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Within minutes you'll be surfing the web and accessing data wirelessly.The only setback is the relative sensitivity of the Airport system. Apple makes cool stuff, no doubt about it. But one of their coolest products is the Airport Extreme system of wireless internet.Using the Airport Extreme Base Station, in addition to an Airport Extreme reception card in your computer, you can move all around your home or office without the messy clutter of ethernet cables or connection equipment.Setup is a snap using the included instructions. It doesn't like being near other computer components or going through walls. But, when push comes to shove, the unit does its job.
Ease of use makes this the best choice for mac users.
Apple Airport Base Stations have a history of overheating and ruining the electronics inside. Get a Linksys or Netgear 802.11b router for $40 or so, and you'll be just as happy. DSL/cable bandwidth is typically about one-fifth of the 802.11g bandwidth.
Fortunately, I found at least two online businesses devoted to repair of base stations, or else buying unrecoverable units at salvage prices.Apple Airport Base Stations are often than twice the price of equivalent devices from other manufacturers. A faster router helps multiple computers on your local network communicate with each other (for instance, if you host multiplayer computer game parties), but connecting to the outside world doesn't improve. I lost a ABS "snow" unit this way.
So you aren't going to surf the net faster. The features of the Apple product do not justify such a huge disparity in price. You're just paying for the brand name.Also, think twice before investing in a 802.11g wireless router, because if you use it for Internet via broadband like DSL or cablemodem, you are limited by the bandwidth of the slowest part of the system.
Of course, if you don't have broadband and your router connects via modem, the bottleneck is even worse.Given Apple's track record of poor quality, premium prices, and dubious benefit of the "extreme" model, I do not recommend buying this product. That's what I did, and I'm sending my ABS 'snow' unit in for salvage.
Check Apple's website for direct compatibility between your computer and the two different cards. And then I was home over Thanksgiving and tried my father's - it was incredible. It didn't seem like it was that big of a deal, to be able to work anywhere in the house on a laptop. I'd exercise extreme caution, since if you go with Apple products it will be covered with tech support, even if it's more expensive. A warning - you should make sure your airport network is password protected, especially if you get the antenna. I can't attest to the validity of this, but it might be worth looking into.
Even if you only have a desktop computer it's worth it - you can to put the computer in a place where there's no internet plug, without the 40 foot cord draping your wall to connect it. Whether it's browsing amazon.com late at night in bed, checking morning email in the kitchen while the kids run around, or being able to set up a writing desk anywhere in the house without worrying about an accessible internet port - the airport system is awesome. All in all, a wireless system may seem extravagant, but once you have one you'll wonder how you got by without it. The airport card, along with the base station, allows you to connect several computers, even ones that don't have wireless cards in them (i.e., we have two laptops on the wireless system, and then one iMac that doesn't have an airport card is plugged directly into the base station). The wireless revolution has seriously altered the way I work. My father's house, on the other hand, is over 5000 square feet and the base station is at a far end - you can't even get a signal on the other side of the house. However, he purchased the antenna and the signal is now very strong wherever you are.
The signal will be broadcast through half your neighborhood and if not protected, people can get on and use your airtime, clogging up your bandwidth.Make sure you get the right card. There's the airport extreme card and the regular airport card (I believe they are both compatible with either base station). I have a 2500 square foot house and the base station is at one end of it. So, soon after I had my own and I love it - I even ended up getting another one for my wife's laptop. They are different sizes and will only fit in the right kind of slot.
You can print, scan - anything - wirelessly, as long as those extra components are connected to the base station.If you have a big house and the base station won't be centrally located, you may want to look into the antenna. I can get access from anywhere in the house without the extra antenna, though in one or two places it's a weak signal. One final word - I've heard from others that certain products from Net Gear or other wireless manufacturers accomplish the same thing as the airport card and base station for much cheaper. And putting third party hardware in your computer will likely void the warranty on your computer.
The only downside is that from time to time it stops working and I need to unplug it and plug it back in again and then all is well. The airport base station looks cool and was very easy to set up. It sends out a strong signal. I have to do this once a week or once every two weeks. This is a weakness but I am still glad I have it.
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