Networking with AirPort Extreme Base Station for Mac Computers, PCs, Apple TV, iPhone and iPod Touch

AirPort Extreme works with Mac computers, PCs, Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch and virtually all 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi wireless devices, all at the same time. The simultaneous dual-band wireless base station supports 802.11b/g and 802.11n. It works simultaneously on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands for maximum range and compatibility, allowing all the devices on the network to use the most efficient band automatically. The latest 802.11n wireless technology let you enjoy up to five times the Wi-Fi performance and up to twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks. Its improved antenna design give you up to 50% better performance and up to 25% better range than with the previous-generations of AirPort Extreme Base Station (M8930LL/A, M8799LL/A, M9397LL/A, MA073LL/A, MB053LL/A, and MB763LL/A).

Wireless Networking

Connect your DSL or cable modem to the AirPort Extreme, and set it up with the easy-to-use AirPort Utility, which is included for both Mac OS X and Windows. Then you and up to 50 others can use your Mac computers or PCs to surf the web, stream video, share photos, and more, without wires.

Security Measures

AirPort Extreme takes strong measures to prevent unauthorized intrusion into your wireless network. It offers a built-in firewall and supports industry-standard encryption technologies including WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit WEP. However, it is still easy for authorized users to connect to the base station via simple setup utility and powerful access controls.

Wireless Printing

Connect a compatible printer to the USB port on the AirPort Extreme, and the printer instantly becomes available to all Mac computers and PCs on your wireless or wired network.

Hard Drive Sharing

You can share an external hard drive over your wireless and wired networks by connecting it to the USB port on your AirPort Extreme.

Guest Networking

You can set up a separate Wi-Fi network with a separate password for your visitors by enabling the guest networking feature. Your guests can use the internet but can’t access other parts of your private network, such as your computers, printers, and attached hard drives.

Dimensions and Weight

Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches (L x W x H) and Weight: 1.66 pounds.

Air Mount

Air Mount lets you mount your AirPort Extreme on the wall, the ceiling, or virtually any vertical or horizontal surface providing maximum clearance for superior range and speed. Built of precision-designed, injection-molded clear acrylic, Air Mount is sturdy yet unobtrusive. Its slotted grips and hidden stops effortlessly yet firmly hold your AirPort Extreme in place.

AirPort Cards

An AirPort Card is a wireless card used to connect to wireless networks provided by your AirPort Extreme Base Station. The original model is AirPort 802.11b Card that allows users of AirPort-enabled Mac systems to exchange files or play multiplayer games at data transfer rates of up to 11 megabits per second (Mbps). The AirPort Extreme 802.11g cards correspond with the release of the AirPort Extreme Base Station, followed by the integrated AirPort Extreme 802.11a/b/g and /n cards, which allow to exchange files or play multiplayer games at data transfer rates of up to 54 Mbps. The cards provide a range up to 50 feet at 54 Mbps and up to 150 feet at 11 Mbps for AirPort Extreme-enabled computers.

AirPort Express Base Station is a simplified and compact AirPort Extreme Base Station. It allows up to 10 networked users, and includes a feature called AirTunes. The original version, M9470LL/A (802.11b/g Wi-Fi), released in 2004 is updated in 2008 to MB321LL/A (802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi) that features the faster 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, and operates in either of the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz bands. Both versions allow you to extend the range of a network, or to join a dedicated printer and audio server.

Time Capsule is a version of Airport Extreme Base Station with a built-in hard-drive currently coming in either 1 TB or 2 TB sizes, with a previous version having 500 GB. It features a built-in design that is used with Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard to automatically make incremental data backups. Time Capsule is therefore acting as a wireless file server that can back up multiple Mac computers. It also includes all AirPort Extreme with simultaneous dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi functionality.

AirPlay

AirPlay (previously called AirTunes) allows an AirPort-enabled computer with the iTunes music player to send a stream of music to multiple stereos connected to an AirPort Express, Apple TV, or other compatible iOS devices.