802.11n Extreme + Airport Express on same WDS w/802.11n speed?

I'm traveling now, but when I get home on Monday morning a factory refurb Core2Duo Macbook Pro waiting for me. I've had an Airport Extreme 802.11n for a couple months now and would love to upgrade the network for 802.11n (for faster transfer speeds to the Airdisk I use as the depository for all my music). but I have an Airport Express I want to keep on the same network (in order to stream internet radio to my stereo since that feature was conveniently left out of the Apple TV, though the Express also serves as a bridge for my Xbox 360 & PS3). Is there a way to configure a WDS so I can keep the Express in the loop and enjoy 802.11n speeds? I read the Apple support doc, and it was kinda vague about whether it would work if I followed the model that involves running an Ethernet cable from the Extreme to the Express? I'd hoped the manual would clear things up, but it only left me more confused...

I have a similar issue here, only I'm keeping my snow Airport base station around just in case. I assume the following will work:
Airport Extreme 802.11n
-connects via ethernet cable to-
Airport Snow
-which connects wirelessly to-
Airport Express.
The Snow has a spare ethernet out, which can connect to a PS3, Network Area Storage Hard Drive, or a TiVo at 802.11n (or higher, since it's all wired) speeds.
The Airport Express has AirTunes out of the mini jack.
My only question is this: does having the Airport Express connected to the Airport Snow (via 802.11g, I assume) put a drag on the overall 802.11n speeds? Or because the Snow and the Express are only on "bridge" setting, it's a non-issue?

Similar Messages

Boost network signal using AirPort Express without using WDS?

I want to boost the signal on my network using my airport express without setting up a WDS network, is this possible?
I had previously set up my Time Capsule as a WDS main and my airport express as a WDS remote, but this slowed the network down dramatically.

If you have an AirPort Express 802.11n, you can configure it to "extend a wireless network" and maintain "n" speeds on the network with a minimum of bandwidth loss.
Check the model number of your Express is you are not sure which version you have. Look on the side of the device for the Model Number. Model No. A 1264 is the "n" version.
Post back if you have this version and need more info on the "extend" setup.

AirPort Express/Time Capsule WDS Network - will this work?

Have recently bought a Time Capsule but realised that it won't do what I want with my Linksys ADSL wireless router. I think I understand how to make it work with an AirPort Express, but would appreciate it if someone could confirm my ideas before I buy even more hardware!
My situation is that my ADSL line comes in to the house on the ground floor. There's no extension phone sockets and I don't want or need them. My home office is on the first floor.
What I want is to have my ADSL modem and a wireless device on the ground floor, the Time Capsule in the home office with mac and XBOX making wired connections to it, and a USB printer also connected.
If I get a DSL modem and then connect an AirPort Express to that, can I then set up WDS so that the Time Capsule becomes an extension of the WLAN and I can connect the devices to the Time Capsule via wires? Or do I need an AirPort Extreme to do this instead of Express? Or is it just plain not going to work?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

I am using a Time Capsule with an 802.11g Airport Express with a WDS network. In my case the Time Capsule is the main device and the Airport Express is the remote device, but I'd think it would work the other way. Just make sure you're using "Airport Utility", not "Airport Admin Utility" to configure it.
One other thing: I found it easiest to reset both devices to factory default settings and use the Airport Utility wizard to set up the WDS network on both devices. Good luck!
My network:
DSL ]--[ Time Capsule )))((( Airport Express

How can I best make use of all my devices ? Mac mini, Apple TV, AirPort Extreme, airport express, ipad 2 (all purchased in 2011) and an old imac with OS X. I use my iPhones personal hotspot for all Internet.

How can I best make use of all my devices ? Mac mini, Apple TV, AirPort Extreme, airport express, ipad 2 (all purchased in 2011) and an old imac with OS X. I use my iPhones personal hotspot for all Internet.

Maybe you are looking to re-purpose this equipment versus getting rid of it if so, the best thing to do is search the internet for tutorials. And I say this because it's what I would do, there are a lot of tutorials online. Hope you can find good use for them. Worse case scenario if you can't find something right now, package them very nicely and when you come across something unbox and enjoy. I've re-purposed a mac color classic and LOVE IT!!

Airport extreme + Airport express WDS Windows only problem

Hi,
I bought an airport extrem to replace my Belkin and redesign my network@home.
The airport extrem give Internet/ethernet linked to a Linux PC, and eyehome. He also gives Internet to a macmini, a powerbook, and a macbookpro.
I had an airport express which gives me airtunes before, I tried to use it for a WDS.
It seems to work fine if I go in the studio near my house with the MBP > I see my network, connect and surf fine.
But, I put it in WDS to extend the network for a (sh#*$€ù£) PC under windows for my son who loves NWN2...
This Pc had a belkin wifi usb adapter which works slightly well before; Here the Belkin utility say that the signal to my network is really strong but he don't want to connect. He gets a local IP 169.xxx.xxx.xxx
If I use the airport utility tool on the pc to connect the airport express : it doesn't see anything ; no network, no airport express.
When I use the MBP with the airport utility tool I can see that the password doesn't have 13 digit likes the one I give but it seems to have 26 characters under the password.
So I think that it convert it in the wep128 key but I don't know how to get it in clear! (he do it again when I try to put the only password). I looked @ my keychain but it only have the clear password which I Know..of course
Do you have suggestions to get this key in clear?
MBP, MM, PWBK & Pc Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Well! I've got it
with the airport utilities > clic to "configure" BUT have look @ the menu and not the visual menu.
In French (sorry) : Borne d'acces > mot de passe equivalent du réseau : select
You will see the password (of course you know it before) BUT also : the hexadecimal code.
I put this hexadecimal number in the pc authentification tool and it works fine : I have my IP, and I could go to the internet with it.

AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Dish Network

I have an older model AP Extreme and Express. My Extreme is my base station and connected to my USB printer. I use the Express to stream Airtunes downstairs to my stereo and have another profile I use to "create a wireless network" for when I take it on the road. Now I want to create another profile with the Express so I can connect my Dish Network receiver. This will allow me to use the iPhone app to set the DVR to record remotely but I need to connect the receiver to the internet. How do I configure the Express to do this? The Dish receiver has an ethernet jack in the back that I can connect to the Express. My Wii system joins my network wirelessly, but the Dish receiver needs to be connected by ethernet. I am using AirPort Utility 5.5.1.

I too am struggling with this same issue, but I have a current Airport Extreme (square) and a first gen Airport Express. I can't do a WDS because I use WPA2 on the Extreme (booklet says I have to use WEP or none, which I am not going to do). Now, I have no problem purchasing the next gen Airport Express that allows extension of a WPA2 network, but want to make sure that my idea is sound - buxwheat is trying to do what I want to do, but I don't need a new profile. I have a spare D-Link WBR-1310 that I could use, but would rather not.
The AirPort Extreme 802.11n has a configuration option to "extend a wireless network", which will allow you to maintain higher "n" speeds on your network and use WPA2 Personal security. The ethernet port on the AirPort Express is enabled in this type of configuration. If you want to try this, you'll need to also make sure that the option to "allow this network to be extended" is enabled on your AirPort Extreme.
It's always an "iffy" proposition to download big high definition movie files using wireless. With a very good, strong wireless connection, you may be OK, but ethernet...if you have the option...is always a much better choice for this type of application.
If you cannot run an ethernet cable to the DVR, for about the same price as a new AirPort Express, you might want to consider a pair of ethernet powerline adapters. One adapter plugs into an AC socket near your main router and the other plugs into an AC socket near the DVR. The ethernet signal is transmitted over the AC powerline in your home. My opinion...this would provide a faster, stronger and more reliable connection than wireless only.

Airport Extreme + Airport Express and Max Speed. Does my solution work?

So, I am setting up a new network, with these parameters
1) Extreme - main station, broadcasting dualband 2.4Ghz 802.11b/g/n and 5 Ghz 802.11n
2) Express - to extend network
3) Max Speed!
So from what I've read, I could "simply" do this
On the Extreme set to broadcast SSID "XYZ" on both 2.4/5
On the Express set it to Extend "XYZ" on either 2.4 OR 5, not both.
And then presto, network. However, I'm thinking this is way to simple
So my question is
1) Does the Exteme only broadcasts one network on both bands? I have seen that some posters have suggested to broadcast "XYZ" on 2.4 and then call another "XYZ 5 Ghz". If I want to maximize throughput for all devices, what should I do? Range is not an issue, both signals are perfect.
Cheers

First, there is no assurance that 5 GHz will provide you with higher throughput if the signal has deteriorated due to distance or obstructions. It is not unusual to see the 2.4 GHz band providing better throughput if the signal must pass through a few walls to reach the Express.
The point is this....the Express will choose the best signal quality based a complex formula of speed and noise. If it "sees" a better signal at 2.4 GHz, that is where it will connect. If the 5 GHz signal is of high quality, the Express will connect at 5 GHz.
Your computer will do exactly the same thing. If you are in the same room as the main router, it will connect to 5 GHz. Walk the laptop down the hall past a few rooms and around the corner and it will most likely connect to 2.4 GHz.
If you have a Mac laptop handy, move it very close to the area where you plan to install the AirPort Express. Hold down the option key on the Mac while you click on the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the screen. Look at the Channel information to find out whether the laptop is connected at 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz.
That will be a good indication of the band that the Express will connect to. What are your results when you try this?

New Airport Extreme & Airport Express Setup Query

Hi,
About three weeks ago, I purchased my first Wi-Fi router so that I could use my iMac anywhere in the house, but also use my iPhone3G. This was because we do not get Edge coverage where I live in the UK, let alone 3G! And it is very handy to use the iphone when in the garden or my cellar/workshop.
So I thought I would simplify things and 'keep it in the family' so to speak, as I figured Apple products should work best with each other.
With this in mind i purchased an +Apple Extreme Base Station 802.11n+. This was very easy to setup and having set the WPA2 Personal Security, it was up and running in about 15 minutes and has worked just great.
I live in a large bungalow and find that the wi-fi coverage is great in moist areas, including the gardens, but rather weak at one side of the house where we have our home cinema setup and music systems.
With my pleasant experience with the Extreme in mind, and reading about Airtunes, I bought an +Airport Express 802.11n+ unit a couple of days ago.
I set it up to join my current Airport Extreme network, and setup my speakers etc as well as iTunes.
On the whole, the Airtunes aspect is brilliant, apart from the odd drop out from time to time, but my real concern is that my network strength has not improved at all in that area where the Airport Express is is plugged in. It is just as weak as it was when only the Extreme unit was installed.
I was under the impression that when it joined my Extreme network, the Express unit would extend the network. and it does not appear to have done so at all. On my iPhone3G it shows up as the _very lowest_ signal strength. On my partners Windows laptop, the signal strength is shown as 'poor'.
Am I doing something wrong, or misunderstanding how the Airport Express works with the Extreme unit?
All help most welcome.

Thanks James, I have now an Extended network, and my signal strength is excellent. Once I knew what I was aiming for, it was easy enough.
Thanks

Extending my network Airport Extreme - Airport Express

This morninig I took receipt of a new Airport Extreme.
I have setup a new wireless network and I am now trying to extend its range using my existing Airport express units.
I am using the new Airport utility to configure the setup.
After having selected the Aiport network to extend, I then give my base station a new name, click "continue" and get the following error message:
AirPort Utility is unable to set up this base station for WDS because this computer does not have an AirPort card installed.
Which is crazy since I have a new MacPro with a card installed!!
Any ideas?

Are you connecting the new base to your network
(or
computer) via an ethernet cable? If not, try
that.
This is how I ended up configuring my AE-N base,
and
it worked fine. I also configured my Airport
Express stations the same way. This way when the
units restart, they never lose connectivity.
Jeff
Hello Jeff,
I have a mac pro connected to the new base station
via an
ethernet cable. I then have another ethernet cable
which connects the new Airport Extreme base station
to mt DSL modem.
Is that what you mean?
Anthony, did you ever get an answer to this? I'm having similar problems and cannot seem to find someone who has solved them. Please let me know if you've figured out a solution.
thanks!
mIck

AirPort Extreme + AirPort Express ≠ bridge to server

Here's the dilemma: my office recently purchased a multifunction Toshiba printer, which must be accessed wirelessly to print, scan, etc. This is accomplished via a server (aka the "Fiery").
Our LAN centers on an AirPort Extreme (802.11a/n - 802.11b/g/n), which provides our internet access via its ethernet connection to a cable modem. Originally we extended the network via a Cisco Linksys bridge, which recently was rendered useless by a power outage.
Thinking that keeping everything within the Apple family would obviate some of the troubles we had to deal with when using the Cisco bridge, I added an AirPort Express, plugging it directly into the surge suppressor that protects the Fiery and the printer. The Express connects to the Fiery via ethernet.
While both Extreme and Express were showing solid greens in AirPort Utility, and I had set up the Extreme to "create" the network and the Express to "extend" it, I still cannot connect to the printer from my Mac—the whole point of this exercise. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Hello Vernassoc. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
If your goal is to provide Ethernet connectivity to the printer using the 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station (AXn), you don't necessarily need to configure both base stations for an extended wireless network.
Instead, you can configure the AXn as a ProxySTA. (Apple's term of a wireless Ethernet bridge.) As a ProxySTA, the AXn would "join" the wireless network created by the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) and have its Ethernet port enabled for wired clients.
To activate ProxySTA, you must set up the Express to join a wireless network and then enable the Allow Ethernet Clients setting; both settings are located in the Wireless tab of AirPort Utility. The feature should work with any wireless network: a, b, g, or n; and 5GHz or 2.4GHz. (Note that the Express, which ships with firmware 7.3, must also be updated to firmware 7.3.1 for this feature to appear.)

AIRPORT EXTREME, AIRPORT EXPRESS, CISCO DPC3925

Hi can anyone help.
I have a CISCO Cable Router and the wireless signal is weak if there is no extender.
How do I get to extend and also increase the wifi signal with a airport extreme, and 2 airport express.
Currently I have the AExtreme connected by cable to the CISCO router and 2 airport express as extender, but signal is

Hi there mrazaliamat!
I have a couple of articles that can provide you with some more information on achieving this. These articles will help you set up an extended wireless network and help you choose the right settings for this network:
Wi-Fi base stations: Setting up and configuring an extended wireless network (802.11n)
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4259
Wi-Fi base stations: Extending the range of your wireless network by adding additional Wi-Fi base stations
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4145
Thanks for being a part of the Apple Support Communities!
Regards,
Braden

AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Xbox 360

Perhaps someone's already posted a question about this, but I couldn't find a specific post that addressed my questions. I recently bought an Xbox for my stepson and hope to use an AirPort Express to connect it to my home network, which is built around an AirPort Extreme Base Station. Anyone out there done this? Can anyone share how they set theirs up?
Thanks in advance!

Hi.
I set up the same configuration proposed by Henry.
My Airport Extreme is cabled to the Netgear ADSL Router. Airport Express is configured in WDS mode together with Airport Extreme and both are in bridge mode (DHCP disabled). Then, the Xbox 360 is connected with ethernet cable to the Airport Express. Finally, I set up the Airport express and extreme IP address as static. In this way, I have only one wireless network and the IP address is given by the Netgear Router for all hosts (Xbox 360 too), other than Airport base stations, which are always reachable with their static IP address.
I hope this description will be helpful.
Bye,
Francesco

I'd like to alter my Airport Extreme/Airport Express wireless network so that the 3 Expresses connect to the Extreme via Ethernet. I've been told this will create a more stable wifi signal. How do I configure this using Airport Utility? Thanks.

I currently have an Airport Extreme Base Station connected to my DSL router by Ethernet. Because I have a long, sprawling home, I have 3 Airport Expresses configured to "Extend the Wireless Network" I've established. Because of my home environment--thick walls encompassaing wire mesh, sprawling rooms, etc., it is hard to maintain a continuously-strong, stable WiFi signal. I've been told that I can create a much more stable network by connecting the Express units to the AEBS via Ethernet cable. Since my home is already wired for Ethernet, I'm considering making this change. If I proceed to establish the Ethernet connections, how do I then set up Airport Utility to accomodate this switch from a Wireless-based WiFi network to an Ethernet-based WiFi network?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Phyllis

I don't see anyplace in the Utility to designate HOW the Express units are connected, only how they relate on the network to the Extreme,
As I mentioned in the previous post, when you click the Internet icon in AirPort Utility:
Connect Using = Ethernet (This tells each Express to connect to the Extreme using the ethernet connection)
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode) (This setting allows your AirPort Extreme to function as the "main" router on the network, as it must for the setup to work correctly.
You do not need to configure anything differently on the AirPort Extreme (as long as it is working correctly now) to connect the AirPort Express devices.
The only other question I have is the following: I'm currently already using one of the Ethernet ports on the back of the Extreme-- for my husband's iMac. I really don't think he gains much in performance over how the iMac would run through wifi, so I could disconnect the iMac. If you think the iMac would do better to stay on the Ethernet connection, should I use a switch/splitter to add an extra connection?
Since each AirPort Express must connect using ethernet, you will need to use the 3 LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme for the AirPort Express devices.
I would suggest that you try connecting the iMac using wireless to see if that will work. If the wireless connection is not satisfactory, then you can add a 5 port ethernet switch to one of the LAN ports on the Extreme and then plug all the devices connecting using ethernet....the iMac and the 3 AirPort Express devices...into the remaining 4 ports on the switch. That will leave you with 2 open ports on the AirPort Extreme for any future devices that may need to connect.
When you test out the system, here is a trick to find out which device your computer is actually connecting to at any given time as it "roams" around the house.
When you have AirPort Utility open to configure each AirPort Express, jot down the AirPort ID for each Express. You can do the same for the AirPort Extreme.
As you move around with your laptop, hold down the option key on your Mac keyboard while you click on the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the screen. Look for the BSSID. That is the AirPort ID of the device that the laptop is connected to at that time. it should also be the ID of the closest AirPort Express (or AirPort Extreme if the laptop is close to the Extreme at the time).
Let us know how things are working when everything is up and running.

AirPort Extreme + AirPort Express for AirTunes

Hi there,
I've just unpacked my new AP Extreme station (v7.3.2) as a replacement for the AP Express (v6.3) and it works just fine. What I now have been trying for some hours is to set up AP Express for AirTunes, but it doesn't work.
I just want to add AP Express to the wireless network created via the AP Extreme not to extend the network, but simply use AirTunes.
I tried the guided set-up via the Airport Utility, also the manual one. I tried to create a closed and normal network. The problem is always the same: After the update of the AP Express station, the station can't be found and needs a hard reset to start just another try for a set-up...only the AP Extreme shows up.
Any idea?
Thanks in advance.

...I solved it myself this morning at about 1.00 AM, but this page was down, so I couldn't post my message earlier...sometimes its easier than you think: I just forgot to enter the MAC address of the AirPort Express under the "Access" menu of he AirPort Extreme. That was the reason why the Express couldn't join the network created by he Extreme. The rest is as Nee Kun stated above with one difference: Once the Express is plugged in, I of course see/access (frankly you cannot see it, because its "closed"=invisible) only one network, but in my AirPort Utility I can see both, Extreme and Express

Airport Extreme + airport express - problem outputting to multiple speakers

Hello,
I have set up my airport express by joining my existing Airport Extreme base station wireless network. When I play my music in iTunes, I am able to select either the Computer or Airtunes for the output in the drop down box in the lower right of iTunes. When I select Airtunes, the music streams no problem to my remote speakers connected to Airport Express. However, when I try to select Multiple Speakers in the drop down menu in iTunes, a pop up Remote Speakers box opens - when I select both the Computer and Airtunes in this box, I get an error message - "An errror occurred while connecting to the remote speaker "Airtunes". An unknown error occurred (-3256)." Since the error occurs only when I try to selct both the computer internal speakers and the remote speakers, but I am able to connect to the remote speakers by themselves, I am really confused. Any thoughts?
Charly

Just to clarify, the goal is to play iTunes on both the computer's internal speakers and my remote speakers at the same time.
Charly

802.11n Extreme + Airport Express on same WDS w/802.11n speed?

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