Apple MB763LL/A AirPort Extreme Dual-band Base Station

10 Review to this product

• 

  Steve
  November 26th, 2010 on 10:35 am

  Rating

  Thanks to the easy setup through AirPort Utility, I was up and running within minutes. This router has rock-solid wireless connections and excellent range. Operation has been flawless, no signal drops like with some competing routers. Unlike the previous generation MB053LL/A which could only operate in one band at a time, Apple has added a 2nd radio to this new unit that allows for allows for simultaneous dual-band operation- It’s like 2 routers in 1. This router allows you operate 5.0 Ghz-compatible devices on one network and 2.4 Ghz-compatible devices on the other, all from this one router. My wireless N-equipped aluminum MacBook connects to the 5.0 Ghz band and gets wireless local network speeds ranging from 200 mbps to 300 mbps. My other b/g devices connect to the slower 2.4 Ghz band. By default setup, there is one network name. When you connect to it, it will automatically join the band (2.4 Ghz or 5.0 Ghz) with the fastest connection speed that your wireless device supports. For example, a new wireless N-equipped MacBook will automatically connect via N to the 5.0 Ghz band. In addition, there is an option to assign a separate name to the 5.0 Ghz network which you can manually connect to if you so choose.

  The Guest Network feature is a nice addition and certainly sets this router apart from the competition. It allows you to give Internet access only to visitors simply by setting up a separate guest network in AirPort Utility. When a user connects to the guest network, the router uses a built-in algorithm to automatically join them to the band (2.4 Ghz or 5.0 Ghz) with the fastest connection speed.

  I connected a Brother HL-2140 laser printer to the usb port on the router and it worked perfectly, without having to install any print drivers.

  I highly recommend this router.
  
• 

  Brian Renken
  November 28th, 2010 on 1:38 am

  Rating

  Apple computer has a track record of providing only the best hardware, and this just keeps that record rolling. I already had the previous Airport Extreme Base Station and loved it. But, as any N router would do, it dropped to the slower G when there were G devices in my house (and there always were). So, I purchased this one and made it my access point. The other now extends my wireless to my son’s room where he is connected via wifi at N speed. My television is connected via a dual-band Airport Express (also at N speed) and the iPhones in the house and the Wii all use the G speed. This was easy to set up and works great. Keeping things all Apple helps, but they just work!
• 

  Thomas Kerr
  November 28th, 2010 on 2:42 pm

  Rating

  To date, I’ve used three wifi routers, the Apple Extreme Base Station being the most recent. My first was a Linksys, followed by an upper-end netgear model. After a week of use, I can attest that this router has given me the best user experience to date. No freeze-ups, easy as pie set up and it’s stylish to boot. There are a lot of good technical type reviews for this product and–to be blunt–I’m not that kind of reviewer. With WiFi I care about pretty simple things. Is it easy to set up? It is–very. How powerful is it, can I go far from the base station? Walking around my building(not apartment) I can get a usable signal three stories up and over half a block away, which is a third greater than my next best router (the netgear). As for speed, it goes fast–I guess–as movies stream in HD without hesitation and surfing the web is unhindered by anything the router does. Finally I’m concerned if every thing I have, that is wireless, can hook up with it. To date, I’ve had two laptops and a desktop tapped in to this base station with no discernible interruption in service or speed. At the time two of the computers were steaming video and the other was simply on the web. My final note is about the build quality of this unit. It is an impressive, well-made, piece of hardware. I don’t know what makes it so heavy, but it is one solid brick of tech. Really made the others seem like cheap toys. Should you be looking for a top quality WiFi router, you could do much worse than this terrific product. Any down-shots? Yes, somewhat pricey.
• 

  Tarun Chachra
  November 28th, 2010 on 5:36 pm

  Rating

  Hi All,

  True to my gadget envy, I acquired one of these dual band extreme base stations to see if they held up to the hype. Sure enough, Apple has improved an old mediocre product with a new more powerful hardware engine and improved software abilities.

  Features:
  
  802.11 A/B/G/N DUAL Band radios at 2.4ghz and 5ghz simultaneously.
  
  Gigabit Ethernet ports 1x Wan and 3x Lan.
  
  Guest wireless network.
  
  Disk sharing via USB connected drive.
  
  Access to shared disk via MobileMe (apple mobile me subscribers on os x).

  The box comes with the router, the power cord, software cd, and documentation….limited documentation.

  Time to test.

  Setup: Setup of an apple base station is unlike any other in that you cannot access the setup portal via your web browser. You must install the Apple Airport utility (both mac and windows) in order to set the router up. The software is built very well and provides the typical ease of use known to MAC users. You simply walk through a setup wizard and define simple options for your internet connection, your wireless network, etc, etc. NOTE: When setting up your wireless networks you are able to hit the options button so that you can define a 5ghz network as well (example, main wireless network called wifi, the 5ghz is called wifi (5ghz)). Very easy to setup and get going. You are also able to easily define a SECURED (wpa/wpa2) guest wireless network….which simply means that if you have a visitor they can use wi-fi but not get to any of the computers on your home network. Very Secure….and a great feature to boot.

  I was using the old Apple Base Station and kept switching between it and a d-link wireless n router…. I got one of these primarily due to dual band and guest access.

  Yes, there are other routers out there that can do this for a bit of a lower cost…but the elegance of the Apple Airport Utility make this a router that can be setup without too much hassle. The software will also identify problems in the setup and have you correct them before it uploads them to the router. These abilities alone make this a router for the non-geeks to be able to setup a robust networking environment at home.

  Wireless: As I mentioned before, I am comparing this to an older model apple base station that was single band and worked in the N range. Also compared this against a D-Link DIR-655 which is a 2.4ghz Wireless N router. The section on speed below will detail my wireless experience.

  Speed: I have Comcast cable modem service which gives me about 15-25mbps down and 2mbps up….I live in an area where there are probably 5-10 subscribers…so my speed is generally GREAT and never experiences a slow down. The first thing I do when I play with a new router is do a speed test….the new base station is comparable to the others and gets the same exact download/upload speeds over ethernet. There is one exception….using the wireless on this unit yielded BETTER results then the older model and the d-link. Normally when doing a speed test over wireless I get about 12-15mbps and 2mbps up….with this router I was able to successfully hit the 20mbps mark and 2mbps UP. WIN WIN!!!! So I figured that this may be an anomaly and thus proceeded to test a download from Microsoft – a 3.4gb file – which normally downloads anywhere between 900kpbs and 1.2mbps. Surprise…..with the new base station I stayed at 1.3mbps and it did not hiccup even once. The same was true when downloading via a wireless connection, albeit the speed was 1.0mbps….faster then I have ever gotten before. WIN WIN again!

  Disk Sharing – Not much to be said here…I attached a Western Digital USB hard drive 320gb and shared it. You simply go into the Airport Utility software and setup sharing of the hard drive and define which password should be used. You can either use the password for the router or setup a separate password to use with Disk Sharing. Speed is dependent upon wired or wireless. I tested while transferring 3 files…one was 2mb one was 100mb and one was a 2.5gb file. The two mb file of course went over before I could blink…the 100mb transferred over in about 3-4 minutes…the 2.5gb took about 15 minutes. The first transfer test was with ETHERNET connectivity. I did the same tests over wireless and found that the times doubled…naturally since wireless is a bit slower I expected that and had no issue with the times.

  Mobile-Me – I have not tested the mobile me features just yet but will be testing them in the days ahead and post my results here.

  So far I feel this router has hit perfection and will now find a permanent spot in my home…at least until something better hits.

  Please do leave me comments with suggestions on the review and or any questions you may have.
• 

  M. Thompson
  November 28th, 2010 on 9:49 pm

  Rating

  Everything is great about this router. It is easy to setup, the range is excellent, the firewall is intuitive and it doesn’t run too hot. This router is running on a Windows based network and I have had no comoatibility issues.

  Customer service is great as well. I could not get a keyboard sharing app to run called Synergy. Everything else, including my VPN connection, was working perfectly. I called customer service, got right through was escalted to a senior tech who quickly solved my problem (it was windows firewall, Duh!)

  I am a windows guy but if all Apple stuff is as good as thie router, I might be convinced to switch.
• 

  KOZ
  November 29th, 2010 on 5:44 am

  Rating

  I just upgraded my MB053LL/A, last years Airport extreme with Apple’s newest Dual band Airport Extreme, and I have to say I love it. Setup was a breeze just like every Apple product I buy. My network is stronger and faster then it’s ever been. I ran Last years Extreme in 802.11n only and bridged the connection to an Airport Express to have 802.11g for our iphone, ipod touch, Wii, and old dell Laptop. I would have weak signal in some areas of the house and even loose connection. Now it’s super strong and I have great signal every where in the house, even outside in the back yard where I would never get it. I also have a network drive that seems to work faster on this new extreme.

  I would definitively recommend this to anyone who is thinking about upgrading to a 802.11n router. This Router in my eyes is the best Dual Band Router on the market. I’ve dealt with a couple of competitors(D-link and Linksys) and this one is the best hands down. Apple does it again.
  
• 

  David Michael
  November 29th, 2010 on 6:36 am

  Rating

  * I purchased this New Apple SIM Router in late August 09. This particular Apple Router, the latest generation, has been quite an Improvement over their older generation router’s. This was also a long-awaited Upgrade from our previous Linksys-G routers, which were quite reliable, but didn’t have the latest features that we were looking for to match-up with our New Mac’s. I also have an Airport Express that I use as my Travel Router.

  * There was at least 3 very Important Features that we were looking for in the latest Generation of Routers, which were: (1) Uses the latest 802.11(n) wireless technology, (2) Simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi, and (3) had an Extended Wi-Fi coverage, for our business & large property footprint.
  
  So we took our time to Research & look-up Consumer & Technical `Reviews”, among various web sites, magazines and forums, including CNET, Amazon, CES and others.

  * Compatible with the PS3, the Nintendo Wii, and all of our new Intel Mac’s, with the latest 802.11(n) wireless technology , as well as a couple of Windoze Boxes. All `Firmware’ Updates for our PS3 & Wii have been very fast and reliable.

  * I have given this New SIM AEBS, a 5-Star rating based on our User experience so far, and because it has Performed Perfectly!

  Pro’s -

  * Simultaneous dual-band (2.4GHz + 5.0GHz) support is the perfect Wireless Access Point (WAP) for home, or business. It offers fast, 802.11(n) Wi-Fi access for Mac computers, PCs, and Wi-Fi `devices’ such my Nokia, an iPhone, two iPod touch’s, and an Apple TV. It Just Simply Works Fantastically!
  
  Solid – No ReBoots, 5x Reception, it’s Transparent and produces Faster Speeds as verified by SpeedTest dot net.

  * Easy wireless networking Set-Up – How?
  
  Just connect your DSL or cable modem Ethernet cable to the “designated” Ethernet AEBS port. The easy-to-use CD with AirPort Utility (Mac and Windows) simply takes out the `set-up’ hassle. It took me less than 8 minutes.
  
  It took me longer to Mount & Attach the Airport `vertically’, high up on the wall by using the clear cast Acrylic H-Squared Air Mount, which fits & works perfectly, btw.
  
  By placing your AirPort Extreme up on a wall, you will both save desktop space and ensure Maximum Wireless Signal & Range.

  * Simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi – What this means is:
  
  For maximum Range & Compatibility, AirPort Extreme works simultaneously on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, allowing all the devices on the network to use the most efficient band automatically. It uses the latest 802.11n wireless technology, so you can enjoy up to five times the Wi-Fi performance and up to twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks.

  * Guest networking – How It works:
  
  Since we operate several Vacation Rental properties in Hawaii, we set up a “Guest Only” Wi-Fi network with a separate password for our guests so this means that our guests can use our Wi-Fi Internet but can’t access other parts of our private network, such as our computers, printers, and/or any attached hard drives.

  * Wi-Fi – Wireless client access: Maximum Performance & capability with 802.11 a/b/g/n, also known as `Quad-Mode’ now, working simultaneously on both the 2.4GHz & 5GHz bands, allowing all the devices on the network to use the most efficient band automatically.
  
  - Our Router experiences + comparison’s has been against a very reliable 6-year old Linksys WRT54G
  
  Wireless-G Router, where the Wireless antenna went out one day. It had provided great Wi-Fi coverage Range up to about 75 ft radius, where we could get 2 to 3 signal bars. It was immediately replaced with a New Linksys WRT310N Wireless-N Gigabit Router. The WRT310N model did not impress us at all, as it did not even perform nor did it out-perform our old WRT54G model.
  
  RANGE – Before, about 75 feet Maximum; Now I’m picking up Signal’s at 300 ft away!
  
  That’s CRAZY! I used iStumbler to compare our Neighborhood Networks, before I could only pick up 2 at the most, now I’m showing a Cool Baker’s Dozen!

  * Print without wires – Have not used the USB port for our Canon MX-860, because we are all using BlueTooth. We simply love BT … it Rocks!

  * Share your hard drive – We are planning to share an external USB hard drive over our wireless and wired networks, later this month. I will Update this part of the Review later.

  Strong security and access controls – It offers a built-in firewall and supports industry-standard encryption technologies including WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit WEP, to prevent unauthorized intrusion into your wireless network.
  
  - The AirPort Utility (Mac & Windows) makes it dead simple to make any changes or tweaks to your Security or Performance Controls.

  Con’s –

  * Does Not use `a Web-based Access Control’, as most other Router Manufacturer’s. Our Old Linksys Router was completely accessible from any PC AND use a third-party firmware, such as DD-WRT or Tomato, which worked well for creating `router setting tweaks’, but only if your Router Model offered enough RAM and flash memory.
  
  Point: Lacking this feature might be a deal-breaker for some people, but it hasn’t been for us.
  
  * I will Update this Review in 6 months, but so far it has performed flawlessly and it’s the end of October 09. Stay Tuned.
• 

  Terry L. Mieger
  November 30th, 2010 on 5:23 pm

  Rating

  I had wrestled with other wireless routers for years the last being a D-link Now my 4th is this Apple. I have a mixed network of wired and wireless, 2 Macs, Apple TV, a Ruko, and 2 PCs. It took less than 5 min. to network each Mac, Ruko and the Apple TV. The PCs took about 6 min because Bonjour needed to loaded. Even my Asus netbook was simple. I could not believe how easy and now I have a 2 band (both bands are used by the Apple products) encrypted, 2 network system running at > 300 mbits instead of 54. It increased the reliability of the cable internet but not its speed (most cable internet is very fast but not that fast. What it does do is increase my transfer speed of photos and music between computers . I was almost disappointed I did not get to fiddle with the system just a little more. Took me five minutes this morning to add a USB hard drive. I think next I’ll ad a hub and a printer or maybe more hard drives – nice choices
• 

  H. Wu
  December 1st, 2010 on 12:34 am

  Rating

  This product replaces a series of D-Link routers. While those worked, every one of them (most recent a MIMO Super-G model) was unstable and finicky. The latest would “forget” it’s settings and have to be rebooted at least once a week, and sometimes even a couple of times a day. The last time, it even forgot how to access the web as a DHCP v. PPPoE connection, so a reboot alone did not help – we had to set up the whole thing again from scratch. D-Link support was not much help and never could explain the instability – we even tried surge suppressors and filtered power supplies.

  Since we are a Mac household (24″ iMac and two MacBooks), we bit the bullet to spend extra money for this Apple router. Best decision we could have made – who cares if it cost more if the product does everything you want and does it well?

  The router arrived 48 hours after the order was placed. From the moment we opened the box to the time we were on the web, less than fifteen minutes. Most of that time was just moving Ethernet cables from the old box to the Apple. The setup utility at first transferred the old D-Link settings to the Airport, but that did not work. So we just started again from scratch, and about a minute later after a reboot, we were off to the races.

  It has been about a week. No crashes, no reboots, one service suspension in order to download/install a firmware upgrade (all of 2 minutes). Faster than before, and the extra Guest network is a real plus. Stronger signal than before too – five bars all over the house when compared to two at best in the further reaches with the D-Link.

  The USB 2.0 connection to our HP networked color laser worked perfectly – we found the printer and it was on the network in seconds via Bonjour. We’ll probably get a hub and attach a network hard drive at some point, fully confident it will work like a charm.

  We got what we paid for, and would do it again without a second of hesitation. Bulletproof. Highest recommendation.
• 

  albertus
  December 1st, 2010 on 12:04 pm

  Rating

  Compared to an old D-Link DI-524 Wireless 54 Mbps High Speed Router (802.11g), this Apple product is more stable. I have yet to experience disconnects with the wireless connections even if the devices connected are downloading large files.

  There seems to be an improvement in download speeds even from wireless devices. Not sure what caused the old router to not be as fast as this new one when the Internet connection (a DSL connection) is not any faster than regular Ethernet. Using speedtest.net, I get pretty much the full throughput of my DSL link unlike with the D-Link.

  Printing through this router is functional and good. My PCs and Macs work well with the printer, an HP Photosmart D7360 Printer, although I seem unable to query the ink levels as I could when the printer was connected directly to the Mac via USB.

  One annoyance is that whenever you change a setting, you need to reboot the router.