Airport Extreme 802.11n should I WDS or Extend to Bridge ethernet?

If I buy two Apple Airport Extreme Base Stations (dual-band 802.11n) can I set-up WDS without dropping speeds to G? I've read that if I have any 802.11b/g clients that the entire WDS clocks down to 802.11g. I'm wondering if that is true with the new simultaneous dual band models? Can't I WDS the 802.11n bands and offer 802.11g simultaneously to clients on the other band without bringing the WDS down? Do I want to?
I would just "extend" but I don't want to have the wireless clients have to go through two "hops" to get out to the internet. As I understand it... all of my wireless clients would go through the relay, then to the main, then out the Internet instead of just connecting straight to the Main. My range doesn't need to be extended as far as coverage goes... one base station would cover my entire house. I'm basically just looking at the other AEBSn to act as a wireless to ethernet bridge to a part of my house where I several ethernet enabled devices out of hardwire range. Do I need the AEBSn or maybe just the new 802.11n AE?

Welcome to the discussions!
+I'm basically just looking at the other AEBSn to act as a wireless to ethernet bridge to a part of my house where I several ethernet enabled devices out of hardwire range. Do I need the AEBSn or maybe just the new 802.11n AE?+
The simplest, which may also be the best way to do this is use an AEBS as your "main" router and configure an AirPort Express 802.11n to "join" the wireless network and enable the ethernet port. Then connect a simple 5 port switch to the port on the AirPort Express for your ethernet devices.
Oddly, if you configure a second "remote" AEBS to "join", the ethernet ports +are not+ enabled on the AEBS. The ethernet ports are enabled, if you configure it to "extend a wireless network".

Similar Messages

Can I add an extra Ethernet port to my AirPort Extreme (802.11n)???

hi all.
I have an Apple AirPort Extreme (802.11n). On the back I have 3 Ethernet ports. All the 3 ports are used (one for an Ethernet Printer, One is connected to my computer and one is connected to my wife's computer. I need an additional Ethernet port for a music server. I have no idea of how to extend the Ethernet ports number.
Thanks for any Help
David - Canada

Hello David Gershon1. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
You could simply add a multi-port Ethernet switch to any of the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station's (AEBSn) LAN ports to increase the number of available ports. An example would be the Linksys EZXS55W.

Airport Extreme 802.11n still in shrinkwrap -- should I return it unopened?

I just bought one of the new Airport Extreme 802.11n base stations today and haven't even had time to take it out of the shrinkwrap yet. Based on what I'm reading in this forum...I'm torn about what to do. Should I take it back unopened, or should I hang onto it, pray for no problems, and/or hope for fixes?
I had bought it primarily for the disk/print sharing features, but also to potentially take advantage of the draft-n speeds in the future. Since everything I own right now is g-only (Core Duo MacBook Pro, Airport Express hooked to my home theater, PSP, PC laptop from work), I'd be using the new AEBS only for 802.11g in the short term. However, I'd assume that ExpressCard/34 802.11n cards will come out at some point, enabling me to move to a mixed g/n network in the future.
The critical thing for me is a decent assurance that the router would work well in a g-only configuration since a friend is waiting to buy my old router. Is anyone trying to use the new AEBS in this way? If so, does it perform well, or are you seeing the same problems that the 802.11n users are seeing?

Ask yourself a question.
How fast is your internet connection?
If it is is 1-2-8 mb speed then you dont need 'n'.
If you transfer personal info between computers fast speeds allowed up to 54 will save you time.
'n' is to provide greater range like Mimo and increased transfer speeds.
But do you really need it?
No,if you dont transfer huge data,
Yes, if you want to transfer (stream video from your iTV from Mac if you spend most of your day in front of TV.
There is no substitute for a good reliable connection.
In my real world experience because I only have a 8mb ADSL connection 'g' is not the strongest and most reliable scenario to use. During the last airport update my last 3 years of uninterrupted airport connections mixed PC and Macs on WDS set up went belly up and I had posted my thoughts as well with the relevant results and now set up is fine. But at a price.
Downgraded to all on 'b' and now use my Draytek Vigor 2800VG and have AEBS put away in storage.
My signal and range is out of this world. When I decide that I have enough free time to sit in front of a TV and download movies and watch them when I have nothing better to do such as travel the world etc. etc., that is the time I will go for speed...or will I.
Dont get bamboozled by the hype. If you really want one wait for a year then decide. Let others solve the teething problems as is there want.

WDS networking issue - Airport Extreme (802.11n) and remote Airport Express

*Background Info:*
Airport Extreme 802.11n (Fast Ethernet)
Version: 7.2.1
Wireless Mode: Participate in a WDS network (set as main)
Network Name: @Home
Wireless Security: WPA/WPA2 Personal
Channel: 1
Airport Express
Version: 6.3
Wireless Mode: Participate in a WDS network (set as remote)
Network Name: @Home
Wireless Security: WPA/WPA2 Personal
Channel: 1
Radio Mode: 802.11b/g compatible
Connect Using: AirPort (WDS)
Connection Sharing: Off (Bridge Mode)
Issue
Please help as I'm having issues with my WDS network. I've setup using both the wizard and manual and also hard reset on both units to setup again but cannot get them both to communicate to one another. Both units are showing green LED under their configuration. For my last attempt, I've tried adding the Airport ID (MAC) of the Airport Express to the Access Control and also DHCP Reservations on the Airport Extreme but still no luck.
The Airport Express (setup as remote) does not even show up in the Airport Extreme's Summary as Wireless Clients. In the WDS tab, the Airport Extreme is set up as WDS main, Allow wireless clients box checked and WDS Remotes has the Airport Express' AirPort ID in the list. On the Airport Express, WDS is set up as remote, with Allow wireless client box checked and the Airport ID of the Airport Express in the WDS Main.
I can connect clients to both units. Both units are configured using the same Network Name and have the same WPA/WPA2 security key. The Airport Extreme (main) however is connected to my broadband so any devices or clients connected to it are able to get outside. Connected devices or clients are assigned IP address via DHCP with IP 10.0.x.x. If wifi devices or clients connect to the Airport Express (remote) they are assigned a completely different IP addresses 169.254.x.x, they are not able to browse the internet or talk to other clients connected on the 10.0.1.x network. The Internet Connection configuration on the Airport Express (remote) is Connect Using Airport (WDS) and Using DHCP. I've even tried manually and entered the IP address 10.0.1.199 that I had assigned to the Airport Express from the Airport Extreme and Router Address as IP of Airport Extreme (10.0.1.1).
I think I've tried everything but I'm still having this problem. The remote Airport Express is not extending my existing Airport Extreme network. Any ideas???

Christopher,
This may or may not be helpful, or it may be something you've already tried or are aware of so I apologize if that's the case.
I have been researching ways to set up the Dual Band Network supported by the AEBS and came across your post. I've got an AEBS and (2) AirPort Express set-up currently (AEBS is main and the Express are participating in the WDS as remotes) and I'm trying to configure one of the Express to utilize a 802.11b/g compatible network while the AEBS runs a 5Ghz 802.11n Only network.
AAR, since the AirPort Express are 2.4Ghz 802.11b/g ONLY (no support for 802.11n), you have to be sure to set-up your AEBS first and select "802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)" in the Radio Mode drop-down on the AEBS before you attempt to connect an AirPort Express. The AEBS should be set-up as your "WDS main" and the Express should be set-up as a "WDS remote" for the network you established when you set-up the AEBS.
Bottom line here is the Express won't be seen by the AEBS unless the AEBS is 'looking' in the 802.11b/g 2.4Ghz frequency.
Hope this was helpful.

Is my AirPort Extreme (802.11n) Base Station defective?

I'm trying to set up a wireless network with my new AirPort Extreme (802.11n) Base Station. I dismanteld my existing network that consisted of an old model AirPort Extreme and an AirPort Express. I can't seem to get anything to work properly with the new hardware. I have a G4 Quicksilver that uses an AirPort card. Is that the issue? I thought they were compatible. I was not able to update the Setup Utility because I don't have an Intel Mac. Still, that shouldn't prevent me from doing an initial setup. I'm thinking perhaps the unit is defective. I've been working on this several hours a day for almost a week. This is the most trouble (by far) that I've ever had with any Apple product. I'm really disappointed. I suspect the hardware is defective, but based on all of the issues I've read about in this forum, I think it could just be reflective of the poor overall quality of the new AirPort Extreme. What a let down.

What is the exact name of the application you are using to configure the airport?
You should be using "AirPort Utility"
It is a Universal application, so it should work on both a PPC and Intel mac.
As for the update, if you can't download it via software update, you most likely do not need it.
The quicksilver only has an Airport card:
http://support.apple.com/specs/powermac/PowerMac_G4_Quicksilver2002.html
That means that you will need to configure the airport extreme N to operate in the 2.4 GHz range. You will need to tell it that it needs to be compatible with 802.11b
There is probably an option for 802.11 b/g/n compatibility.
Are you going to still use your airport express? you could either use WDS to extend your wireless network without connecting the two airport base stations with an ethernet cable... or you could connect them together with an ethernet cable and configure the same network name and use two different channels (only use 1, 6, or 11). If you extend a network, they both need to use the same channel.
If the quicksilver is the only machine on your network, it will not be any faster.
Actually, you could make things faster, now that I think about it... I am guessing that your quicksilver is not located near your airport extreme. If I am wrong, just ignore this...
You could use one of your airports as your main base station, connected to your cable modem/dsl whatever... then you connect the other airports ethernet to your quicksilver. you then turn off the airport card in your quicksilver and set up the airport connected to your computer to use WDS and connect to the other airport using 802.11g.
You now have gone from an 11 mbps max (5 mbps real world) connection to a real world 30-40 mbps link.
Other options would be to look for 802.11g or 802.11n usb adapters for the quicksilver... I am not sure what is mac compatible out there, since it is probably a small market since it is built in to all new macs.
Good luck

I have a pc running windows 7. I got an Airport Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi and the printer is now plugged into the Airport. The wireless router works fine but the printer shows as offline in control panel and in word. The printer is a HP LaserJet CP1525nw.

I have a pc running windows 7. I got an Airport Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi and the printer is now plugged into the Airport. The Airport works fine but the printer shows as offline in control panel and in word. The printer is a HP LaserJet CP1525nw.

+For now I have it set to Share Public IP address - Is this correct for my Network Setup with The Airport Extreme being the only router being used ?+
This would be the correct setting if the AirPort Extreme is connected to a simple modem (one ethernet port).
*Settings I have Enabled*
5 GHz name indicates that you have elected to use the option to assign a separate name to the 5 GHz network. This will allow you to "tell" compatible computers to connect to that network, rather than the slower 2.4 GHz network
Use Wide Channels is recommended for 5 GHz operation.
Interference Robustness often does more harm than good and should not be used unless you know you are in a area with a lot of wireless networks and you feel that your network is experiencing interference issues from a nearby network.

Connecting AirPort Express to AirPort Extreme 802.11n

The following steps helped me set up an AirPort Express base station connected to a set of wireless speakers with my new AirPort Extreme 802.11n base station. I’m posting this because the process was not entirely intuitive, at least not to me.
I’ll assume you have set up the AP Extreme base station to connect to the internet and run your home network and that you are connected to your wireless network.
Make sure you set-up the AP Extreme base station to broadcast in 802.11n + 802.11b/g modes, i.e. both at once. You will also have to check he setting that allows the newtork to be extended.
Reset the AP Express base station so that in runs on the factory defaults by pressing the reset button with a paper clip. Wait for it to completely restart.
Launch the AirPort Utility. You should see both your AP Extreme and AP Express base stations in the left hand column. Click on the AP Express base station you just reset. When it asks to switch wireless networks do so. Then hit continue.
On the next screen select “Connect to my current wireless network” option and hit continue.
On the following screen select the “Extend the range of my AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express network” and hit continue. Do NOT select the “Join my wireless network” option even though it says this is how you connect to wireless speakers. This is the part that was not obvious to me. When I tried this the AirPort Express base station flashed orange and wouldn’t connect despite waiting 30 minutes.
Chose the network you wish to extend from the drop down menu. My keychain supplied the password for the network.
Give your base station a name and hit continue.
Select the main base station in the list provided. This is the one connected to the internet and hit ok.
The Airport Utility software will configure the network to accept the AirPort Express base station.
Now all that’s left is to connect your wireless speakers to the AirPort Exppress base station. You can now play music through AirTunes while being connected to your fast 802.11n network.

I recently setup an Airport Express in conjuction with my Extreme Base Station. I'm not really understanding how this method enables 802.11n connection speeds (via Base Station) to the internet and also allow streaming music through the Express at 802.11b/g. It's my understanding that if you want to be able to access the internet AND stream music at the same time the Express needs to join the network. In order for the Express to join the network (able to recognize the Base Station)...the Base station needs to be changed from 802.11n only to 802.11n (802.11b/g compatable)....which essentially means your connecting to the internet at 802.11b/g. If your wanting to keep 802.11n only on the base station...you would have to create a seperate network via the Express to stream music. What this means is you CANNOT access the internet and stream music at the same time. You would have to manually change Airport in the taskbar to do one or the other.
Am I off base here? If I am missing something please let me know...because it would be great to be able to connect to the internet at 802.11n only with a multi-case rate set to 23Mbps vs. the 11Mbps (maximum) of the 802.11b/g compatable option.
I guess what is confusing me is that my setup is basically the same as what was described above..minus having the "Extended Network" being enabled. How does extending the network change things?

Help needed connecting Iomega Minimax Ext HDD to Airport Extreme 802.11n

Would appreciate if someone can help me with the following task. After researching and trying several things, I have not succeed in resolving the issue.
I want to connect a Iomega MiniMax Ext HDD (for Mac) to my (Airport Extreme 802.11n + Time Capsule) box using the USB port at the back of my Airport Extreme. Then I want to access the Ext HDD wirelessly as a drive on my Macbook (snow leopard OS). I was told this was possible at the Apple Store...but have failed so far.
Any suggestions so far

Hello smitra. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
The following are the basic steps for sharing an external USB drive attached to either an 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) or a Time Capsule (TC):
o Plug the hard disk into the USB port on the back of the base station.
o Open AirPort Utility, located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on a Mac, and in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a computer using Windows
o Select your base station, and then, choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu.
o Click Disks in the toolbar, and then, click File Sharing.
o Choose “With a disk password,” or “With base station password” if you want to secure the shared disk with a password, or choose “With accounts” if you want to secure the disk using accounts. If you choose to use accounts, click Configure Accounts, click the Add "+" button, and then enter a name and password for each user that will access the disk. For simplicity, I would recommend using the "With a disk password" option.
o Choose “Not allowed,” “Read only,” or “Read and write” to assign guest access to the disk.
o Select the “Share disks over Ethernet WAN port” checkbox if you want to provide remote access to the disk over the WAN port.
You should now be able to find this drive within Finder under the SHARED category.

I hope this might interest someone. The situation; 3 floors,I am having trouble with an an Airport Extreme, 802.11n on the top floor and a Mac Pro 3.1 on the bottom floor. Not always but often it has trouble seeing the Airport and making a connection. I h

I'm not sure how to post a message. I hope this might interest someone. The situation; 3 floors,I am having trouble with an an Airport Extreme, 802.11n on the top floor and a Mac Pro 3.1 on the bottom floor. Not always but often it has trouble seeing the Airport and making a connection. I have an older Airport Express, would it help to install it? would it work best if it was installed in the same room? should it be installed half way in between? Get another Extreme? The Mac Book Pro on the middle floor can see 11 networks in the neighbourhood if that might be causing a problem or would if I installed the Express. Thank for your consideration.

Thanks for your time ... I appologize for the font and colour, I compossed the question in pages and failed to notice the font colour as grey ... there are a variety of computers of various ages so I think it is using a setting that allows both 5G and 2.4 ... the connection to the Airport is thru a cable modem and cable does run throuhout the house ... maybe those hard wires would be a place to look at ... do you think that putting the 'Express' on the second floor might help ... thanks again ...

AirPort Extreme 802.11n as a wireless router and local network switch?

Good afternoon,
I'm curious if its possible to have the APE in wireless network mode and connect systems via hard line as well?
I have an AirPort Extreme 802.11n set to "Create a Wireless Network" mode that is attached directly to a cable modem for internet connectevity. My issue is that while all wireless devices (several iPods, two iPhones and three laptop computers) connect to the APE without issue (and have internet access), when I try to plug in a Windows 7 desktop computer via one of the ethernet jacks, Windows is unable to connect and shows the network as "unidentified," spitting back a private IP address as opposed to a local LAN (this behavior repeats for an Ubuntu Linux box as well).
Not sure if the APE is misconfigured, this is a Windows 7 issue or if its improper use on my part (though this also precludes me from connecting a gigabit switch to the APE).
Thank you,
Nathan

Properly configured, the AirPort should provide both wired and wireless network client with Internet access.
At this point, I would recommend that you do the following as a minimum:
Power-down the modem, AirPort base station, and computer(s).
Power-up the modem; wait at least 10-15 minutes to allow it adequate time to initialize.
Power-up the AirPort base station; wait at least 5-10 minutes. Note: The AirPort's status light may continue to flash amber after it has intialized. That is because, there may be some additional configuration items necessary, like setting up wireless security, before the overall setup is completed to get a green status.
Power-up your computer(s).
If the above steps do not solve the problem, start over with step 1 above, but then perform the next steps between steps 1 & 2. above.
Disconnect the AirPort base station from the Internet broadband modem.
While all of the devices are powered-down, perform a "factory default" reset on the base station. This will get it back to its "out-of-the-box" configuration and make setting it up much easier, especially if you use the "Assist me" process within the AirPort Utility. (ref: Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule)
After the base station resets, go ahead and power it back down.
Reconnect the AirPort base station to the Internet broadband modem. For the Extreme and Time Capsule, be sure to connect the cable to the base station's WAN (circle-of-dots) port.
Continue with step 2 in the first set of steps.
In this basic configuration, the AirPort base station will broadcast an unsecured wireless network with a Network Name (SSID) of Apple Network NNNNNN. Network clients, connected to the base station either by wire or wireless, should now be able to access the Internet through the ISP's modem. Once Internet connectivity has been verified, you can use the AirPort Utility to configure the base station for wireless security and any other desired options. Please post back your results.

USING TWO AIRPORT EXTREMES (802.11N) INTERNET IS VERY SLOW

I live in a 5000sq ranch in arizona and have our internet set up in one end of the house. We have an airport extreme 802.11n and it wasnt putting out a good signal to the other end of the house so we got another airport extreme and airport express to expand out network. By the way both are 802.11n and the internet is still not even usable because it is so slow. The only computer that has some sort of speed is the mac tower that is hardwired to the airport. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you could ethernet the two Extreme N routers(try to place the second further into the house) and set the second in bridge mode and set to create its own wireless networrk. Use the manual configuration. The third can join the second, signal should reach and be strong. This must be in bridge mode also.
there are many different ways to set the configuration for wireless but the bridge mode is a must do.

Airport Extreme 802.11n sharing a disk with a -1 on the mount point

First I have to reboot the device once a day because of the disk that disconnect for no reason like many other on the list ever since I upgraded to 7.2.1 but not sure that as to do with this problem.
Here's is the deal, I have an Airport Extreme 802.11n with a 500GB shared on the USB port. I want to use my iPhoto Library on the 500GB. It's about 11GB, I have tranfered the library over and iPhoto is asking to choose the library I want to use. When I try to point it to the 500GB everything is greyed out. When I use a terminal and do a df command to show the mount point on my computer, I get
/Volumes/500GB-1
Why and where the -1 is coming from?
How can I get /Volumes/500GB only?
One thing I have noticed about the -1 is when I loose the disk connection it prompt me to disconnect 500GB-1 but sometime even with a -2 and -3.
Thx!

can I hook up my printer, scanner and external harddrive through a usb hub?
Partially, a large number of USB printers will work with the AirPort Base Stations' USB port, but not all. I suggest that you checkout the following iFelix site to see if your printer is compatible. Similiarly, most external USB hard drives should work as well.
However, devices that rely on two-way communications, like copiers and scanners, won't work when connected to the USB port.

AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band is reporting problems?

Hi.
I can not find an answer for my error-problem:
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band is reporting problems!
I have an optimum on line cable modem connected to my AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band.
Ethernet cables connect it 1. into my new Nehalem Mac Pro, 2. into my back-up Quicksilver PowerMac. I also have 2nd gen. iPod touch works on WiFi.
This set-up has been working well but now I daily get the above error. Sometimes it says also: You have different locations set-up and it asks me to go through the set-up procedure. May be I did the initial set-up incorrect. I don't quite understand "locations" and it's purpose.
Also the Airport runs very hot so I put a small fan in front of it. A few times I had to disconnect the cable mains to reset and get back my service. Please help.
W.W.

Walter Wedler wrote:
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band is reporting problems!
I have an optimum on line cable modem connected to my AirPort Extreme (802.11n) dual band.
Ethernet cables connect it 1. into my new Nehalem Mac Pro, 2. into my back-up Quicksilver PowerMac. I also have 2nd gen. iPod touch works on WiFi.
This set-up has been working well but now I daily get the above error. Sometimes it says also: You have different locations set-up and it asks me to go through the set-up procedure. May be I did the initial set-up incorrect. I don't quite understand "locations" and it's purpose.
Can you tell what's telling you about those locations? An Apple AirPort unit can maintain different "configurations" so that it could be used in different locations without a complete reconfiguration. However, I don't believe they're ever referred to as "locations". On the other hand, a Mac can have multiple "locations" defined in the Network panel of System Preferences. Those can be useful if the Mac is used in different places with different arrangements.
If your AirPort Extreme is having problems the status light on the front will probably be amber. If you launch AirPort Utility and double-click on the AirPort Extreme item on the left, you should be able to see more details about the problem.

User Contributed Tips in the AirPort AirPort Extreme (802.11n) forum

*The following User Contributed Tips are located in the AirPort > AirPort Extreme (802.11n) forum:*
adsfushi72 - What does this acronym mean?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2450065
Publish date: June 4, 2010
William Kucharski - Having issues with your AirPort connection? Please be specific.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2227197
Publish date: Nov 21, 2009
William Kucharski - Apple AirPort drivers only support a WEP key index of 1
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1654663
Publish date: Oct 16, 2008
*The following related tips are located in other areas of Apple Discussions:*
a brody - Airport, 10.5.8, and MacBook and MacBook Pros and slow internet
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2291464
Publish date: January 7, 2010
Rich Love - Airport and Roadrunner (Jan 6, 2002)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=121815
Mark Lansdown - Semi-wireless Wake on Lan (Oct 8, 2008)
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1276830
Pondini - Using Time MACHINE with a USB drive connected to an Airport Extreme
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2299608
Publish date: January 14, 2010
See also the User Tips Library

Ask yourself a question.
How fast is your internet connection?
If it is is 1-2-8 mb speed then you dont need 'n'.
If you transfer personal info between computers fast speeds allowed up to 54 will save you time.
'n' is to provide greater range like Mimo and increased transfer speeds.
But do you really need it?
No,if you dont transfer huge data,
Yes, if you want to transfer (stream video from your iTV from Mac if you spend most of your day in front of TV.
There is no substitute for a good reliable connection.
In my real world experience because I only have a 8mb ADSL connection 'g' is not the strongest and most reliable scenario to use. During the last airport update my last 3 years of uninterrupted airport connections mixed PC and Macs on WDS set up went belly up and I had posted my thoughts as well with the relevant results and now set up is fine. But at a price.
Downgraded to all on 'b' and now use my Draytek Vigor 2800VG and have AEBS put away in storage.
My signal and range is out of this world. When I decide that I have enough free time to sit in front of a TV and download movies and watch them when I have nothing better to do such as travel the world etc. etc., that is the time I will go for speed...or will I.
Dont get bamboozled by the hype. If you really want one wait for a year then decide. Let others solve the teething problems as is there want.

Airport Extreme 802.11n (4th Generation) vs. MBP 2006. The MBP is losing :(

GRRRRRRRRR— I feel like this is a version of a problem I see repeated here endlessly, but none of the threads I see about it is quite the same, or fixes my problem.      We have a network with:
Airport Extreme 802.11n (4th generation), connected to DSL modem. Firmware 7.5.2
MBP 2006, running OS 10.6.7 ****
MBP 2008, running OS 10.5.x
ipads, iphone, shared printer, drive, etc.
Everything works fine EXCEPT the MBP 2006. It connects to the network, works for a while, and then after a certain amount of time (anywhere between a minute and several hours) it's dropped. The menu bar still shows a connection and full signal, but there's no connection (TCP or afp) and when I launch the Aiport Utility, it just says that no base stations can be found.   The menu bar seems to be lying. Using the menu to turn Airport off and back on (or sleeping the laptop) works to reestablish the connection.
I do not have this problem with the MBP 2006 on other wireless networks (at work, or at my other home in another city). Just with the Airport Extreme
I've tried changing the channels, disabling IPv6 on the laptop and on the Airport Extreme, setting up a manual DHCP address, and changing the setting for "radio mode" of the base station from Automatic to 802.11a/n - 802.11b/g/n.   I also read that there might be troubles with "mixed" networks with both 802.11g and 802.11n, so I upgraded the Airport card in my MBP 2006 to an AirPort Extreme 802.11 a/b/g/n, which made disk sharing much faster when it's working, but didn't put an end to the cut-outs
Hjalp? Why does the Airport Extreme keep dropping my MBP 2006 (or vice versa)? Are there other things I should be changing or disabling?

OK, two possible leads:
1) Using the AirPort Utility, I disabled 802.11n, setting the AirPort Extreme to b/g only. This seemed to help— I didn't fall off the network all afternoon. (Setting it to 'n' only did not work, unfortunately, or else that would have been better, since it would have let me take advantage of the faster speeds for Time Machine to the shared disk)
2) Soon thereafter, for seemingly independent reasons, we starting having trouble with our DSL connection. We reset the AEBS to factor settings, which didn't solve the DSL problem (had to get a Windstream technician out for that), but since that reset, I've been connected with 802.11a and the MBP hasn't fallen off the wireless network once.
We'll see how it holds up, but for now, the recommendation seems to be first to reset the AEBS settings to factory default, and then try disabling 802.11n...

Airport Extreme 802.11n should I WDS or Extend to Bridge ethernet?

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