Apple Updates AirPort Drivers To Version 3.1.1

Apple has released AirPort 3.1.1, for users of both AirPort and AirPort Extreme. The new version adds new features such as improved performance, DMZ behavior, PPP access, Interference Robustness, and more. From Apple:

The AirPort Software Update 3.1.1 software release supports bothAirPort Extreme and AirPort products.

AirPort Extreme is Appleis third generation AirPort product. Itis turbocharged with the latest wireless technology, 802.11g, to deliver data rates of up to 54 megabits per second (Mbps)-almost five times as fast as before. AirPort Extreme is compatible with previous versions of AirPort technology, as well as other Wi-Fi certified 802.11b products. And it allows you to share a single Internet connection with up to 50 Mac or PC users.

If you are a user with an AirPort enabled computer using an AirPort Extreme Base Station you will experience maximum data rates of 11 Mbps. However with AirPort 3.1.1, youill still enjoy significant benefits, especially from the standpoint of wireless printer sharing, easy base station administration, and many options for managing the range of your wireless network.

New to Airport 3.1.1:

  • Continued performance improvements between wired and wireless clients
  • Improved handling of multicast traffic on LANs
  • Provides consistent DMZ/Default Host behavior with NAT/DHCP base station configurations
  • Support for selecting NAT/DHCP alternate addressing when accessing base station via the PPP dial-in feature
  • Improved performance when NAT leases are renewed for the base station
  • Improved support for Traditional Chinese Input Method (TCIM) in the AirPort Admin Utility

New AirPort Extreme Base Station features:

  • Compliant with the final IEEE 802.11g specification
  • Base station Interference Robustness, which provides improved performance when 2.4GHz devices like cordless phones and wireless video distribution system cause significant interference with the AirPort network.
  • Automatic channel selection allows the base station to find the most appropriate channel to use whenever it is restarted.
  • Simpler Wireless Distribution System (WDS) setup experience in AirPort Admin Utility
  • Administrators have the ability to set the DHCP range on their base station when NAT is on
  • Performance improvements between wired and wireless clients.

New AirPort Extreme client features:

  • Compliant with the final IEEE 802.11g specification
  • Client side Interference Robustness

The update requires OS X 10.2.6 and a Mac with an internal AirPort or AirPort Extreme card. You can download the update from Appleis site, or from Software Update.