Airport situation

I have a problem with my airport card in my Pismo attempting to connect to the internet. It worked a month ago. I get a message that I can not connect and try again later when I hit that button I go around is circles not being able to connect. The airport signal is gray but has one bar showing. I have reinstalled 10.4.11 but get the same result. I cannot change my locations in systems prefs. or add a new location. I am using a belkin router.

OK I think you have firmware password protection in Mac OS X ...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1352
It would block usage of all the startup keys, like C, N, T, D, CMD+s, CMDOption+pr, CMD +v, Option, and Shift.
Unless it said in Red... Safe Boot at the top of the Login window.
To stop the pop-up, Go to System Preferences: Security. Check the box next to "Require password to unlock each secure system preference." Then lock Security.
Try this cure for Security update...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1730909&tstart=0
The locations are actually...
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/preferences.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/NetworkInterfaces.plist
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.nat.plist
Then... Try putting these numbers in Network>TCP/IP>DNS Servers, for the Interface you connect with...
208.67.222.222
208.67.220.220
Then Apply
DNS Servers are a bit like Phone books where you look up a name and it gives you the phone number, in our case, you put in apple.com and it comes back with 17.149.160.49 behind the scenes.
These Servers have been patched to guard against DNS poisoning, and are faster/more reliable than most ISP's DNS Servers.

Similar Messages

My Airport wireless is working for my two MacBook Pros and my daughter's iPod, but our iPad, Iphone and other iPod all say they need to set up an Airport Base Station but do not have the proper software. I'm not sure what to do to remedy this situation.

My Airport wireless is working for my two MacBook Pros and my daughter's iPod, but our iPad, Iphone and other iPod all say they need to set up an Airport Base Station but do not have the proper software. I'm not sure what to do to remedy this situation.

This might sound like a silly question, but are you sure the iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch etc.) are still trying to connect to the same network from your own Airport router, as the MacBook Pros are? If you tap Settings on them, is the network name next to where it says Wi-Fi, the right one?
I've got a weird feeling that either in the past couple of days, a neighbour got an Airport device and hasn't set it up yet (causing your iOS devices to try to help), or that perhaps there's an issue with your Airport router and they're noticing it and trying to help out, while for whatever reason, Airport Utility isn't opening itself on the MacBook Pros like it normally should if there's a problem.
If you open Airport Utility on one of the MacBook Pros, does it report any problems with your Airport device, and can you view/edit the settings on it?

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

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

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

Please help me if i should get an airport for my situation or not?

      i have a modem thats connected to a pc (i cant move it anywhere) on the first floor and a wireless adapter thats connected to another pc on the lower floor. we all depend on that one modem thats on the first floor so to let the pc on the lower floor to connect to the wifi, we got a router. (everything is all good) but if i get an imac and place it on the first floor which is closer to the modem will it connect to the wifi normally like any laptop or iphone? or should i get an airport or maybe a wireless adapter so it connects to the wifi?
       PLEASE HELP IM GETTING AN IMAC SOON AND I HAVE TO KNOW!
thank you,
              mariam

oh and airport can connet normally to windows right?
Yes.
You don't have to get an AirPort Base Station, but I learned the hard way that they work better than cheaper alternatives, especially in a mixed Mac / Windows / iOS device environment. They're also very secure from malicous outside intrusion, which has recently become a serious problem for people using Linksys routers.
You will need to configure it with an iMac or an iPhone, not with the Windows PC, so get the iMac first.

HT4557 We have a wired in network in our house, we also have an apple airport for use with my ipad/our ipods/iphones, etc. Can we use home sharing if our desktops do not have wifi?

Hi,
this is my first time on the support board, so hopefully I'm doing this correctly. We have 3 desktop computers in our family, which are wired in with ethernet cables. We also use the cables with our laptops (we have various connections throughout the house) I have an iphone, and an ipad, my boys have ipod touches. I purchased an airport router to use when I'm using my ipad, etc. The boys and I would like to be able to share apps that we have purchased. I'm wondering if there is a way to use home sharing in our situation.
thanks!

Have a look here...
http://macmost.com/setting-up-multiple-ios-devices-for-messages-and-facetime.htm l

How do I use airport extreme to share my (seagate) usb external hard drive

I talked to apple support and I was told it wont work for that but the sales info for the router (in the apple store website) says it is almost plug and play adn will work fro my ,ac or my PC's. I have seen a number of yeah and nays but, REALLY
is it possible
If not why is it one of the selling points
New struggling Mac user

Hello, I have a similar situation of trying to get my Maxtor One Touch4 external HDD to connect to the AEBS for use as a central storage location for files that I can access from my new Mac Mini and my Windows XP laptop. Based on your reply to David's post I wanted to share my experience and see if you have any suggestions.
1. I connected the HDD to the USB port on the AEBS and the drive shows up in the Disk Tab of Airport Utility but I cannot access any folders on the drive.
2. When the HDD is connected directly to my Mini I can access all files on the disk but I cannot save newly created files to the external HDD. In Finder, my HDD shows up in the Device list and if I right click on the HDD and select Get Info this shows my Sharing & Permissions as "read only" for this drive and the "shared folder" checkbox is unchecked. I have gone into System Preferences and turned on File Sharing and I see my name as the admin with read/write permission for this HDD.
3. I'm guessing, based on other posts of yours that I've read, that my situation might have to do with the formatting of my external HDD. It was previously used exclusively with a Dell PC running Windows 7. I will research reformatting the drive but once I do this will my PC laptop running Windows XP still be able to access this drive if it is connected through the AEBS? Also, I may be a bit confused as to how the File Sharing works on a Mac and how it applies to my issue.
Thank you for your assistance.

Connecting Windows XP to Airport Error: "Network Cable Unplugged"

Situation: Having bought a new computer I gave my old Airport Extreme (a model I bought about 4-5 years ago; one of the white pointy dome ones) to a friend, and attempted to set up their network. My goal was to connect the apple computers (one 2.16GHz iMac and a titanium macbook) to a wireless connection, and then connect their old wireless-less PC with WIndows XP to the airport with an ethernet cable.
Problem: The wireless network works fine for the Macs, but when I connect the Airport to the PC with the ethernet cable it says "Network Cable Unplugged", and doesn't connect to the internet. I have swapped the cables, so I know that they're fine, and before I attempted all this the computer was corrected straight to the modem through the same port and worked fine, so it's not the port, either.
Also, I don't think it's the ethernet port on the airport, as I was using it last week with an iMac and it was working fine. But on this I'm not entirely sure. Right now I have the cable from the modem going to the Airport port with the broken-dot circle, and the cable to the pc coming out of the (only other) ethernet port (with the sign <->). If I swap the ports used (with the modem going into the <-> port) the PC works, but the wireless drops out. So that's no good.
The PC is using Windows XP, which is quite foreign to me, so I don't know the tricks. I haven't found any other threads on here with a similar problem, so if anyone could give me some advice as to how to fix this it would be greatly appreciated!

By a "128 bit password," I assume that you mean that you have the AirPort Express (AX) set with WEP encryption...correct? ...and that the Mac is connecting to the Internet without any problems...correct?
If you turn off encryption, can the PC access the Internet thru the AX?

Airport card and memory

hi im looking into puttin an airport card in to my mac g4 the lamp desktop and was wondering if i need extra memory and what osx it would run on
hope someone ca

Hello Aldric, welcome to discussions.
It's quite suspicious that your Airport card and one of your memory modules have suddenly "disappeared" at the same time.
This could certainly indicate a hardware issue, but I won't speculate as to what caused it. Sure, a power surge could do this... have you had one recently?
I would try taking the memory module, and the airport card out of your system, and then re-install them.
If your situation does not improve, then you should probably take your machine to an authorized Apple service center.

Can't find printer on airport or in 'add' under system preferences

Hi I just purchased an imac and also the printer recommended to me by apple that they included in my package. I've gotten the printer to work just fine if I have it plugged into the usb, however the printer IS connected to my wireless network and yet I can't seem to pick it up with my airport or the system preferences>adding a printer. What should I do? I looked at numerous other posts, but none seem to address if the printer simply isn't showing up. I know it is connected to my wifi (set up through the printer's controls) because I have a green light on the printer, so why can't my imac pick it up? any help would be great.

I keep getting to that point...pushing the + sign, but then there aren't any printers there either. I've looked all over...the airport program, the different settings within adding a printer...just doesn't seem to be there. although the printer can print a page confirming its connection to my wifi. other things in the house have worked, such as setting up the wii with netflix, configured that through this imac. Just doesn't seem to see the printer. anyways, perhaps I will have to call. gotta say, I thought getting the printer in the package through apple would eliminate this situation...

Setting up a multi-zone stereo system in my home with Airport Express

I'm trying to set up an in-home stereo system using iTunes as my main hub. I want to play iTunes as well as Pandora and possibly Sirius. Can I set this up with Airport Express? Would I control everything through iTunes on my MacBook or an iPad? How is this all wired if I have some existing external speakers with a receiver in my family room, built-in ceiling speakers in the kitchen, and outdoor external speakers? I am comparing this to a Sonos system, but the Sonos is not really in my budget.
Also, what is the difference between Airport Express and Airport Extreme? What would I need for this situation? Thanks in advance for your help.

>I want to play iTunes as well as Pandora and possibly Sirius. Can I set this up with AirPort Express?
From iTunes you can stream a single audio source to one or multiple 802.11n AirPort Express Base Stations (AXn), but you cannot stream multiple audio sources to separate AXns. You would need a third-party product, like Rogue Amoeba's Airfoil to stream audio sources other than from iTunes.
>Would I control everything through iTunes on my MacBook or an iPad?
You could do either.
>How is this all wired if I have some existing external speakers with a receiver in my family room, built-in ceiling speakers in the kitchen, and outdoor external speakers?
Of the speakers you mentioned, only the ones connected to the receiver would work directly connected to an AXn. The audio output port on the AXn is a combo 3.5 mm stereo analog/optical digital port. Assuming your receiver accepts either analog or digital audio input, you can feed the output of iTunes or Airfoil from the AXn to the receiver. In turn, the receiver (if configured for whole home stereo) can feed the kitchen and outdoor speakers.
>Also, what is the difference between AirPort Express and AirPort Extreme?
What's similar: Both are Internet routers that provide wireless. Both provide the ability to share an attached USB printer. What's different: The Extreme has a built-in Ethernet switch. The Extreme supports sharing HDDs and printers together or separately via a USB hub. The Express has a built-in audio circuitry, the Extreme does not.
>What would I need for this situation?
Only the Express can accomplish providing an audio stream.

Setting up airport extremes with mobile netbook cart

I work in a school environment, running windows. We have four mobile carts in the high school. We have an airport extreme for each of the carts. In our situation, the airport extremes are mobile. They do not stay in one location all the time. The teachers connect the airports to a wired connection in their classrooms. We have the netbooks set up to automatically connect to an airport when in range. I have each of the airports setup the same way; create a wireless network, each has it's own network name, radio mode is automatic, channel selection is automatic. Internet options are connect using ethernet, connection sharing is off (bridge mode) and tcp/ip is static. There are a couple of issues we seem to be having. One is that the airport with the stronger signal is not always the one the netbook connects to. I could have one classroom of netbooks connecting to an airport that is located two classrooms down the hall when there is airport in the classroom that has a stronger signal. What could be causing this? We push out settings to the netbooks via group policy, such as redirected desktop and network shares. When a user logs in they don't seem to get the whole policy all of the time. If you restart or logoff then login, the netbook gets the policy correctly. Could this be a problem when multiple airports are in range of the netbook trying to access the network? Is having the airports mobile, moving from one room to the next, a bad idea? Thanks for the help.

tried this but it didnt work that well, the distance between the main airport and the extenders is too long. Also, when choosing extending, it came bugging me with incorrect dhcp settings. Couldn't solve that.
So i configured allt he extremes with creating a wireless network, same ssid and same wpa settings. Als bridgedsetting is disabled.
That seems to work. Anyone with an opinion about this configuration?

Setting up Airport express with new Vista Computer?

I just bought a new computer with microsoft Vista. I have a netgear wireless router using WPA protection. I want to hook up an airport express as a client in another room where my stereo is. I had this working on my old XP computer but don't remember how I set it up because none of the discussions in the manual look anything like what I had. Does anyone know how to set this up?

Got it!!!! thanks to David NYC and tesserax. For other peoples benefit, change steps 1-5 on the above document procedure for Airport Admin Utility to the following:
1. Perform factory reset (situational)
2. Attach Airport Express via Ethernet to router.
3. Invoke your router software and view connected devices.
4. Identify Airport Express device id. It will be something like (192.168.1.3). You can tell which id is the airport express by looking for its MACD id on the list and comparing to the id printed on the Airport Express unit.
5. Open Airport Admin Utility.
6. Click Other.....
7. Enter the device id from #4 and password (this will be "public" if you reset to factory in step 1.)
8. Change settings to wireless (steps 6-13 of existing procedure)
Thanks to all who helped.

Please Help: old Airport Extreme, new Aiport Express, want to WDS

Hi,
I'm sorry if this topic has been covered before, but I can't seem to find a post with my exact situation. I have a G4 desktop (no Airport card) connected to an Airport Extreme Base Station (about 2 years old) which is connected to a 2wire DSL model. My wife and I have been able to use the wireless network in our house for a year or two now with our laptops (PowerBook and few month old MacBook Pro). We've been able to connect to the internet and can print to our laser printer with no problem. However our living room is just out of range (one bar and usually drops out) so I thought extending the range of the Base Station with an Airport Express would allow us better access from the place we hang out in the most.
After reading the very sketchy start up manual as well as trying various combinations of steps posted here, I am still having trouble setting this thing up. Simply plugging in the AX and using Airport Set Up Assistant, I was able to create a WDS and add the AX as a remote station by entering its MAC address (it was not recognized automatically). However, when pushing "update" a message came up saying the AX needed to be set up manually.
So, I realized maybe I needed to plug the ethernet cable directly into the AX and use the Aiport Assistant. I tried that once and nothing happened. Yellow light flashing. I tried it again adjusting a setting for "Join an existing network" and named the network the same as our already established network. The light turned green! So, not knowing what to do next (Hello, Apple! Please write better instructions) I crossed my fingers and unplugged the Ethernet cable and put it back in the existing Base Station. Did that. Still green! Then I had to move the AX from the office out into the hallway toward the living room. Cross fingers, unplugged AX and ran it down hallway. Plugged it in, wait for Yellow light, hey it turned green! I took the MacBook to the living room, turned it on, 4 bars, cool! Started Safari and.... nothing. No web page loaded. No email. Nada. Great looking bars, though.
So, frustrated, I unplugged the AX and just left it a day. Last night, I moved it back to the office and tried to see if I had a setting wrong. Create new network? Join existing network? Same or different channel as Base Station? Use password security on AX? on just the Base Station? both? Why doesn't the manual mention these things? I even tried soft reset and hard reset. I could never get the green light to come on again.
Does anytone know where I find simple step-by-step instructions to help me? I thought Apple was supposed to be "easy". Am I missing something? My G4 desktop does not have an Aiport card, so I can't configure both Stations without having the Ethernet cable plugged directly into either gadget.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8) Airport Extreme, Airport Express, PowerBook, G4 Desktop

Yeah, Duane posted the link to the good directions. The directions given in the printed manual for the base station and the online help for the base station is inadequate when it comes to WDS set up.
I have an Airport Extreme and two Airport Express. When I was setting up WDS, it did take a while because certain errors did keep coming up. But eventually it worked. I now get the hang of it.
One difference that kept me really confused but now I understand is the difference between relay and remote base station.
Picture these two diagrams
A) Airport Extreme <--> Express1 <--> Express2
B) Airport Extreme <--> Express2
The <--> signs mean wireless connection.
In picture (A), the Extreme is broadcasting to Express1 which then relays the signal to Express2. In this case, Express1 is a relay base station and Express2 is a remote base station.
In picture (B), the Extreme is broadcasting to Express2. In this case, the Express2 is also a remote base station and not a relay. There is not relay base station in (B).
I don't know why that kept me so confused but once I got it, I got it. Hope this helps for your WDS set up.

New Airport Extreme not working with my Quad Macpro

Hi all-
My Linksys 902.11b router finally died and our household is now completely Mac-based (all with Airport Extreme cards), so I decided to take the plunge and get an Airport Extreme.
2 of the machines on my home's network are doing fine with the router and are getting good speeds - iMac Dual 2.4 (10.5.1) - Both the wired and wireless connections are solid with this machine / Macbook Dual 2.0 (10.5.1) - Both the wired and wireless connections are solid with this machine as well.
I have a Macpro Quad 2.66 machine running 10.4.11. I cannot upgrade to 10.5 yet on this machine since it's being used in my recording studio business and there are known issues with some of my apps and 10.5 at the moment.
The Quad can see the network and has seemingly strong signal from the Airport Extreme BS, but DHCP reception is inconsistent (the machine often eds up using a self-assigned IP for some reason) and IP connectivity in general is inconsistent, even when an appropriate static LAN IP is manually setup. I can often get to a few webpages while using a manually config'd IP, but only with very slow DL speeds and then the connection quickly disappears and drops out entirely.
The AExtreme is setup like this: DSL Modem-->Airport Extreme (config'd with a static IP from my ISP) -->DHCP broadcast dummy IP's to my network. Currently I've not setup any security since I'm in the process of troubleshooting and I don't want to further complicate the situation. Radio-mode on the AExtreme is set to 802.11n (b/g compatible)/Channel 1. I've tried numerous config setups on the AExtreme, but none have helped the situation.
I've also disabled IPv6 on all clients per some reading on the forums of possible issues.
Anyone know what the problem might be? Is it perhaps an issue because the Macpro's using 10.4.11?
FYI, I've also also got an extra Airport Express around that's not being used that could be used as a repeater/wired connection downstairs if broadcast strength is the issue, which seems somewhat unlikely to me. I'm not sure how to config the AExpress to work in this capacity though, so if anyone could point me to a tutorial I'd appreciate it very much.
Thanks in advance.
Lee

I just did some more testing using an app mentioned here on the forums, iStumbler. The app offered these details:
- Signal Strength is between 45%-56%
- Noise is between 24%-41%
- Freq = 2412
- No websites load despite it's seeing the router and saying we've joined it.
I also did a screen capture of the iStumbler's screen in case that's helpful. There were several bits of info I wasn't sure about.
Here's the screen grab: http://www.pbase.com/infiniteposse/image/91793322/original
Thanks again...

Airport Drives Me CRAZY! New 802.11n Network Slower Than Old 802.11g/b

I've been using Macs since 1988 and consider myself an advanced user. However, every time I setup a new Airport wireless network or re-configure an existing one, I feel like a helpless newbie trying to figure out how to open a folder on my desktop. No matter how many times I read the manual or the help files or these forums, I can never grasp what seems like it should be a simple path from A to B to C.
Anyway, here's my current situation: I've been successfully (I think) running a 6 year old AP Extreme Base Station [AE] (in my home office addition) and 2 Airport Expresses [AX] (one AX roughly 15 feet from the base station--through sheetrock, and the second AX roughly 30 feet from the first AX--through sheetrock and some wooden stairs. (so roughly 45 feet from AE to 2nd AX). It wasn't the speediest thing going but it did the trick with older Macs.
I recently bought a MacBook Pro which supports 802.11n. I most often use this laptop at the point in the house furthest away from the AE (Base Station) The AE (Base Station) is in my home office connected to my MacPro desktop (see #1 below). In addition, the family iMac is also in that room furthest from the AE. Using the new MacBook Pro with the old 802.11/g/b network turned out to be painfully slow. I was experiencing the same slow network connection my family has complained about for years with their older Macs and 802.11g/b.
I decided it was time to upgrade the whole network, if only to speed up my MacBook Pro connection. Bought new 802.11n Airport Extreme (MC340LL/A) and 2 new 802.11n Airport Expresses (MB321LL/A). Setup did not go smoothly. Again, my normally competent Mac persona was reduced to a babbling three-year-old. Had three different Apple techs on the phone trying to help me through it. Got different, contradictory instructions from the last two. Finally got all three units working, only to find that not only does my MacBook Pro seem even more sluggish than when connected to the old 802.11g/b network, but my wife tells me web pages are taking at least twice as long to load as with the old network.
As concisely as I can lay this out:
*1. Airport Extreme (Base Station)*
Connected via Ethernet from its WAN port to my Comcast cable modem. One Ethernet (LAN) port on that AE is then connected via Ethernet to my Netgear 8-port Ethernet switch. Ethernet from switch to Ethernet port 1 on my MacPro. (MacPro does NOT have an Airport card because I forgot to order one. Also I confirmed that this setup was functional by connecting to the AE wirelessly with my MacBook Pro showing the name I'd given the new network prior to adding the two AX's to the mix).
Some Airport Extreme settings of note (all accessed via "Manual Setup" button):
Airport Tab > Summary
Version 7.5.1
Wireless Mode: Create a wireless network
Channel: 149 (Automatic), 1 (Automatic)
Wireless Clients: 3
Airport Tab > Base Station:
Allow Setup over WAN: Unchecked
Airport Tab > Wireless:
Allow this network to be extended: Checked
Airport Tab > Guest Network:
Nothing checked
Airport Tab > Access Control:
MAC Address Access Control: Not Enabled
Internet Tab > Internet Connection:
Connect Using: Ethernet
Ethernet WAN Port: Automatic (Default)
Connection Sharing: Share a public IP address [Think this one is probably wrong]
Internet Tab > TCP/IP:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
Internet Tab > DHCP:
Shows Beginning & Ending Address
Internet Tab > NAT:
Enable default host at: Unchecked and blank field
Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol: Checked
Internet Tab > Advanced
Didn't touch anything here, so all at defaults
*2. Airport Express #1: Living Room Express (Closest to AE (Base Station)*
Airport Tab > Summary
Version 7.4.2
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Connect using: Wireless Network
Channel: 1 (Automatic)
Wireless Clients: 1
Airport Tab > Base Station:
Allow Setup over the Internet using Bonjour: Unchecked
Airport Tab > Wireless:
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Allow wireless clients: checked
Airport Tab > Access Control:
MAC Address Access Control: Not Enabled
Internet Tab > Internet Connection:
Connect using: Greyed-out, not selectable
Connection sharing: Greyed-out, not selectable
Internet Tab > TCP/IP:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
Shows IP Address
Internet Tab > Advanced
Didn't touch anything here, so all at defaults
*3. Airport Express #2: Dining Room Express (Furthest from AE (Base Station)*
Airport Tab > Summary
Version 7.4.2
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Connect using: Wireless Network
Channel: 1 (Automatic)
Wireless Clients: 2
Airport Tab > Base Station:
Allow Setup over the Internet using Bonjour: Unchecked
Airport Tab > Wireless:
Wireless Mode: Extend a wireless network
Allow wireless clients: checked
Airport Tab > Access Control:
MAC Address Access Control: Not Enabled
Internet Tab > Internet Connection:
Connect using: Greyed-out, not selectable
Connection sharing: Greyed-out, not selectable
Internet Tab > TCP/IP:
Configure IPv4: Using DHCP
Shows IP Address
Internet Tab > Advanced
Didn't touch anything here, so all at defaults
SETUP/GOALS:
With Airport Extreme (Base Station) as the starting point, have the two Airport Express units with the strongest, fastest signal possible, provide Internet access (and file sharing, iTunes speakers capability) to three Macs (one older iMac, one older PowerBook and my new MacBookPro). Again, I believe my new MacBook Pro is the only one with 802.11n support, so I don't expect the other Macs to take advantage of the speed boost offered by the three new 802.11n devices.
+Any and all help with this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!+

{quote}With the AirPort Extreme, in the AirPort panel, Wireless tab, click on the button for "Wireless Network Options", check the box for "5 GHz Network Name", and enter a different network name. (That can be trivially different, such as the name of the main network suffixed with an underscore and the digit 5.) Once configured that way, connect your "N" gear to each network in turn to see if one is any better than the other. (If you're wondering what effect this would have, it allows segregating your "N" gear from the older gear to prevent the older gear from slowing down your network. However, distance and interference from things like walls may negate any advantage.){quote}
William: I was gone most of yesterday, but had a chance to implement your recommendations today. I added the 5 GHz network as you suggested, but in order to connect to that at all with my 802.n11 MacBokk Pro, I need to be within a few feet of the AE (base station). If I try to access that network even from the next room (well within reach of both the AE and the livingroom AX, I get one bar and "failure to connect" messages just trying to logon to that network.
However, I did some experimenting that (as of right now, anyway) resulted in much faster network access, not only from my MacBook, but also from the older iMac which is the furthest Mac from the AE. According to my wife, that iMac is "loading web pages faster than I've ever seen them!"
Here's what I did:
1. Moved all three units to places where it seemed they would have the least amount of interference with the clearest path from unit to unit, also raising the height of both AXs from about 2-3 feet from the floor to about 5-6 feet from the floor.
2. Changed one setting on the AE (base station): Wireless Tab > Wireless Network Options > Multicast Rate ---> Changed this from Low to High.
I have a feeling the location shifts made the real difference, but I will try changing the multicast rate back to "Low" just to see what happens.
Paul

Airport situation

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