Airport Extreme vs a mesh system?

[Creepy Green Light]

So I have a basic wifi setup in our two story house (about 1600 sq ft). All I have is my modem - and then connected to that is an Apple Airport Extreme. At any given time we can have 6 devices on the network (including Apple TV) - sometimes more if someone is using their phone and Apple TV, etc. I noticed all the rage these days are "mesh systems". Even though I've had an e-mail address since about 1984, I'm not very tech oriented. Since Apple quit making routers, if I were to get one of these mesh systems - what would I notice different? If anything? I don't really have any gripes with my current set up (I guess if it aint broke - dont try to fix it). I do plan on getting a new wifi printer soon if that has any bearing on anything. Any insight into this would be appreciated

 

[nivek]

Since I do not use Apple products I cannot help you but I think your problem is from using Apple products...

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[Creepy Green Light]

Since I do not use Apple products I cannot help you but I think your problem is from using Apple products...

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Ahhhh....I love my Apple's. I've had one since about 1984. Apple IIC, then an Apple IIGS, then an iMac, then a Macbook, then another Macbook Pro, then another Macbook Pro, two iPads, two iPad Mini's, multiple iPhone's (starting with the one the day they came out) to iPhone 8 Plus's (what my kids have), Airport Extreme router, some iPod's & more. I should just have an automatic deduction from my checking account directly to Apple

 

[nivek]

Well I've used Linux almost since the internet began, Slackware Linux and it's few different versions are the main OS I use for my computers and home network servers now...Two servers using Linux Slackware then of course my tablet and phone using Android (Linux) and my laptop has Salix Linux on one partition with Win7 and Win10 on other partitions...Linux can be the most secure OS available if configured correctly, especially Slackware which is why I use it but it's also the most manual of all the Linux versions...

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[Creepy Green Light]

Well I've used Linux almost since the internet began, Slackware Linux and it's few different versions are the main OS I use for my computers and home network servers now...Two servers using Linux Slackware then of course my tablet and phone using Android (Linux) and my laptop has Salix Linux on one partition with Win7 and Win10 on other partitions...Linux can be the most secure OS available if configured correctly, especially Slackware which is why I use it but it's also the most manual of all the Linux versions...

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Linux is one of those things that I've heard about for the last 30 years but had no idea what it is or what it does nor never used it. I'm sure it's awesome at whatever it designed to do (a type of operating system if I understand it correctly). I guess if you had a PC that you could use Linux instead of Microsoft's operating system - is that right?

 

[pigfarmer]

I can't speak to Apple networking products but ethernet networks tend to be a star topology and can be prone to choke points. They are a sort of a mesh too but you have to take a few steps back to see it - assuming it's been properly provisioned. Very often the admins think they are but then fail the acid test.

Mesh topology networks are in use with a lot of home automation systems these days - each device acts as a sort of a router. The more you add to the network the more robust it becomes, or so they say. In addition to wifi and wired ethernet they also use proprietary networking protocols like ZWave to chit chat with one another. They all have some basic functionality but the proprietary communication provides a more robust feature set.

Very slick but personally I don't need to use my smart device or speak to a home AI to adjust my lighting and I don't want my refrigerator talking to anything. Must be getting old - I guess if I grew up in a generation already infused with all this I'd look at it differently.

Piss on all that
I'm taking my coffee downstairs now and will be pounding bushings out of fifty year old control arms.