Airport Extreme Base Station & Actiontec Plug AV 200mb

Holy Heck! Help!
I am trying to connect ActionTec Plug AV to the Airport Base Station and have hit a wall. I created the Encryption Keys for the Plug AV but have NO idea where this key is incorporated into the Airport Base Station. The ActionTec was setup correctly as directed by the manual but they just don't seem to connect to the Airport.
HELP!

Sounds more like an issue with your router and
network than a problem with AEBS.
Which router?
I certainly do not need to reboot my AEBS like that,
I think I have rebooted it once in two years!
I would start a new thread describing your network in
more detail and the issues with the AEBS.
Thank you, but my diagnosis is the result of many days
of experiment with about hundreds of users. It's a bug,
I know were it is. It was reported to Apple in september
(2005).
It isn't that easy to upgrade at the same time all the
wireless (802.11b and 802.11g) that do have to interoperate
smoothly within the same space.
I don't think anyone need to waste more time on these
bugged firmware versions (5.6 & 5.7) as I already explained
it. They work smoothly just in a limited environment
which they were conceived for: one Mac connected to one
AEBS connected to one FAI.
You can't recommand these version to colleagues who have
to live in a real world with other wireless equipment
(a Mac not updated, an ABS not updated,
a Cisco wireless card emitting to 100 mW and smashing all
the neibourhood, a pre 802.11g+ card using 2 channels at
the same time...).
dan

Similar Messages

Can the AirPort Extreme Base Station be plug-in to the power forever?

Hi,
sorry for my english but this is my question: Can the AirPort Extreme Base Station be plug-in to the power (electricity) forever? I mean, I don't have to un-plug the Base Station sometimes? Thanks
Alvaro

Sounds more like an issue with your router and
network than a problem with AEBS.
Which router?
I certainly do not need to reboot my AEBS like that,
I think I have rebooted it once in two years!
I would start a new thread describing your network in
more detail and the issues with the AEBS.
Thank you, but my diagnosis is the result of many days
of experiment with about hundreds of users. It's a bug,
I know were it is. It was reported to Apple in september
(2005).
It isn't that easy to upgrade at the same time all the
wireless (802.11b and 802.11g) that do have to interoperate
smoothly within the same space.
I don't think anyone need to waste more time on these
bugged firmware versions (5.6 & 5.7) as I already explained
it. They work smoothly just in a limited environment
which they were conceived for: one Mac connected to one
AEBS connected to one FAI.
You can't recommand these version to colleagues who have
to live in a real world with other wireless equipment
(a Mac not updated, an ABS not updated,
a Cisco wireless card emitting to 100 mW and smashing all
the neibourhood, a pre 802.11g+ card using 2 channels at
the same time...).
dan

AirPort Extreme Base Station and Plugging in a telephone?

Hi all I currently have a Netgear Wireless Router & Phone Adapter WGR613VAL ,Im not happy with the coverage or speed. I have my telephone connected into the back of the Netgear ( Standard US Phone Jack ) . I see that this AirPort Extreme only has ethernet , whats my solution? Can you buy VOIP Phones with Ethernet connections? If so will I be able to put my carriers settings/SIP onto the AirPort or will / can I still need to use the Netgear just for my phone?

Welcome to the discussion area, apsimg!
+will there be any network degradation if I set it to further extend my wireless network given that they are so close?+
It's not a good idea to have two routers within 6 feet of each other both providing a wireless signal due to possible interference issues. Even if you find that the two devices do not interfere with each other, there's really nothing to be gained in terms of signal strength by having them both broadcast the wireless network.
If the Time Capsule were in the next room or down the hall, then it might make sense to set it up to provide for greater wireless coverage. If you have the Time Capsule connected to the AirPort Extreme using ethernet and you want more wireless coverage, you would not set it up to "extend", as this is only used if the devices are connecting using wireless only.
Connecting with ethernet, you would setup the Time Capsule to "create a wireless network" using the same network name, security and password and configure the device as a "bridge".

I have a Cisco wireless router. Can I buy an Airport Express plug in booster for a distant part of my house or do I need an Airport Extreme base station instead to make the Airport Express plug in booster work?

Can I buy an Airport Express plug-in wifi signal booster to connect to a Cisco wireless router, or do I have to buy an Airport Extreme base station to make the Airport Express plug-in work?

You would need either an AirPort Extreme or an AirPort Express connected to the Cisco router, with a permanent Ethernet cable connection.
Configure the Extreme or Express that is connected to the Cisco router to "create a wireless network".
Then, you could add an AirPort Express to "extend a wireless network" to provide more wireless coverage for the network that the Extreme or Express would be creating.
Remember that the Express can only "extend" the quality of signal that it receives, so it must be located where it can receive a strong signal from the "main" AirPort.
If you don't need the Cisco wireless signal, you could turn it off.....or use that network for guests or something similar.
The bottom line here......you always need two Apple routers if you want to extend the network wirelessly.

I told my wireless network to forget two airport expresses so that I could rename them. Now the network does not see them even when plugged in about 10 feet away from the airport extreme base station. Does "forget" mean forever? How to reset?

I told my wireless network to forget two airport expresses 1 1st gen, 1 2nd gen so that I could rename them. Now the network does not see them even when plugged in about 10 feet away from the airport extreme base station. The network does recognize a totally new 2nd gen express. Does "forget" mean forever? How to reset?

The network does recognize a totally new 2nd gen express.
Then, it sounds like you have already reset the 2nd Gen Express, and now you need to set it up again, like you did the first time. Only, this time, assign the device name that you want to the AirPort Express.
Do NOT use the name that Apple suggests.....which will be something goofy like........Sueswimsf's Red Apple AirPort Express
Assign a simple name.....something like 2ndGenExpress

Have 2 airport extreme base stations connected in chain. Airport utility shows slave unit without power. However, power is on slave unit, but status lights do not show up at all. Small green lights at each back port blink. Anyone have any ideas?

Have 2 airport extreme base stations connected in chain. Airport utility shows slave unit without power. However, power is on slave unit, but status lights do not show up at all. Small green lights at each back port blink. Anyone have any ideas?

Unfortunately, you are describing the symptoms of an AirPort Extreme with a failing (or failed) internal power supply.
As a last resort, try a Factory Default Reset on the AirPort Extreme as follows:
Power off the AirPort by pulling the power cord
Wait a minute or two
Hold in the reset button first, and keep holding it in for an additional 8-10 seconds while you simultaneously plug the power back into the AirPort
Release the reset button and allow a full minute for the AirPort to restart
Now try to configure the AirPort again. If you continue to see the same symptoms as before, the AirPort will need to be replaced.

Configure TC and Airport Extreme Base Stations with different channels

I had to do some serious workarounds to use the Airport Extreme Base Stations as an access point with the same wireless network name primarily due to channel overlap. I thought I would post my results here since I didnt' find a good article online.
Also, I found the Snow Leopard verison (5.4.2) of the Airport Setup Utility far superior to Lion's Airport Utility (6.x) in terms of advanced setup.
Setup is a 3 flloor house where the 3 wired network locations have wireless overlap. The problem was that the access points would not hand off the wireless signal because the channels for each airport/TC were automatically set to the same channel. In non-apple setups, this is how you force a wireless client to switch access points (since the wireless software on your client/mac/windows can detect which access point is stronger and moves to the alternate channel.
Using apple's "Extend this wireless network" option removes any ability to manually configure wireless channels. I am writing this from memory, so feel free to ask questions and I will track this topic:
Procedure
Setup time capsule as your base station. Do all the setup for your wireless and guest networks. Manually configure the network and change the wireless channel to a specific channel for a/b/g networks (e.g., 3) and n networks (e.g, 167).
Plug your first airport extreme/access point into your wired network. Do not plug it into the "internet" ethernet plug, use one of the 3 ethernet switch locations
Use the airport utility to first configure it to "extend" your wired network.
Then, go in and reconfigure it manually in the airport utility. Choose the option to setup a "new network" and name the network the same as the TC wireless network name, security, etc.
Change the channel from "auto" to a different channel than the TC (e.g., 6 and 137).
Now go to the top tab and click on the "internet" icon
Go to the DHCP tab and change it to "bridge mode." This will tell the AE to not give out IP addresses (the TC will do this for you). If you get an error that the IP ranges conflict, you have not done this
Note that if you have a guest network setup, you will need to set this up on the AE as well.
Now test your airport setup. Take your client (macbook, iOS device) and connect to your network. Move to a spot near the TC and pull up a web page. Keep an eye on the signal strength and beginv moving toward the AE. Refresh the page as you move around. You should at some point see the signal strength increase. Refresh your page again. You should be now connected to to the AE. I have found that Macbooks do a better job than iOS devices because you get an extra signal bar to measure strength, and they have larger antennas which allows you to better measure problems with handoff
Another test you can do is to start backing up on your TC and then test the move. The handoff will truly show you that the TC is handling the process but the AE is relaying to the TC for backup.
If you need to setup another AE, simply follow setups 3-10.
I hope this helps others. I've done this setup 100 times on Linksys devices and although they are cumbersome, they at least allow me to do this setup much more quickly and easily than the apple products.

I had to do some serious workarounds to use the Airport Extreme Base Stations as an access point with the same wireless network name primarily due to channel overlap. I thought I would post my results here since I didnt' find a good article online.
Also, I found the Snow Leopard verison (5.4.2) of the Airport Setup Utility far superior to Lion's Airport Utility (6.x) in terms of advanced setup.
Setup is a 3 flloor house where the 3 wired network locations have wireless overlap. The problem was that the access points would not hand off the wireless signal because the channels for each airport/TC were automatically set to the same channel. In non-apple setups, this is how you force a wireless client to switch access points (since the wireless software on your client/mac/windows can detect which access point is stronger and moves to the alternate channel.
Using apple's "Extend this wireless network" option removes any ability to manually configure wireless channels. I am writing this from memory, so feel free to ask questions and I will track this topic:
Procedure
Setup time capsule as your base station. Do all the setup for your wireless and guest networks. Manually configure the network and change the wireless channel to a specific channel for a/b/g networks (e.g., 3) and n networks (e.g, 167).
Plug your first airport extreme/access point into your wired network. Do not plug it into the "internet" ethernet plug, use one of the 3 ethernet switch locations
Use the airport utility to first configure it to "extend" your wired network.
Then, go in and reconfigure it manually in the airport utility. Choose the option to setup a "new network" and name the network the same as the TC wireless network name, security, etc.
Change the channel from "auto" to a different channel than the TC (e.g., 6 and 137).
Now go to the top tab and click on the "internet" icon
Go to the DHCP tab and change it to "bridge mode." This will tell the AE to not give out IP addresses (the TC will do this for you). If you get an error that the IP ranges conflict, you have not done this
Note that if you have a guest network setup, you will need to set this up on the AE as well.
Now test your airport setup. Take your client (macbook, iOS device) and connect to your network. Move to a spot near the TC and pull up a web page. Keep an eye on the signal strength and beginv moving toward the AE. Refresh the page as you move around. You should at some point see the signal strength increase. Refresh your page again. You should be now connected to to the AE. I have found that Macbooks do a better job than iOS devices because you get an extra signal bar to measure strength, and they have larger antennas which allows you to better measure problems with handoff
Another test you can do is to start backing up on your TC and then test the move. The handoff will truly show you that the TC is handling the process but the AE is relaying to the TC for backup.
If you need to setup another AE, simply follow setups 3-10.
I hope this helps others. I've done this setup 100 times on Linksys devices and although they are cumbersome, they at least allow me to do this setup much more quickly and easily than the apple products.

Mac Book pro can't connect to Internet through Apple airport extreme base station

I had problems connecting to the internet in the past with my macbook pro. One day it suddenly started working again but then I bought a second apple TV I lost connectivity. I have tried changing the IP address manually and while it shows me connected to the wifi I am still with out internet. When I hooked up the new Apple TV that I bought it booted my computer from it's ip address. The apple TV though wouldn't work and now nor would my computer. I ended up setting the Apple TV's ip address manually and now it works fine. My computer on the other hand does not no matter if I set it manually or not. Even if I plug in the ethernet cable from the base station it doesn't work. It show that it has a self assigned IP address. After I set it manually it shows that I am connected both via wifi and the ethernet cable but I can't connect to the internet. If I plug the modem directly into the computer bypassing the base station I get internet and it is using the IP address that worked originally.
It has something to do with the connection from the base station to my computer but this is odd considering every other device I have: iPhone 4, apple tv, apple tv, apple mini with retina display all work perfectly via wifi (newest apple tv had to be set manually as I stated above but now works fine). When I check the ip of the base station itself it seems to be different from the ip of the computer when the computer was connected directly to the router. I don't understand why my computer now can't connect to the internet via the base station whether it be wifi or by ethernet. Can you please help me trouble shoot this?
I have an AirPort Extreme base station which allows up to 50 users and a 30 meg connection speed.
I have a MacBook Pro (17-inch Early 2009), OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

It has something to do with the connection from the base station to my computer
I don't think so..
I just posted a reply which totally vanished.. strange strange website now.
Please post some screenshots of your AE setup from the airport utility.. I want to see the summary page, then the network and internet tab.
Please tell us what modem you use.. is it a router??
If you have satellite or 3G wimax etc service they often are limited to 5 IP addresses... the AE takes one and then 4 more devices can join .. no more.
You need to also give us the screenshot of the IP you are getting in a computer that works.
EDIT
Sorry this is half double post.. the previous page refused to display.. now it has returned..

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.

Ghost Drives on my Airport Extreme Base Station.

I have connected 4 external hard drives to my Airport Extreme Base Station via a powered USB Hub. The drives are recognized under he Airport in my sidebar, and I can double click on them and they mount to my desktop. The problem is that none of my data shows up. They appear to be blank. However, when I disconnect the hub from the airport, and plug it directly into an open USB port on my laptop, all the drives come up and mount automatically, and all data is accounted for. Now I'm not a wirless network guru by any stretch, but I assumed it was sharing preferences. I went through and enabled to share connected drives via accounts and entered all required criteria and updated the settings to my Airport. Still to no avail. Also, just for kicks, I opted to Connect to Server from the Go menu in Finder, and attained the network address by mounting the drives individually and gettting info on them, copying the address and entering them into the Server Address, clicking to add them as favorite Servers. Still same result. They mount as an Airdisk, but no content is shown. I know it's an easy fix, but I just do not know what I'm missing???? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
P.S.- MAC for President 2012!

What troubleshooting steps have you already performed?
For example, If you do not connect the powered USB hub to the AirPort and connect only a single drive to the USB port on the AirPort, what happens?
If the drive works, then add the powered hub back in to the setup and connect the drive again. What happens?
If the drive works, add another drive. What happens?
If the drive does not work when you plug in into the powered hub...but it does work when you plug it in to the USB port on the AirPort directly, then you likely have a bad hub. They do fail. Some cheap USB calbles will work, others won't.
If you plug the hard drive directly into the USB port on the AirPort and you still cannot "see" the drive, that suggests a problem with the USB port electronics. Have the AirPort checked out at the Apple store or a servicer.

HT4259 How do I set up an Airport Extreme Base Station (v. 7.6.1) to allow wireless network extension?

I have an Airport Extreme Base station (purchased in 2009) and an Airport Express base station (purchased in 2011 - the model that plugs directly into the electrical outlet) (both version 7.6.1 according to the Airport Utility info). I want to use the Airport Express to extend my wireless network. Using Airport utility setup I have a software option on the Airport Express to set it up to extend the network but I do not have an option on the Airport Extreme wireless setup screen that I can check to allow my wireless network to be extended.
All of the documentation I can find on Apple Support states that I should have an option I can check to allow the wireless network to be extended while in the wireles setup section for the Airport Extreme in Airport Utility; but, that check option isn't there. Is this a case of my Airport Extreme base station being too old to offer that option? Incidentally, when I try to select the extend wireless network option on the Airport Express from the Airport Utility wireless setup menu I get an error message (no details - just an error message). The same Airport Express sets up fine if I select join a network (not what I want to do). Am I just dealing with outdated equipment or does anyone have a suggestion? Thanks.

Close AirPort Utility if it is open.
Temporarily, move the Express to the same general area as your AirPort Extreme and power it up and wait a minute.
Hold in the reset button on the Express for 9-10 seconds and then release. Give the Express a full minute to restart to a slow, blinking amber light.
Click the AirPort icon at the top of the Mac's screen and wait a few seconds for a listing of New AirPort Base Station to appear
Click on AirPort Express just below that and AirPort Utility will automatically open
Wait a minute while AirPort Utility analyzes the network and announces that the Express will be configured to "Extend" the AirPort Extreme network.
Enter a device name for the AirPort Express and click Next
Wait another minute to allow the configuration to occur.
When you see the Setup Complete message, click Done.
Now move the Express to a location that is approximately half the distance from the AirPort Extreme and the general area that needs more wireless coverage
Power up the Express and you are all set. Trash those old instructions.

Multipmultiple Airport Extreme Base Stations: WDS Or "Extend Wireless Network" To Have Wired -- Wireless Bridge?

Hello there!
I've been looking for this info, but have as yet been unable to find it. Here's my scenario:
I have two Airport Extreme Base Stations (both are dual band) and 3 airport expresses. The main internet connection in my house is in one room, where I have an AEBS as the main wireless router. In another room, I have a bunch of ethernet-only devices. I'd like to use the 2nd AEBS in this room, plug the ethernet devices into it and have the 2nd AEBS act as a wired <--> wireless bridge (connected to the same wireless network as the 1st AEBS). I've attempted this via "extend a wireless network," but the ethernet devices don't get past the AEBS they're plugged into. Should I instead be implementing WDS?
I mention the airport expresses as I'd like to have airtunes & wireless signal in other areas, but would like to keep the set-up as simple as possible (i.e., not config the AXes for WDS unless it's required).
Thanks in advance for any help!

Unlike the 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station (AXn), the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) cannot be configured as a wireless Ethernet bridge.
However, there are at least two ways to configure it to provide wired clients access:
Connect the second AEBSn back to the first by Ethernet; reconfigure the second AEBSn as a bridge and disable its wireless radios, or
Reconfigure both AEBSns into an extended wireless network. For 802.11n AirPorts, this would be called a dynamic WDS. The AEBSn, connected to the Internet would be the "main" base station and it would only require that you enable the "Allow this network to be extended" option in the AirPort Utility. The extending AEBSn would need to be configured with the option, Wireless Mode = Extend a wireless network, enabled.
In both configurations, the second AEBSn's Ethernet ports would be enabled for wired clients.

Airport extreme base station with Hp 3210 all in one printer

Just bought and hooked up the above. Using with iBook G4. Still dealing with dial-up unfortunately, but got online just fine. When I tried to print on the above, it immediately dialed up when I hit "print". ?? What's going on?

I have a pretty old HP all-in-one (G55) printer/scanner/copier device. Plugging it into my AEBS seems to not let me print to it. I have the most recent driver from HP.
Do you think it's my setup, or is the AEBS somehow not compatible with the older HP devices?
No the problem is with the HP driver.
Try using the HPIJS drivers.
For those with the older base station.
Use the process outlined here:
HP Printers (and others) not on compatibility list and Airport Extreme Printing
http://tech.ifelix.net/1300.html
Also, is it possible to fax, scan, etc through an all-in-one device plugged into an AEBS?
No, not via the USB port.
Can I scan using my all-in-one when it is connected to the USB port of an Airport Express or Airport Extreme Base Station?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=610763&#610763

Airport Extreme Base Station with HP Printer problems

I have a pretty old HP all-in-one (G55) printer/scanner/copier device. Plugging it into my AEBS seems to not let me print to it. I have the most recent driver from HP.
Do you think it's my setup, or is the AEBS somehow not compatible with the older HP devices?
Also, is it possible to fax, scan, etc through an all-in-one device plugged into an AEBS?

I have a pretty old HP all-in-one (G55) printer/scanner/copier device. Plugging it into my AEBS seems to not let me print to it. I have the most recent driver from HP.
Do you think it's my setup, or is the AEBS somehow not compatible with the older HP devices?
No the problem is with the HP driver.
Try using the HPIJS drivers.
For those with the older base station.
Use the process outlined here:
HP Printers (and others) not on compatibility list and Airport Extreme Printing
http://tech.ifelix.net/1300.html
Also, is it possible to fax, scan, etc through an all-in-one device plugged into an AEBS?
No, not via the USB port.
Can I scan using my all-in-one when it is connected to the USB port of an Airport Express or Airport Extreme Base Station?
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=610763&#610763

Connecting Airport Express to Airport Extreme Base Station

Hi Folks. I am at my wit's end.
I have an Airport Extreme Base Station (main hub) purchased in 2003. Just bought a new Airport Express and it just won't connect to the AEBS. I think I've tried everything. From automatic WDS set up (described here http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107454) to using the Airport Utility and/or Airport Admin to set up. Nothing.
I've looked through the discussions and found this http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7011490&#7011490 but the solution provided makes absolutely no sense to me.
All I end up getting after numerous attempts at connecting to the AEBS is error messages and then a flashing yellow (amber I guess) light. When I do a "hard reset" it just goes back to flashing amber and it seems a factory reset doesn't work because according to this http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108044 I'm supposed to see the green light flash four times after I hold the reset button and plug in but that never happens.
This is driving me crazy. Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.

Hey John.
I did finally solve the issue but I'm not quite sure how it happened but this is what I did:
First, I did had hard reset on the AEBS and set it up all over again via AirPort Utility. I set it up to use a WPA/WPA2 personal password.
Next I did a hard reset (not a factory reset) (hard reset: while plugged in, use a paper clip and hold the reset button for 15-20 seconds) on the AirPort Express and then restarted my computer.
After restart, I opened AirPort Utility and set up the Express to join my AEBS network. When it got to the point where it asked me to choose the network to join, I chose my AEBS network and it magically knew the WPA password I had set earlier and then after that it was smooth sailing.
I had tried a number of variations of that process many times before (and failed) and for some reason this time, it worked.
Hope it works out for you.
Best,
Benjamin

Airport Extreme Base Station & Actiontec Plug AV 200mb

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