Multiple airport express units/multiple speakers

I saw a question and answer on this and now can't find it: I have two Express units on an Extreme network, want to stream the same iTunes signal to both of them (big house, two stereos.) How do I do this?
iMac Intel Dual Core   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

Hi Stephen:
You will need the most recent version of iTunes installed.
AND the most recent AE firmware which can be found here: http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/airportexpressfirmwareupdate63formacosx.h tml

Similar Messages

  • Using Multiple Airport Express units to play Music to Multiple Sound System

    Goal
    - play music on my iMac and in one other sound system(I'am aware of the one
    system limit )
    - I have multiple Airport Express units(3) for different sound systems and wish
    to select the room using iTunes.
    Reality
    if I reset all the airport express units in the house(3) I can initially see the units. On going through the setup I'am able to configure each unit to be part of my wireless network and get the airport express to power cycle. However after this process only the last AE unit is visable via itunes. If I use the airport utility it can find no units when scanning. If I power cycle one of the non visible units it becomes visable but I cannot play music to the unit and trashes the connectivity to the one working AE unit.
    What am I doing wrong ?

    Sorry - I led you astray unnecessary in my last posted message. The reference I provided was for setting up a remote base station. That is not applicable to your situation, so please ignore.
    In your case, you want to use the Airport Utility to configure each Airport Express so that it "join" (and not "extends") your existing wireless network.
    What I suggest you do is:
    1. get each Airport Express into a known default state by doing a factory default reset per these instructions. Hold down the reset button for 10-15 seconds, until you see four green flashes in rapid succession
    2. put all Airport Express devices, and the wireless Mac you are using to configure the Airport Expresses, into the same room as the wireless router you are using
    3. configure one Airport Express at a time, and as I said above use the Airport Utility to configure each Airport Express to "join" the existing wireless network - ie select your Airport Express device as shown in the Airport Utility, click the "Continue" button (not the Manual setup button), and follow the instructions. The name of the wireless network you are joining is the same as the name of the wireless network your existing wireless router is creating. Make sure you also specify the same security protocol (WEP/WPA) and wireless network password as your Mac requires to connect to your existing wireless network.

  • Multiple Airport Express Units and Itunes

    I have two Airport Express units, each is hooked up to a seperate stereo in the house. I tunes will connect with one or the other, but not both Airport Express units at the same time.
    When selecting multiple speakers from the drop down box...the following error message is encountered..."The remote speaker "xxxx" does not support playback as a part of a group. Do you want to switch playback to it?"
    Any help would be appreciated...when this is complete, the system will be doing exactly what I want.

    The three most common problems encountered with mutiple AX's:
    Itunes software (need 6.02 or better)
    AX firmware (need 6.3)
    Firewall (you must ALLOW UDP traffic)
    If all these items are met then usually what remains is configuration and/or a range problem. Since it sounds as though it works singularly, range is not the issue. Check the three most common and if they are right you are left with re-configuring the network or possibly (but unlikely based on the post) a bad unit.

  • Multiple AirPort Express units - use more than one at a time?

    If I connect three Airport Express units in three different rooms, can I use more than one at a time?
    Can I choose to only use 2 out of the 3 at one time?
    Thanks.

    Yes. With iTunes 6.0.2 or later, you can send an AirTunes stream to multiple remote AirPort Express units, provided that each AirPort Express has the latest AirPort firmware. The maximum number of remote AirPort Express units is three to six in typical conditions. The number that works for you will depend on your environmental conditions (such as building composition and local radio interference), distance to the remote AirPort Express units, and available network capacity relative to your other usage.

  • Setting Up a Three Station (Multiple AirPort Express Units) WDS Network

    For a mission project in Northern Ireland, I am trying to connect three Airport Express units into a single wireless system. The mission group is located in an old building with thick walls, so the wireless signal needs to be "repeated." I need help on the basics of setting up all three AX units in a series. One will be located in an office on the ground floor an act as the main base station with an ethernet connection. (The mission has a cable modem/router with an independent line in the ofice that is connected directly to the AX unit in the office.) The second will need to act as a relay base station(it will be on the second floor of the building, but in range of the main base station) and the third as a remote base station down a hall on the second floor. In an initial setup, I was unable to have the main base station unit show up on the list of base statios when I did a scan in the AirPort Admin Utility.
    Should I set up (configure) all three AX units in close proximity to each other and then relocate them to the final locations? I also need some advice on how to identify or assign the AirPort MAC Adress to the units. Finally, do I need to do a "hard reset" on the units and simply start over? I saw the Apple article on using WDS to create a network from multiple base stations, but it only dealt with two units. Thanks. Sawyerlex
    iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)
    iBook G4   Mac OS X (10.4.6)  

    Check out my last post in this thread:
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1756749

  • Multiple Airport Express streams?

    Is it possible to have more than one Airport Express Unit receiving different signals from different iOS devices? E.g. My iMac plays one track, my iPhone plays another and my iPad plays another?
    I have a 4 input hub in my house powering 4 sets of ceiling speakers in various rooms and want to know if multiple Airport Express units mean I don't have to go down the Sonos route as all my music is on iTunes.
    Thanks in advance

    I do this regularly. I have 5 AX units connected to various receivers around the house. I can stream to a subset of speakers from one device and have another device stream to others. I don't see why I couldn't stream five stream to these speakers.
    But the big caveat is that most of my AX units are connected via a gigabit ethernet network not a wireless connection (yes I know the AX units are not gigabit, but my network is). If you were trying to do this via wireless you might quickly run out of bandwidth. This is particularly true for IOS devices. For example, I have an ipad that can stream internet radio. If you think about it the ipod  in this case has to first get the wireless signal and then send it back out to the AX, immediately doubling the amount of spectrum used compared to streaming from a device that has the music stored on it. That's probably why my internet radio app won't let me select multiple speakers the way I can with itunes or airfoil.

  • Multiple airport express plug-ins with i-tunes- lose sound after 4 songs

    I have 3 airport express units, a MacBook and 24" IMAC G5 and my music library on a LaCie external hard drive. I have all the latest updates for the airport software on my computers. Now for the problem
    I want to play my i-tunes library, it is over 500G in multiple locations throughout my house. I play from my I-Mac. All airport express connects to my linksys router network. I get inconsistent results when I play my music to multiple locations. After several songs play I have to go back to my computer and repress the speakers to play even though my imac shows the music playing I get no sound.
    This could be because of a simple setting on my i-mac, I hope so. My energy savings for my screen goes off with inactivity after 15minutes. I changed that to an hour yesterday with no avail. I would love to have my music playing throughout my house on a consistent basis. Please help.

    I forgot to also mention that I use the "interference robustness" feature on my IMAC. I have tried it both ways with the same unhappy results.

  • Multiple Airport Express Problem

    I have a set up using an Airport Extreme Base station and three Airport Express Units that I use for Itunes. They are named Kitchen, Library and SunRoom. All three of them have been updated to be using version 6.3. I can play Itunes on each of them individually without a problem. I can choose Multiple Speakers and select Kitchen and Library and they both play without a problem. However, any combination with SunRoom results in spotty playing (e.g. music starts and stops and starts and stops on either speaker). The only difference that I can discern between SunRoom and the other two is that SunRoom is about half again as far away from the Base Station as the other two and there is a Stone Obstruction which causes the reception in the area where SunRoom is located to be low (one or two bars on the Airport Measuring unit on my MacBook Pro. By the way I am using a MacBook Pro with Leopard, all up to date on updates.
    Any advice to eliminate this problem? I have thought about putting in another Airport Express Unit to extend the range to that area to improve reception. But I figured since I am getting a solid green signal on the SunRoom unit that I probably did not need to do that?
    Thank you in advance for your assistance.

    If you don't have it already, I suggest downloading a copy of iStumbler. Use iStumbler's Inspector feature (select Edit > Inspector from iStumbler's menu) to determine the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) at the locations of the AirPorts, by performing a simple RF site survey. Within the Inspector, note the values for "signal" & "noise" at these locations. Start with your MBP near the AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS), note the readings, and then, choose the locations where the AirPort Express Base Stations (AX) are located.
    SNR is the signal level (in dBm) minus the noise level (in dBm). For example, a signal level of -53dBm measured near an access point and typical noise level of -90dBm yields a SNR of 37dB, a healthy value for wireless LANs.
    The SNR, as measured from the MBP, decreases as the range to the base station increases because of applicable free space loss. Also an increase in RF interference from microwave ovens and cordless phones, which increases the noise level, also decreases SNR.
    SNR Guideline
    o 40dB+ SNR = Excellent signal
    o 25dB to 40dB SNR = Very good signal
    o 15dB to 25dB SNR = Low signal
    o 10dB to 15dB SNR = Very low signal
    o 5dB to 10dB SNR = No signal
    If the SNR is 20dB+ at each of these locations, then you should be getting reasonable performance from your AirPort. If less, either try to locate the source of the Wi-Fi interference or try relocating the base station until it's within a 20dB SNR range.

  • Multiple Airport Express issues revisted

    I've been trying to set up multiple airport expresses. I want to wirelessly connect to two stereos and stream to both at the same time. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    So far I tried the directions below. But after following them, when I was in itunes, it would not acknowledge either AX. When I was making the suggested settings in the Airport tab, as listed below, it asked me for the name of the network. I wasn't sure what to put there though.
    I can set up each on its own network, but then itunes can only find one stereo at a time.
    Thanks for you help.
    For each AirPort Express Base Station (AX):
    Perform a "factory default" reset
    - (ref: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108044)
    To set up AirTunes on the AirPort Express Base Station (AX), using the AirPort Admin Utility, connect your computer directly (using an Ethernet cable) to the Ethernet port of the AX, and then, try these settings:
    AirPort tab
    - Base Station Name: <whatever you wish or use the default>
    - Wireless Mode: Join an Existing Wireless Network (Wireless Client)
    Music tab
    - Enable AirTunes on this base station (checked)
    - Enable AirTunes over the Ethernet port (optional)
    - iTunes Speaker Name: <whatever you wish>
    - iTunes Speaker Password (optional)
    In iTunes:
    iTunes > Preferences... > Advanced > General
    - Look for remote speakers connected with AirTunes (checked)
    - Select "Multiple Speakers" from the speaker selection at the bottom of the iTunes window.

    You need to have one of the AirPort Express (AX) join the wireless network created by the other one. See KB 302153, AirPort Express: How to join an existing wireless network in client mode.

  • Connection problems when I use multiple Airport Expresses

    I have one Mac that I use to stream music to multiple Airport Express's. Its seems that when I connect to 3 expresses things work fine. If I connect to 4 the sound cuts out on all speakers.
    Is 3 the limit or am I doing something wrong?

    Yes you can but....
    With the apex in the ceiling you may get a signal loss from your main wireless system. To be able to do what you want in a whole home sound system they all need to be on the main wireless system. You also have to plug them in to a wall outlet which may be an issue with your fire regulations with them inside the walls/ceiling. With airplay you have some limitation also. If she has an ios device and likes say pandora she can only do it to one set of speakers/APex. Only itunes from a computer can do multiple/house party sound. I have 2 APex in my house and love them all. If your main wifi is out of range for some of the new APex's you can run 1 cat5/6 (APex is 10/100)  and make a new network and bridge the rest to it. As long as your new wire is connected to your main network you will stay on the same network.
    So now you get sound and a roaming wifi through out the house. (that's what I did but not in the ceiling.)
    Sonus are good but $$$. by then rewire!

  • Airport Exreme - Airport Express droupout with multiple Airport Express sta

    I have multiple airport express's, an iMAc, a Airport extreme router, all software/firmware to current release. If I play on the iMac and one set of remote speakers, no problems, once I add two airport express stations with iTunes, I get the dropouts. Any ideas. I have already got rid of wds, changd channels, tc. to no avail.

    I have the same set up and had the same issue and a guy at apple support gave me a tip to try and it worked!. First remove all the expresses from the power outlets keeping your airport extreme running. I also recommend using a different channel say 11. and use ap grapher
    http://www.chimoosoft.com/products/apgrapher/
    to see if your network looks like it's running well after you resetup your everything or before you bother doing this. I found my audio gear was really messing with my airports bandwidth and when I moved it to a new spot ap grapher showed I was getting a nice steady 54mbit/sec.
    So again unplug the expresses and keep the extreme up and running.
    You must first do a reset on the airport express by pushing in the little white button on the bottom with a paper clip for a few seconds, but you should check out how to reset the airport express via apple's web site because there are 2 types of resets one with it plugged in and one with it not. Not sure which is right reset method so check that yourself.
    Once you have reset it you want to set the first express to extend your preexisting airport extreme network using the airport setup utility. If you have two expresses you may only need to do this to the last one in the chain but it can't hurt to reset them all form scratch.
    Once the first express is up and running you then unplug the airport extreme from it's power outlet. Then you go to set up the 2nd express after you reset it and here lies the trick. You extend the 2nd express off the first express without the extreme involved. Then you plug in the extreme back into the power and bingo you have tricked the express #2 to extend from the first express and they wind up with new ip numbers like 10.0.1 and 10.0.2. Instead of them competing for signal using the same ip address they now have their own individual ip address, it turns it into an extension chain. If that makes sense I don't know what the tech terms are for this but it did cure my issues of dropouts I thought it was odd that they had the same addresses so it makes sense that they should have their own.
    Micro wave ovens cause drop outs and so do some wireless phones but you can always check on your signal using AP grapher. I found that when I walk around with my MacBookPro in my house that the expresses really don;t have much of a range so if they are really far apart that could also be an issue. I'm sure the N versions are much better and I am thinking about upgrading.
    Hope this helps cause it sure took a long time to type:)

  • Mountain Lion - Using multiple Airport Express for music

    I've been using Airfoil to play non-iTunes audio to the three Airport Express units in my house, but the audio quality is lacking. I was happy to see that Mountain Lion (I am using 10.8.4 on my Macbook Pro) will stream non-iTunes audio to AE units, but only one at a time.
    Does anyone know how to get Mountain Lion to stearm audio to multiple AE units in sync?
    I see there is an app called "Airwaves" designed to do this, but users have very mixed experiences. Is there perhaps a better app out there?
    Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

    Sorry - I led you astray unnecessary in my last posted message. The reference I provided was for setting up a remote base station. That is not applicable to your situation, so please ignore.
    In your case, you want to use the Airport Utility to configure each Airport Express so that it "join" (and not "extends") your existing wireless network.
    What I suggest you do is:
    1. get each Airport Express into a known default state by doing a factory default reset per these instructions. Hold down the reset button for 10-15 seconds, until you see four green flashes in rapid succession
    2. put all Airport Express devices, and the wireless Mac you are using to configure the Airport Expresses, into the same room as the wireless router you are using
    3. configure one Airport Express at a time, and as I said above use the Airport Utility to configure each Airport Express to "join" the existing wireless network - ie select your Airport Express device as shown in the Airport Utility, click the "Continue" button (not the Manual setup button), and follow the instructions. The name of the wireless network you are joining is the same as the name of the wireless network your existing wireless router is creating. Make sure you also specify the same security protocol (WEP/WPA) and wireless network password as your Mac requires to connect to your existing wireless network.

  • IPhone to multiple Airport Express/ATVs

    before the latest iOS upgrade to my iPhone I could stream to multiple Airport Expresses from my iPhone at one time.  Now I can't select more than one at a time.  Can anyone help?

    My question is will the Airport Express units ethernet ports have a live signal that wired Macs can plug into to join the network like a router?
    Yes.

  • Multiple Airport Expresses- Individual volume control??

    I have 5 Airport Express units around my house connected through a central Airport Extreme. I want to control the volume on different Express units independently (my front porch can't be as loud at night).
    I know I can change the volume on the stereo unit, but I'm lazy.
    I also know that I can just use AirFoil, which I have, but it seems that Apple should have a solution, especially since I would imagine they would want people to purchase multiple units.
    Am I missing something? Is there an upgrade in the works?
    Thanks!

    Hi,
    The network restructure you are planning to do is exactly what you should do.
    As you know you need to reconfigure the Extreme and Express Airports.
    this has been covered here:
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4372870?start=0&tstart=0
    You seem to know what you are doing so the only trap is that you will not be "extending the network" but roaming so the Airports Express will work as a cluster.
    Let me know if you need more specific answers.
    TZ

  • Single Airport Express with Multiple iTunes Clients ?

    Is it possible for an Airport Express to be controlled by more than one copy of iTunes or does it have to be a unique pairing?
    I have an office of Mac users who want to be able to play from their desktop iTunes libraries to an office stereo connected to an AE. Obviously they can't all play at once... But will they all be able to see a single AE and stream to it on a first come first served basis?
    I can't find anything relevant on Apple site or by googling. Everything is about one copy of iTunes to Multiple Airport Expresses (Expressi?).
    Thanks in advance
    greg.

    Yes, they can play music through iTunes off each of their desktops. Here's the catch...if someone has the AirportExpress picked as their selected speaker, nobody else can play music through it until that user changes the AE speaker back to "Computer" via iTunes on their desktop. All of the other users would see a message that another computer is using that speaker.

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