Best Airport Extreme Wireless Radio Mode with Old and New Macs and PC

I'm running Airport Utility 5.3.2 and am running / connecting to the Internet with a new Airport Extreme 802.11n Gigabit Ethernet (the new squared off one) with "Version 7.3.2".
In addition to my new MacBook Black (which has 802.11n, I have two other older Maxs that run 802.11b/g (and also a PC that has 802.11.b/g/n).
Currently, the Airport Extreme's "Wireless" "Radio Mode" is set to
802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)
But, reviewing the Radio Mode menu, I see there are a number of choices that seem "faster" - 802.11n only (2.4 GHz), 802.11n (802.11a compatible) and 802.11n only (5 GHz).
Can I set the Radio Mode to any of these other settings and still have my older Macs (and the PC) connect to the internet using this Airport Extreme? Or, do I have to leave my Airport Extreme Radio Mode set to what appears to be a slower speed 802.11n (802.11b/g compatible) setting to allow others to use this Airport Extreme Base Station?
FWIW, I do have an older Airport 802.11g version 5.7 still connected and set up and the older computers can / could connect through that. However, I was hoping to give that one to a friend for their use elesewhere and wanted to have only one Airport Extreme set up at my house.

"you'll use N+B/G at 2.4 GHZ."
I guess you means that I should continue with my current setting on the Airport Extreme - which is "802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)" - if I want all my computers to access the web via the Extreme. Correct?
I'm too much of a novice to try a "bridge" mode setup.
However, your suggestion (I think) "It would be more reliable and faster speed if you could connect both routers to using ethernet" does give me hope.
My Verizon Fios modem is actually a router. Indeed, I have my TiVo box connected to the Fios modem/router.
If I connect BOTH of my Airport Base Stations to the Fios modem/router and then do the following:
(1) set the newer "Extreme" Base Station to "802.11n only (5 GHz)" and
(2) keep the older Base Station (running 802.11g) as is
then my (and others') newer computer(s) with 802.11n can connect at high speed via the Extreme and older computers can still connect using the older Base Station.
Correct?
Message was edited by: JoeS

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I have an old and new mac and used transfer manager to put the old mac on the new so that i have both users on one computer but now I can only log in as the new and as guest so cant access my old computer docs on this newer mac. Help!

Hello I have just sold my old macbook and so transfered all my data to my newer macbook using transfer manager. This allowed my to login on the newer computer under either the old or new username so I could access both computers' data on my newer computer. Last night that worked but today I can only access my newer user and a guest user. Where did my old user name and all the data go after the transfer? Help please! I have to give the buyer the old computer today!
Aminah

I am not familiar with "transfer manager." Did you perhaps use the Migration Assistant? What operating system is installed on your new computer?
If you look in your hard drive, in the Users folder, do you see a folder with the name from your user on your old computer?
Best of luck.

Airport Extreme in Bridge mode with Linksys WRT610N

Is there a way to wirelessly connect my AEBS to a Linksys 802.11N (WRT610N) router. I think this is called bridge mode. My need is to have the WRT610N connect upstairs to the cable modem and then my computers hard wired into the AEBS bridging the 802.11N coming from the Linksys.

Apple does adhere strictly to the standards. Unfortunately there is no "standard" for wirelessly extending a network. A strategy is loosely described by a strict definition is not made. Therefore usually this does not work between manufacturers and sometimes doesn't even work between devices from the same manufacturer.

How do I put AirPort Extreme in bridging mode from iOS app?

I need to put my AirPort Extreme into bridging mode. I've searched here and the Net and can only find how to do it from a Mac. Can someone please tell me how to do it from the iOS AirPort Utility? This is a Windows and iOS device only network. I do not have any Macs and the Windows version of the utility so far only supports the Express.

Thanks for the response, although I was a bit crestfallen at first, since I had already got that far but could not change the Router Mode. Your response did let me know I was indeed on the right path so I started thinking about what else might need to be changed. I finally figured out that before selecting "Advanced" you need to:
Select Internet Connection
Change from PPPoE to DHCP in the top group of three buttons
Then continue as you described
At that point I could change the Router Mode to Off and I'm happily WiFi-ing with my spiff new Apple router. Ah well, that's what I get for not having any Macs

I am getting a "connection timeout" message when trying to access my Airport Extreme with various laptops, Play Station 3 and Wii. My Airport Extreme is about a month old; it was working fine until about a week ago. C

I am getting a "connection timeout" message when trying to access my Airport Extreme with various laptops, Play Station 3 and Wii. My Airport Extreme is about a month old; it was working fine until about a week ago. Suddenly, the "timeout" is not allowing me to connect to my wireless network.

It could be that there's a new source of interference.
Use the advice in the second message of this thread to investigate the signal and noise levels that each client sees:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2347845&start=1
By the way, you've been misled by the poor field labeling into trying to type your entire message into the subject field, instead of putting a one-line topic description there.

Using an Airport Express with an Airport Extreme in bridge mode

Im trying to use an Airport extreme and an Airport express to have good Wifi coverage in a house. The current Wifi is from a Verizon Westfall modem/router. I went into setup on the modem/router and disabled the wifi, then connected the Extreme to one of the 4 ports on the modem/router. I setup the Extreme in bridge mode ( because I believe I dont want 2 differnt routers handing out local IP's, right? . Anyway, it seems to work fine but I'm trying now to hook up an Express to widen my wifi area. I have cat5 ports all over the house that go back to the Exteme's location so its not a problem to connect the Extreme to the Express via ethernet cable. Im wondering if its possible to use the Express hardwired to the extreme while in Bridge mode because I cant seem to set it up properly. Can anyone out there answer that question and/or give me instructions on setting up this scenerio.
Thanks!

I will reset it like you said and then I should have the cable from the Extreme going to witch port on the express?
WAN "O" port
To set up the Express, open AirPort Utility, click on the Express and click Manual Setup
Click the Base Station tab just below the icons to assign a device name for the Express, device password, adjust Time Zone, etc. Should look like this, in general:
Click the Wireless tab next to Base Station. Adjust as follows:
Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
Wireless Network Name = Exact same wireless network name as the AirPort Extreme
Enter check mark next to Allow to be extended
Radio Mode = Automatic or same setting as the AirPort Extreme
Channel = Automatic
Wireless Security = Exact same setting as the AirPort Extreme
Wireless Password = Same wireless password as the AirPort Extreme
Verify Password
Setting should look like this, in general:
Click the Internet icon, then click the Internet Connection tab.
Connect Using = Ethernet.
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Click Update to save settings
Things will look like this:
You will see a green light in 25-30 seconds.
Be sure to restart the entire network.

Can I use an old Airport Extreme as an extender with a new Airport Express

Hi All, I have Verizon Fios and the data line runs into my bedroom. I purchased a new Airport Express today to replace the Airport Extreme (from 2006). Can I use the old Airport Extreme as an extender (I'd like to set it up in the basement as I get poor connectivity there). I tried using the Airport Utility - Other WiFi Devices to find the Airport Extreme, but it's not registering. Is what I'm attempting possible? If so, how do I set it up?

Can I use the old Airport Extreme as an extender
Is this the "round" or "dome" shaped AirPort Extreme?
If yes, then it is not possible to have the AirPort Extreme wirelessly "extend" the signal from the AirPort Express.
However, the older AirPort Extreme can probably be set up to provide more wireless signal coverage if it will connect back to the LAN <--> port on the AirPort Express using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection.
In this case, the setup of the older AirPort Extreme will require that you have an older version of AirPort Utility installed on your computer. If it is a Mac, then the Mac must be running Leopard (10.5.x), Snow Leopard (10.6.x), or a PC with AirPort Utility could be used to set up and configure the older Extreme.
f you have the "square" or "flat" version of the AirPort Extreme, then everything becomes much easier. Post back if you do.

New Airport Extreme in Bridge mode -- some devices have no internet access

I just bought a new Airport Extreme as my old one which was probably 7 years old required restarting every day. My setup is as follows: DSL cable modem to Linksys Router (for a long set of convoluted reasons, I can't remove this layer) and then Airport Extreme. This is how I had it set up with my old one. The only difference is I recently started looking into using "Back to the Mac" on MobileMe and in order for it to work, I set my new Airport Extreme to Bridge mode due to dual NAT. I have an iMac, PC, MBP, MBA, iphone 4, AppleTV and ipad. All was working fine last night when I set it up. 24 hours later, for some odd reasons, I can't have my PC accessing the wireless network at the same time. If I did, it would knock my iMac off the network and says some other device is using the same IP address. For a while, only my iMac (my main computer) can access it and even my iphone can't. At this very moment, my iphone, imac and MBP all have access to the wireless network. My MBA and iPad has no internet connection. I've restarted Airport Extreme, Linksys, and modem more than once... If I switch back to "Use Public IP Address" instead of Bridge mode, everything works except for "Back to the Mac"... Help!

Hey Bob, Thanks...I have already repeated that multiple times yesterday and today but to no avail. I tried to get into the Linksys router control panel but unfortunately we can't remember the username and password (the router is not mine). The make things even more complicated, the router is actually part of the internet package provided by the ISP and they use a PPPoE to log in. Theoretically, we could do a hard reset but the problem is the ISP will not release the PPPoE information unless we sign a long and complicated form saying we want to bypass their Linksys router. We can do that but this process will take days and weeks... Our ISP confirmed that the Linksys router is set to max out at 5 DHCP but we can only connect 3 machines at a time. They are coming out to take a look tomorrow but in the meantime I have reset the Airport Extreme to "Distribute a Public IP Address" mode which will allow access to all computers/devices. What's even more weird is that if I did the Bridge mode, it messes up the Linksys router's own network as well. We can't even just sign into that network... Any ideas why?

HT4259 Cant extend airport extreme in bridge mode?

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

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

Can't Get Time Capsule to Extend Airport Extreme Wireless Network

I've searched this forum and read dozens of listings, but nothing I've found gives me a answer for the problem I'm having.
I had an existing network consisting of three Airport Extreme routers, one the master/DHCP server and the other two to extend the network. All of the routers were configured for 802.11n 5 GHz only service.
After much frustration trying to use Time Machine to back up to external disks attached to Airport Extremes as well as disks attached to other Macs, I gave up and bought a Time Capsule.
I have been trying for about six months on and off to get the Time Capsule configured as an extension to the main Airport Extreme as the other two Extremes are.
Nothing I've tried will cause the TC to extend the network. It always comes up with a yellow light and error messages saying that there is a problem with the wireless network and a problem with the internet connection and, sometimes, a third message that I don't remember.
After my initial efforts, I just gave up and plugged the danged TC into the remote AE that is closest to where I use my MacBook Pro and it worked. But I wanted it to REPLACE that AE instead of being an appendage to it.
Due to TC/TM problems, I've twice lost the entire TM backup off of the TC, and tonight I decided it was time to start over. I've encountered the same problems as before, and so finally moved the TC to my home office rack where the main AE is located and plugged it into the AE directly. TM is now backing up, but at a snail's pace (which is why I wanted the TC to be located in the same room where I use the laptop).
Has anyone had success or failure extending a multiple-unit AE network with a TC on 802.11n 5 GHz (not WDS)? If not, has your experience been similar to mine; if so, what did you do that I haven't?
Any specific help will be greatly appreciated.

Yes, I suppose I could do that. But if the wireless extension isn't working in one direction there's no guarantee it'll work in the other direction; and I was trying to avoid upending my entire setup.
And no, I'm not bridging the units with hard-wired cabling; I'm attempting to use wireless to extend them...NOT WDS, which is for 802.11B/G mode, but the 802.11N wireless extension mode that's available on these Apple products.

Connecting 2 Airport Extremes wirelessly....can it be done?

Connecting 2 Airport Extremes wirelessly....can it be done?
I have 2 Airport Extremes. I'm only using 1 of them right now connected to a cable modem. It works well. I can get a wireless signal in most of the house and even outside a bit. However there are upstairs bedrooms on the other side of the house that I don't get a very strong signal on. No "big" deal really but here is what I thought.......
Can I set up my 2nd Airport Extreme to wirelessly receive the signal from the 1st (main) Airport Extreme and place the 2nd Airport Extreme close to the bedrooms with weak reception? I was thinking that the 2nd AirPort Extreme could just pickup and boost my original signal.
Is this possible? I can't find it mentioned in my Airport Manual.
If so, what is the term for this? That way I can search for information on how to configure all of this. If you have any other ideas on how this might able to work please let me know.
Thanks for your help

OK, you will need to make configuration changes to both of your Extremes.
For the main Extreme (the one connected to your modem now):
Open AirPort Utility, click Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab under the icons
Look on the wireless setup page and make sure there is a check mark next to "Allow this network to be extended". This may be under the Options tab on the wireless page. If you have a dual band Extreme, you can only extend the main network, not the 'guest" network.
Update to save settings
For the remote Extreme, temporarily locate it near your computer so that you can configure it:
Open AirPort Utility, click Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab
On the wireless setup page, change the Wireless Mode to "Extend a wireless network"
You will select the name of wireless network created by your main Extreme. Enter the password if needed.
Make sure there is a check mark next to "Allow wireless clients"
Update to save settings
That should do it.

Extended router's network for Airport extreme. Works well with MacbookPro. I can print with notebook with XP SP3 and, I can see the USB-harddisc in the Airport service program but, I cannot use it. I have set filesharing etc. What do I do wrong?

I connected the Airport Extreme wireless to the existing network of my router. At the Airport there is connected via USB a Printer and three hard discs. All works well on my MacBook Pro - I can print and use the hard discs. On my notebook and my desktop, both with XP-SP3 I can use the printer only. In the Airport service program - manual set up - hard discs I can see the drives with the correct names but I cannot work with it. I don't find neithe the Airport Extreme nor the drives in the Windows Explorer. Of course I've set 'filesharing' etc. What do I do wrong? Where is the mistake in the set up?

apikoros wrote:
The Utility transferred all of the AE's settings, so I still have to change the password, which leaves me with only 2 other questions, I think:
1) I assume it's just a matter of using the Utility, entering a stronger password and checking for it to be remembered in Keychain Access. But do I have to change the password for each individual unit-- the TC, the Extreme and both Expresses-- or will changing it just for the TC alone work for the entire network?
Resetting the password you will need to do for each device... the utility cannot even see those old units.
So you will have to do it for each one.. think it through.. because as you change passwords the others will lose connection.. so start from the express which are wireless extending .. change those first.. and go back up the chain.. as each one changes it will drop off the network.. until you reach extreme and change that. Then you might need to reboot the whole network to get everything talking again. If something goes wrong.. just pluck that one out of the mix and plug in ethernet.. reset and redo the setup. That is my preferred method anyway.. do everything in isolation one by one. By ethernet and then nothing goes wrong.
2) Who's the treasonous SOB who spilled the beans to you about the ICBM in my back yard?!?
N.Korean hackers.
[Edit] Whoops-- one more question: I want to partition the TC's disk, but Disk Utility doesn't see it. What do I need to do?
You cannot partition a network disk. And apple provided no tools for it in the TC itself. You can pull the disk out and partition it but that voids your warranty. (although done with care who is to know).
Look at Q3 here.
http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
Mixing TM and data on the TC is worth planning carefully. They don't necessarily sit happily together.

Setup airport extream in bridge mode with ethernet

how do i setup airport extream in bridge mode with ethernet connection to extend wireless coverage. thanks for help.

We need some additional information to be able to provide the correct answer for your question.
What is the make and model of your "main" router?
What device will you use to set up the AirPort Extreme? Mac? iPad/iPhone?
If you have a Mac, we need the operating system that you are using on the computer. If you are not sure, click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen, then click About This Mac. Post back with the OS X Version number that you see there.

I have an Airport Extreme wireless router & I can not connect my Kindle.

I have an Airport Extreme wireless router & I can not connect my Kindle. Also, my password will not work when a visitor uses it for a laptop (even a Mac) or any other device that uses the internet. It says the password is incorrect. I easily connected a Kindle last year, but I got a new one & now I can not connect wirelessly. I see no tab to create a guest network. I do not mind giving my password to visitors, but that does not work.

If you temporarily disable wireless encryption on your 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn), can the Kindle connect to the router and gain access to the Internet now? If so, then I would suggest that you reconfigure the AEBSn to use "WPA2 Personal" for the Wireless Security setting, and then, try connecting with the Kindle again.
As far as establishing a Guest Network, the AEBSn must not be in bridge mode. That is, it should be the only router in your current network and directly conncted to the Internet modem. If it is, then you would find the Guest Networking option on the AirPort > Guest Networking tab:

Apple airport extreme base station b/g (old model) and airport express

i want to extend the range of my old airport extreme base station, the one that is a circular pyramid. I was wondering if the airport express would work or if I should get something else.

Hello lvpd. Welcome to the Apple Discussion!
i want to extend the range of my old airport extreme base station, the one that is a circular pyramid. I was wondering if the airport express would work or if I should get something else.
Yes, you can extend the older 802.11b/g AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) with the newer 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station (AXn). To do so, they would both need to be reconfigured for a Wireless Distribution System (WDS).

Best Airport Extreme Wireless Radio Mode with Old and New Macs and PC

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