Almost two years after its introduction, Apple has given the AirPort an update. The next iteration of the AirPort builds on the features of its predecessor, but keeps the same name. The new AirPort also maintains the same form factor as the previous version, but gets a color makeover to match the iBook.
The overall changes are minor for most consumers. Businesses and educators may appreciate the new authentication features, but non-Macintosh environments should look elsewhere to obtain their wireless connectivity.
In our tests we managed to maintain a connection at just over 100 feet from the access point. While this falls below Apple's claims of 150 feet, it still marks an improvement over the original AirPort, which managed around 75 feet in our offices.
Apple boosts the number of simultaneous users to 50 with the new AirPort, a five-fold increase from the earlier version. While being able to cover more users simultaneously is great, you should keep in mind that the 11 Mbps limit of 802.11b is shared among all users. Sharing an Internet connection probably won't show any noticeable decrease in speed, but large file transfers across the network or other bandwidth-hungry tasks may be limited by the traffic from other users.
For consumers
Like its predecessor, the new AirPort includes an internal 56 Kbps modem and an Ethernet port. Apple adds a WAN (wide area network) port, so you'll now be able to connect your broadband to the AirPort and still have an Ethernet port to connect your computer directly to the AirPort without requiring a wireless card in all of your computers. Unfortunately, there's only one Ethernet port, where most routers provide at least four for all those wired digital devices.
Setup took less than a minute to complete. We plugged the AirPort into our DSL gateway and it started distributing IP addresses immediately. If your provider uses PPPoE or you use a dialup account, the AirPort still needs to be configured from a Macintosh computer using a wizard-based utility application called AirPort Setup Assistant. The utility is extremely easy to understand and makes initial configuration a snap. Apple requires the setup to be completed using a wireless connection, so you'll have to get the AirPort card for your Macintosh as well.
For AOL users, AirPort now supports dialup access, a feature that wasn't possible in the past because AOL software is required to login. While dialup access with a router may not seem very attractive, it still remains the primary method of Internet access in North America and AOL owns a big chunk of it. Sharing Internet access without having to find the nearest phone jack or allowing multiple sessions at the same time is a huge convenience, despite the slow speed.
For configuring other settings, Apple requires using a separate application, AirPort Admin Utility. Accessible wirelessly or wired, the utility is clean and easy to use, allowing configuration of options like WEP (wired equivalent privacy), port mapping, and access control. Routers from Linksys or Buffalo offer Web-based configuration, so it doesn't require an application and isn't platform-dependent like the AirPort. The configuration may not be as simple, but you don't need any software to manage the router.
For some security from the outside world, AirPort includes a firewall. Where corporate firewalls provide additional features like port and packet blocking, most consumer routers tend to use NAT (network address translation). NAT shields the internal IP addresses from the outside, much like a proxy server, so Internet requests appear to be coming from a single address.
