Airport Express interference.

My Airport Express keeps picking up my neighbors wi-fi signal. When this happens it interferes with my signal. I have tried changing the channel on my base station but that didn't work. I use a satellite network for my internet and my provider says my signal is strong. How can I set up my Airport Express to ignore the other signal.

Unfortunately, wireless interference is pretty much a fact of life these days with the explosion of wireless networks. There are far too many networks and far too few wireless channels to use.
In general, you would want to locate your AirPort Express as far away as possible from any outside walls in your home or apartment, to help keep it from picking up signals from the neighbors. I assume that you are using the Express to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal, correct?
Unless you have a way of knowing which channel might be the better choice to use at any given time, you may have better results simply restarting the AirPort Express from time to time. When you do this, the Express will automatically scan to find the best channel to use at the time. In crowded areas, you may need to restart the Express almost daily, since other wireless routers are also scanning and looking for available channels.
Are you sure that the neighbor's Wi-Fi really is the culprit? More often than not, the real problem for wireless networks is interference from cordless phones. If you have not already turned off all of your cordless phones for a few hours as a test, to see how the Express performs that way......now or soon might be a good time.
Depending on the capability of your devices, and the model of Express that you have, it might be possible to set up a separate 5 GHz network for your devices to use. Since there is less interference on the 5 GHz bands.....for now....you may have better results using this higher frequency if all of your device support it.

Similar Messages

Airport express interference when my other new dell laptop with Vista

Hi,
My macbook was working great with airport express. Once I bought the new dell laptop with Vista it stopped connecting to airport whenever the Dell is on. Once I switch the Dell off, my macbook immediately connects with airport. The Dell never has any prob trying to connect. I've tried to change the channel but it doesn't help as my Dell is unable to connect. My radio mode is 802.11n ( which is b/g compatible) as I can't use any other mode since my Dell won't pick up other mode. Please help .
Thanks
Pralav

Thank you . I do have my Real player running. I turned it off and restarted and I still have interference from the dell laptop. My MB connect AE only when the dell is off. If start it my MB looses AE. The realy player doesn't seem to make any difference.
Thanks

Airport Express and outside network interference

I have been having some difficulty staying connected to my Airport Express lately. I'm running a Power Mac G4 MDD (airport card) and an iBook 933mhz (airport extreme card), and an iMac (wired to a router). The airport express is also cabled to the router, which is connected to the cable modem. Everything worked fine from February to about 2 weeks ago. No dropouts or anything. The airport admin utility is set up as follows:
-Wireless mode: Create a wireless network (home router)
-WPA personal wireless security
-Channel - 11 (I have experimented with all channels)
-Mode 802.11b/g compatible
Wireless options
-multicast rate 5.5
-interference robustness enabled
-transmit power 100%
The iBook, I noticed this evening, seems to be picking up an outside network. The power mac doesn't seem to pick it up though. Im thinking it has to do with the difference between the 802.11b card in the Power mac and the 802.11g card in the iBook. Although the two wireless computers drop the connection, I also noticed this evening, that the Power mac seems more susceptible to the dropout (the connection isn't always lost at the same time). I also have a difficult time reestablishing the connection. I'm starting to think my problem lies in the channel setting, except none of them seem to make much difference. What other options do I have to limit this interference????

Jason
first let me start saying that it might not solve your problem, however, I was told, by an Apple engineer in charge of the networking for an Apple event, that in case of a mixed network (b and g) set the airport to be b only. He gave me the reasons, but I can not remember.
I used to have my network in b (I have a mixed setting), but since I have 2 airport xpress, one is set to "b" the other is set to "g".
I have had no problems.
Now, since I do not think this will solve your problem, you should check to see if there is any signal of an external interference going on.
Do your problems happen more frequently at a certain times.
Something new in the neighborhood ? So on and so forth.
Deivy

Interferences caused by (multiple) AirPort Express

Yep,
having the illusion to hear my music all over the house, I have bought 3 AirPort Express just for running AirTunes. Due to heavy drop outs caused by Interferences, it turned out to be not practicable. By accident I found out, that I do not have any interferences, as long as just one AirPort Express is switched on and connected to my AirPort Etreme. As soon as a second AirPort Express shows up, it does not take long till the AirTune drop outs happen. Its way worth when the third AirPort Express is powered on.
So its pretty obvious that the AirPort "Ex.." stations are disturbing each other.
Does anybody has an idea whether there is any further screw I can turn, any further parameter I can change, in order to improve the situation?
However, I am still hoping as only Apple products are involved ...
Thx for any idea!

Hello Henry!
First let me thank you for your expertise on that. I am really running out of ideas and appreciate any new thoughts. Let me explain some more details ...
- the signal strength is pretty good on every Wireless LAN client location
- I am unsure concerning your thoughts about the transmission rate. iTunes is running on a MacBook which has a 130mbit connection to the AirPort Extreme. Do you really think that streaming causes that much traffic? I hardly can believe that Apple designed AirTunes to just serve one single client ...(?)
- unfortunately wiring is no option. The location just does not allow it with a reasonable effort
- I already tried different channels and could not tell any difference
- All AirPort Express' are just clients to the Extreme. No WDS established.
Any further thoughts?
I already wrote feedback to Apple stating that I really miss AirPort Express (and MacMini) to be 802.11n capable. But the latest month make me believe that the iPhone stuff eats up most of their resources and I guess it will take quite while till those products get an update
Anyhow, thx for any hints on that!

PC causing interference with Airport Express 802.11n

Hi there,
My airport extreme base station is operating in WDS mode, with an Airport Express as a remote wds.
When i power on a Dell laptop in the house where the AEBS is, the wireless connectivity for any Macs or Pc's connected to the AEBS grinds to a halt. After a few seconds, the AEBS provides zero connectivity. When I turn the Dell's power off, the AEBS signal builds to where it was prior to the Dell being turned on, which is very strong.
The wireless antenna for the dell is not even powered on, and it is not connected to the AEBS via wire either.
Has anyone experienced this kind of interference with the AEBS? I would like to use this Dell on the AEBS network via wireless. Unfortunately, tossing the Dell out the window is not an option for me. Thanks!

Seems the Dell's docking station was interfering with the ABS. Strange.

Airport Express network interference

Can anyone tell me why my airport express shows my neighbours network who is on another floor in my building? Sometimes the airport express shows it is connected to her network. I thought I had locked my network because a lock is displayed beside my network name. Her network name does not show a lock. Thanks for any suggestions.

Welcome to the Apple Discussions board
your airport express does not show any other network..it creates a network...your computer on the other hand can see all networks in the area and if you see the check mark next to another network it's probably because you joined that network at some point and it was saved as a preferred network and if for some reason be it interference or what not do disconnect your network the computer automatically joins the next preferred network in it's list. Hope this helps

Am radio interference thru airport express

I have yet to see a good answer to why the Airport Express picks up am radio while your trying to stream anything thru express to your home stereo or speakers.
As the day moves along, the radio station being picked up gets louder and clearer. Getting frustrated! Does anyone truely know how to resolve this?

If you do not hear the AM radio when you are plugging the headphones in directly to the AirPort Express.....then you know that the interference is not coming from the AirPort Express.
The audio cable that you have is likely acting as an antenna, and picking up some stray RF interference. That's likely because the shielding is not working correctly. Your "other" headphones may be doing the same. The down and dirty "fix" might be to wrap some foil around the wiring to see if it helps shield things better. Not very neat though.
A neater fix....if it works....would be to replace the audio cable. Radio Shack's audio cable works great for me, but I'm sure there are many others that will work as well.

Airport Express error 6753 and IPAD2 "interference"

Airport Express works fine with my pc(Vista) until my brother-in-law comes with his IPAD2 and connects. My pc will connect to the Express(wireless network), but won't go on the internet. Can't get the Airport Utility to communicate either: error 6753. When the IPAD2 leaves everything works fine again. Any ideas? Thanks

I had a hard time to re-configure my Airport Express after an automatic update by Apple (New firmware for Airport Extreme) It just wouldn't work on my Leopard machine. (express was not responding, amber light flashing, unable to fetch configuration settings...etc.) Now, I've downgraded the firmware for the Express again (from 6.3 to 6.1.1) and i used a powerbook with tiger installed to configure the express. Now it all seems to work again. It took a lot of time to figure things out, wich is a shame, but I'm happy to have it all working again. And perhaps this knowledge is usefull to others.

Airport Express and phone interference

When my home phone rings or we make a call, our wireless internet connection (airport express) disconnects. Has someone already had this issue? if yes, is there any solution to resolve it?

The best solution is to get rid of your 2.4 GHz cordless phones. They operate at the same frequency as the wireless network created by the AirPort Express (AX).
Another possible solution is to set the AX to use another channel. Try changing the channel until you find a channel that works or you run out of channels.

Radio interference through airport express! Arrrrrgh

When I connect the RCA cable from the Airport Express to my stereo I get a terrible radio station that plays fairly loudly through my speakers. It's definitely coming through the Air. Ex. as I've plugged a set of headphones directly into the thing and can hear that darn radio station. When I play some tunes through iTunes via Air. Ex. I get a mix of what I've selected to play and that random radio station. It's aweful. I've moved things around, I got the Air. Ex. on it own power strip away from the other plugs and nothing, I mean, nothing works. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. Oh and the cable I'm using to connect the Airport Ex. to my stereo is of high quality - it's the one that is recommended by Apple. Thanks for any help. - m.

Thanks to everyone who has offered advice. Just to fill in some mysteries - when I plug headphones directly into the Airport Express, I can hear the radio station playing, so I'm pretty sure that means the radio sounds are coming from the Airport Express - not from the stereo receiver. I've also changed the chanel, tried every one of them, to no avail. I just can't seem to resolve it.... I still appreciate anyone who could help solve this as I can't use the Airport Express to listen to iTunes wirelessly, it's too aggrevating. I know there are thousands of people with bigger problems right now (shout out to N'Orleans) but....

Using Airport Express with an ATT DSL router

July 10, 2012
Hi All! The following thoughts are for
     1) those of you who use ATT DSL as your internet service-provider, and
     2) who wish to stream iTunes songs from your computer to speakers in other rooms via AIRPORT EXPRESSes, and
     3) are wondering whether you have to purchase a separate Apple Airport Extreme base-station, or can simply use your exisiting ATT router.
Having just spent several days and many hours on the phone before Apple's tech "Dan" was finally able to get my system up and running, I thought some of you might appreciate my sharing the following info while it's still fresh in my mind.
1. You may need to update your ATT router to the latest version, in order for it to properly communicate with your AIRPORT EXPRESS(es) (henceforth shortened to "AEs"). The AEs use 802.11n speed. My original ATT router (a 2Wire 2701HG-B) was no faster than "-h," and this might have been part of the problem as to why my system wouldn't work. I went to my local AT&T store, and got their latest router: as of this writing, a Netgear "Westell" Model B90-755025-15, which can run at both the slower speeds as well as the faster "-n." To find out some of the specs of my router, an Apple tech had me type in the 10 digits of my Gateway IP Address into the address-bar (no need for the "https://www") and "Presto!", up popped several pages of info on my router.
2. When first setting up your AE, it needs to be back in "default mode." If it's right out of the box, you don't need to do anything. But if, like me, you've already made several attempts to get it running, then you need to reset it to its pre-configured state, You do that by taking a bent paper-clip, and inserting one end into the little hole on the ports-side of your AE (near where the mini-plug of a speaker-cable is inserted). While the device is plugged in, gently press the paper-clip into the hole until the light on top blinks amber QUICKLY, the flashes coming in rapid succession. Then remove the paper-clip, and the AE will glow solid amber--meaning it's waiting to be re-programmed.
3. When first setting up your AE, do NOT attach an ETHERNET CABLE from the router. The only cable that needs to be attached is the mini-plug cable running to some sort of portable, powered speaker. For myself, to make things easier, I brought my AE and my new Sony RDP-M5iP speaker/dock into the same room as my Imac & router. That way, I'd know immediately if the AE was working correctly.
4. After you've clicked on your Airport Utility App (hard drive TO Applications TO Utilities folder), you'll soon come to a page that asks you to name your AE (this page calls it a "base station"). Before you do that, you should see a button in the lower left-hand corner that says, "Other Options." Click on it. You'll then be given a choice of "Creating a New Network" or "Choosing an Existing Network." You want this 2nd choice--because you indeed are planning to use your ATT router's exisitng wireless network.
5. Shortly, you'll come to the page asking you to name your AE. Call it, for instance, "Family Room Speaker." As for password, at first I--as well as virtually all of the techs with whom I spoke--thought I should type in the multi-digit ATT router-password (called a "Wireless Network Key"). But finally, "Dan" told me to simply type in, "express1" (or, for my 2nd AE, "express2"). That did the trick!
6. Your AE should now be glowing green on top. Plus, on the 10x6" dark-grey rectangular box displaying the globe (i.e., your main internet connection), the globe should have a now-green glowing circle to its left. And underneath, it should be displaying a rectangle named "Family Room Speaker" (or whatever name you've given your Airport Express).
7. When you now open iTunes, you should see a little blue rectangle (with a triangle in its middle) in the lower right-hand corner of your iTunes box. Click on it, and it should show listed both your computer-speaker as well as your AE speaker(s), plus a heading called "multiple speakers." Click on "multiple," and it will bring up a box displaying all your now-current speakers. Check the small square next to any speakers that are unchecked, and a volume-slider will appear. Bring them all up to a comfortable level. Then click on an iTunes track you'd like to play and, viola!, you should hear music playing both from your computer and from the portable speaker to which your AE is attached.
8. Now close iTunes. Then unplug your Airport Express and--if you have a 2nd AE-- plug them both back into your power-strip. Go thru the set-up steps in your Airport Utility App for this 2nd AE. At the end of it, both AEs should be glowing green on top, and both should be displayed on your computer-screen.
Now re-open iTunes, and start a song playing. (Don't forget to click on the blue rectangle at the R-hand bottom, and activate the new AE speaker.) By inserting your speaker cable alternately into each of the AEs, you should be able to verify that, yes, both are now working.
9. Unplug both AEs, and bring them to whatever room you want to use them in. Plug them in to a wall outlet, and run your mini-cable from the AE to the speaker. Give the AEs a few minutes to pick up the signal once again from your ATT router; when they do, their lights will change from amber back to green. Tech Dan warned me to keep them away from too much metal, to avoid interference. As soon as they turn green, you should now be hearing your iTunes track playing thruout your house! (If not, you may have to first close iTunes on your computer, then re-open it, and start a new track playing.)
The BOTTOM LINE: no, you don't have to purchase a separate Apple Extreme to be your base-station. Your ATT router--if it's running at the 802.11n standard--should be able to work with your Airport Express(es)!
My thanks to Sean and Cameron and Chris and, most especially, Dan, the Apple techs who patiently worked with me to get this system online.

I am GREATLY appreciative of this overview. Even though I don't understand a lot of it. I will keep working through. I am-- have for 2 years-- had terrible connectivity with AT&T's service & 2Wire router. My MacBookPro keeps dropping the signal. I'm talking every few clicks at times. Husband's PC drops it, too, but not nearly as much as the Mac. I'm sure what you posted can help us get better connectivity.

Solution to Airport Extreme Base Station + Airport Express networking probs

I've been investigating this for 3 straight days after inadvertently destabilizing my network. There are tons of posts discussing a variety of issues, all of which seem related. My goal here is to provide links to other relevant posts and explain what I ended up doing to get things to work.
First, the background. You can skip below to SOLUTION if you don't really care... However, I highly recommend you take the time to read everything, as you'll get other useful information in the BACKGROUND section. I'm guessing many of you have similar, related problems so BACKGROUND might help provide context (and solutions) to some things you are seeing...
MY SETUP:
AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) of type b/g (round one, not square one), connects to the cable modem, and creates a WDS network that is then shared across two standard AirPort Express (AEX) units (100megabit, not the gigabit ones). One AEX serves as a relay unit that accepts clients, the other serves as a remote unit that also accepts clients. The intent is to show a single network throughout the house and let users log on to one network and move between networking units without having to switch from network to network.
I have a variety of networked devices throughout the house all running on the same network (2 Mac Pros, a Powerbook G4, a Mac Mini, an Apple TV, a Windows XP laptop, two iPhones, two wifi printers, and a 5-unit Sonos system, plus the AEBS and two AEXs). Yeah, I'm a geek.
The Mac Pros are both running 10.4.11, and the Powerbook is running 10.5.2.
AEBS is running firmware 5.7
AEXs are running firmware 6.3
All Macs were initially accessing configs via the recently released AirPort Utility 5.3.1. More on that later.
BACKGROUND:
I've had this network setup working for about a year now. Recently, I've been having poor network performance problems and came to the conclusion it was a LAN problem (ie. problem with my home network, as opposed to with my ISP). Upon initial investigation, I began by looking at my networking logs (via AirPort Utility 5.3.1). You get to those by selecting the unit in question, choosing "Manual Configuration", the selecting the "Advanced" tab up top with the "Logging and SNMP" sub-tab. Click the "Logs and Statistics" button therein for log details from that unit.
The first thing I noticed was "Administrative access denied to ff80::xxxxxxxxx" messages - a lot of them. I didn't recognize the ff80:: address in question, and so became concerned it was someone outside the network trying to hack one (or all) of the AEBS/AEX units. You can see threads discussing that investigation here:
"Hack or panic?" - http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1438486
"Administrative access denied" - http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1438865
Long and short of it is that the recent AirPort Utility 5.3.1 release (current as of March 13) seems to have problems (keychain) when attempting to access the AEBS and AEX units. The "Administrative access denied" logs actually refer to the client machine you are using when you try to read the logs. The ff80::xxxxxx address is simply the IPv6 address for the machine you are using; if you turn off IPv6 on your client machine, that address should switch over to begin showing a regular IP address instead (something like 10.0.1.xxx), which makes it easier to associate the IP to the machine. I explain how to deactivate IPv6 on both Tiger (10.4.x) and Leopard (1.5.x) here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6814978#6814978
Anyway, in the process of investigating the "Administrative access denied" problem, I began tinkering with my AEX settings. Specifically, I ended up performing a hard factory reset (unplug unit, plug back in while holding down the little button with paper click/pen for ~10-15 seconds until light flashes green 4x then reverts to amber/yellow/orange). I began reconfiguring my entire WDS network using the newly updated AirPort Utility 5.3.1, and that's when the trouble started.
(If you are having problems seeing either your AirPort Extreme Base Station or AirPort Express, read this:)
In short, each time I thought I had properly configured things and then confirmed settings (kicking off a reboot on the AEX unit) the unit would restart with new settings but not properly join the WDS and not show up in the AirPort Utility list of units. More specifically, I would start with a "wiped" AEX and see both the AEBS and the AEX in my AirPort Utility list, but upon confirm/reboot the AEX would disappear and the AEBS would remain. However, that's not 100% correct. It seems that sometimes I would end up with the AEX and NOT the AEBS. Because both the AEX and AEBS were theoretically "hosting" the same network name (remember, WDS shares the network name across units) my auto-login feature for my client computer's wifi seemed to "jump on" whichever unit it first saw hosting the default network name for my house. In other words, it seems what was really happening was that I was ending up with two separate networks in my house, both with the same name but not talking to each other (as opposed to two units sharing the same network name and internet connection). The AEX would continue to blink orange/amber/yellow (whichever color it is to your eyes ) because it could not grab an internet connection -- and if I was on the network through that AEX unit I would not get internet. But if i was connected through the AEBS I would continue to have internet access. As far as my client computer (my Mac Pro) was concerned, I was on the home wifi network even if I was on the AEX rather than the AEBS -- it would show the home wifi network name as the name of the network it had connected to. But when I opened the AirPort Utility 5.3.1 I would see only the AEX (if I was connected through it) or the AEBS (if connected through it) -- a clear indication that the units were not truly sharing the same network.
I tried rebooting and reconfiguring the AEBS and AEX about 50 times (literally). I even tracked down an older version of the AirPort Utility 5.2.1 via this thread (see Tesserax post):
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1067565
One interesting thing re: 5.2.1 is that the "Administrative access denied" errors summarized above disappeared. As explained in a post reference above, the going theory is that this a permissions/keychain problem new and unique to AirPort Utility 5.3.1. However, even though 5.2.1 does have a slightly different interface with different settings, I still couldn't get the WDS to work.
EVENTUALLY, I came across this post:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1422527
MuaddibOfArrakis walks through setting up a WDS from scratch, and the workflow is different than what is possible with either AirPort Utility 5.3.1 or 5.2.1. He's doing it with the old version of AirPort Admin Utility, which I fortunately saved a copy of many moons ago when I had somewhat-related problems with my WDS (since forgotten). In fact, it's a lot easier. What's nice about this older app is that it literally does the heavy lifting of "connecting" the AEBS and AEX units during the configuration -- it reboots both at the same time as the config is happening, and lets you choose from a list of available units to "add" to your WDS network. In short, it's a FAR SUPERIOR workflow even though some of the GUI isn't as intuitive as the newer AirPort Utilities that were designed to replace it.
SOLUTION:
If still have a copy of the AirPort Admin Utility follow the instructions from MuaddibOfArrakis here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1422527
If not, try setting up your WDS network using AirPort Utility (hereafter AU), with these configs (take from my now-working network), as viewed through AirPort Utility 5.3.1.
I. Configure your AEBS.
Select the AEBS from AU, and choose "Manual Setup"
1. Under the AirPort tab up top:
a. Under "Base Station" sub-tab:
i.) assign a name for that specific unit, so you can later identify the specific unit from the list of units -- this is the name that will show up beside the unit in the AU list of configurable units. You can name it something like "kitchen", or "office". I have mine numbered, so XXXXXv1, XXXXXv2 etc where the XXXXX is the name of the shared network and the numbers help me tell the units apart. Just be sure you name each uniquely, and if you have several you might write the name on the unit itself.
ii.) pick a password for logging into that unit. This is different from the network password, its a security check to get in and change the configs on this unit later. Be sure to remember it in your keychain for the sake of simplicity, and write it down somewhere secure.
iii.) if you choose to set time automatically, pick a location that you will use consistently across all your units. I use time.apple.com.
iv.) uncheck "Allow configuration over Ethernet WAN port" unless you want to be able to remotely mess with settings -- which you almost certainly do not need to do.
v.) I left the "Options" button alone - no settings there.
b. Under the "Wireless" sub-tab:
i.) Wireless Mode: "Participate in a WDS network"
ii.) Network Name: this will be the name of your wifi network shared by all units, so be sure to remember what you pick. If you are already connected to this AEBS via wifi while you are making these changes, then you can use the same wifi name you already have set up -- you don't have to change it. Note that if you DO change it, after reboot your will LOSE connection to the network and have to reset your wifi settings on your client machine to match the new network/password in order to be able to access the network.
iii.) pick a Radio Mode. I'm using b/g compatible. You'll want to do the same, unless you are on the new gigabit AEX. I'm pretty sure about this, but not 100% -- others post if I'm wrong.
iv.) choose a Channel. This can be a more complicated procedure, but for now just pick something consistent across all your units. If you get everything working and find that you're having intermittent network problems, you could later try changing your Channel -- it can pick up interference from phones, microwaves, etc and changing it can help.
v.) I have wireless security set to WPA/WPA2 Personal.
vi.) Wireless Password is the password for access to your wifi network (not your unit itself). If you are connecting to your AEBS via wifi while doing this config, then you can use the same password you have already set up. Pick a good one unless you want other folks jumping on your wifi and stealing your bandwidth and/or credit card numbers . Remember it in your keychain and write it down someplace secure, because you'll need it for the other units too. As noted above, note that if you DO change it, after reboot your will LOSE connection to the network and have to reset your wifi settings on your client machine to match the new network/password in order to be able to access the network.
vii.) Click the "Wireless Options" button. I have my multicast rate set to 2mbps, transmit at 100%, timeout at 1 hour, and i have checked the "Create a closed network". This last step keeps your network from advertising itself to the outside world. Users can only find it by explicitly typing the network name into their wifi settings (e.g. AirPort -> Other... then enter Network Name, Security and Password). I leave interference robustness unchecked.
c. Under the "WDS" sub-tab:
i.) the AEBS should have it's WDS Mode set to "WDS main".
ii.) Check the "allow wireless clients" box on the AEBS; this lets you connect client machines to it directly too.
iii.) hit the plus button to add the Remote system (AEX). There are two types of configs for the AEX's - "remote" and "relay". Assuming you have 3 units like me (2 AEX and 1 AEBS) the key question is whether you will place each AEX within direct reach of the AEBS (remotes), or if you will have one AEX in the middle connecting to an AEBS on one side and an AEX on the other -- where the furthest AEX is out of reach from the AEBS (remote) and connects only to the AEX in the middle (relay). I'm using a relay setup. If you are using relay, you can still set up the AEX relay to serve client computers too -- it doesnt have to JUST relay. More on that later. For now, you want to add only AEX units that will talk DIRECTLY to the AEBS. So if you have a setup like mine, just add one (the one in the middle - the relay). If you have two remotes connecting directly to the AEBS, you will add them both here. When you hit the '+' button it will ask for both an ID and description. For description I use the name I'm assigning to each unique unit (as above, "kitchen" or XXXXXv1 or whatever you use). For AirPort ID, use the number listed on the AEX unit itself (not the number for "Ethernet", also on the AEX unit).
d. Under the "Access" sub-tab:
i.) I have it set to "Not Enabled". I'd suggest you start that way too, and you can go change it later if you get everything working correctly.
2. Under the "Internet" tab up top:
a. Under the "Internet Connection" sub-tab:
i.) Connect Using: Ethernet
ii.) Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
iii.) Ethernet WAN Port: Automatic (Default)
iv.) Connection Sharing: Share a public IP address
b. Under the "DHCP" sub-tab:
i.) DHCP Beginning Address: 10.0 . 1 . 2
ii.) DHCP Ending Address: 10.0.1.200
DHCP Lease: 4 hours
c. Under the "NAT" sub-tab:
i.) nothing should be checked;
ii.) nothing under Port Mappings either
3. Under the "Printers and Advanced" tabs up top:
Nothing special needs to be configured there.
THAT'S IT.
=============
I. Configure your AEX(s)
Select the AEX from AU, and choose "Manual Setup"
1. Under the "AirPort" tab up top:
a. Under "Base Station" sub-tab:
i.) pick a unique name for this unit, same logic as for AEBS
ii.) pick a password specific for accessing this unit, same logic as for AEBS
iii.) Set time automatically: be sure to use the same settings used on your AEBS
iv.) Options: no need to set any
b. Under "Wireless" sub-tab:
i.) Wireless Mode: Participate in a WDS network
ii.) Network Name: same name used for AEBS, this is the name of your wifi network
iii.) Channel: same as AEBS
iv.) All settings here (those above, plus Security and Password & in Options button) should be the same as for AEBS settings on this tab
c. Under the "WDS" sub-tab:
...if AEX is "in the middle" (as described above):
i.) WDS Mode: WDS relay
ii.) Allow wireless clients: check (unless you only want to bridge between the edges without letting folks connect on this AEX in the middle)
iii.) WDS Main: set to the AirPort ID (aka MAC address) for the AEBS. You can find it on the bottom of the AEBS, either labeled as such or at the bottom beside the logo of a wireless signal (square logo, with semi-circles mimicing a radio signal).
iv.) WDS Remotes: click the '+' to add any AEX's that will connect to this relay rather than directly to the AEBS. Same deal as above, use the name in the description and use the AirPort ID from the side of the AEX (not the Ethernet ID).
.....if AEX is connecting to a relay ("on the end", as above) or if there is no relay and AEX connects directly to the AEBS:
i.) WDS Model: WDS remote
ii.) Allow wireless clients: checked
iii.) WDS Main: if connected to a relay, use the AirPort ID of the relay AEX. If connected to the AEBS directly, use the AirPort ID of the AEBS
d. Under the "Access" sub-tab:
i.) MAC Address Access Control: Not Enabled (for now, you can change later)
2. Under the "Internet" tab up top:
a. Under the "Internet Connection" sub-tab:
i.) Connect Using: AirPort (WDS) -- should be selected and gray'ed out.
ii.) Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
iii.) Ethernet WAN Port: Automatic (Default)
iv.) Connection Sharing: Off (Bridge Mode)
3. Under the Music, Printers and Advanced tabs up top:
Nothing special needs to be configured there. You can worry about AirTunes settings later...
That should be it. I'd recommend setting up the AEBS first, then the relay (if applicable), then the remotes. Initially, you can bring each unit in the same room with you for configuring. After configured and restarted the AEX should blink then turn solid green. If it turns green you should be good to go.
HOPE THIS HELPS. As noted above, I did not config through AirPort Utility 5.3.1 so I haven't tested this procedure through that app. However, after getting my network to work I went back and transposed all settings into this post to help others. Please provide feedback on whether or not this is working, so we can collectively try to move towards a setup procedure that works for everyone....
Good luck!
Message was edited by: b.byrd

I'm not convinced that the problem lies in Airport Utility. This same thing was happening to me, nearly exactly as you describe it. The thing is that with me, the problems clearly started when I updated the firmware in my Airport Express (n). That's when all the wacky stuff started happening. Sometimes it would show up in AU, sometimes it didn't and even if it didn't, I could still access the internet through it.
But as you said, the problems got really bad when another Express (b/g) was put on the network with it. Even when it did work, the (b/g) would make it impossibly slow.
You know more about this than me, and clearly have more patience if you've restarted the network fifty times. I gave up at about ten.
In any case, your solution is more of a work around and if you're still having that slow connection problem, I'm not sure you've got it. But thanks for your reporting of this. At least I know I'm not crazy.

How best to use TWO Time Capsules, Airport Express and Apple TV?

Hello
I have the following Apple equipment and am wondering how best to plug it all together. At the moment I am not using some items at all because I do not know how to best use!
1. MacBook Pro (2012 model) 'Mac1'
2. MacBook Pro (2009 model) 'Mac2'
3. MacBook Air (2011 model) 'Mac3'
4. Time Capsule 1TB (model A1355) 'TC1'
5. (another!) Time Capsule 1TB (model A1355) 'TC2'
6. Airport Express (2008 model)
7. Apple TV (2013 model)
8. LaCie 1TB USB Hard Drive
9. Apple iPhone
10. Sonos system
CURRENTLY
TC1 is plugged into the Virgin Media modem to provide a WiFi network called 'Amer's Apple Network' around the house. The Virgin Media wifi has been switched off to reduce interference.
TC2 is not being used. The Airport Express is plugged in upstairs (or sometimes near garden) to extend the 'Amer's Apple Network' and this seems to work fine.
Apple TV is plugged into main TV and is plugged into 'Amer's Apple Network' directly using Ethernet to TC1 but often runs slowly and does not work if Mac1 is not awake (or iTunes is not running on Mac1).
LaCie is plugged directly into TC1 and currently has a old copy of my iTunes library stored on it which my Sonos system access. However, there seems to be a problem in that iTunes randomly uses that LaCie library and/or local Mac library. Often we get a pop up message on Mac1 saying "Library cannot be found" and we have to manually navigate to the LaCie drive (via the TC1 folder) to open iTunes. Also connecting iPhone to Mac1 seems to work very slowly as it appears to be trying to back up to LaCie drive.
QUESTION
What would be the best, most efficient way of using all (or if some is redundant equipement then which), to set up the following:
1. A shared home network which enables all three computers (and any future Macs and/or iPads etc) to access one master shared iTunes library, which is the one that is updated with any new music, films etc added via any of those machines
2. A shared home network that enables a shared files folder but also allows each user to keep their own personal hard drive (eg locally on whichever machine they are using).
3. A fast (as possible) iTunes back up process when connecting iPhone to computer
4. Usage of both TC1 and TC2 (and Airport Express) to extend network around the house (several weak spots exist) and also to maximise storage using the 1TB of each TC1 and TC2.
5. Would it then also be possible to attach the LaCie USB drive for an additional 1TB storage? If so how and would it be very slow? From existing usage it appears to be very slow when used as a regular access drive, so perhaps better as a 'slow' drive that is just occassionaly used for back up and nothing else
Main question is (to the networking experts!), how would you personally set up all above to give best wifi coverage, fastest back ups, access to Sonos for iTune library, access to Apple TV, and shared folders etc etc. I basically seem to have lots of kit (albeit some quite old) and nothing seems to be working together particularly well.
Happy also to ditch any bottlenecks in the above equipment list (eg LaCie USB drive?) and add something which would better bring together the other components?
Any thoughts much appreciated!
Best
Amer

So ... FINALLY ... I found some time to implement this!
Steps taken and results:
1. Moved my entire music library to Mac1. Used the opportunity to also share my other Mac2 onto HomeShare and copy across any music files from Mac2 onto Mac1 that were not already there.
Result: Mac1 now holds my whole music library locally. Works incredibly fast whenever playing a track, adding a new track or updating info on existing track. Good!
2. LaPastenague's instructions for bridging TC1 with TC2 worked a dream. Only thing is they are basically next to each other as I don't have the energy (or cabling expertise) to install (cleanly) long runs of ethernet cable.
Result: Got a clear Wifi signal, not sure if any faster than before but I assume two TCs next to each other both sending out the same network signal can't be any worse than one. Main thing is that I have an extra 1Tb network drive (i.e. TC2) connected to TC1 which I can access from all my Macs now.
3. Copied the entire Mac1 Music library over to TC2 drive into the Data folder. This happened relatively quickly (I think!) ... but would welcome any comments on whether slower than expected, to highlight if I might be able to improve the connection. 12,000 songs in 2 hours, with Mac1 sending the files to TC2 wirelessly. I know I could probably have connected Mac1 to TC2 by ethernet cable to speed up, but I had run out of Ethernet cables by now!
Result: All my music (as of today anyway) now on Mac1 AND on TC2 in normal readable format (i.e. by Sonos and as a simple back-up that can just be carried around and copied anywhere in the event of loss of Mac1 drive
4. Set up TC2 Music Library in Data folder to be the networked music folder for Sonos using "\\TC2\Data" (ps. why doesn't Sonos allow a simple click and select option for choosing drive and instead force us to go back to the 80s and type in drive path which isn't always clear, especially on a Mac!)
Result: Sonos can access all my music (as of today anyway) on TC2 and no need for Mac1 or any other Mac to be open.
BUT: As you may have guessed, the issue with the above set up is that as soon as I buy a new song, it will get added to my Mac1 quickly and smoothly ... but the area where I really use my music (i.e. Sonos via TC2) will have the older music library.
QUESTION: Is there any way in which I can adjust the above set up, so that whenever I add new music to my Mac1 it also copies across to TC2? Don't mind if this is done slowly and later (eg in middle of night) but of course don't want to have to copy across manually each time. Would prefer it to just update newly added tracks regularly.

How to set up Airport Express to extend Buffalo WHR HP 54g wireless router

Contrary to what official Apple policy is, it is possible to use Airport Express as a remote repeater using a Buffalo router.
I sent hours setting up this network and wish to share what I learned
I only wanted to use the Airport Express as a repeater to distribute the internet to the far reaches of the house--no iTunes, no Printer, and I did not bother setting security. If you want to add any of those features please make sure that the basic setup is working as described below. I have no idea how to successfully set up these features. My advice is to search the internet for guidance.
Anyway: how to set up the Buffalo wireless access router to work with Airport Express
Setting up the Buffalo:
From the routers home page of 192.168.11.1, hit the "advanced" box at the top
1.     Go the "Wireless config"   "basic" item. Give name to your network (spaces are allowed), lets call it "WIRENAME" and select wireless channel 1 or 6 or 11. These channels have the least interference and will tend to work when the others do not.
2.     Go the the "repeater" item under Wireless config. . " Enable" repeater/bridge (WDS). Next register the MAC address of the Airport Express. Record both the LAN and Wireless MAC addresses.
That is about it. Your Buffalo system Info page should look like this
Model
WHR-HP-G54 Ver.1.40        (1.0.37-1.08-1.04)
                    AirStation Name              AP001D73DEB2D6                    Operational Mode                Router Mode                    WAN
DHCP
Connection Status
Communicating
Operation
IP Address
myinfo
Subnet Mask
255.255.255.248
Default Gateway
my info(Via DHCP)
DNS1(Primary)
my info (Via DHCP)
DNS2(Secondary)
my info (Via DHCP)
Host Name
my info (Manual Setup)
Domain Name
earthlink.net (Via DHCP)
MTU Size
1500
DHCP Server Address
10.108.48.1
Lease Acquired Time
2006/01/04 12:03:15
Lease Period
2006/01/05 12:03:15
Wired Link
100Base-TX                                (Full-duplex)
MAC Address
00:1D:73:xx:xx:xx
                    LAN
IP Address
192.168.11.1
Subnet Mask
255.255.255.0
DHCP Server
Enabled
MAC Address
your address recorded in the repeater tab
               Wireless(802.11g)
Wireless Status
Enabled
SSID
                                      WIRENAME
Encryption Mode
Not Configured
Wireless Channel
11Channel                 (Manual)
125* High Speed Mode
                             Disabled
MAC Address
your address recorded in the repeater tab
For the Airport express: here is a summary of what the settings are: Start Airport Express Utility and when it comes up
Select "Manual" setup
On the Base station tab: Give Airport Express a name, any name and any password. Do not select the box: Allow setup over the internet with Bonjour
On the wireless tab: Wireless mode: Participate in a WDS network
Network name: the name you gave in the Buffalo router: EG: WIRENAME
Radio mode: 802.11n(802.11b/g compatible)
Channel : the same as you set in the Buffalo
Wireless security: None
WDS tab: WDS mode: WDS remote
Check: allow wireless clients
WDS main: the MAC address of the wireless (not LAN) side of the Buffalo router
Access control tab: MAC address access control: Not enabled
At the top of the control box , click on the Internet icon
     Internet connection: Connection sharing: Off (Bridge Mode)
     TCP/IP: Configure iPV4 : Using DHCP
     I put in the address of the DNS servers listed on the Buffalo System info page above.
At the top of the control box Music Icon: I did not enable AirTunes
Printer icon: did not set this up
Advanced icon: leave every thing alone
That is it. Just do everything as above and your Airport Express will act as a repeater. (And save yourself a couple of days struggle.)
Phil

Many thanks for the info.
In case you were not aware,the following list of Apple WDS compatible devices has appeared on numerous sites and in numerous Internet links and articles regarding this subject:
3com OfficeConnect ADSL Wireless 11g Firewall Router model 3crwdr100a-72 but ONLY with NO encryption
Belkin F5D7230-4 and F5D7231
BT Voyager 2091 or 2100
Buffalo WGR-G54
Linksys WRT54G or WRT54GS (though v4)
Netgear WGR614 v6

How to set up a Time Capsule to extend a non-Apple router and play tunes to an Airport Express?

I have an older Time capsule that I would like to give my sister in order to extend her CenturyLink wifi. I can connect via ethernet but she would like to play music thru an Airport Express at the stereo system.
My question is: would it be better to extend the existing wi-fi network (to the upstairs part of the house) OR set up a new Apple network with the Time Capsule linked to the Airport Express. This is the way I currently have my own network....in a smaller house.

I have an older Time capsule that I would like to give my sister in order to extend her CenturyLink wifi
The Time Capsule is not compatible with a CenturyLink device if you plan to "extend" using wireless only.
You will need to connect the Time Capsule to the CenturyLink modem/router using an Ethernet cable. Then, configure the Time Capsule to "create a wireless network".
The AirPort Express could then be used for AirTunes by receiving the signal from the Time Capsule.
If the AIrPort Express is a newer 802.11n version, then it could also be configured to "extend" the wireless signal of the Time Capsule to provide more wireless coverage, in addition to use for AirTunes.
If you plan to keep the wireless on for the CenturyLink gateway, make sure that the Time Capsule is separated by at least 6-7 feet to help minimize the chances of wireless interference between two routers.

Airport Express interference.

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