My DLink wireless N router inexplicable quit working after just 5 short months. I needed a router quickly and had to resort to Best Buy. I asked some employees which was the very best router they sold and the consensus was the Apple Airport Extreme. So, I bought it and took it home. So far it seems OK but I don't like having to use the Airport Utility to config the unit and would prefer a browser based tool. I also have had some issues connecting with a Cisco VPN to the office. My normal connection uses IPSec, however with the Airport Extreme my connection was consistenly dropped every 5-10 minutes. I tried various port forwarding configs but nothing seemed to work. I eventually changed the connection type to IPSec/TCP and it is now rock solid.
Anyway, this thing was pretty expensive (~$180.00) and I wanted to make sure there were not other issues right around the corner. Other than the config util and the VPN hiccup it has been very, very fast and reliable (although I have not had it for very long). I like the simultaneous dual band, guest network and the performance but..... if there is something better I want to know about it. I can still return this router and I don't have a problem spending upwards of a couple hundred bucks on a router, but I do want the best. Fast and relible and flexible. I looked at a few reviews on CNET and the Airport was one of the highest rated, although it had relatively few reviews compared to the others. I also did not see many (any?) wireless N dual bands that were higher than 3- 31/2 stars so maybe the Airport is the best. But then again, these were CNET reviews so I kind of take them with a grain of salt. I trust this group a whole lot more and would love to hear your thoughts and opinions. :-) Thanks! -- Gary http://www.twigsandtracks.com Twigs snap and tracks fade, a photograph reacquaints
