Sliced Software

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$200 AirPort Extreme - Worth Every Cent

I dropped into my local Apple Store this evening and picked up a new, 802.11n AirPort Extreme. I planned on replacing my separate switch and access point that I have downstairs in my home with it. I attempted this once before... okay, maybe I should start from the beginning. My cable modem and Netgear router+switch+accesspoint are upstairs. When I decided to the extend the network downstairs, I wanted to add a switch+accesspoint (without a router), but I was unable to find one. I decided to pick up another Netgear router+switch+accesspoint. I figured, if I could turn off DHCP and set the downstairs' router's gateway to my upstairs router. Simple enough, right? Wrong. Two weeks later I gave up and purchased a Netgear switch and a Netgear accesspoint. I have been running on this setup for a while now. I decided to pick up the new AirPort Express because my new MacBook Pro has 802.11n. Also, I recently got rid of my iMac and figured the printer sharing would be nice. Despite my previous issues, I figured I'd give it a go anyway. What can I say? Apple doesn't mess around. It may have cost $200 for this router+switch+accesspoint but I plugged it in and it instantaneously routed traffic from inside its network out through my upstairs router to the internet. It took zero configuration. It took more time for me to unwrap it and plug it in than it took to make it play nice with my setup. I can't say enough about how incredibly happy I am with this product. It's amazing how Apple can make you feel good about spending a lot of money.