I usually do not do reviews of hardware, but in this case, I feel the urge to.
For my apartment, I purchased the Apple Time Capsule, which is an Airport Extreme Base Station (wireless router) with a 500 GB for backing up. So, let’s start with the wireless router. Setting it all up was a cinch. I plugged it in, and all my computers were on. One of the great things about this router is that it broadcasts at 802.11n, so all of you with 802.11n cards in your laptop would love the transfer speed we get. Also, the back of the router has 3 additional Ethernet jacks, so you can run any other computers and what not off Ethernet. And it works like a charm.
The second main feature I love about the Time Capsule is the hard drive. Not only is it a shared hard drive (so anyone I give access to can see it and put files on it), but I can use it as my Time Machine volume (a back up disk that is). I can do wireless backup seamlessly whenever I am in the apartment. That is terrific considering the drive doesn’t have to be hooked up to my machine, etc. And because the router is 802.11n, it’s pretty darn fast too.
And finally, the Time Capsule also has a USB port, so you can plug in a printer or extra hard drive, or both (given you plug in a hub). Setting up the printer to work with my Macbook Pro was literally as easy as plugging in the printer.
I can be sitting in my living room, surfing the net, printing out pictures from a weekend adventure, and backing up my computer, all at the same time, wirelessly. And given the fact the cost is pretty good and the device looks pretty, I would say that is a tremendous deal.
If you’re thinking of getting a wireless router, get the Time Capsule.