I've got this bad boy on order... the best part of this router? Not the 802.11N... nope. The best part is you can plug in any USB hard drive and share it on the network.

Apple does it again!

While the design is classically good Apple, there's plenty of function to match the form. The Airport Extreme is, at it's heart, a wireless router. But it is an extremely customizable one, allowing you to make the hardware function as many different things. Some examples:

1.Wireless Router (obviously) - one cute feature is a 'Guest Network' , allowing you setup a separate wireless network for guests, with limits and an optional password.
2. Wireless Extender - it can extend your existing wireless signal into dead spots, and upgrade you with 802.11N speed and range.
3. Network Switch - With 3 Ethernet ports, any device can be added to your existing network.
4. USB server - 1 USB port lets you share any USB device with any computer on your network.

I was a little hesitant to buy the Aiport - it's simple design equated to basic functions, in my mind. Was I wrong! Underneath the sleek exterior (and darn, is it nice looking) lie the switches and doodads network guru's have come to expect - NAT Firewall, VPN Passthrough, WPA/WPA2/WEP Security, MAC address filtering, DHCP server, Timed access control, IPV6 to IPV4 compatibility...

Apples takes all this power and packages it up into a practically perfect device. If you can't tell a modem from mouse, the included Airport Utility software, with an 'Assist Me' button', will ask you what you want to do, guide you through each needed step, and set up everything else on its own. Power users will find plenty of manual control to tweak any setting they'd like.

The USB port is excellent - within minutes, I had a USB drive up and running on my network, and had my Mac's TimeMachine backing up to it. If 1 port isn't enough, you can plug in a hub, and share multiple devices.

It works for both Mac's and PC's. There are many other routers that do just as many things, but none so easily, efficiently, and with as much style as the Airport. $170.

(Perhaps the only con is the single, multicolored LED light on the front indicating the status. But really, did you ever understand the array of lights on your old router? Plus it pulses so nicely...)

it works. It works VERY well. Better than any wireless router I ever owned.

The best got better with new support for 802.11n

Helps spread the cables around so you don't have a mass of them all at one plug, pluss you can put this where ever and your computer aren't hindered by where the Cable/DSl comes out of the wall.

802.11n - nice...

Disk sharing - amazing!

5GHz - adios amigos!!!

Enjoy!