#BELKIN AC1200 FOR MAC#
#BELKIN AC1200 FULL#
#BELKIN AC1200 PLUS#

If you’re looking for something that didn’t emerge from Cupertino’s labs, the Linksys EA6500 is also a great choice. The ease of setup with AirPort utility, cool and quiet operation, and top performance make it an easy choice.

#BELKIN AC1200 FOR MAC#

Overall, we declare Apple’s AirPort Extreme to be the best choice for Mac and iDevice owners.

#BELKIN AC1200 PLUS#

But the inevitable growth of the 802.11ac market, plus these routers’ impressive performance with 802.11n, make them strong contenders for those looking to upgrade. 802.11ac is still in its infancy, and devices that support it, while growing in number, are still relatively rare. That said, we sought primarily to examine performance, and get an idea of how each router would change our wireless workflow.

#BELKIN AC1200 FULL#

You can check out each product’s specification page for the full list of features. Briefly, these include features like internal traffic prioritization (so you can configure, for example, your TV’s Netflix device to always take priority on your internal network), DLNA support for attached devices, and the ability to make attached printers compatible with AirPrint. This isn’t an in-depth review of each router, and there are therefore more features from each product that we’ve declined to detail for the sake of focus. Devices such as a connected printer won’t notice the difference, but it would be nice to see USB 3.0 support in future versions so that transfers to fast USB 3.0 hard drives won’t be limited by the wire at the router.

While previous Wi-Fi standards such as 802.11n were slow enough to make a USB 2.0 connection sufficient for shared hard drives, the new speeds for 802.11ac are pushing, and sometimes exceeding, the bandwidth limits of USB 2.0. All of the ports on all routers are unfortunately limited to USB 2.0. The Belkin and Linksys routers each feature two USB ports, while the Netgear and Apple routers have just a single port. Adding additional ports can be easily accomplished with a simple network switch, but buying and making room for a switch might be a cringe-inducing moment for a new AirPort Extreme owner who has just that one extra Ethernet line they need to connect.Ĩ02.11ac Router Port Layout (from left): Apple AirPort Extreme, Belkin AC1200, Netgear R6300, and Linksys EA6500Īll of the routers also include USB ports for connecting shared devices such as hard drives and printers. The Belkin, Netgear, and Linksys routers all feature four hardwired gigabit Ethernet LAN ports (not including the WAN port for connection to the broadband modem, meaning a total of five ports), while Apple’s AirPort Extreme is limited to three LAN ports. While it’s always a good idea to set up your own network and secure password, novice users can start using some routers right out of the box with relative security.Īnother differentiating factor for these routers is the port layout. The Belkin and Netgear routers both included cards or stickers with these unique login credentials. Many routers also now ship with preconfigured wireless networks with unique passwords. Router setup pages have made great improvements in user interface and ease of use. Our previous generation AirPort Extreme reached surface temperatures of between 115 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit the new AirPort Extreme doesn’t top 90 degrees, and spends idle time in the mid–70s. At any reasonable distance, including having the device right on your desk, you won’t hear it as long as it’s working properly.Īnd that’s good news, because the addition of the fan makes a significant difference in terms of temperatures. If we put the router in a quiet room, put our ear right up to the bottom and listen carefully, we can hear a very faint hum from the fan. We’ve seen two 802.11ac AirPort Extreme routers in our office (the first one was faulty, but for reasons unrelated to the fan), and neither was loud, or even noticeably audible under any reasonable condition. We think these experiences may be due to faulty routers. We’ve seen comments here and elsewhere that indicate that some AirPort Extreme owners find the new router to be loud, presumably from the fan. The other routers in our test bench rely on traditional passive cooling, so we wanted to compare the efficacy of these different approaches for this new generation of networking products.įirst, let’s look at noise. Apple sought to rectify this with the addition of a fan and plenty of intake and venting locations.

Belkin ac1200