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Ever since they stopped building wireless routers, Apple has forgotten Time Machine in favor of pushing iCloud backups for separate services. But there’s still

Ever since they stopped building wireless routers, Apple has forgotten Time Machine in favor of pushing iCloud backups for separate services. But there’s still no good alternative to Apple’s old routers. I tried to buy a new router for gigabit internet last year, and the interfaces are so piss-poor and the performance so pathetic across the board that I ended up getting the last generation of Airport Extreme instead. I get 800ish down, 500ish up on wifi, so as far as I can tell I’m not missing out on anything aside from 6E, which my devices don’t support anyway. I really hope Apple starts making routers with Apple Silicon soon. With incorporated Time Capsule backups, too. That’s the only way that they’ll stop neglecting the software.

lotsofpulp 5y ago
The home networking scene is so bad. I had a Time Machine and and Airport Extreme, but it was not capable of PPPoE login to Centurylink's network, and I wanted to get rid of the Zyxel router that Centurylink provided. I ended up getting a Linksys Velop MX8400C 2 pack from Costco for $230, since that was the lowest price I could find for something that did PPPoE login and could be hardwired together. I wanted the ability to do multiple VLANs via wireless like Meraki, but I could not find anything. Even the Meraki Go stuff does not do it.
- easton 5y ago
  Most people will just bridge mode the modem from the ISP to their router so that the router itself doesn't have to authenticate, which is probably why most home routers don't have PPPoE.
  - lotsofpulp 5y ago
    Actually, I miswrote, it is PPPoE login with VLAN tagging that you need to login to Centurylink’s fiber network. I guess the apple time capsule and airports were too old to get that VLAN capability, since they stopped being made 5+ years ago. A lot of the new home routers have the ability to PPPoE with VLAN tagging though.
jyounker 5y ago
I can highly recommend Eero. They Just Work, and they work much better than Apple's networking ever equipment did. I just replaced the previous generation of equipment in my partner's house (1920's plaster and lath construction) with a set of eero6s. A set of four gives full strength signal throughout the entire place (including the basement)s and all of the outside areas. (Not really that impressive though because it's a small lot.) There's no drop at all as you wander from zone to zone.

lotsofpulp 5y ago

The home networking scene is so bad. I had a Time Machine and and Airport Extreme, but it was not capable of PPPoE login to Centurylink's network, and I wanted to get rid of the Zyxel router that Centurylink provided. I ended up getting a Linksys Velop MX8400C 2 pack from Costco for $230, since that was the lowest price I could find for something that did PPPoE login and could be hardwired together. I wanted the ability to do multiple VLANs via wireless like Meraki, but I could not find anything. Even the Meraki Go stuff does not do it.

easton 5y ago
Most people will just bridge mode the modem from the ISP to their router so that the router itself doesn't have to authenticate, which is probably why most home routers don't have PPPoE.
- lotsofpulp 5y ago
  Actually, I miswrote, it is PPPoE login with VLAN tagging that you need to login to Centurylink’s fiber network. I guess the apple time capsule and airports were too old to get that VLAN capability, since they stopped being made 5+ years ago. A lot of the new home routers have the ability to PPPoE with VLAN tagging though.

jyounker 5y ago

I can highly recommend Eero. They Just Work, and they work much better than Apple's networking ever equipment did. I just replaced the previous generation of equipment in my partner's house (1920's plaster and lath construction) with a set of eero6s. A set of four gives full strength signal throughout the entire place (including the basement)s and all of the outside areas. (Not really that impressive though because it's a small lot.) There's no drop at all as you wander from zone to zone.