March 3rd, 2009
AirPort and Time Capsule go dual-band
In addition to this morning’s raft of new desktop Macs, Apple also announced enhancements to its wireless product line. Apple updated its AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule base stations with two new features:
Simultaneous dual-band — Some Wi-Fi devices use the 2.4GHz wireless band, including iPhone, iPod touch, and devices using 802.11b/g. Other devices can use either 2.4GHz or the higher-speed 5GHz band, such as the latest 802.11n-based Mac computers and Apple TV. Instead of choosing one of the bands, AirPort Extreme now operates simultaneously on both bands, and your multiband devices automatically use the best available band. This means all your Wi-Fi devices get the fastest possible wireless performance and the best possible range.
Guest networking — Simply enable the new guest networking feature using the AirPort Utility application and create a separate Wi-Fi network just for your friends. You can set up this guest network with a different password or with none at all. Your primary network — including your printer, attached drives, or other devices — remains secure.
Apple also improved its “Back to My Mac” feature to include hard drives connected to the new dual-band AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule. Previously Back to My Mac allowed MobileMe subscribers to connect to a Mac at home but AirPort-connected drives were off limits.
The new dual-band AirPort Extreme is available for $179 and the the dual-band Time Capsule 500GB is $299, while the 1TB version costs $499. All are listed as shipping within 24 hours.
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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