A few of us talked with Dave after his presentation and he wasn’t away of Amplifi (as best I can remember of the discussion). Anyway, Amplifi is the consumer brand for Ubiquiti products. Basically they’ve taken their business products and put a very simplified app interface on them for use by consumers.
I was trying to find time to do a quick write up when I tripped over this review of the product line.
And I have a bit of a bias. I got them to send our local users group a mesh set to evaluate. We had 5 different people with Airports take it home and use it for 3 to 5 days each. All 5 plan to buy one as it worked so much better than their existing Airport setups.
Most of us who’ve tried it feel it is what Airports COULD have become if Apple had continued the line.
I replaced my system of 2 Airport Extreme routers connected by an Ethernet cable with 2 Amplifi routers connected by the same Ethernet cable last spring. The software allows you to configure this setup easily and the 2 Wifi devices provide a strong signal throughout my apartment with gigabit networking for any wired devices within the house. Note that Amplifi components are available separately so that the 2 router setup was actually cheaper than the standard router + 2 mesh point kit (I only need the one extender to get around the interference from the ) and bathroom pipes and appliances).
I replaced a network of multiple Airport devices with eero and couldn’t be happier. I live in a contemporary (brick, steel, and glass) 3 story home and eero provides much faster and stronger connectivity than Airport did.
And the final question. I am using a Time Capsule as my main WiFi base and then some expresses. I figure I can connect a drive to the Eero base and use that for a Time Machine for our portables (right). Can I transfer the old Time Machine info to a new drive? Is that something I would use Carbon Copy for, or is it a specialized function.
I am so used to doing things the old way. I never expected Apple to give up on the WiFi system, but after reading how good the new systems are, I can only hope they do not the old too quickly. I would hate for a company to fold and then have no iOS updated app to configure the system. Just found some old FireWire cables and iPod sync cables, so I know how fast things seem to change.
Probably. I know it can be done with many routers, but haven’t heard specifically about the Eero.
I have not heard from anybody who tried this being successful, so I suspect you’ll need to start from scratch. You should be able to plug the Time Capsule into the Eero and keep using that drive if starting over doesn’t work for you.
The Eero base stations do have a USB port, but you cannot connect a drive to them - they are a diagnostic port only. You’ll have to find another way to do network based time machine.
I’ve been pondering what to change to from the Airport Extremes I’ve been using for a long time. I’m glad this question was posted.
What does anyone think about routers from Peplink? Problem is with throughput unless you purchase more expensive units. What about what Michael Horowitz has to say about router and wireless security over at
Oh, kids are grown and out of the house, doing their thing. The better half and I are retiring soon and are downsizing. Currently use two Airport Extremes, one in bridge mode, both wired. Bridge unit handles IoT and has the 2.4 & 5 ghz split for a couple of devices that insist on using only 2.4ghz. The “Main” unit handles all the secure stuff.
I’m thinking of something that will become the Main unit. Sitting between the modem and the Airport Extremes and will be wired only and perhaps if its not to confusing utilize DD-WRT.
I have a similar set up with a drive connected to an AirPort Extreme. When I got the Eero, it didn’t fully support IPv6 yet, and I believe it didn’t support UPnP so it would break Back to My Mac. Since the AirPort was the more capable router except for wifi, I used it to handle everything except wifi. The Eero in bridge mode was responsible for only the wireless network.
For a short time, I did try using the Eero as the main router, but it sometimes caused problems with downloading updates from Apple. An old Apple TV reported there was an update available, but when I tried to actually install it, the process would fail immediately. Similarly, when I tried to update iTunes on a Mac, the download would fail, saying there was a problem with contacting the server.
Eero now supports both IPv6 (as of February) and UPnP. (I think it’s always supported UPnP; I know it has since I owned it two years ago.) I can’t comment on Back to My Mac, though, as I haven’t used it for a long time now and definitely haven’t tried since I owned Eero devices.
For anyone who is interested in an Eero set, some configurations (one beacon, one Eero and two beacons, or three Eero) are $50 off until 12/29.
I have followed this subject with interest. The fact that Apple is seemingly ready to abandon the Airport lineup is of concern. While some of the alternative options discussed (particularly Eero) are attractive, the issue for me is the fact that my Airport setups (in two locations) are performing well enough to meet our needs. At what point does one decide to give up on the Airport ecosystem and switch?
My AP Extreme setup still works just as great as it used to. It’s fast and it’s secure. I will move on when it breaks down or when Apple stops updating it so it remains secure. Or when something like Eero offers something I need that AP cannot do.
But I will not move away just now simply because Apple has lost interest and the pundits are telling us there’s a new thing we need to be part of.
Since everything is working well for you now, you probably shouldn’t switch. There are about three reasons I can think of to switch. First, one of your devices stops working and you cannot find a replacement. Second, there is some sort of security flaw that Apple doesn’t or cannot patch. Third, there is some sort of dramatic increase in wireless performance that the Airport doesn’t have the radios to be able to support. I can’t believe that two of these things are anywhere near imminent. There will probably be used airport devices for sale for quite a while to come, particularly as people like me replace them. I don’t think that there is any sort of major WiFi enhancement coming anytime soon.
Probably the biggest risk is that Apple will stop supplying needed firmware updates for a possible security flaw. I will say that there have been a number of security flaws in router products in the last few years and it’s been rare (if ever) that Airports are vulnerable. Still, it could happen, and Apple does have a tendency to stop supporting devices that they stop selling.
From what I am hearing, the Eero and other mesh networks seem to be faster and more reliable. People who try the newer networks seem happier with the change. Are there some people here who tried the newer WiFi systems and decided to go back to the AirPort? Just asking as my network seems to need an upgrade, but I want to check all the cables first to make sure they can hold the speed and are not Cat5 from the past.
Although, I am running UVerse and my local Mac repair shop said that it would be the factor limiting my speed, not anything else.
There is no question that Apple has already abandoned Airport development (announced) and sales (by observation).
I think Doug has outlined most of the more pertinent reasons as to when to abandon your setup. The only one I would add is if you significantly upgrade your ISP’s Internet service throughput. Improving you local network is often inefficient, especially if you only have one or two devices sharing it. Users who generate a lot of local network activity with shared network drives, printers, smart appliances, etc. would still find benefit.