How To Use Airport Utility

Apple started selling AirPort devices back in 1999, when information technology did so, Wi-Fi was in its infancy, and the ability to connect over a wireless network was a big deal. Merely times change, and in contempo years, everyone we have spoken too had e'er been a bit dislocated almost what Apple's AirPort devices did, and what the point of an Drome Base Station was. Later all, these days most internet providers volition give you a modem that does everything you need, why would you want to buy an extra product from Apple tree.

Well, it seems that Apple tree has decided at that place is no longer whatsoever reason to go on making it's AirPort devices. On 16 Apr 2018, about xx years after the outset Airport device launched, the company announced that it is discontinuing its Airport routers.

This news didn't come up as a big surprise, back in November 2016, a Bloomberg report claimed that: "Apple Inc. has disbanded its division that develops wireless routers, another motion to try to sharpen the company'due south focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of its revenue, according to people familiar with the matter."

When stocks run out you lot won't exist able to purchase an Airport Express, Airport Extreme, or an Airdrome Fourth dimension Capsule Wi-Fi router.

If you do already own an Drome product, this doesn't hateful Apple tree is abandoning you, yet. The company has confirmed that it will continue to provide hardware and software support, and that it will help customers obtain required parts for for the next 5 years, at least for the current generation models – which were last updated in 2013.

What was the point of Apple tree AirPort?

Apple made a range of AirPort devices, known as Base of operations Stations (now discontinued). These were essentially Wi-Fi routers: the Drome Express, Farthermost and Time Sheathing.

1 question we were frequently asked was: "What is the betoken of buying an Apple tree Aerodrome Base Station when you already have a router in your abode?"

Others were puzzled past the deviation between the AirPort Express and Extreme, and whether any of the Apple prodicts were tangibly better than the router supplied by your ISP.

Another question was, "What is the difference between Airport and Wi-Fi?"

All of these questions are still valid for as long as you can still buy an AirPort router, and so althought we wrote this feature prior to Apple discontinuing the AirPort, we have updated information technology and will nonetheless address these questions below.

What is Apple Airdrome?

AirPort is still Apple's brand proper name it uses for its Wi-Fi networking products using the regular 802.11b, g, n and ac standards. Apple started using the name Airport style dorsum in 1999. If you hear the word Airdrome mentioned in conjunction with Apple it'southward essentially referring to Wi-Fi products and protocols.

All Macs currently on sale are capable to linking wirelessly via AirPort to Wi-Fi networks, Wi-Fi printers (here yous might hear the term AirPrint), and other Macs, iPhones, iPads and Apple products. Read definitions of more Apple-related tech terms in our Apple users' tech jargon dictionary.

What AirPort networking products did Apple make?

There were a number of Drome gadgets yous could buy from Apple, they may still be bachelor for some time, Apple has said it will continue selling them "until stocks run out":

Drome Express is a lightweight router designed for music sharing.
AirPort Extreme is a more than powerful router with additional ports and features.
Fourth dimension Capsule is substantially an Airport Extreme with a built-in hard bulldoze for wireless file sharing and Time Machine backup. Read: How to fix upward a Time Capsule.

Nosotros will look at each below.

Aerodrome Express

The Drome Limited was originally introduced by Apple equally a fashion of streaming your music from iTunes on your Mac to a Howdy-Fi (initially this ability was referred to every bit AirTunes, then AirPlay). If you accept more than one AirPort Express continued to speakers, you can play your music from iTunes on all of your speakers at the same fourth dimension.

It'due south a minor device, with the same footprint as an Apple tree Television receiver, and information technology creates a Wi-Fi network. The unit features the 802.11n dual band antenna. AirPort Express even so lacks the newer 802.11ac network as information technology hasn't been updated by Apple for some years now.

You can use the Aerodrome Express to print wirelessly – just plug the printer into the USB port on the dorsum of the AirPort Express and turn your printer in to a wireless printer. Read more than about adding wireless printing to a network printer here.

However, while information technology features AirPrint, so you can adhere a printer it lacks AirDisk. And so y'all can't use the Airdrome Limited for wireless backups.

It also simply has two Ethernet connections on the rear (and they are 100base-T rather than the new Gigabit Ethernet).

It does take a unique feature, however. The presence of pocket-size 3.5mm mini jack socket that enables yous to connect the Airdrome Extreme to a music system. This audio jack enables you lot to connect a speaker to the Aerodrome Extreme and use it equally an AirPlay speaker (so you tin bounce music to it from any device).

Airport Limited tin can also be used as a Wireless Admission Point for upwardly to l networked users.

Other than that, you lot might use an AirPort Express to extend your wireless networks to parts of a business firm with weak signals. However there have been complaints of connections being throttled downwardly by the Express. Read our AirPort Express review here.

The current model was from 2012. Information technology doesn't even offering 802.11ac.

Aerodrome Limited – £99, buy ane in the Uk here.

Airdrome Limited – $99, purchase ane in the US here.

AirPort Extreme

The AirPort Extreme offers a stride up from the AirPort Express with 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, so you tin can expect faster Wi-Fi and a stronger, clearer indicate.

The reason for the alpine design is that the antennas are placed at the superlative – giving information technology a higher platform for dispersing the signal. Inside are six dissimilar antennae, offer dual-band wireless networks with support for all bands.

It likewise sports an internal power supply, then there is no demand for a clunky external power unit.

Similar the Express you can use the Extreme to make your printer wireless, and besides to share a difficult drive, essentially turning any difficult bulldoze into a network attached storage device (or NAS).

Dorsum when nosotros tested information technology, the Farthermost recorded i of the fastest meridian 802.11ac speeds nosotros'd seen (at the time), breaking all records at 706 Mbps (megabits per second), before settling down for a notwithstanding-impressive average of 578 Mbps at short range, and 540Mbps at the longer 10m distance. We recorded reasonable transfer speeds on 802.11n, likewise, with an average 105Mbps at long range.

Withal, in the years since the production launched in that location have been complaints of the Drome Extreme overheating and sometimes losing signal. Read our Airport Extreme review hither.

The current model hasn't been updated since 2013.

Airdrome Extreme – £199, buy one here.

Airdrome Extreme – $199, buy 1 hither.

For the lowdown on the unlike routers you tin can purchase for your Mac read: Best Mac router

AirPort Time Capsule

Apple's Time Capsule is essentially an AirPort Extreme wireless router with a congenital-in hard drive. Information technology offers the same functionality of the Aerodrome Farthermost, but, in addition, makes it easy to back up a Mac using Apple's Time Auto software.

This means yous can support your whole system regularly wirelessly, so you lot never demand to plug in a hard drive or other storage device.

If you're thinking of buying a AirPort Extreme, it may be worth considering paying the extra to add the 2TB of storage and extra functionality of the Time Machine.

At that place's a 2TB and a 3TB version. Read our Airdrome Time Capsule review here.

The current model was released in 2013.

Fourth dimension Sheathing – £299 or £399, purchase i here,

Time Capsule – $299 or $399, buy 1 here

How to set upwardly a Time Capsule
How to transfer a Time Motorcar backup
How to restore a Mac with Fourth dimension Machine

What is the difference betwixt Airport Limited and Airdrome Extreme?

The Airdrome Limited Base Station is designed to add a few Apple features to your electric current network. If you attach an AirPort Limited to your electric current network your router gets Apple tree-like capability. I unique feature is AirPlay audio support: the AirPort Express Base Station has a built in 3.5mm mini jack socket for outputting audio. You hook information technology up straight to your speaker organisation and tin can output music straight from a iOS device.

The Airport Express can as well exist continued to a printer and this enables you to use AirPrint with whatsoever printer (so you can print from an iOS device).

The AirPort Extreme does not have the 3.5mm mini jack socket, so it cannot be used to plough a speaker into an AirPlay speaker. This is a shame equally everything else it does slightly improve than the Drome Limited device.

The AirPort Extreme Base Station has faster information throughput and includes the new 802.11ac standard, and you tin attach an external hard bulldoze to it for wireless Network Attached Storage (NAS). It likewise has 4 gigabit ethernet ports so you tin can create a wired network with information technology that has fast data rates.

In general we run across the AirPort Extreme as the device to connect to your habitation network if you desire to boost your wireless network; and the Aerodrome Limited is useful for extending a wireless network or adding AirPrint to a printer; or AirPlay to your stereo organisation.

Can I replace my modem with an AirPort Extreme?

One of the quirks about Apple's Airport Base Stations is that they are routers, simply not modems. As a quick refresher: a router enables you to create a network that connects various devices together (Macs, iPhones, iPads, hard drives, printers and so on); whereas a modem connects your network to the wider cyberspace. What you generally think of equally your router (the box supplied by your ISP – Net Service Provider) is probably a combined router and modem.

So while the AirPort Farthermost enables you lot to claw all your items together, you'll still need a modem to connect to the Cyberspace. Typically most Internet service provider supply you with a combination modem/router when you lot sign up. These combination devices are frequently referred to equally "hubs" then you lot get the Virgin Media Hub or the BT Broadband Hub, and they create a wired and wireless network along with connecting to the Cyberspace.

Apple tree's AirPort Base of operations Stations can augment (or replace) the router part of that device, but cannot replace the modem function. So you lot still demand to go on your ISP hub. The idea is that you lot connect the Drome device to your current modem and either turn off the router part of your hub, or have both routers working together (in result having two wireless networks).

In office environments the state of affairs is somewhat different, in that you may have a wired network in place only no wireless system. In this case attaching an Drome Extreme router to the network enables you lot to set upwards a wireless network.

Apple tree'southward base stations offer a pick of features you don't get on your average wireless router or modem:

Drome Extreme and the Time Capsule offer 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi. The latest standard in wireless networking compatible with Macs and MacBooks released after June 2013.
Dual antennae. Both the Airdrome Fourth dimension Capsule and AirPort Extreme feature dual internal antennas and then they tin produce both a ii.4GHz and 5GHz wireless network.
AirPrint. You tin can attach a printer to the base station and print wirelessly from a Mac or iOS device.
AirDisk. Yous can attach an external difficult drive and use to share and access files wirelessly. The Time Capsule as well has a drive built in so you can backup files direct.
Aerodrome Utility. You can set up, manage and update your wireless router using Apple tree's AirPort Utility for Mac Os X and iOS devices. The iPhone and iPad app is specially great for anyone who has used the clunky spider web-based interfaces offered by nearly modems routers.

Setting upward an AirPort Base Station with Apple Aerodrome Utility

Information technology'south also worth noting that Apple provides apps to work with the AirPort devices. You can manage your networks with Aerodrome Utility for both Mac Bone X and iOS. AirPort Utility is a far more friendly interface than any of the web-based interfaces we've seen provided with other routers.

Then, is it worth buying an Apple Aerodrome Base Station?

It'due south a good question and tin can only exist truly answered past looking at how expert the hub is supplied by your Internet service provider. It's worth noting that the AirPort Extreme and Time Sheathing are both first form routers and almost certainly better than the 1 you take in your house.

As well as offering the latest 802.11ac standard, both the Aerodrome Extreme and Time Capsule have dual antennas inside and so can produce both a 2.4GHz and 5Ghz wireless network (effectively y'all get 2 home networks from the one device). Newer devices can connect to the 5GHz network while older ones stick with the 2.4GHz network. Well-nigh hubs simply operate in the slower two.4GHz network.

With the Apple AirPort device you too get access to AirPrint and with the AirPort Farthermost or Time Sheathing you get access to an external bulldoze (the Time Capsule has a drive built in, the AirPort Extreme enables you to admission a USB bulldoze continued to the device). With both of these you can backup your Macs wirelessly. You can connect the Drome Express to your music system and beam music wirelessly using AirPlay.

These are great features to have alongside your electric current dwelling network. In essence: an AirPort base station augments your current network with a layer of Apple services, and provides you with a much better wireless system.

Just equally for whether it'southward worth buying one, now that Apple tree no longer makes them, probably not…