J.D. Power:
The report finds that overall satisfaction with wireless routers has increased by a full 24 points from 2015, and is now 847 (on a 1,000-point scale). While satisfaction has improved in all 10 factors, the largest increase is 30 points in ease of use (which includes the installation process). Another area related to ease of use with the product is restoration of service with minimal effort, in which overall satisfaction has increased 27 points from last year (to 854 from 827).
Apple ranks highest with a score of 876, followed by ASUS (860), D-Link (856) and TP-Link (854).
Yes – there are “better” (cheaper, faster) wireless routers available but, when it comes to ease of use, set up and what I recommend to non-techies, it has always been Apple wireless routers. Which makes the reports of them being discontinued even more disheartening.
It’s easier to leave when you go out on top. Maybe the next iPhone will make tim Cook and his buddies feel better about themselves.
Ayup.
I used to work for a company that made wireless routers and could get them for free. I bought Apple routers.
Apple could refresh its family of routers with latest chipsets and more antennas.
But the future is mesh networking and Apple probably wants to leave the market to others instead of making its own. Other routers, such as Netgear Orbi and Eero, have Apple-like easy setup. So there’s probably very little Apple can bring to the table.
Having said that, I would’ve loved Apple’s own mesh network router with integrated Siri. The idea of blanketing the house with Wi-Fi and Siri is very appealing.
This story’s so far from over. IMVHO/OC.
Perhaps, Apple it thinking, “who the hell needs a router these days when cellular is the future?”
maybe they will buy one of the smaller companies doing well in mesh networking. But most likely they are done.
I needed to buy new routers to replace my failing one and to get more coverage in the house. I bought a 3-pack of eero routers and love them. They have an even better experience than Apple (except for the lack of a Mac or PC app, though I hope that’s a temporary situation).
That said, I would have loved to see Apple’s take on a mesh network. But Apple hasn’t added any new features to the AirPort hardware or software since 2013. Eero’s app has already surpassed AirPort Utility in a number of ways, and feels like the natural successor to the AirPort line. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an update for their Wi-Fi.
To me at the time I bought the Apple Routers because they were dual band and the USB port could have an external!