[Satchmo]

I pose this question as I'm in the market for a wireless router.

While the Extreme is certainly cool looking, it gives up on certain areas. Third party companies such as Belkin, D-Link and Netgear all have models which exceed the standard 54 mbps G-rated speed of the Airport Extreme. They also have four ports vs. two from Apple

What cool new features would you like to see in an updated Airport Extreme?

[psmith2.0]

You probably answered your own question:

More ports, adoption of the "n" standard, etc.

Beyond that, maybe a redesign (both the product and the packaging...just for the sake of "keeping it fresh"), some price adjustments, etc.?

Would be kinda cool if they killed the "neat but not really practical" UFO shape and went with a more Mac mini look, maybe something you could sit beneath a mini, perfectly stacked. Take a Mac mini, give it a white glossy covering, decrease its height by half or so, etc.?

Or that would sit on a desk in a smaller, less obtrusive way (like some of that smaller Netgear stuff).

The UFO just seems to big and tall compared to other products I see out there from others. Not to mention, that it has been that same shape since day one, when it came out with the toilet seat iBooks. Back then, Apple was all about curves, swooping lines (jellybean iMac, iBook, G4 tower, etc.).

The Titanium PowerBook (followed by the redesigned iBook and iPod) marked the start of a more "straight, less fussy" look for Apple, which all of their stuff currently sports (G5, displays, laptops, iPods, etc.).

The eMac and the UFO station are the only two things that have the "old Apple" look to them. Not necessary a bad thing, mind you. Just kinda sticks out a bit. The UFO station was battling with the ADC Cinema Display for most "dated, unchanged hardware in Apple's lineup" until last year, when the displays FINALLY got a clue and decided to match the towers and PowerBooks!

[Robo]

It needs to come down in price, as well. There. I said it.

Seriously, though...I'd buy an Airport instead of a different wireless router if it wasn't so overpriced.

I don't care what it looks like. It can keep the cool UFO look, or it can match the Mac mini. Either way, it'd look cool.

Wait...can you use Airport Extreme cards with a non-Apple wireless router? That's just Apple's name for 802.11g, right?

[ASZ993]

Originally Posted by Roboman Wait...can you use Airport Extreme cards with a non-Apple wireless router? That's just Apple's name for 802.11g, right?

Of course you can!

Well i bought a new airport express for 84 pounds only to realise (im not too clued up in the tecchie world) that i had to buy a seperate adsl modem...so i took it back. I ended up bying a wireless Netgear ADSL Router for only 60 quid............when is apple going to include an adsl modem!!!!!!!1

[flail]

Yeah, I agree with the part about them being too expensive.. I wasn't gonna shell out $200 for a basse station, so I went with a older graphite one (M5757). Works just fine with new Airport Extreme. You can pick on up for $30 or $40 on eBay.

[Franz Josef]

Originally Posted by Satchmo I pose this question as I'm in the market for a wireless router. While the Extreme is certainly cool looking, it gives up on certain areas. Third party companies such as Belkin, D-Link and Netgear all have models which exceed the standard 54 mbps G-rated speed of the Airport Extreme. They also have four ports vs. two from Apple What cool new features would you like to see in an updated Airport Extreme?

I'd like to see multiple channels on the Airport Extreme card (ie to use Airport Express and Extreme simultaneously for different apps) and at some point functionality to pump video wirelessly - existing data transfer rates make this look possible for H264 compressed files.

[Brad]

The one thing that's keeping me from buying an AirPort is the fact that they only have one wired LAN port. ONE PORT? Get off your high horse, Apple, and realize that 1. not all computers have a wireless card and 2. wired connections are much faster and more reliable than wireless.

*sigh*

I'm not holding out, though. I'm in the market for a new wireless router in the next few months and will probably just pick up a $60 Linksys box. I mean, I'd really like to support Apple here and get a cool looking piece of tech, but Apple's offerings just are sub-par.

Originally Posted by bradclarkuk when is apple going to include an adsl modem!!!!!!!1

Uh, never? Not everyone uses ADSL. In fact, I'd say a minority of people use ADSL.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by ASZ993 Of course you can!

Just checking...

...anyway, yeah, the Airport Extreme definitely needs a price drop. $199 for a wireless router is ridiculous. If they would charge $99 for it, I'd spring for it, just because it's Apple and looks cool and I'm easily swayed by aesthetics. But $199? Not even I can justify that. Well, I could, but it'd have to hover on your desk and shoot laser lights first.

I might pick up an Airport Express, though. Speaking of the Express...perhaps it is just going to replace the Airport Extreme?

[eleazar]

Yeah, I looked at the AE, but then came across a netgear router (4 ports, 802.11g, WPA) for $40 with a $20 rebate. Got the rebate last week. How could I pass up $20 wi-fi? It might not have the greatest range, but at that price, you could buy a boat load of them.

[Gargoyle]

video streaming to go with the audio. (Quicktime 7 will have same drop-down as iTunes)

[Robo]

I hear you, eleazar. I too will probably just pick up a cheap Netgear Wi-Fi box.

The Airport Express is tiny, and I love small things, but it's price is anything but...

Alright, Apple. You may have suckered me into springing for your overpriced BlueTooth keyboard and mouse, but I'm not going to pick up an Airport station, no matter how cool-looking, until they're only moderately overpriced. I win in principle.

[eleazar]

Just to add to the conversation though....

I know that we are talking about airport EXTREME, but I would like to see a change in the EXPRESS unit. I would like if they added a pass through type connection and put built in NAT in the express unit. That way, if I go to a friends house, parents, etc that don't have a network or free port, I could connect the airport express inline with their existing network. Sort of like adding a mini wi-fi router.

I know there are surface problems with this idea but I am sure the good engineers at apple could think of a way to do this.

I recently bought an Airport Express and I most definately doesnt regret, though it is like 2 and a half times as expensive as a NETGEAR or LinkSys thing. But Apple makes fixes for security flaws in a timely manner, it is easy to administer, it has some very cool features such as the syslog ability, kerberos authentication, ntp client, WDS etc.
If just it had 802.11i (aka WPA2) it would be cool. The current WPA only uses RC4 as the encryption algorithm where the new WPA2 uses AES.

Most important feature in an new AirPort Extreme would be 802.11i if I where to buy, but ofcourse that isnt something new and "cool" to most people. Maybe let it have a plug so you could connection an TV to it and use QuickTime to stream audio&sound via RTSP just as the airport express has the ability to let you stream musicaudio. That would be a kinda cool feature.

[FFL]

WDS alone is a good reason to strongly consider Apple's offerings, unless you don't ever see range being an issue.

[firemansteve]

If someone is interested on a reliable router with 24-7 365 days a year support with a lifetime warrantee go with belkin. I use to work for there customer service till they laid 90% of us off. They have good rebates at best buy and circuit city and if you dont get the distance you want you can call and claim your router doesnt turn on and they will send you another one and you can wirelessly bridge the 2 of them together

[firemansteve]

Originally Posted by eleazar Yeah, I looked at the AE, but then came across a netgear router (4 ports, 802.11g, WPA) for $40 with a $20 rebate. Got the rebate last week. How could I pass up $20 wi-fi? It might not have the greatest range, but at that price, you could buy a boat load of them.

except that you talk to tech support in another county and a warantee for 3 months

[Robo]

Originally Posted by firemansteve If someone is interested on a reliable router with 24-7 365 days a year support with a lifetime warrantee go with belkin. I use to work for there customer service till they laid 90% of us off. They have good rebates at best buy and circuit city and if you dont get the distance you want you can call and claim your router doesnt turn on and they will send you another one and you can wirelessly bridge the 2 of them together

That's evil...but genius.

[eleazar]

Originally Posted by firemansteve except that you talk to tech support in another county and a warantee for 3 months

You get what you pay for. But it's been more than 3 months and never had to talk to tech support so I am getting good milage out of it. Besides, I have saved myself a nice penny while another Wi-Fi standard comes out since it seems to be so often. This way I don't have an expensive upgrade path.

[skid_boy_99]

eleazar: You can use the Airport Express for that purpose.

Just bought one for my parents' house, plugged it into the LAN and have instant Airport access in the time it took for me to open my PB.

The Airport admin utility lets you configure port forwarding, DHCP for the WiFi network as it is essentially acting as a WiFi router with its own subnet.

And with profiles you can take it with you and use it everywhere you want in this manner.

Very cool.

[eleazar]

Originally Posted by skid_boy_99 eleazar: You can use the Airport Express for that purpose. Just bought one for my parents' house, plugged it into the LAN and have instant Airport access in the time it took for me to open my PB. The Airport admin utility lets you configure port forwarding, DHCP for the WiFi network as it is essentially acting as a WiFi router with its own subnet. And with profiles you can take it with you and use it everywhere you want in this manner. Very cool.

I was aware that Airport Express works the way you stated but correct me if I am wrong, what you are describing is connecting the AE to an already existing lan. What I am talking about is when there isn't a network.

For example, My mom has a computer with the cablemodem hooked to it, and that's it. If I want to hook up AE, I have to unplug her connection to connect the Airport Express. I want to be able to hook up the AE in that same situation but have her computer still online as well.

Or can you already do that? Because I noticed there is only one ethernet port on the unit and my setup would require 2.

[Corpus_Callosum]

Originally Posted by eleazar Or can you already do that? Because I noticed there is only one ethernet port on the unit and my setup would require 2.

Buy her a $35 usb wireless adapter. Problem sovled.

[eleazar]

Originally Posted by Corpus_Callosum Buy her a $35 usb wireless adapter. Problem sovled.

Yeah that's true, but what happens when I go to my friends house, then my wife's parents, and so on? I could of course carry another accessory, but that's not the point, i could also carry a keyboard, router, external drive, external dvd drive, etc. but I want to carry as little as possible.

I would just like to have another port added to the express so that I could pass the connection through. Like a single port router but with multiple access via wireless.

EDIT: also, I would have to spend time changing her configuration to use the usb wireless adapter. What I envision us as simple as putting the AE in between her computer and the modem which would add wireless access and not change a thing on her end.

Originally Posted by eleazar I know that we are talking about airport EXTREME, but I would like to see a change in the EXPRESS unit. I would like if they added a pass through type connection and put built in NAT in the express unit.

Not sure what you mean about "pass through connection", but the Express already has NAT built-in.

Originally Posted by eleazar That way, if I go to a friends house, parents, etc that don't have a network or free port, I could connect the airport express inline with their existing network. Sort of like adding a mini wi-fi router.

Again, not sure what you mean. As long as your friend has one free Ethernet port, you can plug in your Express and create an instant Wi-Fi network for yourself. I've done this a couple of times before while on the road. It is exactly what the Express was designed for.

[skid_boy_99]

Best solution for you is to get the wireless adapter for your mother, then when you decide to go AWOL with the airport express just take out its ethernet cable and put it in the computer as it was before. You'll have to unplug the AE and ethernet anyway, it's no biggie to plug it into a computer while the AE is away.

So WiFi while the AE is in the house, ethernet when it isn't. Easy.

[eleazar]

I want to thank you guys for being patient with me. I guess I am not getting my point across.

Not sure what you mean about "pass through connection", but the Express already has NAT built-in.

I know it has NAT, but I mean another port for wired connections

Again, not sure what you mean. As long as your friend has one free Ethernet port, you can plug in your Express and create an instant Wi-Fi network for yourself. I've done this a couple of times before while on the road. It is exactly what the Express was designed for.

I am talking about when there is NOT another free port. Plus I don't want to just unplug their computer from the net just to plug in mine. I want both online at the same time.

Best solution for you is to get the wireless adapter for your mother, then when you decide to go AWOL with the airport express just take out its ethernet cable and put it in the computer as it was before. You'll have to unplug the AE and ethernet anyway, it's no biggie to plug it into a computer while the AE is away. So WiFi while the AE is in the house, ethernet when it isn't. Easy.

I appreciate your suggestions and it would work. I was posting my idea as a suggestion because I have 4 family members that all have dsl/cable, and all of them have a single computer without a network. It would be nice to be able to go to each of their houses and just remove the ethernet plug from the back of their computer, plug it into the into the airport express, and then plug the airport express into their computer. Like:

their original config with "-->" representing the rj45 cable:
Internet-->modem-->computer
(computer has internet access)

then I would be able to put the AE inline like this:
Internet-->modem-->AirportExpress-->computer
(computer still has internet access and now Wi-Fi for other computers)

again, I know that you can't do this currently, but I would like to be able to someday. It's just not practical to get each of them a Wi-Fi adapter, or the carry a wi-fi adapter and bringing it to each one of their houses and making adjustments to their settings to add Wi-Fi. Apple is all about making elegant and simplistic products that work and that's all I desire. It doesn't seem like much work because you could simply add another port to the Express.

[skid_boy_99]

I understand what you want, but the Express can't do it. But any Airport Extreme base station can.

The pass-thru connector you describe would effectively be a two-port ethernet router (since the connection is routed between the WiFi and the ethernet thru port), and that's not what the Express is for.

Now that you've mentioned your other family members who all have ethernet-based cable connections I can think of one other (not free) idea...

PRESUMING that each person's cable modem has the capability to just be plugged into an ethernet hub and allocate IP addresses/route connections for all connected machines... you could buy four 10/100 (or even just 10base) ethernet hubs and two patch cables for each hub (one for their computer, one for your Express), and then leave them connected like this:

Internet--->Cable modem--->Hub--->Computer                            |                            |                            V                     Airport Express

Each hub will probably cost you $15-25 (they're about €20 here in Europe) so it isn't cheap, but it's the easiest route to take. Just plug the Express into the spare cable and the power supply, and you're done.

But MAKE SURE the cable modems can route connections through a hub before buying! Maybe borrow someone's hub and test it with your Airport Express.

[eleazar]

Yeah, I know that I could just buy Hubs for everyone on the cheap. I just wanted what you describe in the Airport Extreme to be in the next installment of Airport Express as a matter of convienence since it is so portable.