Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased a new (latest gen) 2 TB Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme pair to replace my venerable but aging Apple AirPort network. The old network was asked to perform some impossible tasks -- such as providing reliable wi-fi between the two separate buildings that make up my home, as well as to offer decent speed and reliable transmission to allow Skype, FaceTime, and GoToMeeting services to work well without jitter or frame loss. Generally, the equipment was able to deliver, but often I would get strange signal fade due to the saturation of wi-fi in my neighborhood. I had a total of six AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express nodes in the network, and I'd characterize availability at about 99%. Still, getting a strong and reliable signal to some of the outlying locations was challenging through so much drywall, siding, and distance. Thus, my decision to give the latest generation of these products a shot. Long story made short: I've been using the new TimeCapsule and AirPort Extreme for a week now, and they have performed absolutely flawlessly. Based upon a quick test of the new nodes and their beam forming antennae arrays, I decided to take a chance and reduce my rather complex extended AirPort network from the previous six nodes down to a total of two latest-gen units (the two I am reviewing here) and one of the older AirPort Express units in my garage. I consistently get a transmit rate of 243 Mbps between the new nodes, and a solid 54 Mbps with the 802.11b node in the garage. Performance has been flawless, and I have had zero problems with connection drops, channel drift (as a result of spectrum congestion), or choppy performance. This, despite the location of the Time Capsule in a fully enclosed closet, and the distant (100 feet-plus) Airport Extreme in an office space surrounded on three sides by wall, siding, and filing cabinets. As I intended to replace the previous Time Capsule, I decided to setup the entire new network from scratch. It went without a hitch, and I was able to completely modernize, implement the new network (with WPA2 security and a 5 GHz alternate service) in about 30 minutes. All computer nodes immediately recognized the new nodes and, aside from having to perform complete (but now very fast) Time Machine backups from all Mac nodes in the house, the wi-fi service has performed solidly and flawlessly. Packaging for the new AirPorts was typical Apple; very well packaged in quality materials that I intend to keep so that I can reuse the packaging when it comes time to sell these units. The equipment was well wrapped in tack-back plastic wrap to protect the plastic components from scratches. The units themselves feel very substantial in the hand -- again, typical Apple quality. And I didn't need to consult any of the documentation even once during the setup. Again, typical Apple intuitive setup and configuration. In conclusion, this has been an outstanding purchase and implementation; the products did exactly what I hoped they would do, and they have performed flawlessly to date. Five stars for the product. Five stars for typical Amazon fast, hassle-free delivery via my Prime membership. *** Six Month Update 3/16/2014 *** I continue to be absolutely impressed with the exceptional network performance and reliability of these AirPorts. I have, quite literally, NEVER had to touch them to goof with the configurations, placement, reboots due to software installations, whatever. One of the hallmarks of my purchases is this simple rule: if I purchase a premium product, I have full expectations that said product will perform exactly as advertised, and as expected, regardless of the price, regardless of the circumstances. I can say that these new AirPorts have performed absolutely flawlessly. Without question, worth every penny I paid, and them some. *** One Year Update 8/24/2014 *** These AirPorts have been performing flawlessly for a year now. Still not a single problem with managing them (though I did need to perform a single reboot for both nodes to install a firmware update earlier this year). Still no performance problems, and I continue to get outstanding reception between both buildings. My neighborhood is absolutely packed in the 2.4GHz spectrum and I know that many of my neighbors are frustrated by poor performance in this band, but I am able to successfully avoid all of that congestion by using the 5GHz secondary network that I've created with these AirPorts). Frankly, even the 2.4GHz service works well, possible due to a hot amp (not quite enough to cook a chicken, but still pretty darned hot) as well as the beam forming capabilities of the AirPorts' antennae. I can't recall the last time I purchased technology that has performed so well (which is a sad testament to the state of current tech). So, a year after this purchase, I am back to reiterate the five-star rating and continue to assert that these are worth every penny I paid for them, and then some. Absolutely superb and solid product.