QuickerTek Inc. on Thursday announced that its 27dBm Transceiver will work with all AirPort Base Stations, excluding the tiny AirPort Express. The transceiver boosts the output power of AirPort Base Stations and AirPort Extreme Base Stations to 500 milliwatts (Mw) — the most allowable by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). AirPort Base Stations can only output 30Mw by themselves.
Previously the QuickerTek transceiver was only compatible with older AirPort Base Stations and AirPort Extreme Base Stations that lacked an external antenna connection, but it requires users to drill a hole in their base stations in order to be connected. Now it’s plug-and-play compatible with antenna-equipped AirPort Extreme Base Stations too. It works with both 802.11g and 802.11b wireless networks. QuickerTek claims that the transceiver can add up to one-half mile line-of-sight range. The original transceiver remains available for US$160; the plug-and-play kit for antenna-ready AirPort Extreme Base Stations costs $180.