IMAGE: PEXELS (CCO) SEPTEMBER 2020 MACWORLD 91
A
pple’s AirPort Base Station was
a revelation in 1999. While it
cost $299 plus required a $99
AirPort Card in every Mac you
wanted to use with it, this was much
cheaper than all other options and it came
with the friendly AirPort utility for
configuration—far easier than competitors’
tools. (Apple actually licensed the
hardware and software to package in its
unique way.)
Apple abandoned its Wi-Fi base
stations years ago, seemingly preferring to
not compete in a market that increasingly
produced inexpensive—but difficult to
configure—base stations. And it sat out the
mesh-networking revolution (go.macworld.
com/msnt), which dramatically simplifiesReplace an Apple AirPort network
With Apple’s Wi-Fi base station units ever older, here’s how to replace them.
BY GLENN FLIEISHMAN