Firewall protection Wireless Access Points

The Bottom Line: The AirPort Extreme Base Station is a great wireless router for Mac or novice users who need something that's simple, nice-looking, and works well for their homes. Savvy Windows users will find many other alternatives that offer a lot more features for their bucks.

Specs: Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station - Wireless access point, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n

The Bottom Line: The AirPort Extreme Base Station is a great wireless router for Mac or novice users who need something that's simple, nice-looking, and works well for their homes. Savvy Windows users will find many other alternatives that offer a lot more features for their bucks.

Specs: Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station - Wireless access point, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft)

The Bottom Line: Don't pick up a new, 802.11n-enabled AirPort Express if you're looking for superfast wireless networking performance. You should consider it, however, if you're in the market for a new Wi-Fi router that offers portability, ease of use, and the unique ability to stream iTunes over your network.

Specs: Apple AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n and AirTunes - Wireless access point, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft 2.0)

The Bottom Line: The Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station is a solid router that keeps up with the Draft N competition. Unfortunately, we've yet to test a Draft N router that lives up to the promise of 802.11n. As with the rest of the .11n routers we've tested, we advise you postpone your purchase until the spec is finalized.

Specs: Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station - Wireless access point, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11n (draft)

The Bottom Line: This is among the best compact wireless-networking devices available.

Specs: Apple AirPort Express Base Station with AirTunes - Wireless access point, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, 54 Mbps

The Bottom Line: The AirPort Extreme performs well in a close-knit 802.11g network, but it's not fast enough in mixed mode to warrant upgrading.

Specs: Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station - Wireless access point, Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, 54 Mbps

The Bottom Line: The new and improved AirPort is a quality product that will appeal to both novices and experts.

Specs: Apple AirPort Base Station - Wireless access point, Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, Fast Ethernet, 11 Mbps, 2

The Bottom Line: The Proxim base station offers ample wireless connectivity at a low price for those who simply want to share an Internet connection.

Specs: Proxim Symphony HomeRF Base Station - Wireless access point, HomeRF, 10 Mbps

The Bottom Line: A decent tool for providing broadband access to networks with HomeRF wireless clients.

Specs: Wireless access point, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, 10 Mbps

The Bottom Line: This well-designed gateway makes it easy for home users to network several computers wirelessly and share a high-speed Internet connection.

Specs: 3Com Home Wireless Gateway Wireless access point, Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, Fast Ethernet, 11 Mbps