Apple discontinued developing its lineup of wireless routers in 2016, but as of 2023[update] continues limited hardware and software support.[1]
History
The first AirPort Extreme was announced at the MacWorld expo in San Francisco on January 7, 2003.[2] It featured 802.11g wireless technology for the first time in an AirPort base station.
The name "AirPort Extreme" originally referred to any one of Apple's AirPort products that implemented the (then) newly introduced 802.11g Wi-Fi standard, differentiating it from earlier devices that ran the slower 802.11a and b standards. At that time (circa 2003) the gateway part of this lineup was known as the AirPort Extreme Base Station. With the addition of the even faster Draft-N standards in early 2009 the naming of "Base Station" was dropped, and was renamed to AirPort Extreme. Several minor upgrades followed with the wireless-N models, mostly to change antenna and wireless output power. In 2013, a major upgrade changed the physical structure of the device, added 802.11ac support, and added more antennas.
The AirPort Extreme has gone through three distinct physical forms. The earliest models had a similar plastic housing to the original AirPort Base Station, in a round "flying saucer" shape. From 2007 to 2013, the devices took on a flat rounded rectangle shape, similar in layout and size to the Mac mini or early models of the Apple TV. The 2013 model had a more vertical form, taller than it was wide.
Discontinuation
In approximately 2016, Apple disbanded the wireless router team that developed the AirPort Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme router.[3] In 2018, Apple formally discontinued both products, exiting the router market.[4] Bloomberg News noted that "Apple rarely discontinues product categories"[4] and that its decision to leave the business was "a boon for other wireless router makers."[3]
Runs VxWorks Operating System by WindRiver or a customized version of NetBSD.[6]
AirPort Disk
The AirPort Disk feature allows users to plug a USB hard drive into the AirPort Extreme for use as a network-attached storage (NAS) device for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows clients.[7] Users may also connect a USB hub and printer. The performance of USB hard drives attached to an AirPort Extreme is slower than if the drive were connected directly to a computer. This is due to the processor speed on the AirPort Extreme. Depending on the setup and types of reads and writes, performance ranges from 0.5 to 17.5MB/s for writing and 1.9 to 25.6MB/s for reading.[8] Performance for the same disk connected directly to a computer would be 6.6 to 31.6MB/s for writing and 7.1 to 37.2MB/s for reading. NTFS-formatted drives are not supported.
Models by generation
Original generation (2003)
First three AirPort Base Station models, including the AirPort Extreme to the right (Called AirMac Extreme in Japan).
The original AirPort Extreme Base Station in 2003 was so named because of its support for the 802.11g standard of the day, as well as for its ability to serve up to 50 Macs or PCs simultaneously.[9] One feature found in most models of this generation was an internal 56K dial-up modem, allowing homes that lacked a broadband connection to enjoy wireless connectivity, albeit at dial-up speeds.[10] It was the last generation to retain the "flying saucer" form factor. Later generations would adopt the short, rounded-square form factor that would be seen until 2013.
1st generation
On January 9, 2007 the AirPort Extreme began shipping, with support for 802.11n draft specification, and built-in wireless print and storage server.
2nd generation
On March 19, 2008, Apple released a firmware update for both models of the AirPort Extreme that, according to third-party reports, allowed AirPort Disks to be used in conjunction with Time Machine, similar to the functionality provided by AirPort Time Capsule.[11][12]
3rd generation
On March 3, 2009, Apple unveiled a new AirPort Extreme with simultaneous dual-band 802.11 Draft-N radios. This allowed full 802.11 Draft-N 2x2 communication in both 802.11 Draft-N bands at the same time.
4th generation
On October 20, 2009, Apple unveiled an updated AirPort Extreme with antenna improvements.
5th generation
On June 21, 2011, Apple unveiled an updated AirPort Extreme, referred to as AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Generation).
The detailed table of output power comparison between the 4th generation model MC340LL/A and the 5th generation model MD031LL/A can be seen below:[13][14]
Frequency range (MHz)
Mode
AirPort Extreme model
Output power (dBm)
Output power (mW)
Comparison (percent)
Difference (percent)
2412–2462
802.11b
4th generation
24.57
286.42
100
-10.3
5th generation
24.10
257.04
89.7
802.11g
4th generation
21.56
143.22
100
+114.8
5th generation
24.88
307.61
214.8
802.11n HT20
4th generation
21.17
130.92
100
+96.8
5th generation
24.11
257.63
196.8
5745–5825
802.11a
4th generation
23.07
202.77
100
+61.1
5th generation
25.14
326.59
161.1
5745–5805
802.11n HT20
4th generation
22.17
164.82
100
+104.6
5th generation
25.28
337.29
204.6
5755–5795
802.11n HT40
4th generation
21.44
139.32
100
+181.8
5th generation
25.94
392.64
281.8
Note: A 3dB increase is equivalent to a doubling of power output.
6th generation
On June 10, 2013, Apple unveiled an updated AirPort Extreme, referred to as AirPort Extreme 802.11ac (6th Generation). The 6th generation AirPort Extreme (and 5th generation AirPort Time Capsule) featured three-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology with a maximum data rate of 1.3Gbit/s, which is nearly three times faster than 802.11n. Time Machine was now supported using an external USB hard drive connected to AirPort Extreme (802.11ac model only).[15]
*802.11n draft-specification support in 1st- to 3rd-generation models. **802.11ac draft-specification support in 6th-generation model. ***All models support IPv6 tunnel mode. ****Supported by Apple.[15]
Discontinuation and support
According to a Bloomberg report on November 21, 2016, "Apple Inc. has disbanded its division that develops wireless routers, another move to try to sharpen the company’s focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of its revenue, according to people familiar with the matter."[3]
In an April 2018 statement to 9to5Mac,[17] Apple announced the discontinuation of its AirPort line, effectively leaving the consumer router market. Apple continued supporting the AirPort Extreme.[1][18]
IEEE 802.11 is part of the IEEE 802 set of local area network (LAN) technical standards, and specifies the set of medium access control (MAC) and physical layer (PHY) protocols for implementing wireless local area network (WLAN) computer communication. The standard and amendments provide the basis for wireless network products using the Wi-Fi brand and are the world's most widely used wireless computer networking standards. IEEE 802.11 is used in most home and office networks to allow laptops, printers, smartphones, and other devices to communicate with each other and access the Internet without connecting wires. IEEE 802.11 is also a basis for vehicle-based communication networks with IEEE 802.11p.
AirPort is a discontinued line of wireless routers and network cards developed by Apple Inc. using Wi-Fi protocols. In Japan, the line of products was marketed under the brand AirMac due to previous registration by I-O Data.
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