, the faster 802.11ac speeds might pay off, not to mention better range.

Personally, I would go for the newer router. ISP Speeds are likely to improve in the coming years as new technology arrives.

FIOS (Verizon) was a difficult nut so they offloaded the service to another company to manage. But, Verizon, ATT and TMobile are testing 5G fixed wireless in several markets. The thought is, due to lower costs of deploying the wireless, and theoretical speeds in excess of 1Gbps, this will become an attractive option. Cable and phone (DSL) will need to step up to remain competitive. In short, within 5 years, 1Gbps speeds might be pretty common, and routers that can keep up with that will be desirable.

My Verizon modem/router has two wi fi channels 2.5 and 5ghz.. I just checked the speed on the 5 ghz and I am getting 1300mbps compared with maybe 270 on the gen 3 apple using 5ghz wi fi. the Fios router is 802.ac. The only draw back with the Fios router it does not have a USB out put. So if thats the case then the new Gen 6 router should be much better than my gen 3 version?

 

[techwarrior]

I just did the option, wireless combo and saw the speeds, of 150 to 270mbs. Im not sure if thats because of the older router or that's all the speed that is available. I didnt want to open up the new router and try since they may not take it back if I do, I want to be certain its worth keeping it first.
[doublepost=1511442799][/doublepost]

My Verizon modem/router has two wi fi channels 2.5 and 5ghz.. I just checked the speed on the 5 ghz and I am getting 1300mbps compared with maybe 270 on the gen 3 apple using 5ghz wi fi. the Fios router is 802.ac. The only draw back with the Fios router it does not have a USB out put. So if thats the case then the new Gen 6 router should be much better than my gen 3 version?

The Gen6 Extreme should match the FIOS router at 1300Mbps, so yes it would be an improvement over the Gen3.

Are you using WiFi on both the Extreme and FIOS router? If so, that might tend to slow things down due to interference unless they are separated and\or set to different channels. If the only reason for the Extreme is USB port (for printer or network storage), you could use either Extreme with Bridge Mode for network setting, and WiFi off, you will still be able to see the USB attached devices on the network.

With WiFi, less is almost always better unless you have a large space to cover.

 

[lukester]

The Gen6 Extreme should match the FIOS router at 1300Mbps, so yes it would be an improvement over the Gen3.

Are you using WiFi on both the Extreme and FIOS router? If so, that might tend to slow things down due to interference unless they are separated and\or set to different channels. If the only reason for the Extreme is USB port (for printer or network storage), you could use either Extreme with Bridge Mode for network setting, and WiFi off, you will still be able to see the USB attached devices on the network.

With WiFi, less is almost always better unless you have a large space to cover.

I didnt take note that the new Fios router I got a few years back came with 2 wi fi channels and have just stuck with my Gen 3 apple router. I basically use the usb port for my pro printer. I used to be in my kitchen a lot and used the usb a lot for back up storage and printer but now I am in my office where I hook up direct to my external equipment. So I am thinking about just ditching going with the Fios router and I could still keep my Gen 3 for when I think I want to move my computer say back to the kitchen for whatever reason. The only reason I bought the Gen 3 was because the original Fios modem did not come with wiFi . I would like to keep the Gen 6 router but why bother if the Fios one will do it.. Plus I get rid of a couple extra electric hook ups running and save $173