Apple Officially Discontinues AirPort Wireless Router Lineup

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FineWine

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#233695 28-Apr-2018 11:20

So Disapointed:

Apple Officially Discontinues AirPort Wireless Router Lineup

Been using Apples' Airport Time Capsule and Airport Express set-up since 2007 (and updated in 2013) and never had any problems. Bought the Express in Aussie as our property there was all double brick walls, don't really need it here in NZ but use it anyway connected into my old Sony STR DB-790 amp for iTunes of the iMac. Of course the Time Capsule is just brilliant for Plug-&-Play & Forget Time Machine backup device.

There really is no decent third party router with built-in hard drive so that ease of use back-up ability is gone. They have missed the chance to seamlessly connect their Apple TV & new the HomePod (and everything they want to develop this into re home automation) together using WiFi for the internet streaming and AirPlay to again seamlessly connect your other Apple products (iPhone, iPad, iMac & MacBook) and of course using the latest in Mesh multi node, MIMO & MU-MIMO technology.

I think this decision is very short sighted. For a company who wants to be all things in your home ecosystem where everything just connects together seamlessly externally & internally in your home and just works, then dropping this product makes no sense.

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

Aredwood

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#2003986 28-Apr-2018 11:40

My understanding is that it never had VLAN tagging support. Meaning that it was difficult to use with NZ UFB connections.

tdgeek

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#2003993 28-Apr-2018 11:46

It has very few settings. Its super reliable. Wifi seems very good. My AEBS is downstairs, on one side of the house, about the middle. Wifi goes everywhere upstairs. (283 sqm, 5BR)

Our ONT is in the garage, with the 659B, and connected AEBS to the ethernet port in a living room

I dont recall ever touching it since I set it up a few years ago.

KiwiSurfer

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#2004037 28-Apr-2018 12:02

Perhaps they felt they were better off leaving wireless infrastructure to other more competent vendors. I use Ubiquiti's Unifi APs (along with an EdgeRouter) and they work great for us. Agree though it does mean less opportunities for Apple to add value by providing a central hub for backup, streaming, and things like that. Though Apple does a pretty good job at device-to-device connections (e.g. AirPlay is a godsent) so perhaps Apple are trying to avoid relying on central hub-type devices and focusing instead on getting devices to talk to each other over whatever networks is available locally.

alasta

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#2004065 28-Apr-2018 13:26

Aredwood: My understanding is that it never had VLAN tagging support. Meaning that it was difficult to use with NZ UFB connections.

This.

Currently I am using a 4G fixed wireless solution and the Wifi on the Huawei B315 is hopeless - it just jams up all the time. So, I have an AirPort Extreme connected to it as a wireless access point and it works perfectly. Unfortunately when I move to an area with UFB next year the VLAN tagging will render it redundant.

Yes, I know, I could let the ISP's UFB modem take care of the VLAN tagging and continue to use the AirPort Extreme as an access point, but it just seems more messy than it really needs to be.

DjShadow

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#2004066 28-Apr-2018 13:27

I've got an Airport Extreme but like above had to stop using it due to lack of VLAN tagging on the WAN port.

antoniosk

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#2004096 28-Apr-2018 14:20

KiwiSurfer:

Perhaps they felt they were better off leaving wireless infrastructure to other more competent vendors. I use Ubiquiti's Unifi APs (along with an EdgeRouter) and they work great for us. Agree though it does mean less opportunities for Apple to add value by providing a central hub for backup, streaming, and things like that. Though Apple does a pretty good job at device-to-device connections (e.g. AirPlay is a godsent) so perhaps Apple are trying to avoid relying on central hub-type devices and focusing instead on getting devices to talk to each other over whatever networks is available locally.

The self-support market that GKZ attracts is absolutely tiny compared to the mass market, who uses whatever they can. ISPs moved to 'manageable' routers for non-business customers a few years ago - those wonderful wonderful HG659's people love so much they write about them on this board - meaning the market would have just shrunk, compared to when they started.

It is a shame they aren't going to develop more, especially when beauties like this - The Dlink Spider - are out there, but I guess the market has just shrunk.

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tdgeek

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#2004112 28-Apr-2018 14:30

alasta:

Aredwood: My understanding is that it never had VLAN tagging support. Meaning that it was difficult to use with NZ UFB connections.

This.

Currently I am using a 4G fixed wireless solution and the Wifi on the Huawei B315 is hopeless - it just jams up all the time. So, I have an AirPort Extreme connected to it as a wireless access point and it works perfectly. Unfortunately when I move to an area with UFB next year the VLAN tagging will render it redundant.

Yes, I know, I could let the ISP's UFB modem take care of the VLAN tagging and continue to use the AirPort Extreme as an access point, but it just seems more messy than it really needs to be.

Its not hard, thats what you have now. Bridge Mode, done. For fibre, many have the ONT in a garage or cabinet, where its not good for wifi, so they attach whatever router they prefer elsewhere. My AEBS gives me better wifi than the 659B, although the latter isnt bad. Its Apple, I have Apple gear, so made sense. As I said, Ive never touched it since I set it up. Those with wider/geek needs will want more.

Crowdie

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#2004161 28-Apr-2018 16:14

Apple signed deals with enterprise wireless vendors like Aerohive and Cisco and just got out of the consumer market where it is extremely difficult to sell a product up to Apple's high standards due to price constraints.

Behodar

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#2004184 28-Apr-2018 17:11

I'm still using an older one of these; I've held off upgrading because I was waiting for a model with VLAN tagging (current ISP doesn't need it, but it's good to have the flexibility) and IPv6 over PPPoE. Pity those didn't happen.

The next question is what to replace it with...

gehenna

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#2004237 28-Apr-2018 19:27

I've been very pleased with my AirPort Extreme over the last couple of years. I'll wait for this one to die and then move to something like Ubiquity I expect.

KiwiSurfer

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#2004287 28-Apr-2018 20:28

antoniosk:

It is a shame they aren't going to develop more, especially when beauties like this - The Dlink Spider - are out there, but I guess the market has just shrunk.

Are these fancy consumer ones really any good? Neighbor has one of these (or at least similar—it had heaps of these sort of antennas and looked like it came out of Star Trek) and the coverage from that is so poor it doesn't extend out of their small house to the sleepout directly behind their house. I took pity on the elderly lady occupant of the sleepout and set up her devices to connect to our Unifi network which provides better coverage in her sleepout than the much closer (and very expensive!) Star Treeky router in their main house...

I think you're right the market has shrunk. Generally either the RSP provided one is good enough or you need to upgrade up to a multiple-AP configuration that can only really be done properly using gear from Unifi, Ruckus, and the like. For some reason D-Link, Netgear, etc seem to focus on the market of households that only want one AP replacing the RSP provided one which is the wrong market to focus on IMHO.

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froob

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#2004829 30-Apr-2018 08:04

FineWine:
There really is no decent third party router with built-in hard drive so that ease of use back-up ability is gone.

Synology’s router has Time Machine support, although no internal hard drive.

I do wonder how well the Time Machine software for backups over a network will be maintained in OS X, with no Apple first party solution.

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antoniosk

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#2004888 30-Apr-2018 09:58

KiwiSurfer:

antoniosk:

It is a shame they aren't going to develop more, especially when beauties like this - The Dlink Spider - are out there, but I guess the market has just shrunk.

Are these fancy consumer ones really any good? Neighbor has one of these (or at least similar—it had heaps of these sort of antennas and looked like it came out of Star Trek) and the coverage from that is so poor it doesn't extend out of their small house to the sleepout directly behind their house. I took pity on the elderly lady occupant of the sleepout and set up her devices to connect to our Unifi network which provides better coverage in her sleepout than the much closer (and very expensive!) Star Treeky router in their main house...

I think you're right the market has shrunk. Generally either the RSP provided one is good enough or you need to upgrade up to a multiple-AP configuration that can only really be done properly using gear from Unifi, Ruckus, and the like. For some reason D-Link, Netgear, etc seem to focus on the market of households that only want one AP replacing the RSP provided one which is the wrong market to focus on IMHO.

Sorry... I keep forgetting it's hard to relay sarcasm in a post. That DLINK is one of the worst looking pieces of consumer kit I have ever seen. It will probably have a horrible power brick with 3-pin wiring and flaps, taking up space across 2 power points. and so on.

Perhaps in the early days of WIFI it might have been adequate, but it's 2018 and everytime Apple or similar exits a market, the bland and pathetic re-emerge offering average function over form. My kit is mostly clean where it's placed, and aesthetics do matter.

To be fair, Apple DID abandon development of this market to others, and not being able to support VLAN1-16 configs is terrible as it was signalled for a LONG time. I doubt it would have been that hard but there you go.

________

Antoniosk