AirPort Extreme

You can certainly ask.. some difference of opinion will always exist.

All views are my own.

The Gen6 AE (And Gen5 Time Capsule being identical with added hard disk) were NOT bleeding edge when introduced in 2013.

Apple made effectively no major changes to the hardware in a 6 year production run.

And firmware made no advancement at all. Bug fixes yes.. utterly needed upgrades to supported protocols.. ZERO. Actually none since 2008 when first introduced.

The construction of the AC models was problematic with several quite bad hardware issues. And lifespan seems rather shorter than the previous versions which can be still running strong like your Gen4 and Gen5.

Older Mac equipment does still latch onto the airport very well. And it can natively reach a higher speed.. as long as it is very close.. but range is much poorer.

I am more into the Time Capsule line so looking for Time Machine capability so support for Time Machine in 3rd party gets my interest. The Synology RT2600AC is a good model and popular amongst Apple folk.. It gains a lot from the NAS firmware which is also excellent for Apple users.

Asus higher end models.. RT-AC86U, AX88U, etc are also well worth a look. IMHO better router but poorer on Time Machine side.

i have 2 extreme and 2 express and I'm holding on to them they work and even if apple stop making them

it does not mean security is compromised

if i were to get new network gear I would get Synology RT2600AC (their ios software apps are pretty good) and a couple of MR2200ac's to extend, have some nas's from synology and always been happy with them.

I am currently using a 2009 A1354 and I would like faster wireless speed on rare occasions a...

I have had 6 to 7 Mb/s for many years now (at $25/month) but my ISP just raised the rates to the point where it was $10/month cheaper to get fiber (the cheapest one)

The Internet speed capability of the A1354 is probably about 225-250 Mbps, so if you are saying that your fiber connection is significantly higher than this, then a newer router will help. But......if your fiber connection plan is say......200 Mbps......then even if you get a newer higher performing router, you are going to be limited to 200 Mbps speeds on your network.

You have had remarkably good luck with your AirPort Extreme, but frankly it should have failed 3-4 years ago. So, its probably worth going ahead and replacing the product now, especially if you dread the thought of the product suddenly failing and then having to rush out and buy a new router, or wait for a new router to be delivered to you.

Is there any advantage to hang on to Apple routers?

It all depends on your circumstances. Someone with a 100 Mbps Internet plan.......(considered fast 5 years ago)......won't see any real improvement if they purchase a new router.

I have two 6th Gen AirPort Extremes that I purchased in 2017 that are wired together to create a "roaming" type network in my home. Things work just fine, but I'll probably replace the products in a few years just because I usually keep a router for about 5 years, which by the way is about the average useful life of products like this.

Is there a certain router that the 🍎 Community is using?

Hard to say. If you are one of those types that rely on test reports though, the Synology router topped the charts on the latest round of router tests conducted by a well known consumer publication. And, it was also rated as simple and easy to install.

It might be interesting to also note that Apple routers never came close to topping the charts in their day as far as performance was concerned, but they were always rated as easy to install with good backup support. Users paid a premium price for average performance and Apple styling, but the AirPorts were very successful with Apple fans.

Asus routers also rank up in the top tier as far as performance and ease of use.

In general, the modem/routers that are offered by most Internet service providers are much better quality than they were say 5 years ago, so if your ISP has a good deal going, it might be worth looking at. Pretty much plug and play.

Are people holding on the the 6th generation?

In general, probably yes, as long as the product is working well, but some of these models are now 5-6 years old. A new 6th Gen purchased about the time the product was discontinued in Spring 2018 is only about 2 years old though. Products are still available on sites like Ebay for users who still want an Apple router.

I concur with a number of others that Asus & Synology would be a great alternative to the fading Apple networking hardware. In my case I went with Ubiquiti's UniFi line and have not regretted it ... but it does come with a bit of a learning curve. In addition to their UniFi line, they also offer a number of all wireless mesh systems, called Amplifi.