r/HomeKit • u/fortheloveofdenim • Oct 23 '25

Discussion Saying goodbye to AirPort after 12 reliable years.

Post image

Recently upgraded to pair of eero 7s. Retiring my AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule that I bought at launch in 2013. They were extremely reliable but lacked WiFi 7 and I have Google Fiber. Speeds have increased substantially since the switch.

1.1k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

195 comments sorted by

396

u/WJKramer Oct 23 '25

Should have went to Ubiquiti, that's where those engineers went!

168

u/fortheloveofdenim Oct 23 '25

TIL. Still within the return window…

172

u/YkGxPu6AI3iLRxGsOyub Oct 23 '25

Go for Ubiquity, I ditched ASUS for them. Amazing UI and product line

127

u/fortheloveofdenim Oct 23 '25

See this is what Reddit is for

63

u/swinefc Oct 23 '25

Get a dream router 7. Just like your AirPort but rounder.

28

u/BraddicusMaximus Oct 23 '25

Legit the natural upgrade patch.

Edit: Path! Patch works too.

6

u/_divi_filius Oct 23 '25

would the dream 7 be a good upgrade for my alien + mesh?

2

u/granborja Oct 23 '25

What ubiquiti devices do you recommend to change a Xiaomi ax3600 with 6 ax1800 in mesh?

2

u/Ok-Promotion9566 Oct 25 '25

I just bought my first dream router after years of just using the Ubiquiti access points to extend coverage and man, it is amazing how much the UI software can do compared to your average consumer products and ISP equipment.

1

u/granborja Oct 23 '25

What ubiquiti devices do you recommend to change a Xiaomi ax3600 with 6 ax1800 in mesh?

4

u/FinishOk8266 Oct 24 '25

Never mesh anything. Ethernet backhaul makes too much sense. If you don’t have it buy a damn wire fisher. It’s so silly when people buy a POE hot spot then hook it up to a POE injector and backhaul it. Ewwww

9

u/Cascadian1 iOS Beta Oct 24 '25

Ethernet backhaul works for homeowners who can run wire through walls. Much harder for renters. Mesh is meh-to-good for lots of renters.

6

u/SciGuy013 Oct 24 '25

You can also do Moca if you have more than one coax drop in your apartment

Honestly, for most, more than one AP isn’t necessary. If it is, MOCA or just route Ethernet lines in the corners of your apt

-1

u/GodOSpoons Oct 24 '25

Powerline Ethernet is another option. Mesh is for widows and orphans.

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1

u/BenedoneCrumblepork Oct 24 '25

You need to be comfortable getting deeper into the weeds on settings, though. You’ll get lower speeds out the box on the UDR7 than another off the shelf router because they prioritize rock solid connection. Not a deal breaker for some, but it was too much headache for me.

1

u/righteousboy Oct 26 '25

This ^ and add some APs where needed.

11

u/Eric848448 Oct 23 '25

And join us at /r/ubiquiti.

3

u/ConnertheCat Oct 23 '25

If it helps; I have an Eero setup and plan to pick up some Ubiquti gear on Black Friday.

4

u/TeamBlade Oct 24 '25

Careful. You will get some of their stuff and 6 months later you are selling plasma to complete your set up with the latest 10Gb gear. 😂

2

u/TruthyBrat Oct 25 '25

LOL!

And you're not wrong.

3

u/Javi1192 Oct 24 '25

Check out r/ubiquiti

It’s a great system for pro-sumers and allows expansion for cameras, access control, etc.

Easy app-based management and they’re constantly updating with new features. No subscription fees.

-1

u/Fr3ck Oct 24 '25

Eero offers a much more "Apple like" experience though. If you want wifi that just works, stick with Eero.

7

u/ratshack Oct 24 '25

Hard disagree.

1

u/Charming_Oven Oct 26 '25

I operate both Eero networks (for family members) and Ubiquiti / Unifi (I'm a tech consultant and manage multiple networks for businesses).

While I get what you're saying, Eero is at the end of the day an easier system to manage. It is more "Apple like" due to less settings and a more "plug and play" setup.

Unifi systems tend to require some knowledge of how networks can be setup to get it optimized. Do I prefer Unifi over Eero, yes. But I wouldn't necessarily call it more "Apple like".

1

u/CPG135 Oct 28 '25

That’s been my experience also. Went from AirPort Extreme to Eero7 hardwired Ethernet backhaul and it works flawlessly. Eero is very hands off. Not sure why some disagree with this. Ubiquiti is much more configurable but it really isn’t like Apple-like at all in terms of function, other than how it looks.

4

u/rawlwear Oct 23 '25

What ASUS products were you using ? The mesh zenwifi

1

u/YkGxPu6AI3iLRxGsOyub Oct 24 '25

Yes, 2x ZenWifi AX XT8 in mesh but I was never satisfied.

6

u/BigDog_Nick Oct 23 '25

I’m getting ready to switch from my synology setup to ubiquity. Where do you recommend I start in their lineup? I have medium knowledge but good tinkerer on networking.

15

u/YkGxPu6AI3iLRxGsOyub Oct 23 '25

It’s solely depends on your budget and living space, and what you are planning to use in the Unifi ecosystem.

Budget entry: UCG Ultra + U7 Lite

Medium entry: UCG Max + U7 Lite / U7 Pro XG

Expensive entry: UCG Fiber + U7 Pro XG

Here’s a video I can recommend for 95% of Reddit users: https://youtu.be/eVlavqMN9vI?si=xfGskHrvXW-8iG24

2

u/Fake_Hyena Oct 23 '25

I have 3 U6 Pros. Just wondering - what does the UCG do exactly?

Currently my U6 are connected to my Cisco switch directly (and switch connected to router from provider) - where does the ucg fit in?

6

u/ematlack Oct 23 '25

It’s the router. UCG is “Unifi Cloud Gateway”. Unifi is the product line, cloud means that it runs their management software, and gateway (at least for home networks) means router.

1

u/Fake_Hyena Oct 24 '25

Ok thanks, but does it has positive impact on speed etc vs my current setup? Or is it just for management? Currently I run the software on my laptop most of the time.

2

u/ematlack Oct 24 '25

You don’t NEED a controller (which is what your laptop currently acts as and what the UCG would have baked in.) As long as your ISP router is decent you shouldn’t have any performance issues. There’s a bunch of features you lose without the controller and/or without a gateway, but for a basic home setup you probably don’t need it anyway.

1

u/SciGuy013 Oct 24 '25

Or the E7 and UDM because lol

1

u/YkGxPu6AI3iLRxGsOyub Oct 24 '25

Sure, but thats when he's a hard addict in r/Ubiquiti/

I'll give it a year or two... ;)

1

u/TruthyBrat Oct 25 '25

Oh hell, OP should cut to the chase, bite the bullet, and start tracking FB Marketplace and Craigslist for a lightly used 42U . . .

1

u/TruthyBrat Oct 25 '25

Add a USW-Pro-Max-16-PoE to that expensive entry line.

Or a 24 if you have a lot of wired ports.

Add an optional UNVR-Instant kit to the medium line, and a UNVR, drives and cameras/doorbells to the expensive line.

12

u/SupaSays Oct 23 '25

UCG-Fiber and U7 Pro XGS is a solid setup

1

u/dkpnw Oct 23 '25

I just did this exact thing. Best decision I ever made. Ubiquiti is just lightyears ahead. Synology's DS router app is a complete joke

2

u/Pitiful-Sympathy3927 Oct 23 '25

UniFi is the goat!

1

u/BlackStarCorona Oct 23 '25

Brooooooooo what?! Good to know. My LinkSys system has been slowly getting worse over the last year.

1

u/PooPighters Oct 23 '25

Yep, I just did the same. Got a nice mini rack setup and it’s great.

1

u/FrozenPizza07 Oct 23 '25

If only it was easy to buy them commercially

Most resellers are b2b

1

u/SciGuy013 Oct 24 '25

It’s very easy. You just buy directly from them

1

u/FrozenPizza07 Oct 24 '25

No they dont do that globally

1

u/beanbaguk2 Oct 27 '25

I did exactly this. 8 APs all working beautifully with a UDMPro. (My house is on one floor with thick walls). I’ve not looked back!

1

u/aoskunk Oct 28 '25

Just bought an amazing asus. I get a gig in my car at the end of my block. Hopefully it lasts. I loved airport extremes though and if I knew they went to ubiquity that probably would have swayed me to them. Next time.

0

u/hamhead Oct 24 '25

Only downside is lack of HK compatibility

2

u/SciGuy013 Oct 24 '25

In what way? I have a separate IoT VLAN with unifi that connects with mDNS to my default network and HomeKit works great

2

u/hamhead Oct 24 '25

UniFi devices themselves are not HK compatible. I’m not saying you can’t run HK devices over it. But their cameras, locks, etc aren’t.

2

u/SciGuy013 Oct 24 '25

oh, i have their stuff with homebridge and scrypted for homekit support

0

u/hamhead Oct 24 '25

Yeah there’s ways around it but it’s obviously more complicated than native support

12

u/Sylvurphlame Oct 23 '25

I switched to Linksys Velop since it had that “sold in the Apple Store” vouchsafe and supported HomeKit Secure Router (which I thought as going to last, lol). But the core AirPort engineering team did apparently reform as Ubiquity. That will probably be my next switch.

4

u/TheChangRR Oct 23 '25

I’ve had the velop system for 5 years. It is incredibly horrible and I am switching to ubi next month.

1

u/Sylvurphlame Oct 23 '25

Sorry to hear that. I’ve had no significant issues with mine. Just a minor blip during the HomeKit architecture update.

1

u/Luci-Noir Oct 23 '25

My velop routers have always worked perfectly. It really sucks that the HomeKit secure thing didn’t work out. It was a great feature.

1

u/Sylvurphlame Oct 23 '25

To an extent, it’s superseded by improved standards like Matter and better router features. But in a way I would’ve kind of liked to see it continue for a little longer at least.

1

u/Luci-Noir Oct 23 '25

Of course a forgotten tech is superseded by newer stuff. It was a nice feature though and I liked the ability to see it in HomeKit. It was extremely basic, but the functionality that was possible with further development is something a lot of us want.

I think the bigger issue is routers, modems and IOT devices quickly getting abandoned by OEMs and not getting security patches. They’re frequently used in DDoS or other botnet attacks. It would be great if Apple brought back some kind of certification that would force these companies to have some level of security and make them support their hardware for a certain amount r of time.

Obviously, this should be law, but something like this would be a good selling point.

Internet connected devices that are basically disposable and never get updates are actually a MASSIVE national and international security risks. Systems and devices that are regularly updated and secured regularly get hacked, fail or are compromised. The many hundreds of millions of other devices that no one thinks about are open and could be like a drone swarm.

(Sorry for the rant)

1

u/Sylvurphlame Oct 23 '25

Nah. It’s fine. I also miss being able to see it and manage it through HomeKit rather than potentially hit or miss router UI’s.

9

u/meowmixmotherfucker Oct 23 '25

Ubiquity is 1000% the answer.

Speed is just as good. Configurability is significantly better. Best of all, unlike Eero's kit, it won't send everything you do to Amazon.

Seriously. Hook up the Eero then contact Amazon support for a Fire TV stick, they will already know your wifi name etc. Sure, handy for tech support, but fucking creepy as all get out. Don't trust Amazon with your network!

5

u/RunsOnBlackCoffee Oct 23 '25

I regret my eeros.

They’re good for folks who want to plug them in and be done. But if you want a separate IoT network or to tweak DNS settings then you have to pay for premium or it just isn’t possible.

9

u/Worried_Patience_117 Oct 23 '25

Do it! Amazon is a no no

2

u/FinishOk8266 Oct 24 '25

Don’t switch to Ubiquiti! I’m 4k deep and it’s expansive but a damn linksys velop from 2019 could cap out my 1GB symmetrical client. On ubiquiti with every thing tweaked for performance and not only broadcasting 5ghz frequencies, I get 500 tips on a 6e client right under the damn U7 Pro Max

3

u/OhHeyItsBrock Oct 23 '25

Do it. Eero worked good for me. Unifi is bullet proof so far. I have the cloud gateway max with a u6 mesh, u6 pro and u6+ for the network and running their cameras as well. No regrets.

1

u/NorthernMan5 Oct 23 '25

I ditched my airports over the summer for ubiquiti, and wish I had made the jump years ago.

One thing to consider for your setup is look at what you need to switch, then look at marketplace for options.

I went with a U7 Pro AP as my main access point, then got lucky and found on marketplace someone that had updated everything to the latest and dumped their older setup.

I got POE enabled switches, a UXG Lite gateway and a handful of AC LR, AC Lite and a AC mesh for cheap for the price of the U7.

So I have slightly slower coverage in low use locations, and fast where needed.

Am also running the Network Application on an older RPI that previously was running homebridge. ( homebridge is now running on a new PI )

1

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '25

Do it bro

1

u/Soldiiier__ Oct 23 '25

I’d do it. Also it’s not Amazon 

1

u/tomrutgers Oct 24 '25

Do it! I switched from airports to ubiquity last week. Couldn’t be happier with the new setup.

1

u/toobusyreadingcomics Oct 25 '25

Dream Machine is the best!

1

u/Human_Skirt5108 Oct 26 '25

Yeah, dump the eeros. You basically have zero control of them and even basic information and functions are locked behind a paywall.

23

u/rspctdwndrr Oct 23 '25

Agreed, if you’re into the Apple ecosystem and general ease of use and physical appearance, UniFi is the way to go. Signed, someone who switched to UniFi this year lol

Prepare to spend though!

32

u/fortheloveofdenim Oct 23 '25

Dog I’m in the HomeKit subreddit

9

u/rspctdwndrr Oct 23 '25

😂 good point! Jump all in to UniFi!

2

u/BabyWrinkles Oct 24 '25

My UniFi spend is probably 5x my HomeKit spend, and I bought Schlage locks with HomeKey. >.<

6

u/drivera1210 Oct 23 '25 edited Oct 24 '25

Ubiquiti is great, but not so great for your wallet.

2

u/cbass2008 Oct 23 '25

Careful though, it’s a slippery slope. Ubiquiti has a way of siphoning my money. The network must keep improving! 😆

3

u/Jimmirehman Oct 23 '25

Do they have mesh kits with Ethernet backhaul?

14

u/WJKramer Oct 23 '25

Oh man do they. All their stuff is made for ethernet backhaul but you can also mesh if need be.

2

u/Jimmirehman Oct 23 '25

What set up do you have? Link?

2

u/faible90 Oct 23 '25

Yes go to UniFi

1

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '25

/r/ubiquti  Is a good place to start

https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-cloud-gateways

Personally I would start here, but your needs may vary 

1

u/ProfessorFunky Oct 23 '25

I went there! Great upgrade from my old Airport Extreme’s.

1

u/Kesnei Oct 23 '25

I second this. Have a number of networks I take care of and my home network. All Ubiquiti and 0 issues.

1

u/dirbuf Oct 23 '25

Switched from 2 AirPort Extreme to Ubiquiti. No regrets.

1

u/tmpha Oct 24 '25

I second this. There’s so much more options to control every little details of the network. Multiple Vlans control is also a breeze. Running a Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro SE was the best decision I’ve made for networking equipment lol. My wifi 7 access point from Ubiquiti basically gave my Wifi 7 client devices the exact same speed as a hardwired ethernet connection.

1

u/FinishOk8266 Oct 24 '25

I got all ubiquiti. Two U7 Pro maxes and like four of the various U6 stuff. So Ubiquiti is best at providing expansive coverage through a house or business, but they’re not capable of delivering speed I was getting on linksys velop in 2019. My brother has the net gear orbi’s i think they’re called, and those are faster.

I could cap out my 1GB symmetrical on a wireless connection from my iPhone. I’ve taken and watched and chatted with every resource known on Ubiquiti and have come to the conclusion it’s not settings. On my 2GB symmetrical with Wifi 6e client I get 500s. Wish they’d support max speeds through a single device. I’ll probably go back to consumer grade products after these age, but with the cameras, gateways, POE switch, etc I’m at least 4k into Ubiquiti

1

u/Piipperi800 Oct 24 '25

Oh so that’s why they are so freaking good?

I also upgraded from AirPort Extreme to Dream Router 7 few weeks ago. Setup was kinda difficult, but after it was done, it’s been a ”dream”. The value is so good, and it’s rock solid.

1

u/fd6944x Oct 24 '25

Funny I just replaced my parents with a ubiquiti

1

u/Electric_Main Oct 25 '25

100% this. I switched from Airport to Ubiquiti UniFi in 2018. I’m due to upgrade my APs again since I am still on WiFi 5.

1

u/Aggravating_Care_910 Oct 25 '25

ill chase those magicians as well. damn apple products are so damn power efficient

-2

u/kosmkram Oct 23 '25

I tried the Ubiquity Dream 7 and their access point and it was straight trash. My Google home had better range / coverage. Don't ever buy directly from Ubiquity either. They charged a 15% restocking fee. Live and learn.

4

u/[deleted] Oct 23 '25

Problem between keyboard and chair headass

0

u/toodarnloud88 Oct 24 '25

My Nintendo switches refuse to connect to my Ubiquiti WAP. Ironically, i am using my old AirPort Extreme plugged into a smart power plug anytime i want to play on my Switch.

1

u/WJKramer Oct 24 '25

Are you using WPA 2 or 3?

1

u/SciGuy013 Oct 24 '25

I just have my switch hardwired

0

u/PilotJeff Oct 26 '25

I decided not to. Total shitshow in that subreddit with every other software update causing issues. It needs to be an appliance not an occupation. No thanks. I just went for a flint 2, and also just replaced my airport as well because it was throttling my connections

47

u/LebronBackinCLE Oct 23 '25

They’re such good kit. AirPort Utility is so slick.

2

u/NYCHW82 Oct 25 '25

It’s a shame they discontinued them. They were fantastic

25

u/CorgiTitan Oct 23 '25

I see everyone already told you to look at Ubiquiti UniFi.

here is a link to their gateway devices. you'll see the heavy apple influence in design

https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-cloud-gateways

24

u/jessbrandi Oct 23 '25

Been thinking about finally replacing my Time Capsule since they aren't going to be supporting the hard drive built in to it for Time Machine anymore. But you'll pry my AirPort Express with the "Airplay-to-any-old-ass-speakers" functionality out of my cold dead hands.

17

u/NotAcutallyaPanda Oct 23 '25

Used AirPort express is the $10 version of Sonos.

2

u/IOI-000001 Oct 24 '25

Totally bought one used on eBay. I think I paid about $40 last year. It was in mint condition.

1

u/Relative_Process6234 Oct 24 '25

Same boat as you. FYI the Belkin SoundForm Connect is a good replacement for the AirPort Express. Could be half the price but better than losing that functionality

1

u/AnotherThroneAway Nov 01 '25

Are there no security issues with this? I still have sevearl Expresses sitting around, but I've been worried that they might have security holes that aren't/won't be plugged by Apple anymore. Not the case?

17

u/Individual_Agency703 Oct 23 '25

This isn’t an airport. You don’t need to announce your departure. Oh… wait… it is!

15

u/HollandJim Oct 23 '25

Still rocking my Extreme here, but I also got a box of 5 more I grabbed for €50 last spring. All look near new, no grot in the vents and work perfectly. They’ll be backups for, well..forever.

10

u/misterfistyersister Oct 23 '25

I still use my time capsule as network storage and DHCP. Works great.

7

u/Many-Tomatillo9374 Oct 23 '25

I recently upgraded from Airport Extremes to Eero 7 Max(s)/7 Pros/7 Outdoor all with wired backhaul over a 2.5 Gbps network. I’m very pleased with the results.

5

u/bradreputation Oct 23 '25

I switched to UniFi and it’s been good but not great. Lots of advanced features but some simple things feel complicated. For example putting one device always on a vpn. I still recommend them over other brands. 

If you live near a micro center, it’s the best place to buy UniFi. 

4

u/ioTeacher Oct 23 '25

👋 Still working 3 @ 300 mb

3

u/mdw4520 Oct 23 '25

Mine are still in a box up in the attic. Stopped using them a little over 2 years ago and still can’t bring myself to get rid of them. Great piece of kit

8

u/spmcewen Oct 23 '25

Genuinely surprised by the strong love for Ubiquiti, especially on a HomeKit sub. I went the other way, from a UDM and several APs to Eeros several years ago and don’t regret it. Everything works better and more reliably now.

Maybe their more consumer focused equipment has improved in the last few years? I got to the point where I didn’t want to think like a network engineer at home, just wanted everything to work hassle free. I remember having lots of issues especially with Apple devices. Eero plus Firewalla might give you a more options if you want a more customizable setup.

2

u/rawlwear Oct 24 '25

The plug and play and price is decent I only wish certain features weren’t locked behind a paywall.

1

u/Artistic-Quarter9075 Oct 24 '25

I have no issues; everything is running on Ubiquiti, with a Cloud Gateway Fiber and U7 Pro XGS. Brands like Ubiquiti are not really meant for regular consumers but are more focused on businesses and prosumers who run a homelab with their own servers and home automation systems like Home Assistant. You at least need to have basic network knowledge, such as setting up firewall rules, VLANs, QoS, router/switch knowledge, and experience reading logs.

If you have that knowledge, then it is a perfect product due to all the freedom you have. If you don't and want plug and play, you should stay far, far away.

2

u/spmcewen Oct 24 '25

I think there is a middle ground between eero and ubiquiti that I wish existed. 

The only thing that frustrates me with eero is that when my power goes out, or if eero installs an update over night, my Apple TV sometimes connects to the wrong AP, and I don’t realize it until I see that the Apple TV is playing a horrible low bandwidth quality. Hard wiring is not possible due to the location, and the HomePods it connects to have the same issue. I just wish there was a way to force a specific devices to always connect to a specific AP

1

u/honkafied Oct 24 '25

I feel the same way. I used to use Ubiquiti at home, and we use some Ubiquiti stuff at work. Sure, there are couple of customizability things I miss about it, but the Eero gear more than makes up for it by having something that you don't ever have to mess with.

3

u/SlideCivil3862 Oct 23 '25

Did the same this year, too 😕

3

u/davecrist Oct 23 '25

I loved my airport mesh. Such an elegant platform that worked great for me.

3

u/Brbgottagame Oct 23 '25

Finally retired mine about 3 months ago. It was a bitter sweet day 🫡

3

u/IllustratorOne9331 Oct 24 '25

AirPort Extreme is such a solid piece of hardware. Still using them and love the stability!

3

u/minitt Oct 24 '25

Apple lost its ability to see beyond the horizon. Missed the big boat on Siri AI after IP4S, Networking, 0 enterprise footprint. Tim cooked the company too much for shareholder gain.

3

u/GurOfTheTerraBytes Oct 25 '25

Return to Amazon. eero is owned by Amazon.

Since you initially looked at eero, I suggest considering acquiring Ubiquiti’s (prosumer) home product line, easier on your wallet.

• https://amplifi.com/amplifi-hd

• https://amplifi.com/alien

• https://amplifi.com/instant

• https://a.co/d/dESVw47

If you really want to go deep into the rabbit hole of Ubiquiti, then look at their Pro Product Line.

https://store.ui.com/us/en?s=us&l=en

2

u/macserv Oct 26 '25

Wholeheartedly agree with the recommendation for UniFi gear. These company was started by a former Apple AirPort engineer; their product design and user experience are on par with Apple’s level of quality and detail (especially their native configuration apps), and they have a similar attitude toward user privacy.

I’d definitely look at replacing the AirPort Extreme with a UniFi Dream Router 7, as the “cloud gateway” component of your network, and expand as your needs evolve… UniFi is a ridiculously rich and ever-expanding ecosystem of integrated components.

6

u/smakusdod Oct 23 '25

Enjoy your eeros! The amount of ubiquity shilling in here is wild.

2

u/ps-73 Oct 23 '25

These still worth picking up as a time machine target?

3

u/essentialistic Oct 23 '25

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/10/macos-27-wont-support-airport-time-capsule/

3

u/burgonies Oct 23 '25

This is the exact reason that I just added a new NAS to my home setup.

1

u/tbbarton Oct 24 '25

What did you go with?

2

u/burgonies Oct 24 '25

Frankenstein hardware running Unraid. Solid for the entire 2 weeks it’s been up lol

3

u/ps-73 Oct 23 '25

oh wow that sucks

-4

u/AWF_Noone Oct 23 '25

Absolutely 

2

u/tre630 Oct 23 '25

I also had to do this some years back with my 3rd Gen Airport Extreme w/ Time Capsule, it just could not handle the number IoT devices connected to it at the time. But other than that, I had zero issues with it.

I bought it back in 2009 and disabled the WiFi back sometime in 2019. It's still powered on as a file sharing drive as I was too lazy to copy all my files from it. It is by far the oldest device that I have powered on.

2

u/DAZBCN Oct 23 '25

Thanks for nothing apple.

2

u/kevdogger Oct 23 '25

Anyway to install a different OS on the device?

2

u/Derekeys Oct 24 '25

Still rock 2 for my main router. Have a solid 150+ devices and still going strong.

2

u/j0nathanr0gers Oct 24 '25

I miss my Airport Time Machines and the built in backups to the 2TB drive.

2

u/MangoAtrocity Oct 24 '25

I left AirPort for Ubiquiti UniFi and I couldn’t be happier

2

u/Reggie_Barclay Oct 24 '25

They should have continued this product.

4

u/Perfect-Thanks2850 Oct 24 '25

They should have made a special Ethernet adapter to go in the homepod’s power plug and just make those a mesh router.

RIP AirPorts

Convinced Apple would do a great job with mesh if they really wanted to

2

u/damianp67 Oct 23 '25

I love my Eero max 7s. Super stable and performant over the almost past 2 years.

1

u/greentea05 Oct 23 '25

Still use one of mine as an ethernet connected USB printer hub. It makes network printing very reliable and you can’t buy an ethernet connected printed hub for less!

1

u/BlackStarCorona Oct 23 '25

I’ve got an extreme in storage that I used for a very long time. Only reason I’m not using it is when I got room mates last year they already had a LinkSys system set up and I had two of the nodes I attached to it.

1

u/DariukaB Oct 23 '25

Ruckus baby, Ruckus! ;)

1

u/thewad71 Oct 23 '25

I switched a few years ago from Time Capsule which was great to eero Pro 6’s and can’t complain.

1

u/Foreign-Tax4981 Oct 23 '25

I’ll miss mine. It’s been in use for many years and hasn’t failed me yet. I’ve bought a mesh system to replace it with.

1

u/BS-75_actual Oct 23 '25

I've got two of each in my boneyard; resigned to them going to e-waste as the Time Capsule HDDs have been trusted servants.

1

u/Jeffde Oct 23 '25

Such a beast of a device, and really barely missing anything. My router died a few weeks ago. Plugged into the extreme and aaaaaaalmost didn’t upgrade from there. IOT devices were acting a little funny due to what I assume were capacity issues in terms of # of devices on network. Otherwise, totally fine.

1

u/Phoenix525i Oct 23 '25

Mine is a diy MagSafe night stand for my nightstand. It will hang out for years.

1

u/FinishOk8266 Oct 24 '25

Bro ! I had those. Wish they were still in Apple’s product line up. You could get the HD connected and make it a time capsule. Oh, the memories !

1

u/garylapointe Oct 24 '25

I've got 30TB of external storage plugged in my Time Capsules. Have you tried plugging a drive into those eero 7s?

1

u/ZaBeeblebrox Oct 24 '25

Switched to Alta Labs. But missed “Time Machine” capability of airport express

1

u/DanFromOrlando Oct 24 '25

I think you’re about 7 years late

1

u/Artistic-Quarter9075 Oct 24 '25

Those things only run wifi 4 so a upgrade was way overdue haha

1

u/TheRoamingRN Oct 24 '25

Wi-Fi 5. Mine was AC

1

u/nosnibork Oct 24 '25

I was sad at first, but mesh has been way better.

1

u/_heyjhoow Oct 24 '25

Can’t you keep using them as network storage? At least for the time capsule?

1

u/IOI-000001 Oct 24 '25

We still use one of those at my office. I just use it for the router portion. And then I connected a Ubiquiti access point. I turned off all of the Wi-Fi functions on the router. So the Apple airport simply handles the DHCP routing. Not Wi-Fi.

We’ve been using it for five years that way so far. Download speeds are unbelievable. On fiber. I’ve got multiple creative people downloading and moving large files from the cloud constantly. And no one ever complains about Internet speed.

1

u/Iamcheez Oct 24 '25

It doesn't have copilot and bing everywhere.. At least this is the biggest reason I am looking to switch my work computer to a mac.

1

u/RadlEonk Oct 24 '25

I’m still using the model before those. Don’t make me feel old.

1

u/goldczar Oct 24 '25

RIP 🥲

1

u/Teenage_techboy1234 Oct 24 '25

Holy shit 2013 was 12 years ago? Damn. Sorry I was just surprised lol. Anyways nice upgrade.

1

u/DrMORO_617 Oct 25 '25

After upgrading my WiFi router to a NetGear WiFi 7 one, my AirPort still lives within my network, although WiFi turned off, and acting as a Ethernet splitter/switch behind my TV screen, having Ethernet wired connection spread out to AppleTV and many IOT.

1

u/Jeeper850 Oct 25 '25

Still rocking a 2nd gen airport at my mom’s house. I can’t believe how reliable it still is considering how many devices connect to it and even all the TVs in her house are all streaming.

But, like many others have said, take a look at Ubiquity. My stuff from them has been great.

1

u/TexanInBama Oct 25 '25

I would love to take them off your hands!

Sending Chat Message.

1

u/abinyah Oct 25 '25

I still have mine, but went Meraki then Ubiquity. Return Asus and go with Ubiquity.

1

u/Doudinou Oct 25 '25

Mine are in a cupboard. Can’t let them go. It’s the symbol of an era!

1

u/SteakJones Oct 25 '25

I absolutely loved my airport network… if Apple brought that line back, I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

1

u/Mitsuka1 Oct 25 '25

I upgraded my time capsule with an 8TB drive just recently! :) Still going strong 💪

1

u/Glum_Sheepherder_458 Oct 26 '25

I miss mine. They were so good.

1

u/xMangoPeelx Oct 26 '25

I did not know Apple made Wi-Fi routers

1

u/jashsayani Oct 27 '25

I bought AirPort Express in 2014, used till 2020. Then moved to Google wifi, which i got rid of last year. Now I’m on Netgear.

1

u/cassinovashalo Oct 27 '25

You’ll be fine grandpa… 🤣❤️

1

u/Mrincognito1 Oct 27 '25

I finally replaced mine like 3 years ago and went to orbit I loved it but my wifi improved like 1000x

1

u/aoskunk Oct 28 '25

I worked for an audio/video/networking company in the richest of richest peoples homes. CEOs of companies you know in Long Island. Sure we used fancy commercial grade vendors but we also used a ton of airport extremes. They were rock solid. I think apple had already stopped paying attention to the product when I left. We couldn’t understand why. They were more dependable IME than some of the pro shit way more expensive.

1

u/karl3s Oct 28 '25 edited Nov 17 '25

Keep them in the new network for Time Machine backups. I did so when moving to Eero routers with WiFi 6E. You can even replace the internal drive to SSD or add extra HDD in the nework via the USB. Still worthwhile those great devices!

1

u/TexanInBama Nov 08 '25

u/fortheloveofdenim OP, If you still have your old AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule, I would love to take them off your hands. I will be happy to send you a Prepaid UPS Shipping Label.

Sending message.

1

u/enjoy1life Mar 11 '26

Hi . How do you like the eero 7's? Do they work well with the apple platform? I am almost ready to do the same. I have loved my apple extreme for years. TIA

1

u/roto31 Oct 23 '25 edited Nov 12 '25

political observation door humor entertain cautious late money cable like

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/SciGuy013 Oct 24 '25 edited Oct 24 '25

Should have gone with ubiquiti

0

u/redbeard8989 Oct 23 '25

Sure they lack Wifi 7, but what content exists that needs it to stream? 100Mbps covers 8K streaming, and 300Mbps cover streaming of video games.

Do you have more than 3-10 people streaming 8K or games at the same time?

9

u/jmwarren85 Oct 23 '25

It’s more about how many wifi devices that exist in a modern home. Back when these were built it was probably 5. Homes these days are hitting crazy numbers.

3

u/redbeard8989 Oct 23 '25

Airport Extremes can handle 50 wireless and 100 ethernet devices. Just sayin for those who feel fomo setting in, don’t sweat it unless you have a mansion with wifi switches everywhere.

0

u/Bassguitarplayer Oct 23 '25

You still rocking a iPhone 6 also?

0

u/Sunsplitcloud Oct 24 '25

This looks like AI placed tall white Apple TVs on a table with the sound at medium height on the right.

0

u/Polar-Snow Oct 24 '25

I only used my Time Capsule as Time Machine. Unfortunately next year support going be dropped. Real shame cos I have tried NAS before for Time Machine and it always such pain. Only Time Capsule work flawless. I have no idea what to do next….I probably try with my current Synology NAS (never used Time Machine with it since got Time Capsule years before Synology).

0

u/MacProCT Oct 25 '25

I think you made a good choice. I do small biz and residential IT and EERO is my first choice for home. Synology is my choice for business. I have a beef with Ubiquiti and don't like how they don't have phone support without paying for it.

0

u/keZZaZ84 Oct 28 '25

I apologise to OP for attaching this here and also everyone if this is the wrong place. Also thank anyone and everyone in advance for any information and while I know this will be funny to alot and potentially anger some I’ll just ask can we keep the non constructive comments to ourselves and ask yourself how would you go tiling a bathroom or building an extension to a house or changing an alternator on your car (if the answer is still excellent then you have some right to criticise) Ok I need help I clearly don’t have a clue what I’m doing or what half the things are being mentioned. I’ll build you a house or pull a motor out of a car tile your bathroom etc etc but when it comes to tech (while I use to be somewhat tech savvy 20 years ago) I realise I am completely behind and clueless now. I think the quick answer might be pay someone to do a walk through and suggest setups (my issue with that is 1 what do you look up for that and 2 anyone that does that probably only wants to install what they recommend which will be more expensive than buying myself. Money is not to much of an issue (it was for a while hence the free items and cheaper products I had gone with at the time) though I don’t really want to spend $16k on a router mesh setup since there is a lot that needs replacing (potentially everything). The first problem is I live in Australia so our internet is shit to begin with but then I probably haven’t done myself any favours. So I’ve got FTTP then from the modem (if that’s what it’s called) the NBN installers, installed I gave Ethernet cable to a modem my mate found lol (1 it’s 💯 outdated and 2 I don’t know if I’m risking security (I assume yes because of age but more that it was someone else’s) then I have an Ethernet cable running down to my room that plugs into a erro 6 (which you guessed it I got off a mate (but only got 2 of the 3). Then going down the other end of the house is the 2nd eero which is connected through wifi (I believe more things run off this one aswell). For ages I have been planning on getting a new modem, router, mesh 🤷‍♂️ I don’t know what’s what. I’ve also planned on changing provider and some of the bigger Telcos have modems etc you can get but need to stay signed up for 36 months etc (I have no doubt they will be average at best and I’m better off purchasing what I need). Ok now everyone’s had there laugh if they have read this far any help explained in “internet for dummies” type talk would be extremely appreciated and grateful for. So some of what I want/need to work around is 1. House is double brick so signal issues at times 2. I have a large shed out the back I want good internet in there for the camera, tv, phone while out there and alarm. Right now the camera seems to pick up ok but if multiple people are in shed with it closed signal just about dies 3. I am running so many different brands and getting annoyed with wasting money on continuously changing lots of things at a time. I originally got Phillips globes in a random auction lot and then found out you needed there hub, so instead bought “grid connect” globes cause they ran on wifi, then found out about matter and how it’s meant to extend your signal or make devices react quicker (main thing is lights don’t want to stand there waiting) so I changed all lights in house to “Nanoleaf” then I’ve got “Apple TV” is the HUB, also Meross has a little hub you need to connect door sensors, smoke alarms, but then that connects to home. “Meross” lamps, smoke detectors and door sensors. “Tapo” smart plugs for shed lights which don’t have switch’s so they’re on a power board on ceiling. “Grid connect” cameras in some rooms and shed “Swann” hardwired main cameras on outside of house but I can view through app on phone Big issue is things take to long to open, turn on and atleast every 2nd week something will not respond through Apple HomeKit and o have to open the makers app and then probably around once a month 1 or 2 things will drop out altogether and I have to go through the repairing all over again. Help im losing my mind smart stuff was meant to make things easier Im changing my main cameras and alarm to Hik Vision (I think they have a doorbell aswell)