Apple has introduced a new Airport Extreme and Time Capsule, and they like to share. Normally, mean old routers keep themselves to themselves and grumble when any strangers try to join in, but two smart new features make it easier for folks to get along.
First is “Simultaneous Dual Band Wi-Fi”, which runs two networks at the same time. Thus you can run a speedy and long-ranging “n” network for all your computers and a separate “g” section so that your iPods and iPhones don’t slow things down. This alone makes the rather expensive router pretty appealing as it means you don’t need to run two separate networks.
The other new trick is called “Guest Networking”, and lets you break off a small piece of your network for friends to use when they come to stay, getting them online without letting them access your adult video collection. At least that’s the official line.
We see this as a tool to help you be a good neighbor. Many people would share their Wi-Fi if not for security concerns. Assuming Apple has done this right, it means you could leave a part of your network open for anyone to use. The blurb on the page is unclear, but it would be great if you could also limit the bandwidth so greedy passersby couldn’t soak up your entire connection with BitTorrent.
The new Airport Extreme is $180 and the Time Capsule is $300 for 500GB and $500 for a Terabyte.
Product page [Time Capsule]
Product page [Airport]
Post a Comment