Many people who are integrated into the Apple ecosystem – or BORG, as I like to call it – would never think about buying a router from anyone except Apple, no matter how good or cheap another brand may be. I know, because I paid $200 for an Apple Airport Extreme. I wondered if I was doing the right thing until I saw that it took all of 5 minutes to plug in and set up. Actually Apple did most of the work – automatically. All I had to do was sit back and wait. The Airport Extreme has good (not great) range. My backyard studio building is 100 feet away from the AE router in my house. While I don’t rely on it for internet (that’s a buried CAT6 cable), I do use it for iPhone and iPad WiFi signals. Sometimes the signal is strong, sometimes not. Well, QuickerTek has thought about this and has come out with the acHex, an upgrade that adds six external antennas to either a customer’s existing Airport Extreme or a completely new one. QuickerTek states that not only is the wireless faster, but the signal blasts through walls and floors, such as multistory buildings, structures with obstructions, or a basement office. Engineers made it so that the unit can be personalized by replacing the provided antennas with optional high gain or directional antennas to match any unique setting. The prices start at $199 US for a customer-supplied AC Base Station (or Time Capsule) with Hex antenna installed. A QuickerTek-supplied 3 TB Time Capsule is $628 with Hex antenna installed. The BORG is getting stronger.
