AirPort Extreme (802.11ac)
A tall white tower with gigabit-class 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Overview
Apple introduced 802.11ac at WWDC 2013 along with the new MacBook Air, and the redesigned AirPort Extreme was its router. The flat square was replaced by a tall white tower that housed the antennas more effectively and kept the electronics cool.
Three-stream radios on both bands delivered up to 1.3 Gbit/s on 5 GHz with a compatible client. Beamforming focused the signal toward devices, a USB 2.0 port shared printers or a hard drive, and four Gigabit Ethernet ports handled the wired side.
AirPort Utility, available for Mac, Windows and iOS, simplified setup and guest network control. Although it was a fine router, Apple stopped updating the line, and in 2018 it confirmed that the AirPort products were being discontinued, ending a fifteen-year run.
Why it mattered
The final AirPort router, bringing 802.11ac to Apple's lineup before the division was dissolved.
At a glance
- Announced
- June 10, 2013
- Released
- June 10, 2013
- Discontinued
- April 26, 2018
- Launch price
- $199
- Status
- Vintage
Highlights
- 802.11ac up to 1.3 Gbit/s
- Simultaneous dual-band with beamforming
- Four Gigabit Ethernet ports
- USB 2.0 for printers and drives
- Tall tower design
Tech specs
Specifications as published at launch. Some values (like battery life) are manufacturer estimates.
Connectivity
- Wi-Fi
- 802.11ac, simultaneous dual-band (2.4 and 5 GHz), 3x3 MIMO
- Ethernet
- Four Gigabit ports (one WAN, three LAN)
- Ports
- USB 2.0
- Smart home
- Not applicable
Network
- Speed
- Up to 1.3 Gbit/s on 5 GHz
- Security
- WPA2 Personal and Enterprise, guest network
Design
- Dimensions
- 168 x 168 x 97 mm
