Airport extreme as a media bridge?

Hi community, I have a question for you.
Would it be possible to use an Airport Extreme (the older model) to connect to a password protected wi-fi internet signal such as a Hotel so the AE ethernet port could be used to connect to the internet a game console or similar device that lacks wireless capability?
I have no access to the system generating the signal but I suspect that it is not apple . Needless to say that I do have the password for the network.
Thank you for your time.

The hard drive on the AppleTV is there for that purpose.

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Can I use my Airport Extreme as a wireless bridge?

Can I use my Airport Extreme as a wireless bridge?

When you say "wireless bridge", I assume that you want the AirPort Extreme to receive a wireless signal and provide an Ethernet output, correct?
If you have another Apple router providing your "main" wireless network, the AirPort Extreme could possibly be configured to "Extend a wireless network".
In that setting, the Extreme provides more wireless coverage and Ethernet ports are enabled, so you could connect an Ethernet device that way.
But, the AirPort Extreme cannot do this with a product from another manufacturer.
So, in order to answer your question specifically, can you provide the make and model number of your "main" router?

How do I configure my Airport Extreme to work in Bridge Mode and provide specific IP addresses to clients

My Airport Extreme is working with an Airport Express to wirelessly extend my wireless network. Both Airports are configured in Bridge Mode per the instructions I found on Apple's support site. I want to assign a specific DHCP address to a wireless camera that is in range of the Extreme, but I understand that the Extreme needs to be in DHCP Only mode to do this. But if I change the mode to DHCP Only, the Extreme will lose contact with the Express. How can I get both functions to work - wireless network extension and specific DHCP addresses?

Then what device is providing DHCP? Only once device per subnet should be the DHCP server. One should be DHCP and NAT and the other in Bridge mode for most home setups. The unit with DHCP and NAT should be the one connected to your cable or DSL and the other set in Bridge mode only extends your network.
On the wireless config page set whichever you're using to extend your network to "Extend a wireless network" and give it the details of the network to which you're attaching it.

Airport Extreme ethernet routing in Bridge Mode

i had(!) the following scenario Airport Extreme (5th Generation) .. via WAN connect to the modem, Ethernet to serval switches, WiFi acting as WDS Main
the WDS Slaves are 3 small Airport express and one Airport Extreme (1st Generation)
due a cabeling problem i had to move the WAN Modem .. and connected it to the 1st generation airport extreme created a Joined network (not WDS) enabled DHCP on the same device.
the new Airport extreme (5th generation) and the Airport Express joined the same network and running in bridge mode.
everything works just like before .. all networks parts can connect to each other, anywhere else including the internet.
exept of anything connected to the ethernet ports of the (now slaved) airport extreme (5th generation) anything connected there seems not to be routed at all ..
they have a physical connection (link show on the Airport and on the Switch. but there is zero data going trough ... no DHCP adresses assigned. manually assign a IP in the same network results in the same effect (can't even ping the directly connected Airport Extreme.
is this a Bug ?

oh ic ... thats why it worked before the other way arround ...
well does still not make any sense to me .. but you are 100% right ..
enabeling WDS on the Airport Extreme (1gen) and doing slave the Airport extreme (5 gen) works fine .. but the connection times are about 10 times slower than in a joined network.
which makes the whole show extremly slow ...
it takes some times 5 minutes and a million time clicking (assign new) to just get an IP adress ... even if the dhcp running on the same Airport where the client is connecting to ..
if the 5gen APE is WDS master .. and the 1gen is WDS Slave (my old setup) .. this problem is not existing ...
but then ican't connect the WAN modem to the slaved Airport since the slave is always bridged and the master requires internet connectivity trough the local Wan port
any idea to get arround this ?

AirPort Extreme base station as bridge - is WPA allowed?

Hello,
I have an AirPort Extreme base station that is connected to the Internet via an older Linksys wired router. The Linksys is connected to a cable modem and acts as a router (so it's the DHCP host), while the AirPort acts as a bridge between wireless computers and the Linksys (so "Distribute IP addresses" is unchecked).
When using WEP or no security, everything works great. However, when using WPA, my laptop constantly cycles as it tries to get an IP address without any real success. I've tried all combinations of open/closed networks, different wireless channels, and wireless security types, but WPA just won't work. It's definitely supported by the wireless card and I've entered the password correctly, but no dice.
Does anyone know if WPA is supposed to work in this configuration? I noticed that another post recommended connecting cable modem -> AirPort -> wired router, but other posts recommend cable modem -> wired router -> AirPort. Not sure if it matters or not.
Thanks for any advice!

Hi Felix, thanks for your reply.
I have a Linksys wireless card (which I cannot find right now) and an Airnet AWN154 wireless card. When the Linksys didn't work, I purchased the Airnet, which also didn't work. This is on several Windows laptops.
To answer your other question, I don't think I've ever successfully gotten WPA to work with these cards, but of course I only have my own base station to test against. My fiance's laptop (with built-in wireless) worked briefly, but was very slow and every couple minutes the connection would drop.
The reason I originally asked if WPA is possible in this configuration is because I ran across some articles indicating that WPA might not work across bridged networks, although that was for different hardware than my Airport Extreme base station.
Jeff

Airport Extreme Base Station as bridge for Westell DSL router

I have searched the forums & internet and for the life of me cannot get my network to work properly! I hope you can help.
Here is the situation (I rent so chances are we will not be moving hardware anywhere):
- Westell (Verizon) DSL wireless router downstairs connected to the internet, 1 iMac via ethernet, and 2 ibooks via Airport cards
- One lonely Powermac G4 upstairs that does not have a wireless card
- One extra Airport Extreme Base Station with firmware version 5.7 installed & connected via ethernet/LAN to the G4
I figured the "easy" thing to do would be to use the AEBS as a wireless bridge to get the G4 online. The network utility has occasionally thought that the G4 was connected to the internet, but the internet didn't work at all when it said that!
I have been configuring the AEBS using my wireless ibook (G3). I "unchecked" distribute IP addresses, and "checked" connect to network via WDS. I used the Westell's MAC address as the main WDS source. Under the "WDS" tab, I said to configure the AEBS as a remote station and the Westell router as the main station, and to allow wireless users to connect.
I have tried using the same Network name for each. WEP/WAP is NOT set up on either modem, so passwords aren't a problem. They are both set to channel 6. I am configuring the TCP/IP settings manually.
When the network names are the same, the internet either stops working, or the computers can't find the AEBS.
I don't understand why the AEBS seems unable to see the DSL network.

Hi,
Well, what I have been able to do is this:
I have a Westell Wireless DSL router, just like the one mentioned here, and just like the one mentioned in the article I made reference to, the one started by Mr. Müller.
As was mentioned in the Mr. Müller article, there are some possibilities that will work. They were submitted by a guy named Duane, from Texas. He gives three alternate possibilities, which he entitled "Solution #1, Solution #2, and Solution #3. He says all three of these alternatives will work, and in reading them over I came to the following conclusions: First, he really knows his stuff, and second, his proposed solutions would probably work.
Based on his comments I decided to take a risk yesterday - I put my older Mac Base Station in a drawer and invested in a new Airport Extreme.
Anyway, I digress...
What I've done is follow Solution #3. And it works! I now have a connection from my laptop to the Airport Extreme base station and the internet. I am typing this message using that connection. All I had to do was disable the wireless connection of the DSL router (using their software, of course), and connect the Airport Extreme, via the LAN Ethernet connector, to the Westel DSL router.
Now, all that remains for me is to extend the range of the base station, using an Airport Express. I haven't had any success with that yet, but I see no reason why I shouldn't get it to work eventually. If you can help me out with that, though, I'd sure appreciate it.
Best regards,
Patrick
Macintosh G5, Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Having trouble using my airport extreme as a media server for my ps3--can anyone help?

I'd like to set up my apple airport extreme with a USB seagate drive, and use the drive as a media server for my ps3. I have successfully connected my seagate drive to my airport extreme. I have successfully transferred a sample movie to this seagate drive. My laptop is easily able to find the drive and is able to play the sample film from the drive. How can I turn this drive into a media server? I'd like for my PS3 to be able to read movies off the network drive and play them. Help??

Welcome to the discussions, DanSwiggsD!
If you have a non-Apple device as your main router, unfortunately the AirPort Extreme has almost no chance of compatibility with your main router.
If you do have an Apple router as your main device, please post back with your model number and we'll let you know how your devices should be configured.
If you don't have an Apple device as your main router you have a few options to connect the xbox:
1) A pair of ethernet powerline adapters could be used if you did not want to run a regular ethernet cable from your main router to the xbox.
2) The new AirPort Express 802.11n model does have a feature called Proxy STA which should allow it to receive a wireless signal from any wireless router and allow the ethernet port to be enabled.
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Airport extreme (UFO) used for bridge for remote camera system.

Where do I start! This could be a whole page of frustrated user set up of my APE.
Anyhow, after several hours of trying to get it to work, I'l give a quick summary of what I'm trying to accomplish.
What I Have : Airport extreme (square) base station running B/G specs (universal for all my computers)
Airport extreme ( UFO ), trying to use as a remote bridge for my video surveillance system in my basement.
What I want to do : Make the APE UFO talk to the APE square to send signal from my remote camera system to my APE square in my office.
Seems like it should be simple enough, however, I'm beyond myself at this point in trying to make it work. Maybe my settings are wrong on one, or even both of the APE's.
Port forwarding? Could I be missing a important step here?
Any thoughts, or step by step walk through would be very much appreciated.
AJ

A.J. Jones wrote:
What I want to do : Make the APE UFO talk to the APE square to send signal from my remote camera system to my APE square in my office.
You'll need to create a "static WDS" arrangement. To do that, you'll first need to note the MAC addresses ("AirPort IDs") of each station. Launch AirPort Utility, enter "manual setup" mode for the square APE, then hold down an "option" key while you pull down the "Wireless Mode" list under the AirPort/Wireless panel. Pick the choice to "Participate in a WDS network". Fill in the details, declaring the square APE to be the "WDS Main" and the AirPort ID of the UFO station in the WDS Remote" list. Save the configuration. Now use AirPort Utility on the "UFO" APE. (You may need to connect to it with an Ethernet cable to see it.) Set the "Wireless Mode" the same, declaring the base station as a remote station. Be sure to use identical values for network name, wireless security method, network password, band, and channel on both stations.

Adding 3 Airport Extremes to Linksys WGT4400N in Bridge Mode Not working

I have a network that starts in a homerun closet and is expanded across 5 acres to differnet locations via CAT5e.
Homerun Closet has Linksys WGT4400N with Cat5e running to three different locations on property. The cables are within length limitations.
1st Airport Extreme N Running in Bridge Mode Connected and Working in Main House
2nd Airport Extreme N Running in Bridge Mode Connected and Working in Guest House
3rd Airport Extreme Replaced with new one Connected and Not Working in Office. This Airport Extreme N is configured just like the others but it cannot see the network. Cables Verified with Testers and Mac Pro at office location, works when ethernet cable is directly connected to system.
Not sure what is going on. IS there s limit to the number of Airport Extreme N's used as bridges?
I have 2 of ther working and the last is not. First Airport Extreme N for office was bad replaced.
Thank You
GldnSabre

The Netgear wireless server has control over what what devices are allowed to connect.
Unless you tell the Netgear what devices you want to allow to connect, it will allow any wireless device to connect as long as it knows the wireless network password.
IF.... .you were using two AirPort Extremes, and not a Netgear, the two Extremes would communicate to each other....so you would only have to enter Timed Access settings on one router and other AirPort would automatically pick those settings up.
But, even this was not the case until the last year or so when Apple updated firmware. A few years ago, you might have had 2 Apple AirPort Extremes on the network, but you still had to manually set up Timed Access on both devices separately.
Bottom line, you need to setup the equivalent of Timed Access on the Netgear router.

Airport Extreme Bridge Mode Connection Drop

Hi everyone,
Hoping that someone will be able to help me. I have a one year old son who is now getting his hands into everything so a few weeks ago I decided to look at my options for networking my home iMac and External HD's.
I am currently running a SKY (Netgear router) into an Airport Extreme set up in Bridge mode. I have turned off the SSID of the SKY Router and everything connects to the Airport. On the AIrport I have a USB hub attached which then has three external HDs attached to it. I know this is a lot, but I have not had any issues at all with data transfer with this set up.
The issues I am having is that on average, once or twice a day the iMac will drop connection to the Airport. There is no patern to this as the iMac will drop connection while I have been working on the machine and also at times when it has been woken from sleep mode. There is then no physical way to restore the connection unless I restart the iMac. Even turning on/off airport does not fix the issue. If I try this, the iMac then seems to not be able to find any wirless networks, even those that are in the area of my home.
I have turn off the the airport and ran the iMac simply connecting to the SKY router and have experienced zero problems, the issue only happens when I introduce the Airport Extreme.
Does anyone know what might be causing the problem? I really need to try to get this to work so that I can eliminate the need to have the external hard drives attached physically to the iMac. In my home the router/Airport and drives are safely out of the way in a child proof area. I fear that if I have to introduce them back to being physically connected to the iMac they will no longer be safe from small hands!!!
Many thanks for any advice.
- Neil

Unfortunately, you did not not include information about the operating system that you will use to configure the AirPort Extreme, so we would need that you be able to provide you with the correct steps to set up the AirPort Extreme.
Bridge Mode would be the correct setting for the AirPort Extreme, but you will not have to worry about this if you use the setup "wizard" in AirPort Utility on your Mac or an iPhone / iPad since the wizard will automatically provide the correct settings for the AirPort Extreme.
I'm not clear though on whether you want the AirPort Extreme to provide another separate wireless network or extend the existing Arris network. If you plan to locate the AirPort Extreme a room or two away from the Arris, then it might make sense to extend the Arris network, so you will have one "big" network that provides greater range.
Whether or not the Arris will have NAT issues, we cannot say. This will be one of those times where you will not know whether something will work correctly until you try.
If you are not in a rush to get the AirPort Extreme configured, temporarily power off the Extreme and get things working with the Arris modem/router and your Xbox.

Using an airport extreme in both bridged mode and guest network with DHCP

I currently use a third-generation airport extreme in bridge mode to connect my various Mac servers To the Internet. I'm using bridge mode on the AirPort Extreme because I have up to five static IP address (only using three now) I am currently not using the wireless network, and none of the servers are serving DHCP. I am looking at the Newer airport extreme with guest network Wi-Fi. My question is, does the new airport extreme base station support bridge- mode for any devices and host DHCP for the guest network connecting wirelessly to the base station?

The AirPort Extreme cannot be in Bridge Mode and support a Guest Network.
The AirPort must be configured to provide DHCP and NAT services if you want to enable the Guest Network function.
If you really do have a 3rd Gen AirPort Extreme, it will support the Guest Network feature if you connect the AirPort directly to a simple modem.....not a modem/router or gateway type of devices.......and configure the AirPort to provide DHCP and NAT services for the network.

HT4259 Cant extend airport extreme in bridge mode?

My configuration is: Internet Cable Modem --> Airport Extreme (bridge mode) --> Airport Express (extend)
My primary wi-fi base station (airport extreme) is set to bridge mode because the cable modem has the DHCP enable. Is it possible to extend it wirelessly with an airport express in other room of the house?
Thanks!

What is the approximate distance from the AirPort Exteme to the location of the AirPort Express?
12 meters (another room)
Distance here in and of itself should not be a problem.
How many obstructions are there in the signal path between the AirPort Extreme and the AirPort Express?
3 walls, 1 cordless phone
A single wall can absorb anywhere from 10-20% of the signal or more depending on the type of construction. If the wallboard/insulation type has foil backing...as many walls do...even more of the signal is likely being absorbed.
At best, the AirPort Express is picking up a signal that is likely 30-35% degraded. At worst, it is getting a signal that has degraded 70-80%, possibly more. As I said, the Express can only repeat the quality of signal that it receives.
The effect of the cordless phone is unknown, but I would note that cordless phones are the main culprits that interfere with wireless network signals in a home.
How many obstructions are there in the signal path between the AirPort Express and the general remote area where more signal coverage is needed?
No obstructions (same room).
Thanks for that info.
I would suggest that you move the AirPort Express closer to the AirPort Extreme. by 5-10 meters. You may need to experiment with several locations to see if the performance improves in the remote area where you need more wireless signal coverage.
Anything that you can do to eliminate or minimize obstructions in the wireless signal path will help. As an example, I cannot get an acceptable signal in my home in any area where the signal must pass through more than 2 walls.
If you do not notice any significant improvement, your home is simply not going to work with a wireless signal extension setup....and you will need to consider connecting the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express together using a permanent wired Ethernet connection. As you might imagine, there is no signal loss in a wire, so this type of setup will work much better than what you are trying to do.
If I put the extreme and express side by side wirelessly (same room) is there a way to know if I am connected to the main or to the repeater?
You will need a Mac laptop to check. There is no need to locate the AirPort devices side by side...they can be located where they are now.
Locate your Mac laptop very close to the AirPort Extreme
Hold down the option key on the Mac while you click on the AirPort icon at the top of the screen
Look for the BSSID and jot that down
The BSSID is the specific ID of the AirPort device to which you are connected.
Now move the laptop very close to the AirPort Express
Perform the same test
If your Mac is connecting to the Express, you will see a different BSSID
If you see the same BSSID as the AirPort Extreme, the laptop is still connecting to the AirPort Extreme....and the Express is not extending the signal at all.

Can i connect hard drive to airport extreme in bridge mode

I just bought a hard drive and want have it connected to my airport extreme which is in bridge mode so that I can use it with U verse. Will I be able to backup my files on my macbook without connecting the usb on the hard drive to the macbook itself?

Will I be able to backup my files on my macbook without connecting the usb on the hard drive to the macbook itself?
This all depends on what you mean by backup your files.
Apple does not support Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme, so if you are planning to use Time Machine, the better strategy would be to connect the drive directly to your Mac.
If you want to drag/drop or copy/paste regular data files to the hard drive, that should work OK
Remember that the drive should be formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as most store bought drives will come pre-formatted for Windows NTFS.
The USB port at the AirPort Extreme is under powered, so you almost always have to use a powered USB hub with a hard drive here....even if the drive has its own power supply.

Airport extreme in bridge mode or not?

Hello
I have an Thomson TG789vn non-apple router and a AirPort Extreme. The Thomson-router is connected to the Airport Extreme with a ethernet-cabel and the thomson is set in DHCP/NAT and the Airport Extreme is set in bridge mode.
Is this the best setup for my Airport Extreme, or is it better to set the non-apple router in bridge mode and the Airport Extreme in DHCP/NAT-mode?
Regards
Morten Joki Haukeberg

I think if you are using Back To My Mac you need your A.E. in DHCP/NAT-mode
That is correct.
Also, if you want to create a guest network, i think the A.E needs to be in DHCP/NAT-mode.
That is also correct.
Its just a bit tricky to set the non-apple router in brigde mode, thats why I would like to know first,
Is is usually more than a bit tricky to try to completely reconfigure a modem/router or gateway to act as a simple modem. Sometimes, it is not possible, other times very difficult to easy. It all depends on the device.
In most cases, it would be much, much simpler.....if you want to run the AirPort in DHCP and NAT mode, to use a simple bridge mode modem.....rather than try to reconfigure a modem/router.
If possible, ask your service provider if they might be able to furnish you with a simple, bridge mode modem.....if you want to use the AirPort as the main router providing DHCP and NAT functions for the network.

Roaming WiFi without AirPort Extreme at core?

OK, I'll try to explain my situation in detail...here we go.
Moved into a new house that is wired for Ethernet and signed up for Comcast's new X1 Platform. I have all the comcast equipment in a media closet in the basement and originally wired the modem via Ethernet to the main floor where my prior generation AirPort Extreme sits. I didn't realize the new X1 box is not just a modem as I was used to...it was a modem and a built in WiFi router. So I was getting blinking amber on my AirPort until I put it into Bridge mode and now it works fine. I researched putting the Comcast box into Bridge mode but with X1 they've locked them down. It requires a call to support...and it sounds like a lot of headaches (plus I wanted my AirPort on the main floor, not the basement). So for now I've left it and basically ignore the WiFi signal coming from the basement and just use the AirPort extreme in Bridge Mode. Works great!
Fast forward to today and I want to strengthen my signal to the upstairs. I took advanage of a Black Friday deal and have a new current gen AirPort extreme here in the box. I want to create a roaming WiFi network as outlined here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4145
My question, however, is that the Knowledge base very clearly shows a main AirPort base station controlling the roaming network...this image:
http://km.support.apple.com/library/APPLE/APPLECARE_ALLGEOS/HT4145/HT4145-3.png
Is that a requirement, or if I have two Extremes both in Bridge mode with the same SSIDs, Security, etc will the roaming effect work? Or will my devices try to hold onto the old access point for as long as possible and not jump to the new one? Just to be clear, the setup would be:
X1 Modem/Router Combo --------AirPort Extreme (current gen) in Bridge Mode
|--------Airport Extreme (prior gen) in Bridge Mode
Sorry for the convoluted question. I tried this once before with an original AirPort Extreme (UFO) and the devices would not roam...they'd stay on the original access point and I'd need to manually switch. I'd love to get roaming working! Thanks all.

My question, however, is that the Knowledge base very clearly shows a main AirPort base station controlling the roaming network...this image:
http://km.support.apple.com/library/APPLE/APPLECARE_ALLGEOS/HT4145/HT4145-3.png
Well, Apple assumes that you will only be using Apple AirPort wireless routers in their support docs.
Is that a requirement, or if I have two Extremes both in Bridge mode with the same SSIDs, Security, etc will the roaming effect work?
Roaming will work fine if both AirPorts are set up the same as you indicate.
Or will my devices try to hold onto the old access point for as long as possible and not jump to the new one?
The real question here might be what devices you are asking about. Mac computers are very good about scanning to find the best access point and automatically switching to pick it up.....but a lot of PCs are not very good about this. iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad are not very good about this either.
If I walk my iPhone from one access point to another, it will hold onto the original access point...even if it is very close to an access point with a stronger signal..Nature of the beast with iOS, I am afraid.
Sometimes, the iPhone will switch, but usually I have to switch off the Wi-Fi when I move the iPhone close to another access point, and then turn it back on so that it will then pick up the signal from the closer access point.

Airport extreme as a media bridge?

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