It's possible the fiber installer was mistaken, Newer Airport extremes should still be okay, but it can be hard to tell the models depending on the model/shape size. Furthermore, Apple themselves have exited the business of continuing to make routers, so each year that goes by the extremes have no support or security patches.wfallen wrote:Any reason why the Google router linked below would not improve wifi speeds on my home network? (The fiber installer told me that my existing Airport Extreme router was better than, presumably, a Sonic-supplied router, which I was not offered.)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MDJ0HVG/
The Ubiquiti 'router' recommended in responses above does not have wifi, and a second bit of expensive hardware (an access point) is required, not to mention configuration skills way beyond the 'plug-and-play' ones with which Apple has thankfully spoiled me.
The google router would be a potential option, but keep in mind that it only has one ethernet port out which may or may not be sufficient for your needs, you could always purchase another gigabit unmanaged switch (I recommend Netgear prosafe) to add additional capacity.
The Ubiquiti stuff linked is more of a hassle to setup, but its what you would call small business level, enterprise-lite equipment and would be very dependable. It does sound like overkill for your situation, you may want to consider their consumer line called "Amplfi' which is like the google router, but I think has some additional benefits like a display on the front and 4 additional ports on the back. Plus it looks like an apple product to an extent . I work for an IT company and we deploy these to our residential customers, I'd consider the Amplfi line a worthy replacement of the Airport Extreme line for ease of use/setup. I believe google wifi system would probably be the same ease of setup.
https://amplifi.com/
The google wifi system and the amplifi are considered "Mesh" wireless would probably be most sensible if you want a lot of coverage without running wires. Both have the option of getting one base unit and seeing if that is enough for you.
EDIT: Overall though, consider that both the google and amplfi and other mesh wireless points or even regular routers made in the last few years will still probably not get you 1000 mbps of speed on wireless, you should only expect 900+ Mbps realistically while on wired with the appropriate wiring (CAT 5e/6 cables) and equipment. You should realistically hit 300-500Mbps on wireless in optimal conditions.