Good point, @alvarnell. Before searching for a new router I compiled all our requirements (e.g., none of our 2019 Macs are 802.11ax and we don’t plan to get any new Macs, we have only 200 Mbps Internet service, our house is relatively small, we don’t have any smart home automation devices, etc.). With this in hand I evaluated the different router systems and found one that met our needs. As is so often said, your mileage may differ.
BTW, I have used the Mac app ‘NetSpot Home’ several times to map the Wi-Fi signal strength throughout my home. The free version is somewhat limited, you can get survey data for only 5 access points (networks), but it gives you lots of info and a pretty good idea of dead spots/signal strength to help diagnose problems. Since I have 3 mesh routers and each carries 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, I was able to map only 5 of the 6 signals but it gave me a good idea of what I had.
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I bought the last airport extreme when end-of-life was announced. I wanted to future proof myself as much as possible with Apple routers, which I think might be more secure than other consumer grade routers. I have a 2012 model MacBook Pro running Catalina connecting just fine to my airport routers, including an older one that I still use for Time Machine. I have a very small house so that helps.
Same here. My impression over the years has been that AirPort Extremes are really high-quality devices that perform far better than any competition. No regular resets required, no funny business. Just long-lasting reliable operations. I won’t move away from them before they are physically dead (I don’t need more than 1 Gbps at home).
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I missed the boat when the extremes were available. I am using 3 expresses throughout the house to push the signal to farthest location. I am reluctant to buy a used/refurbished extreme. Any thoughts on that? Thanks.
That’s a bit of a risky business. In the end you have to rely on the reseller. I did find one or two offers on Amazon for refurbs of the latest generation AP Extreme (6th gen, 802.11ac, 1.3 Gbps). Note these are not Apple refurbs, they’re Amazon’s resellers’. But that said, Amazon is very good about their return policy. So at ~$110 I’d probably take my chances (make sure to check all the alternate offers too). If everything works well you have a great router to use for many years. And if you don’t like what you got or it’s flakey, just return it within 90 days for a full refund.
I’ve never had to use more than one AirPort Express when I owned my large 2500 sq ft house. I just put it halfway between the two furthest rooms. Since I moved and downsized to a 1700 sq ft house, I figure one AE would still work but my Internet & Cable TV provider provided a one piece Arris modem & router.
That means you are suffering from two limitations.
- Even if you have the latest Expresses sold after June 2012, they are only capable of 802.11a/b/g/n speed (up to 300Mbps).
- Having three of them probably cuts your actual speed to around 100Mbps or less.
It’s difficult to know whether one Extreme would be able to cover those furthest locations or not, since square footage and construction will be factors. The only way to know would be to try one.
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On the advice of a network guru bff, I bought a TP Link router. Those of you who bought Asus routers made a similar choice, because Asus rebrands TP Link hardware. Apparently this has been a successful partnership.
The particular router I bought in 2019 was the AX11000, a Tri-band router with two 5 GHz bands and one 2.4 GHz band. A typical router — 802.11ac or -ax, WiFi 5 or 6 — is a dual band router.
You pay more for such a router; but I’ve found that buying cheaper models has been self defeating. That’s why I bought Apple Airport routers consistently—I got tired of fussing with Netgear, Linksys, D-Link, et al. It’s why I bought a top end (consumer, not enterprise) TP Link router.
https://www.costco.com/tp-link-tri-band-12-stream-ax11000-wi-fi-6-router.product.100519717.html
If you go to TP Link web page, you can filter by Tri-band routers and find this and other models. And I believe Asus has analogous models.
P.S.
I have a modest 2000 sqft house. So one router fits my use case, so I don’t need a mesh system. Another commenter mentions NetSpot to map your network to spot weak points. That utility is available on Setapp: paying for one month can get you the full version to map out your network for mesh network decisions.
P.P.S.
Another device my network dude uses in his own house is this device, which incorporates a router and does security too. I’m considering.