Airport Extreme Base Station to Express via Ethernet?

I have both a new Extreme (n) and Express (n) and am trying to set up a network between two buildings. I have been successful with the wireless network, yet the wireless signal between buildings is not strong enough for streaming video. The current configuration is the Extreme in one building connected to the cable modem. This is where the strongest signal is found. The express is in the main house and the signal is much weaker.
My question: If I run an ethernet wire from one building to the next, can I connect these two Airport devices via ethernet to strengthen the signal? How would I configure this in the Airport Utility?
I made an attempt to plug the ethernet into both and the Utility stopped seeing either device and I lost the internet connection.
I may not understand the way these devices communicate with each other. If anyone can point me in the direction of a solution I would be grateful. My goal is to have a signal strength strong enough to stream Netflix videos in the house with the Express. I am thinking that if the Express is wired to the base station via ethernet then the wireless signal from the Express would be sufficient to stream wirelessly to a new Macbook... Possible?
Thanks for any suggestions.

A couple of questions. First, at AirPort>Wireless>Wireless Mode should the selection be "Join a wireless network" or "Off"? I currently have Join a the wireless network selected.
For both base stations, Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network.
When I am at Internet>Internet Connection the screen is muted, which means I can't change anything. The two items on the page say "Connect Using: Wireless Network" and " "Connection Sharing: Off (Bridge Mode)" - as you mentioned. This is correct, right?
For both AirPorts, Connect Using = Ethernet; For the AEBSn, Connection Sharing = Share a public IP address; For the AXn, Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
The Extreme (connected to modem) and Express (ethernet cable will connect to port on Extreme) have different names. And each is configured to participate in the same network.
Both would be correct.

Similar Messages

Airport extreme base station and expresses

Does anyone know how many airport expresses can work off of one base station? I have a airport extreme base station 802n about 2 years old. I currentoy have two expresses linked and would liek to add a third.
Also, is there any value in buying a current model base station --- in terms of wifi capability? It seems our movie download performance has signeificantly slowed in the last year as we hae more devices in our home that use wifi. Thanks

You might try asking this question in the Airport forum.
Here's a link for you:
https://discussions.apple.com/community/wireless/airport

Airport extreme base station and express WDS?

Greetings,
Before I continue to struggle with this, I'm wondering if someone can confirm the viability of the following scenario:
N wired to AE wds'd to ABS wired to switch wired to other PCs
N = existing ethernet network
AE = Airport Express config'd thru WDS as a 'base station', though not distributing IPs etc (that is handled through N)
ABS = Airport Base Station config'd thru WDS as a 'Remote base station'
The problem is, when I connect an Airport client computer to the network (by choosing the AE) I cannot see the PCs at the end of the chain. I'm testing this connectivity through pinging.
Am I missing something? Is it possible that an AE cannot be a base station?
Many thanks in advance for any suggestions/tips!
PowerMac, Powerbook Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Thanks, Don. Yes, that link was a big help. A couple of key points for anyone else trying to do something similar:
- You can use WDS to bridge two different ethernet networks, providing that only there is only one gateway and one machine/router doling out IPs via DHCP
- Use the same network name for all APs in the WDS network
- Assign the APs IP addresses manually
- The ethernet port on an AP Express can only be used to extend a network when WDS is employed

Additional Ethernet ports on Airport Extreme Base Station

I would like to know how one could add additional Ethernet ports to an Airport Extreme Base Station - I need 6 ethernet ports.
Is it possible to daisychain two Airport Express Base Stations so that all computers can see each other, or is it best to buy an ethernet switch?
If the latter is the answer, hardware recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks

Is it possible to daisychain two Airport Express Base Stations so that all computers can see each other, or is it best to buy an ethernet switch?
It would be best (cheapest) to use an Ethernet switch instead of getting a second wireless router with a built-in switch.
If the latter is the answer, hardware recommendations would be appreciated.
A 4-8 port model from any of the name brand vendors should do just fine. An example would be the Linksys SD2008.

How to add Ethernet ports to an Airport Extreme Base Station?

I have successfully connected an HP Office Jet 6310 to the Airport Extreme Base Station, after downloading the latest software from HP. It is printing wirelessly, and it is great so far.
The only problem is that the cable modem connected to ADSL has only one Ethernet port, and the Airport Extreme Base Station also has one Ethernet port. However, I need one more port to connect a phone (Vonage Telephone Adapter = VTA).
What is the easiest way to achieve this? I saw several other messages discussing hubs and routers, but the answer is not clear yet. If I purchase an additional router, should it be connected between the cable modem and the Airport Extreme Base Station, or the other way round?
Any help or advice would be appreciated!
Thank you in advance for your time.
MacBook Pro with 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.7)

One final vital piece of information, which should be my conclusion on this topic.
Following the advice received, I purchased a Switch from Linksys. Since the device didn't work for my purpose (dividing the Ethernet connexion into an Ethernet line for the HP printer and the Vonage phone), I called the Linksys support.
I was told that what I needed was not a switch, but a router. I thus had to get reimbursed for the switch and hunt for the proper router.
Finally, today, I have been able to find the item corresponding to my needs:
A Belkin Wireless G Router F5D7230-4
It costs less than 50 US$ and has all the necessary Ethernet ports. The setup is very simple, and I got it operational within a couple of minutes, despite some small problems getting the setup Wizard to work. It is Mac OS X compatible.
Thus, at the end, I have got the HP 6310 Office printer and the Vonage VTA phone working together, with a robust Wireless network including WPA security. I would recommend this type of setting.
The only trouble is that the AirMac Extreme Base Station has become completely useless! I will perhaps keep it as a souvenir, or as a decoration in the living room... This wouldn't have happened if the creators of this nice object, which is extremely expensive for what it provides, would have thought of including at least two Ethernet ports!
The unexpected reply to my query could thus be ironically formulated by saying: "replace the Airport Extreme Base Station with a cheaper an more efficient device." Sorry for that!
With my best regards to those who took the trouble to read this thread to the end.
Yours, Hotaru

Please help me connect eMac, cable modem, and Airport Extreme Base Station

I connected Ethernet cord from cable modem to Airport Extreme Base Station and then another Ethernet cord from Airport Extreme Base Station to eMac, but I could not get internet access on my eMac that way. I'm only getting internet access by directly connecting eMac to cable modem. Can someone please help me with a step by step explanation of how to set these 3 machines up so that I can have internet access on both my eMac and, wirelessly, on my new MacBook. Thank you very much in advance.
eMac & MacBook Mac OS X (10.3)
eMac & MacBook Mac OS X (10.3)
eMac & MacBook Mac OS X (10.3)

jenngee, Welcome to the discussion area!
Ensure that you power off the cable modem for a minute or so when you switch it to another Ethernet device.
Ensure that you are connecting the WAN port of the AirPort Extreme base station (AEBS) to the cable modem. The eMac should connect to the LAN port.
The steps for setting this up can be found in the "Designing AirPort Networks" (direct PDF link) document. Look through that document and try to get it setup. Then return here if you have more questions. Don't forget to post what you tried and the issues you encountered.

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.

Connect to Linksys Cable Gateway via AirPort Extreme Base Station?

Thank you in advance for any replies.
I have the following new setup:
A G3 Blue tower running OS X 10.4.10 is successfully connected to the internet via a Linksys WCG200 Cable Gateway connected to RCN's cable internet service. The WCG200 unit has wireless capacity though it's connected to the G3 tower via ethernet cable.
A second Mac (G3 iMac DV running OS X 10.4.10) is in another room in the office. I'd like to set it up with internet by wirelessly connecting with the existing WCG200 unit using an Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS) I've recently acquired. To ensure a smooth process, I reset the AEBS to factory settings and installed the AEBS software (version 4.2) onto the iMac DV. Finally I plugged in the AEBS into the iMac DV using an ethernet cable plugged into the AEBS's WAN port (AirPort Admin Utility advised me to do so).
That's the hardware configuration. Working out the software and configuration details is proving 'niggly'.
First, I used the AirPort Setup Assistant to configure the AEBS. I told it to Set up a new Base Station, then to set it up as connecting to the internet using a Cable modem (the top option of two—the second was to set it up with internet through a LAN). I set up the name and passwords for the Base Station and had the utility configure the AEBS accordingly.
No internet connection occurred. I tried using the Internet Connect utility in the Applications folder, but no button or visible option for connecting via AirPort appeared, as the Setup Guide indicated it should, only a button for a VPN appeared.
I called Apple and asked whether it was even possible to connect to the internet using the AEBS talking wirelessly to the WCG200 unit. A tech told me it could be done by going into the AirPort Administration Utility, going into Configuration, clicking on the WDS tab and inputting the MAC address for the WCG200 unit, then going into the Airport tab and typing in the channel that the WCG200 is using. Note that the WCG200 unit has 3 MAC addresses listed; one each for “modem MAC address,” “WAN-MAN MAC address,” and “WAN-DATA MAC address”. I used the “modem MAC address.
The Apple tech added that it might need further tweaking, but that Apple couldn’t provide this tweaking and that I might check various forums if need be.
I followed the Tech’s advice, at which point the utility informed me that it couldn't use DHCP or NAT with this setup’ and to make sure that the "Distribute IP Addresses" checkbox was deselected under the Internet tab. This I did, but it was already deselected. I told the utility to update the AEBS accordingly, and restarted everything, including the 2 Macs and the WCG200.
Result:
No connection.
Tried it again with the Ethernet plugged into the AEBSs LAN port, still no connection.
Help! Can’t I get the AEBS to even see the WCG200? I know wireless is properly functioning in the WCG200 because another user with a Windows laptop connects to it wirelessly. The Mac Tech also mentioned that this could be relatively easy with an AirPort Express piece of hardware (Card? Base station?) but that it would be difficult with the Airport Extreme Base Station.
At this point we’re willing to spend $100 on getting this up. What would be our best option in terms of equipment, or can connectivity be accomplished with what we have?
Thanks again,
skyheart

skyheart, Welcome to the discussion area!
In theory using WDS would provide what you need.
In reality the Linksys device is not compatible with Apple's WDS and therefore this will not work.

Problem consistently printing via new (summer 2011) AIRPORT EXTREME BASE STATION and Brother wireless printer (model HL5370DW). What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance for any help you folks can offer. I'm a newb here and will try to offer as much detail as I can about the dilemma at hand.
Scenario: Home network has been recently set up for wireless internet access via NEW Airport Extreme Base Station (purchased September 2011). Units accessing the network include: 2011 Macbook Pro, 2011 Macbook Air, 2007 Macbook, 2009 Macbook Pro, 2 iPhone 3GSs, and a 1st-gen iPad (and a partridge in a pear tree AEBS is configured to run WPA2 encrypted network, as well as a WPA2 guest network. I am attempting to yoke a BROTHER HL5370DW wireless B or G/ ethernet / usb-capable printer to the main network such that any and all units can print wirelessly or its equivalent (i.e., via printer hooked to AEBS through USB hub)
Problem: Despite configuring the Brother printer to recognize the main WPA2 network I created, I am unable to get wireless printing to work. My workaround was to physically connect Brother printer to AEBS via USB, specifically using a Belkin USB hub (after all, I wanted access to usb drives, as well as the printer). This workaround works ONLY SOME OF THE TIME. Generally, after a fresh boot of any computer or after a restart of the AEBS, any given computer will be able to print (i.e., any computer wirelessly connected to the main WPA2 network recognizes the printer). HOWEVER, at random times, printer access is gone (as is access to USB drives connected to AEBS's usb hub). Wireless networks are still up and running when that happens. IS THERE A WAY TO GET THE USB HUB's devices (i.e., printer and usb drives) to ALWAYS REMAIN AVAILABLE AS LONG AS THEY STAY CONNECTED TO THE AEBS? In other words, what accounts for the intermittent loss of the usb peripherals?
Sometimes, I just shut the airport off on whatever computer is having this problem, and the problem goes away. Sometimes, the problem is present across all computers in the house, sometimes only a few are affected. I can ALWAYS see the AEBS in the Airport Utility if the AEBS is connected to the particular computer via ETHERNET CABLE.
My theories:
- true wireless printing (i.e., without usb hub workaround) doesn't work because the N network somehow isn't backwards compatible with the Brother printer, which, i believe, is B/G. Although...isn't Wireless N networking supposed to work with BG devices? I did find a thread (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2570774?start=0&tstart=0 ) that explains some of the particulars of WPA2 encryption and Wireless B/G issues, but it was beyond my level of comprehension (I'm a psychologist, but not an Apple Genius
- The usb workaround is only intermittently viable because of some flaw in the Airport or Airport Utility that causes dropouts to happen when a Macbook Pro or Air's lid gets closed or one gets opened after having been at a different network (e.g., at my office).
QUESTIONS:
- Should I try to use my old router (7 year old Linksys WRT54G) as an access point and connect the Brother printer to that G-router? How do I do that?
- I wouldn't mind just relying on the usb hub method if I could just insure more consistency (i.e., no random dropouts of peripherals). How could I do this?
Rule out:
- wireless printing works on my printer - it was being recognized back before the AEBS. I had the Linksys router running a WEP network and had the wireless printer talking with no cables to the router and the computers. (I just don't want to revert to using WEP encryption given its lack of security and my trying to protect HiPAA related health information on behalf of patients)
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

13 ASCII characters = 104 (aka 128)-bit WEP
encryption
If turning off WEP works, then you just need to
provide the cameras with the "Equivalent Network Password".
One of the problems with WEP is that the actual
standard relies on a 10 character HEX key for 40bit
WEP and a 26 character HEX key for 128bit WEP.
In order to make things easier, vendors use certain
algorithms to convert simple alphanumeric passwords
(or passphrases) into HEX keys, thus enabling the use
of simple easy to remember WEP password rather than
lengthy HEX keys. The problem is that different
vendors use different algorithms to generate the HEX
key and therefore a ASCII password on an AEBS will be
hashed differently on a non-Apple client and vice
versa.
You may find the following article helpful:
- Apple article, especially the part about
"Third-party client to Airport".
Brilliant idea about trying the system with No encryption on... that DID solve the problem... almost.. once I turned off the encryption option, and restarted the Airport, I got a dialog box showing that the "Base station needs attention" but it didn't indicate WHAT kind of "assistance" it needed. Nonetheless, I closed out of the Airport program only to find that the indicator light, which had been Green, was now, flashing Yellow and I could not connect anything, including my computer. I opened the Airport program again and found the ONLY way I could get the Green light on was to select some sort of encryption option... then the light would go Green again but my cameras would not hook up again, and when I went back in and ONLY changed the option to NO encryption, I got the yellow flashing light and the "this base unit needs attention" warning...
I think your suggestions are almost on the mark... is there any way of reconciling the WEP coding between the cameras and the Airport??? Or turning off the encryption option and STILL have Airport work?
Thanks again for your help and suggestions... I really appreciate it.
geoff

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.

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

I have a MacBook ProDo I have to have the Airport Extreme Base Station for my Airport Express to work?

I cannot get the darn Airport Express to work! It just keeps blinking Amber. I know it must be something silly I am over looking. And I do not have the Airport Extreme Base Station.
Thank you for any help!!!
Elizabeth

Thanks,
This is the rear of your modem/router:
Connect a Cat5e or Cat6 cable from any of the 4 Ethernet Lan ports to the (single) socket on the Express, then go to Airport Utility (Applications>Utilities>Airport Utility) and select create a new network.
You will need to turn the wireless transmiter in the Netgear off, here is a link to the Netgear Manual in case you need to refer to it.
Netgear Manual

I have a AirPort Extreme Base Station with Gigabit Ethernet 802.11n ?

I have the 802.11n Airport Extreme Base it went bad so Apple Sent me a new one to put into my
office where I have a iMac 24" 2.4ghz with really fast internet
I also HAD a AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11g and AirTunes G not N so when I received the
new 802.11n Airport Extreme I sold the Airport Express 802.11g now my Macbook Pro 17" 2.33mhz
which is in my family room and that is also where the Airport Express with iTunes was located
now my internet is like really slow on the MBP 17" I have 5 bars in the pizza menu bar but my
internet speed is really BAD on the MBP 17" and I have 16mg speed on the net
+BIG ? DO I NEED TO BUY A 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n and AirTunes??????+
TO EXTEND THE RANGE OF MY AirPort Extreme Base Station with Gigabit Ethernet Which is in my
Office where my iMac 24" 2.4ghz is located and the internet zooms on the iMac but not my
my Macbook Pro 17"
Please help as I don't want to spend money on another 802.11n if it will not extend
I
Message was edited by: macman60

So you agree to the lose of the Airport Express removal has caused me to lose enough of a signal to make the Internet...
Sorry but I'm not sure what this long run-on sentence is trying to say.
You asked if the network could be wirelessly extended and that is what I replied to.

HT4145 I have an Airport Extreme bas station now and I want to know if I can use an Airport Express to extend my network or do I have to use another Airport Extreme base.

I have an Airport Extreme Base Station now and I would like to know if I can use an Airport Express to extend my wifi network or do I have to use another Airport Extreme Base Station.

This AirPort Express:
http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
It is the only Express with 2 Ethernet ports. All others are "old"
Apple does not specify a model number in their product information, but it is A1392 in the U.S. I do not know if Apple uses different model numbers in other countries.

AirPort, older AirPort Extreme Base Station, AirPort Express, Newer AirPort Extreme Base Station

This may sound like a fairly dumb question, but here goes anyway:
I have a 27" iMac with the following AirPort Extreme card:
Card Type: AirPort Extreme (0x168C, 0x8F)
Firmware Version: Atheros 9280: 2.1.14.6
For a Base Station, I'm currently using a pretty long-in-the-tooth M8799LL/A AirPort Extreme Base Station (with modem and antenna port)
I recently bought an Airport Express:
AirPort Express MB321LL/A (A1264) to
A. Use AirTunes to send iTunes from my Man Cave on the first floor at one end of the house to the family room on the first floor at the other, where it will connect to an A/V setup, and, probably, one of my USB printers
B. Act as a repeater for the AirPort Extreme Base Station, which is physically closer to the Man Cave than to the family room. My wife and I use our ancient-but-hangin'-in-there iBook G4s in the family room (and upstairs) to check email, eBay, etc. Both in the family room and especially upstairs, we sometimes get only 2-3 bars on the AirPort signal strength indicator in the menu bar.
I see that I can get, from a well-known third-party retailer, an AirPort Extreme 802.11n A1143 (1st Generation), for an exceptionally reasonable price.
My question is, what would getting the AirPort Extreme 802.11n A1143 do for me, if anything? I know it would give me one more signal source in the repeater chain, and I could probably put the Auld Nyle M8799LL/A in the stairway or upstairs to boost the signal upstairs, and I could use the USB port in the AirPort Extreme A1143 for connecting another USB printer or USB external hard drive (would this drive be available to any Mac on the AirPort network?)
Any other configuration possibilities and suggestions greatly appreciated!
Peace & Love
Bart Brown

Thank you for the prompt reply and the very helpful links. I'm going through all the support docs right now, but from your explanation and what I've seen in the support docs so far, it would appear that the maximum bandwidth is achieved by a physically-connected "Roaming Network."
I'm so out of it, I'm afraid I'd never heard of "Powerline adapters," but I looked them up, and I guess this is the system that uses "Romex" - style standard house wiring to carry signal, which cuts down on each individual Base Station's power overhead (does it also affect bandwidth?).
I see a lot of names selling these adapters -- Western, D-Link, NETGEAR, ZyXEL, Monster, Sling Media, PowerNet, Cisco-Linksys, Actiontec, Medialink, Rosewill, TRENDnet -- and a lot of different configurations: 1 port, 2 ports, 4 ports. Basically I have one 27" iMac that doesn't go anywhere (it's not too portable!), a couple iBook G4s, and a point where I want to run 1/8" mini-jack-to-RCA L/R audio cable from the AirPort Express to an A/V receiver. I doubt this configuration is going to change, as I'm 63, and too lazy to lug stuff around if I don't have to. What do you think would be the best solution for me, considering I just ordered the AEBSn and I already have a brand-new AXn. Should the 27" iMac, since it ain't movin', be connected by ethernet/"Powerline adapter", rather than relying on the internal Airport Extreme card? I guess what I'm asking is, given what I want to do, how many of these Powerline adapters, what kind (do you recommend), with how many ethernet ports do I need?
Thank you again for your prompt and informed help.
Bart Brown

Airport Extreme Base Station to Express via Ethernet?

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