Apple AirPort 3.1 Software/Firmware 5.1 Update for Mac OS X is Out

and available via the Software Update preference panel and as a standalone installer. AirPort 3.1 is for Macs equipped with original AirPort or AirPort Extreme. From the Apple KBase article:

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
  

System Requirements:

• This version of the AirPort software requires:
  
• Mac OS X v10.2.6 or later
  
• An AirPort Extreme-ready computer with an internal AirPort Extreme Card
  
• An AirPort-ready computer with an internal AirPort Card

The AirPort 3.1 software includes a Firmware 5.1 Update for AirPort Extreme Base Stations. There are no new firmware updates for the silver or white base stations. The Firmware 5.1 Update is also available as a standalone installer. From the Apple KBase article:

AirPort Extreme is Apple's third generation AirPort product. It's 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, you'll 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 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.

We downloaded and installed AirPort 3.1 on several Cubes, PowerBooks and iBooks with no problem. It worked fine with our silver and white base stations. [Dana Baggett]