Creating a bridge with airport extreme (base) and airport express

i am having trouble creating a bridge with airport extreme (base) and airport express. i got the airport express to connect to my network. Airtunes sees it fine. i have an iMac (running Tiger) connected to the airport express via ethernet which i was hoping to get internet on (the iMac doesn't not have built in wireless and i had a spare airport express). now the airport express is no longer visible to the airport setup assistant on that iMac. but, like i mentioned, Airtunes is working fine, and the light is green.
i'm new to the wireless stuff. i am sure i just missed a step. how do i get the iMac to connect to the internet via my airport express bridging to my airport extreme wireless network?
your help is appreciated.

You can do this with the equipment you have. Configure the AirPort Extreme base station (AEBS) to act as a WDS main base station and configure the AirPort Express (AX) to act as a WDS remote base station. That will allow you to use the Ethernet port on the AX.
Unfortunately WDS also causes the available wireless bandwidth to be cut in half.

Similar Messages

Internet problem with New Airport Extreme base and new Macbook Pro

So I bought a Airport Extreme base station with my new Macbook pro.
My desktop system uses a DSL modem which is connected to my computer via an ethernet cable. It works flawless. I can also unhook the hard ethernet connection from the desktop and connect it to the Macbook Pro with no problems.
I then connected the ethernet cable from the DSL router to the WAN port on the Airport Base.
I have no problem gettiing the Macbook pro to set itself up on the Airport Network. I can NOT, though, access the internet. I even tried to type in the IP address for the DSL modem while connected to Airport base and can not connect to modem. Does anyone have any advice? Is there a bridging function in the Airport Base that has to be activated?
Another question. If I replace my current DSL Router with a wireless router, do I even need the airport base if all I want to do it connect to the internet with the laptop?
Thanks,
Danny

I have no problem gettiing the Macbook pro to set itself up on the Airport Network. I can NOT, though, access the internet. I even tried to type in the IP address for the DSL modem while connected to Airport base and can not connect to modem. Does anyone have any advice? Is there a bridging function in the Airport Base that has to be activated?
Make sure you perform a complete power recycle when switching network components.
Modem/Router Power ReCycling
- Power-off the DSL modem & AEBS. (Wait at least 30 minutes. If possible, leave the modem off overnight.)
- Power-on the DSL modem; Wait at least 30 minutes.
- Power-on the AEBS; Wait at least 5 minutes.
If that doesn't resolve the problem, and your DSL ISP requires PPPoE for connectivity, you will need to set that up on your AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) as follows:
Connect your computer directly (using an Ethernet cable) to the LAN port of the AEBS, and then, using the AirPort Admin Utility, check these settings:
Internet tab
- Connect Using: PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE)
- Account Name: <ISP account name>
- Change password: <ISP password>
- Always stay connected (checked)
- WAN Ethernet Port: Automatic
Another question. If I replace my current DSL Router with a wireless router, do I even need the airport base if all I want to do it connect to the internet with the laptop?
No, the AEBS will no longer be required.

Expanding BT HomeHub (g) with Airport Extreme (n) and Airport Expresses (g)

Hi - I hope someone can help me... My brother has recently moved house and has asked me to set him up a cool wireless network. This is what he has already:
Intel MacBook Laptop (g & n)
PPC G4 Laptop (g)
BT HomeHub (Router (g))
Airport Extreme (n)
Airport Express (g)
iPhone (g)
I have currently setup the BT HomeHub as the main router and that is working fine - yet due to his house been quite sizable the signal is very weak in most rooms. I was hoping to wirelessly connect the Airport Extreme and place that in a seperate room from the router (BT HomeHub) and use WDS to expand the signal, yet I'm really struggling setting this up (Is this even possible?).
FYI, Due to him having a iPhone and a PPC, I need to keep the network on a 802.11G.
On top of this, I then would like to add a number of airport Expresses to also expand the signal via WDS and others to connect to media players to play music via airtunes.
I was hoping someone could help me with setting this up etc. Do I need to do anything special etc.
Many thanks.
Nick

Hello Mally505. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
I was hoping to wirelessly connect the Airport Extreme and place that in a seperate room from the router (BT HomeHub) and use WDS to expand the signal, yet I'm really struggling setting this up (Is this even possible?).
Unfortunately, most likely not as very few non-AirPort routers are WDS-compatible with the AirPort and vice versa. However, you could connect the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) directly to one of your BT HomeHub's LAN ports via an Ethernet cable, and then, create a WDS between the AEBSn and the 802.11g AirPort Express Base Station (AX).

Set up roaming with Airport Extreme N and Airport Express N

The Apple pub "Designing Airport Networks" states you can connect an AirPort Extreme Base Station or a Time Capsule using Ethernet to create a roaming network.
I need someone out there to confirm that I can create a roaming network using an Airport Extreme N and an Airport Express N. Remember the two will be connected via Ethernet. All I want to do is walk from end to end of my (very long) house and have my laptop connect to the strongest signal. However, most publications and postings here seem to always focus on installing two Extreme Base Stations (not an Extreme and an Express).

OldNGray, Welcome to the discussion area!
Yes you can do that. When you connect 2 base stations via Ethernet, you can easily create a large wireless network regardless of the manufacturer or model of the base stations.

Can't Setup WDS with Airport Extreme "N" and Airport Extreme "G" & Express

Hi!
I'm trying my best and have done this stuff with the last model Airport Extreme "G" models, but cannot get my new "N" model to setup WDS. I log in to the new Airport and start configuring, it gives me the option to setup WDS, but it doesn't detect the Airport Extreme "G" model nor the Airport Express I have. The only way I can get them to be recognized is to configure them all identically with the same network name, password, etc. and have each hard-wired into an ethernet plug. Sort of defeats the point of going wireless. In the new Airport Utility, how do I get it to recognize the remote base stations? In the old Tiger Airport Utility, it used to configure the other airports for you. The Leopard one doesn't seem to do that. Any help?
Thanks in advance!
Corey

OK-so after more than a month of having to put up with my Airport Utility popping up whenever I started my computer or came home and joined the network, I finally had the time to sit on hold with Apple and work with a Network Specialist--had to get the ticket "Escalated" first. What the problem turned out being was I set up the Extreme "N" o use WEP (Transitional Security Network) because I occasionally have friends with older PCs coming by that need old WEP instead of WPA. The net specialist helped me walk through the whole setup (from scratch) with the Extreme "N" as my main base station (like I wanted) setup using WPA/WPA2 Personal for password encryption. The older Airport Extreme "G" and the Airport Express do NOT support the WEP (TSN) mode, so they couldn't join the network properly--thus the constant error from the Extreme "N" that no WDS base stations could be found.
Hope this info helps people in the future! I haven't seen anything around that says Extreme "G" and Express don't support this newer Transitional mode. Even the ever-so-helpful Apple Tech didn't know why that new Transitional mode was invented.
Thanks for the reply, dhanneman.
Corey

Setting up airport extreme card and airport extreme base station

I have an ibook G4 about 3 years old with osx10.4.10 recently installed. I have recently bought an airport extreme card and have also bought an airport extreme base station.
There seems to be a problem with the set up of the card. It does not seem to find any wireless networks at all, including the base station. The base station seems to be working as I went through setting this up with Apple phone support and we managed to do it by connecting the laptop to the base station with an ethernet cable.
I think the problem is with the card. I think I need to reinstall and set up the card again from scratch, but can't figure out how to do this -aiport utility and airport setup assistant don't seem to help here as they take you straight to the stage of setting up a base station. I seem to remember when I originally installed the card for the very first time (before attempting to set up the base station) that it did find other wireless networks, so I don't think there is a physical problem with the card.
Any suggestions on getting the card working appreciated.
Many thanks

Hello bblairlondon. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
First, verify if OS X "recognizes" the card, by using the System Profiler utility. Select the AirPort Card option under Network in the column on the left. The "Wireless Card Type" should be "AirPort Extreme (nxnnnn, nxnnnn)."
If no card appears, I suggest that you double-check your AirPort Extreme Card installation by using the following Apple Tech article: iBook G4: CIP Instructions
If the card does appear, then try the following ...
Reset the PRAM
o Shut down the computer.
o Turn on the computer.
o Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
o Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
o Release the keys.
(ref: Resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM)

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.

Airport Extreme N and Airport Express G

I have an Airport Extreme version N with which I connect to the Internet and and old Airport Express G that I use to stream music to my living room.
I recently went on a trip and used the Airport Express to connect to the Internet. I had to reset it but was successful (with the help of this forum).
Now I'm back home. I can see two networks on my airport menulet (in the menu bar). When I connect to the old network, I can't see the Airport Express with Airport Utility. On holding the option key I see I am connected by 802.11n.
I can also connect to the "new" network, the one I created to connect to the internet with the Airport Express and I can connect to the Internet via the Airport Extreme, to which my cable modem is connected. On holding down the option key on the Airport Menu item it shows 802.11g but I can stream music to the airport express and I can see both airports in the Airport Utility. Strangely the airport express is blinking amber.
Is the blinking amber light normal? I believe it was green before I reset it to connect to the Internet. Am I connecting to the Internet at the lower G speed as noted?

I recently went on a trip and used the Airport Express to connect to the Internet. I had to reset it but was successful (with the help of this forum).
Now I'm back home. I can see two networks on my airport menulet (in the menu bar).
If you had performed a "hard" or "factory default" reset, the AirPort Express Base Station (AX) would fall back to its default mode which is to provide a wireless network. This is the reason that you are now seeing two networks when you brought the AX back.
If your goal with the AX is for only streaming, then I would recommend that you reconfigure it to "Join a wireless network." In this case the wireless network created by the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn).
The following would be the basic instructions to configure your AX for iTunes streaming:
Either connect to the AX's wireless network or connect directly, using an Ethernet cable, to the Ethernet port of the AX, and then using the AirPort Utility in "Manual Setup" mode, make the following changes:
AirPort > Wireless
o Wireless Mode: Join a wireless network
o Network Name: <existing AEBSn's wireless network>
o Wireless Security: <select the encryption type of the existing wireless network>
o Wireless Password: <enter the existing wireless network password>
o Verify Password: <re-enter the existing wireless network password>
Music
o Enable AirTunes (checked)
o iTunes Speaker Name: <enter desired speaker name>
o iTunes Speaker Password: (optional)
o Verify Password: (optional)
o Click Update to write the new settings to the AX
In iTunes:
iTunes > Preferences... > Advanced > General
o Look for remote speakers connected with AirTunes (checked)

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 n and airport express ... No security ???

I have a new Airport Extreme N and two of the Airport Express ones, both using the 6.3 firmware. I can configure everything okay, all airports can be found and connected together.
My problem is that the network is open and anyone can join it ... The Extreme is configured to use WPA2 Personal but neither of the express ones are shown as using any encryption ... If I try to encrypt either of them they dissappear and I can't play my music remotely or find them in the utility.
I've tried the post that suggests removing the encryption on the extreme and then enabling the express, before finally enabling the extreme again. it didn't work ...
Any ideas what I'm doing so wrong ???

Right ... went to the Genius Bar who kind of pointed me in the right direction ... They told me however to use the old setup software ... This works fine with the express but not the extreme ... So basically use the new software.
My problem was cause by choosing the wrong option when setting up I started off aright by wetting up the extreme first with encrption enabled I was adding my express to the existing network but then choosing the next option that mentions Airtunes when I should have choosen the 'extend my network' option. This still allows you to use Airtune but doesn't say that ... The wizard then asks you to point to the base station and put in the password and then poblem solved ....... thanks for all you help ... and hope this helps someone else ..
Macbook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Airport Extreme / TimeCapsule and Airprot Express base stations

So if I use an Airport Extreme (using 802.11n) for my main internet access, can my Airport Expresses join that network to maintain access to stereos and printers around the house.
I guess Im asking can the 802.11g devices join an 802.11n network....? Any help would be good news.
Crispian

The side effects of having to use the b/g compatibility mode will be a slight decrease in the speed that your wireless network would get in n-only mode. Of course, none of this is important unless all of your computers are capable of "n" connections so that you could even contemplate running an n-only network.
If you are currently able to max out out internet connection speed (that your ISP claims you should be getting) with a direct ethernet cabled connection between a computer and your DSL modem, then there is no need to change your DSL modem.

Extend wireless network with Airport Extreme n and Airport Express g

I have a 4th generation Airport Exteme (n) and an older Airport Express (g) and would like to use the Airport Express to extend my network to the other end of my house, where the signal is very weak. When I tried to set it up tonight, my Airport Extreme disappeared all together and I had to do a hard reset to get it back. I am using a macbook pro 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo running OS X 10.7.2. Are there any current insturctions to do this?

Here's a Youtube video of how to do it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3EdbRfX1_w
I had the same set up you do. I did not have success with the Express g. And in my case I had much better success when I sold the Express g on ebay, bought an Express N from the refurb store, so it only cost around $20 get something that is much more reliable.
I quickly tried to find an Apple Support tech note for you but didn't, post back if you need more.

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.

Airport extreme(n) and airport express (b/g) problems

hi,
i have for a few years an airport express (b/g). the airport express is connected to my cable modem.
i also have a newer airport extreme (n) which was still in the box but i want to use (as it must have a bigger range ?). in fact i want the extreme to reach my playstation 3. (the connection from ps3 to express sometimes drops as its signal is too weak)
if i also connect the airport extreme to the cable modem, it shows with apps like "airradar" (on my macs) or "wifitrak" (on my iphone) that the strenght of the airport express is higher than my airport extreme. even if i set the extreme to 5ghz. both express and extreme are placed near each other. am i doing anything wrong here ?
below devices need to be connected.
1 macbook g4 (b)
2 macbook pro (n)
2 mac pro (n)
1 wii (b)
2 nintendo ds (b)
1 ps3 ?
with other words i need some advise in how to set up both a airport extreme and express network on the same cable modem.
thank, michiel

question: i below what should i do ?
1) put a cable from my cablemodem to the airport extreme bs;
2) put a cable the airport extreme bs to the airport express bs.
Yes on both. Your network configuration would look something like the following:
Modem > (Ethernet) > \[WAN port] AEBSn \[LAN port] > (Ethernet) > AX
do i have to reset the modems and are there any setting i should be aware of ?
Yes, it's always a good idea to both reset both base stations and, after doing so and before configuring them, perform a complete power recycle of your network equipment.
So in this case ...
o Power-down the modem, AEBSn, AX, & computers. (Order is not critical.)
o Reset both the AEBSn & AX. (Again, order is not critical.)
o Power-down each base station after performing a successful reset.
o Power-up the modem; wait at least 15 minutes.
o Power-up the AEBSn; wait at least 10 minutes.
o Plug-in the AX; wait at least 5 minutes.
o Power-up your computer(s).
o Use the AirPort Utility to reconfigure both base stations as required.

How many Airport Extreme's and Airport Express can extend line for distance

I am trying to link multiple AEBS/AE's together to cover a fairly long distance between two houses....Is this possible? I already have the 2 AEBS's linked together between two houses going across a street. However, the link is not that strong and I am seeing packet loss. I am thinking to plug at least one AE in at the far end of the house closest to the window to possibly help get a stronger signal going across the street.
Would this work? Will it just add too much latency?
DSL Modem---AEBS-1>>><<<AE>>><<AE>><<<AEBS2---iMac on gigE

Welcome to the discussion area, 0dB!
+Would this work?+
The short answer here would unfortunately be a "no". Read further for explanations.
If this is a newer AirPort Extreme (AEBS) "n" device and you are using a newer AirPort Express (AX) "n" device, you will not be able to configure the network as you describe. The reason for this is that the AX communicates directly to the main AEBS in the "extend a wireless network configuration". So the setup would look like this:
Main AEBS > Remote AX.
That's the limit of this type of setup, although you could have multiple remote devices if you wish. It's like the hub and spoke of a wheel. The AEBS would be the hub and AX would be at the end of a spoke. No further extension is possible from the AX, although you could have several devices communicating to the AEBS if needed.
Apple's older WDS configuration allows the following:
Main AEBS > Relay AX > Remote AX.
That is the limit of this type of setup. Keep in mind that there will be a tremendous loss of performance with this type of setup as follows:
1) The entire network will operate at "g" level wireless
2) The bandwidth of the network will drop to only 25% of the original bandwidth
With WDS, in effect, you will have a "g" wireless network operating at 25% of its normal capability.

Creating a bridge with airport extreme (base) and airport express

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for