The algorithm scores this router 42/100 - a D. Apple permanently discontinued the AirPort line in 2018. The D grade reflects clean ownership pulling the score up from F territory (Apple is a US company with an impeccable pre-2018 FCC record), offset by completely abandoned firmware pulling it back down. Seven years of no patches means seven years of unaddressed vulnerabilities.
- Apple Inc. is a US company - no Chinese state jurisdiction concerns. Full ownership points.
- FCC authorized (legacy) - properly authorized at time of sale. No ban concerns.
- Apple ended all support in 2018 - zero security patches in 7+ years. This is permanent.
- Every vulnerability discovered since 2018 is permanently unpatched - there is no fix coming
- Apple no longer makes a router - there is no supported upgrade path within the Apple ecosystem
- Still widely deployed in US homes - clean hardware origin does not offset the complete absence of firmware updates since 2018
- No patches since 2018 - permanent: Apple stopped all security updates 7+ years ago. Any vulnerability found is permanently exploitable.
- Accumulating unpatched vulnerabilities: Researchers continue finding vulnerabilities. All permanently unpatched.
FCC & Ban Risk
52
/100
C
Supply chain · FCC status · CVEs · Patch support
Security Capabilities
19
/100
F
Zero-Trust · VPN · Segmentation · Monitoring
🏭 Manufacturer
Apple Inc. (US)
Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA - discontinued 2018
Manufactured in: Apple supply chain
🏛️ FCC Status
Authorized (discontinued)
Not in scope
🛡️ Patch Support
Permanently discontinued (2018)
Whether security vulnerabilities are actively being patched
⚠️ Key Finding
high
No patches since 2018 - permanent
Router Security Updates
Get notified if new vulnerabilities are discovered for your Apple AirPort Extreme. Free, no spam.
🔒
Security capabilities comparison
We benchmark your router against Rio Router across 8 dimensions so you can see exactly what gaps exist - and what a fully-covered setup looks like.
APPLE
your router
Rio Router™
full standard
Zero-Trust Device Admission
Every new device is blocked by default - admin must approve it once, even if it has the right password
Not available
Available
Network Segmentation (VLANs)
Devices on your network are isolated from each other, so a hacked smart TV can't reach your laptop
Not available
Available
Router-Level VPN for All Devices
All traffic - including smart devices that can't run VPN apps - is encrypted before leaving your home
Not available
Available
Domain Allowlisting
Block everything except approved sites; more effective than trying to blacklist billions of harmful URLs
Not available
Available
Granular Password Control
Separate passwords per network zone - changing one doesn't affect others
Partial
Available
Guest Auto-Expiry
Guest devices are automatically removed when they leave; neighbors can't reconnect without re-approval
Not available
Available
Clean Supply Chain
Manufactured outside Chinese legal jurisdiction - not subject to China's National Intelligence Law
Available
Available
Active Threat Monitoring
DNS filtering, firewall, activity logs, and ongoing security patch support
Not available
Available
We use Rio Router as the benchmark because it’s the only consumer router built to score 8/8 on this framework - it shows you what a fully-covered setup looks like, not just what’s typical.
See Rio →
See all Apple models: Apple brand overview →
What you should do
1
Replace this router - Apple permanently abandoned it
2
Apple no longer makes a router; consider Eero, Asus, or other active-support alternatives
How this was scored · verified March 2026: This rating combines FCC authorization status, manufacturer legal jurisdiction, CVEs from NIST NVD, active patch support status, and CISA advisory mentions. See full methodology →
Reference Data
Sources & evidence
All findings trace to publicly verifiable primary sources - US government databases, official FCC filings, and NIST CVE records. No proprietary or anonymous sources are used.
Full data source documentation: Scoring Methodology & Citations →