Creating and Extended Network with 2 Airport Express Units

I had an extended network using 2 express units but one of them broke. The old network was setup with an older version of Airport Utility and I can't seem to repeat the set up a new network with the new express unit I have bought.
The simple setup procedure using Airport Utility 5.5.1 only appears to allow you to 'join' the remote Express unit to an existing network, there is no 'extend remotely' option.
I remember doing it last time by creating a WDS network which agrees with instructions I have found here - http://broadcast.oreilly.com/2009/03/taming-an-airport-express-wds.html
I set up the first Express as a base station with a network and select 'Participate in a WDS network' and 'Allow this network to be extended' under the wireless tab. Under the WDS tab I 'Allow wireless clients' and add the hardware address of the second express unit.
I then update the express unit but I get a WDS error which states, "This Airport wireless device is set up as part of a WDS network but no other AirPort wireless devices were found."
This seems to be a chicken and egg situation.
Any help would be appreciated.
Alan

Alan, welcome to the discussions!
It appears that you want to set up a WDS arrangment, correct?
But, I can't figure out whether you want to configure it with a "base" and two "remotes", or whether you want to configure it with a "base", "relay" and "remote"
Can you clarify? I'll send you a link with instructions from forum expert user Tesserax with step by step instructions. Just need to know what set of instructions to send.

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Unable to create a wireless network with my airport express. Please help!

I am trying to setup a wireless network with an airport express, and connect to it with my Macbook. I just bought both of these and haven't been able to get wireless to work.
I initially plugged the ethernet cable from my cable modem into the airport express and plugged it into the wall. The macbook detected it when I opened airport utility, but the express had a flashing amber light and I was unable to connect. I then unplugged the express and re-started the cable modem. This time, the airport express showed a solid green light -which should mean that it is working correctly. However, the macbook did not find the airport express device when i searched for it using airport utility. I am able to connect the macbook directly to the cable modem, after re-starting the modem, and access the internet so at least some of the systems are go.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance for your help.
Tom

Is the issue that you cannot access the 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station (AXn) with the AirPort Utility that is running on your Win7 PC? ... or that once you have configured the AXn, the PC is unable either to find the new wireless network or can find it but cannot connect to it?

Extended network with 2 Airport Expresses, Mac connects to the far away one

I have two Airport Express 802.11n units that are set up as an extended wireless network. This is not done using WDS, but instead using the "Extend wireless network" option on the 2nd Express. I do this to get extended coverage in my apartment.
Most of the time this works flawlessly. However, sometimes my Mac connects to the wrong Express (e.g. the one that's further away). I notice this because I don't have full bars on my Mac's wifi icon. When I go into the Airport Utility, choose the far away Express, go to the Advanced tab and click "Logs and statistics", I can confirm that my Mac is in fact connected to the far away Express.
If I disconnect and reconnect my Mac from the network, it will most likely then connect the closer Express and my signal will vastly improve. I can confirm that it is connected to the right Express using the Airport Utility.
Does anyone know why this happens, and is there a way to force my Mac to connect to the closer Express?
Message was edited by: nonnynz

Hello nonnynz. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Does anyone know why this happens, and is there a way to force my Mac to connect to the closer Express?
It would be quite logical to assume that the algorithms Apple employs to connect to a wireless router would connect your Mac to the closest (or one with the strongest signal) but it doesn't always work out that way. Furthermore, Apple hasn't released the specifics on how this algorithm is supposed to work so it may be a bit difficult to answer your question with any facts to support it.
... and no, as far as I know, there isn't a sure-fire way to force your Mac to pick the desired base station. Something that comes to mind is to change the Multicast Rate, under Wireless Options in the AirPort Utility, to a higher value for the base station that you don't want your Mac to connect to first ... but this may only be of value if you keep your Mac near the other station and would cause the opposite effect when you move to the one you just adjusted.

Cannot create a WDS network with two Airport Express

so i have one airport express here at my parents house acting as a wireless router. i brought a second express from my house and my playstation3 and want to connect the ps3 via Ethernet, i reset my express from home by holding the small pin-sized button. i open up airport utility choose the default named airport express, hit continue>switch>name it and give it a password>I want it to join my current network>Extend the Range of my Network>Chose my network (Twice)>watch the 'configure' WDS screen. then i get this:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3632/3420465586a2f1864300o.png
both expresses have been recently updated with 6.3 firmware and i'm accessing both wirelessly. i've tried over and over again resulting in the above image, can anyone please help?
btw there is no 'allow this network to be extended' box.

Psych,
Do the setup hard wired to your Mac - so connect an ethernet cable between your Mac and the AX you're trying to set up. Do the setup as usual, and once the configuration has written to the AX, restarted and you have a green light, you can remove the cable and connect wirelessly.
Sometimes, and for some reason, the configuration has problems writing to the AX wirelessly, especially after a reset.

Trying to extend my airport extreme network with an airport express

I´m trying to extent my network with an airport express 802.11g.
I´ve been fallowing the guide:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259
however, when I´m trying to configure the extended wifi base station ( point 8.) it won´t let me choose "extend a wireless network".
The only options I have is "create network", "join network" and "participate in a wds network".
I´ve been trying to find a solution all day.
Is there anyone out there who has hade the same problem or knows what it could be?
I´ve made sure that my base station connected to the internet through ethernet has checked the "allow this network to be extended"

however, when I´m trying to configure the extended wifi base station ( point 8.) it won´t let me choose "extend a wireless network"
Unfortunately, the older AirPort Express 802.11"g" model does not have a setting to "extend a wireless network", so it cannot be used the way that you want.
The article that you reference should be clear about this:
This article explains how to set up an 802.11"n" extended wireless network.
You need to use one of the newer AirPort Express 802.11"n" models to gain the ability to "extend a wireless network".

Trouble extending my WiFi network with older Airport Express

Hi,
As the question states, I have an older Airport Express which I have dug out to try and extend my WiFi network in a new house.
I am on Virgin Media (fibre optic) in the UK and get a good WiFi service but one room in the house (which I have just turned into a cinema/media suite) has no reception.
I have successfully managed to 'create a new network' via the Airport Express and the signal strength is 100% but for some reason if I try to reconfigure the device to extend the existing network I get no improvement at all from the (zero) signal I was receiving before.
Am I doing something wrong? Or is there an additional step I am missing?
I could live with having a secondary network but what I would really like to achieve is Home Sharing from my main computer, so that I can access my photos, movies and music etc. from iTunes on the big screen. If the computer exists on another network my iPad, iPhone and AppleTV can't see/use the media from that room.
Many thanks in advance,
Colin

Are these the steps you used?
To create a wireless extended network, you must place any extended Wi-Fi base stations within range of the primary Wi-Fi base station.
Start with the device that will be configured as the primary Wi-Fi base station. Then configure your extended Wi-Fi base stations, ensuring that each is within direct range of the primary Wi-Fi base station.The physical location of extended Wi-Fi base stations will vary according to the building environment and may require some experimentation.
If you have configured your Wi-Fi base stations in the past, it may be helpful to do a factory default reset of each Wi-Fi base station that will be part of the wireless extended network before you begin.
Configuring the primary Wi-Fi base station
Power on all 802.11n Wi-Fi base stations and allow them time to appear in the AirPort Menu Extra.
Open AirPort Utility (On a Mac, choose Go > Applications from your desktop, click the Utilities folder, then open AirPort Utility. In Microsoft Windows, choose Start > All Programs > AirPort to start AirPort Utility).
Select the primary Wi-Fi base station in the Base Station Chooser, then click Continue. Note: If you see a message appear that indicates that the Wi-Fi base station has been reset, click Cancel to continue.
Click Manual Setup. Enter the base station password if necessary.
Click AirPort in the toolbar.
Click Wireless.
Choose “Create a wireless network” from the Wireless Mode menu.
Select the “Allow this network to be extended” checkbox.
Enter a Wireless Network Name.
Optional: By default, Wireless Security is set to None so that no password will be required to join the network. We recommend you click on the Wireless Security menu, select WPA2 Personal, and create a password between 8 and 63 characters long.
From the Radio Channel Selection menu, select Automatic.
Click Update.
The next window may indicate that there are some problems. Resolve the problems, then click Update.
You are now ready to add extended Wi-Fi base stations to your network.
Configuring an extended Wi-Fi base station
Place any extended Wi-Fi base stations within range of the primary Wi-Fi base station
Ensure that all 802.11n Wi-Fi base stations are powered on and allow them time to appear in the AirPort Menu Extra
Open AirPort Utility (On a Mac, choose Go > Applications from your desktop, click the Utilities folder, then open AirPort Utility. In Microsoft Windows, choose Start > All Programs > AirPort to start AirPort Utility).
Select the Extended Wi-Fi base station in the Base Station Chooser, then click Continue. Note: If you see a message appear that indicates that the Wi-Fi base station has been reset, click Cancel to continue.
Click Manual Setup. Enter the base station password if necessary.
Click AirPort in the toolbar.
Click Wireless.
Choose “Extend a wireless network” from the Wireless Mode menu.
Choose the network you want to extend from the Network Name menu.
Enter the network and device password if necessary, then click Update.
The next window may indicate that there are some problems. Resolve the problems, then click Update.

Creating a wireless network using several Airport Express(es)

I would like to connect three AirPort expresses to my Sky Broadband router to create a new wifi network in my house. My router is in the basement and is connected into a hub which provides ethernet to the house. I would like to connect the AirPorts via ethernet to the router and create a single wifi network.
Can someone please tell me if this is possible and what settings the AirPorts should have. For instance, should I just extend the sky network using each AirPort or should I create a new network with one AirPort and then extend that with the others?
Many thanks
Terry

If each of the AirPort Express devices will be connected using Ethernet, you would configure them all exactly the same except for assigning different device names...AX1, AX2, AX3, etc.
Each Express will be configured to....
Create a wireless network
Same wireless network name on all devices
Same Radio Mode
Channel set at Automatic
Same wireless security setting
Same wireless network password
Very important....configure each Express in Bridge Mode
Post back if you need more details

Is it possible to create a hot spot with Apple Airport Express 2nd Generation Dual Band Wireless Router, usefull in a hotel with ethernet wall sucket.

is it possible to create a hot spot with apple Airport express 2 generation and use it i a hotel with ethernet wall socket and use it with my Ipad 2?

HenrikAppleJespersen wrote:
is it possible to create a hot spot with apple Airport express 2 generation and use it i a hotel with ethernet wall socket and use it with my Ipad 2?
Yes, it is one of the things AirPort Express was specifically designed for.

I am unable to join my existing wireless network with new AirPort Express

I am unable to join my existing wireless network with new AirPort Express.
I am using a DLink DI-524 Router, Windows 7 (64), and the AirPort Express.
AirPort Utility will not recognize the AEX wirelessly, it will only recognize it when it is connected by Ethernet. I can then configure the AEX and verify that the settings stick once disconnected and then reconnected. However, even after that, it will not recognize the AEX once disconnected from the Ethernet cable.
I followed the suggestions of several other threads on these forums. But I am unable to get the AEX to work.
Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Welcome to the discussion area!
It's almost always a security setting that causes problems when the Airport Express (AX) tries to join a third party wireless network. The AX usually does not "join" correctly and that's why you can't see it on your wireless network using AirPort Utility.
Using an ethernet cable is still the more reliable way to configure and adjust the AX, but if you are want to try to configure it using wireless, you must return the AX back to factory defaults as follows:
Power down the AX
Hold in the reset button +and keep holding it in+ as you plug the AX back in to power
Release the reset button after 10 seconds
When it is set to factory defaults, the AX broadcasts a wireless signal with a network name like "apple network xxxxxx" where the "x's" are either letters or numbers. You must look for this network by clicking on the fan shaped Airport icon at the top of the screen. If you don't see this network, then click Join Other Network to search that way. Unless you connect to this network, you will not be able to configure the AX using wireless.
Do you know the exact security type that your D-Link router is using? That is the key element in the process.
Open AirPort utility, click Manual Setup
Click the Base Station tab to establish a name for the AX, device password and adjust time zone settings
Click the Wireless tab
Wireless Mode....Join a wireless network
Wireless Network Name...must exactly match your D-Link wireless network name
Enable ethernet clients if you want the port to be active (your D-Link must be compatible with ProxySTA for this to work)
Wireless Security...exact setting of the D-Link network. WEP security causes a lot of issues. Try to use WPA/WPA2 Personal, which is far more secure.
Wireless Password...must match the D-Link network
Click the Music icon to enable AirTunes
Click Update to save settings
Any luck?

Extending an existing wireless network with an airport express

My wireless signal is quite weak in my room so I'm looking for a way to extend the range of the network by using an airport express. I understand i can't do this wirelessly but is it possible to run an ethernet cable from my existing router to the airport express in my room and then have a stronger signal in my room?
Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the discussion area, Aaron!
If you connect an ethernet cable from your existing router to the AirPort Express, and then configure the Express to "Create a wireless network" with the same name, security settings and password, this will in effect, extend your current wireless network.
The Express must be configured as a "bridge" to operate correctly on your network when you do this, meaning that the setting for Connection Sharing on the Express will be set to "Off (Bridge Mode).

How do i extend my network with a airport express

How do I extend my network with mt airport express

Hi Tesserax, I'd like to join this discussion. It seems Jasonbeyer didn't reply, but I have a question related to his.
I'd like to extend the wireless signal from my Cisco Model DPC/EPC2202 VoIP Cable Modem (802.11n) to the living room where, at the moment, it is non-existent. I assume there's inteference or the signal cannot reach through the concrete walls and rooms leading up from my bedroom to the living room.
My question is:
I'm thinking of extending my wi-fi signal by using the Airport Express and simultaneously using it to connect to my hi-fi to play iTunes from my bedroom's iMac.
Something's telling me it's not going to be that easy. I'm using an iMac (7,1) if that's any help or clue.
What are the things I should take note of and will Airport Express be compatible with my modem? Would I have to get TWO Aiport Express to bridge the signal to my living room?
Thank you everyone for your time. Cheers!
Kane

Extending My network with three Airport Express or buy an Airport Extreme?

I live in a large three story house and currently have it wirelessly networked using two Airport Express' but my signal is very weak on the third floor and in other spots throughout the house.
Would it be possible to buy a third AE and extend the network that way or would I be better off buying a AEBS?
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

It will really depend on the construction materials used in your house or any other forms of Wi-Fi interference that could prevent a clear wireless signal. Both routes, you suggested, will have it advantages and disadvantages.
Extending the existing network wirelessly using a WDS, effectively, cuts the throughput in half for each base station in the chain...so, in this case the second AirPort Express Base Station (AX) (acting as a WDS relay base station) would only get half that of the first AX (acting as the WDS main base station). In turn, the third AX (acting as the WDS remote base station) would receive half of the second's throughput. The good news is that you should have a strong signal across each of the AXs, just lower throughput the farther along in the chain.
The 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) has a greater range than either the older 802.11g version or the AXs. You may find that it will provide enough to cover you entire house. In the off-chance that it doesn't, you can still use it to create a WDS between AEBSn and your current AXs.

Extending airport express network with other airport express

I am trying to extend my airport express based wifi network, using two more units.
All airport express units are 802.11n capable.
My main question is about the band frequency: does it matter whether I use 2.4 or 5 ghz ?
I have some success when using 2.4 ghz, but I am having zero success when using 5ghz on the main unit (the one connected via ethernet to the router). The other two units are set up to "extend a wireless network".

Welcome to the discussion area, Giovanni!
While it is not exactly correct to say that you almost need line-of-sight between the AirPort Express devices for 5 GHz to work effectively, a number of users are finding this to be the case. 5 GHz signals are much weaker than 2.4 GHz signals, so they do not travel well over distance or pass through obstructions very well.
Unless you almost do have line-of-sight between the devices, you are probably going to get better results by setting up the "main" AirPort Express on the 2.4 GHz band and use the others to "extend" that band.
The "extend" setup works like the hub and spokes of a wheel. Your main AirPort Express is the "hub" and the other devices are located at the ends of the the "spokes". The remote devices communicate directly to the hub, not to another device at the end of another spoke, so it's not possible to "extend" a device that is already setup to "extend".

Can I extend the range of my Airport Extreme with 2 Airport Express units?

I am using Airport Extreme as my basic router. I have connected 2 airport express units (all new since 12/09) to extend the network about 300 ft into another building to a PC. I am receiving about 65% signal and only one of the express units is extending the signal. Previously I was able to extend the network with a Netgear router and one D-Link extender and achieved 85%.
I would like to use the 2nd express to extend the signal of the 1st express which is extending the Extreme.
If this is not possible, can I use something other than an express with the extreme to extend the wireless network?

Here are the basic steps in setting up a static WDS. Please compare them to what you have done to see if there are any differences. Hopefully, this will give you a clue on what to try.
AEBSn - WDS Setup
(Note: To facilitate the WDS set up, place the base stations within near proximity of each other during the set up phase, and then relocate them to their desired locations when complete. Also, jot down the AirPort IDs (MAC addresses) for each of the base stations to be used in the WDS. The AirPort ID and is printed on the label on the bottom/side of the base station.)
Main Base Station Setup
o Click the AirPort status menu in the menu bar and choose the wireless network created by the base station you want to set up as the main base station.
o Open AirPort Utility (located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on a Macintosh computer, or in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a computer using Windows).
o Select the main base station, and choose Manual Setup from the Base
Station menu, or double-click the base station to open the configuration in a separate window.
o Enter the base station password if necessary. If the base station is using the
default password of public, you will not be prompted for a password.
o Click Wireless in the toolbar, and then choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu.
o Click WDS and then choose “WDS main” from the WDS Mode pop-up menu.
o Select the “Allow wireless clients” checkbox if you want client computer to connect to this base station.
o Click the Add "+" button and enter the AirPort ID of the base station you want to connect to this base station.
o Click Update to send the new settings to the base stations in the WDS.
Remote Base Station Setup
o Click the AirPort status menu in the menu bar and choose the wireless network created by the base station you want to set up as a remote base station.
o Open AirPort Utility (in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on a Macintosh computer, or in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a computer using Windows).
o Select the remote base station, and choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu.
o Enter the base station password, if necessary. If the base station is using the default password of public, you will not be prompted for a password.
o Enter the same network password as the main base station, if necessary.
o Click AirPort in the toolbar and click Wireless. Choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and choose the same channel as the main base station from the Channel pop-up menu.
o Click WDS and choose “WDS remote” from the pop-up menu.
o Enter the AirPort ID of the main base station in the WDS Main field.
o Click Update to transfer the settings to the base station.
Relay Base Station Setup
o Click the AirPort status menu in the menu bar to join the wireless network created by the base station you want to set up as the relay base station.
o Open AirPort Utility (in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on a Macintosh computer, or in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a computer using Windows).
o Select the relay base station, and choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu.
o If the base station is using the default password of public, you will not be prompted for a password.
o Enter the same network password as the main base station, if necessary.
o Click AirPort in the toolbar and click Wireless. Choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and choose the same channel as the main base station from the Channel pop-up menu.
o Click WDS and choose “WDS relay” from the WDS Mode pop-up menu.
o Enter the AirPort ID of the main base station in the Main AirPort ID field.
o Click the Add "+" button and enter the AirPort ID of the remote base station this relay base station will connect to.
o Click Update to transfer the new WDS settings to the relay and remote base stations.
(ref: Pages 42-46 of "Designing AirPort Networks.)

Networking with Multiple Airport Express'

I am using a new Airport Extreme 802.11n as a router in a home network that is in an extremely large house. I also have 3 new Airport Express' connected to the network. My question is should the settings in the Airport Utility be "Join an existing network" or 'Extend an existing network' for each Airport Express' or some combination of either based on which express is first in closest proximity to the Airport Extreme.
Thanks, JB

I've only got the two running now, and the signal at the far end is dramatically better than without.
I don't think it decreases bandwidth for each device. Each machine's bandwidth decreases a little for the overhead, but it is not cumulative.
On a side note, when I added the New Airport Express, I had an absolutely horrible time getting it all to work correctly and I think I had similar symptoms as you are describing. I was able to differentiate which base station I had connected with because the new Airport Extreme was n-band and the main stations is an old g-band. So, by holding down the option key when selecting the airport menu, I could easily see the bandwidth going above 54. I hope you're laughing as I later realized that the MAC address of the base station you are connected to shows up in the menu with option held down, also.
Everything seemed to be connected right, but it just wasn't working. I ended up resetting both devices and started from scratch. Just about when I was going to give up and just extend the network, my WDS connections worked and I haven't had any problems.
Before I realized that the network wasn't configured correctly, I thought my old Airport Extreme was going bad. It was freezing up and I had to restart it to get an internet connection. Ever since I fixed the WDS network, I don't have any problems with it. I think the two base stations were jamming each other.

Creating and Extended Network with 2 Airport Express Units

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