Do I use Airport as my main router or do I use it in addition to a router?

So I am looking to improve my wireless signal in my house as well as find a better solution for Time Machine rather than using a portable HDD which I plug in now and again to backup.
My question is this, Do I use an Airport to replace my router or do I use it in addition to my router?
If it can be used in addition to could I place it say half way between my router and further point I would be from my main router so it doubles (Triples rather!) up as a wi-fi range booster?
Summary of home setup: Main router in living room. In apartment with 3 main rooms. Playstation must be wired so router cannot move to a more central location but this means poor signal in bedroom for iPhones / Apple TV.
Thanks!
Ray

There's nothing wrong with using a portable HDD to back up when it's convenient for you, and offer the advantage of being more easily transported than a Time Capsule. They're also inexpensive and disposable – features that enhance a comprehensive backup strategy. A Time Capsule is a fine product and I own several of them, but you can buy three 2 TB portable USB hard disk drives for the price of a single 2 TB TC.
(Not that 2 TB is necessarily the best choice though - a smaller capacity may be more appropriate for your requirements.)
Remember that portable Macs use "local snapshots" that are flushed to your Time Machine backup device when it becomes available. Plug it in when it's convenient for you. A Time Capsule is advantageous for those lacking the discipline to do that routinely.

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Do I have to use airport extreme to be a main network if I want to use Airport express extend my wifi range

Do I have to use airport extreme to be a main network if I want to use Airport express extend my wifi range.

You cannot extend wifi from a different brand router..
Only apple to apple.
But the apple router does not have to be the main router.. it can be in bridge.. as long as it is creating a wireless network it will work fine.

How do I extend an existing wireless network using airport express?

Hi all,
I am trying to extend existing wireless network using airport express, my main router is Belkin

Unfortunately, Apple's "extend" feature is designed to only work with other Apple routers if you are trying to "extend" using wireless only.
It is extremely unlikely that this feature would work with a router from another manufacturer using wireless only.

Used Airport Extreme Show Old Location

I bought a used Airport Extreme 802.11ac on eBay. Now using any location services on Safari or Apple Maps shows me at the location of the seller. I have tried going into Skyhook and giving them its MAC address and my correct log/lat, but it has not helped. They say it should take effect immediately in most cases, but so far it has had no efffect.
Our iPhones pick up the correct location, so I have tried connecting my MacBook, and iPads to an iPhone's personal hotspot and also tried leaving both of our iPhones running both Apple and Google maps all day, and again this has not helped.
Is it just going to take a very long time for the databases that have that used Airport's MAC listed at the old location to finally pick up the new one?
Thanks for any and all advice.

Well, after waiting 4+ weeks I called Apple Support. (Luckily the Airport Extreme I bought on eBay was new/open box and with my dated proof of purchase Apple let me register it for the remaining warranty period. I mislabeled the original question as Used) A really helpful support person (like nearly every one at Apple I had encountered) worked with me.
We reset it again to factory settings, checked that my ISP provided Arris cable/WIFI router 's network showed my correct location (which it did) without the Airport connected, then reconnected the Airport Extreme. But as soon as we reconnected it, both the Arris and Airport WIFI networks showed me back in the completely incorrect location. My support person consulted with another and they concluded that they needed to swap it out for a replacement, that this was not normal behavior after a reset to factory specs.
The replacement arrived today, and after setup immediately reported my correct location.

How can I use AirPort Express when traveling?

How can I use AirPort Express when traveling?

How can I use AirPort Express when traveling?
Connect the AirPort Express to the Ethernet port in your room.....to be able to create your own private wireless network in your room for multiple devices.
You will still have to pay the hotel Internet charge for one device, if the hotel charges for Internet access.
If the hotel only provides wireless service, then a single AirPort Express will not help you.
However, if you have two AirPort Express devices, then you can use one to "join" the hotel wireless network, then connect the second Express to the first using an Ethernet cable and create your own wireless network for multiple devices in your room.

Can I use AirPort Express as booster/extender to LinkSys router signal?

I have LinkSys N router (which I got free, else would've bought AirPort), its signal isn't strong enough in office room. Can I use AirPort Express as a booster/extender? Some sources say Express can only talk to another Express, others say it can communicate with the LinkSys. Which is it? I don't want to spend the money for two Expresses unless I have no choice (very limited budget nowadays).
I've been hassling with this for over a month, and I'm extremely frustrated.
Thanks to anybody who can help me with this.

Most likely no. That is because most non-Apple router's implementation of WDS is not compatible ... and this is true the other way around. It is true that some early Linksys models, mainly the WRT-54 series were compatible, but I have not seen anything since then that is.

Can i use airport extreme as wifi range extender in conjunction with a Linksys AE4500 router

can i use airport extreme base station as wifi range extender in conjunction with a Linksys AE4500 router

If you are trying to "extend" using wireless only......Apple tells us that their "extend a wireless network" feature is designed to only work with other Apple routers.
So, in order to use your AirPort Extreme as an extender, you would need to have another Apple router.....an AirPort Express, Time Capsule, or another AirPort Extreme as the main base station.
I haven't tested the specific Linksys model that you have, but have owned and worked with several other Linksys models, none of which were compatible with Apple for the purpose that you ask about....so I would have to say that it is extremely unlikely that your model would be compatible with the AirPort Extreme.

Using Airport Express with a Playstation 2? (Belkin router)

Hello - I know it seems that this topic has been discussed several times before, but I haven't been able to find a good explanation for how to execute it and would really appreciate any guidance. I'm a mac newbie, too.
I just purchased a Playstation 2, and would like to use my Airport Express to connect it to my home wireless network. I've used the Airport for other things as well, including to create a wireless network when I travel, and to receive music to play on the stereo. I'm thinking there's GOT to be a way to make this happen.
I have an Ibook G4, and the rest of the network is a PC setup. (Belkin router.) I can access the Airport Express settings through either the PC or the Mac.
Any help you can give would really go a long way. Thanks. I'd rather not have to purchase a new bridge if the Airport can do it. What I think I need are step by step instructions to change the settings on the AE to make it work for this application, which I understand is different from 'receiving' music from the router & iTunes.
Thanks again.

i use a similar configuration (haven't tried the playstation yet), but the WDS with the Belkin router and Airport Ex works fine.
for thr belkin:
- enable wireless bridging
- turn off security / mac adress filtering first until it works
config to be done in the Airport Admin utility:
- turn off security
- configure the Airport Express as remote station in the WDS config
- and set in the WDS window: allow wireless clients... and search for the ID of the belkin (should pop up as main airport ID)
- uncheck: distribute ID adresses in the Network config
That's how I got it working, but I never got security as WAP working between both stations...the only thing was MAC adress filtering, and hiding the network ID
Enabling MAC adress filtering worked only after allowing the Ethernet ID of the Airport Ex but NOT the wireless ID, that I specified as: enable only sp. AP to coonect (belkin)
hope it helps...
If somewone knows how to get WPA to work between both stations, tell me
Mac Mini with Airport,, PowerBook G4 400 with Aria Extreme Mac OS X (10.4.3) Belkin router F5D-7231-4 and AirPort Express
Mac Mini with Airport,, PowerBook G4 400 with Aria Extreme Mac OS X (10.4.3) Belkin router F5D-7231-4 and AirPort Express

How to use Airport Extreme to create a second wireless network with different IP addresses behind an existing modem/router?

Hi,
I have an existing modem/router from my ISP that does DHCP and NAT with base IP 192.168.1.1 distributed in the wireless network. I use this wireless network for our private devices. I could turn off the DHCP server in this first router, but there isn't a separate setting to turn off NAT.
I want to connect my Airport Extreme (4th gen) to this existing router to create a separate wireless network for visiting guests, where IP addresses of 10.0.0.0 etc. are used. So I do not want to use the Airport Extreme in bridge mode, as I would like to keep the devices on the first network 'invisible' for those on the second network. (P.S. when connected in bridge mode, the Airport works well and can distribute a network with a different name from the first. It's just that I would feel more comfortable about our privacy if the Airport were to distribute a different IP range. False security, maybe?)
I've tried doing this by 'Sharing a public IP address' in Airport Utility's Internet tab, leaving TCP/IP's setting to 'via DHCP', setting DHCP addresses to start with 10.0.0.2 up to 200 with all else blank, and not using a standard host nor NAT-PMP in the NAT tab.
When I do this the Airport complains of a 'double NAT issue'. Internet connectivity seems to be OK, but when switching between the two networks on my Mac I get complaints about my IP address being in use by another device intermittently.
Can anyone help in how to get the 'double NAT issue' resolved?
Thanks!

So if someone is connected to the modem/router network they will be able to see the HD I will have put in to the AirPort Extreme?
As I said above.....since the modem/router and AirPort are bridged, devices on the modem/router wireless will be able to "see" devices on the AirPort wireless, and vice versa.....
If they can see the HD connected to the AirPort Extreme, will they be able to access it
Yes, unless you plan to password protect the drive connected to the AirPort Extreme.
or will they still need the password needed to get onto the AirPort Extreme network?
The modem/router and AirPort Extreme are bridged. They are on the same network. All devices are on the same network when the modem/router and AirPort are bridged. Not sure how else that I can say this.
Also, because it is bridged, I shouldn't have any problems accessing the HD I will have connected to the AirPort Extreme from an external location?
Accessing devices from a remote location is never easy....and a topic for a different post/discussion. If you have a "static" Internet IP address from your provider, and have all the details on how to forward ports on your modem/router, you are off to a good start.
Apparently there is some addressing issues because devices can be seen as "Double IP" because the modem/router would have allocated IP's as well as the AirPort allocating IP's thus making connections slower until resolved
When you "bridge", all IP addresses are issued by one device. There will be no conflicts on the network, since they are bridged.
Once again, in very simple terms, you have two doors (access points) that open into the same room (network). One "door" is the modem/router and the other "door" is the AirPort Extreme. They are on the same network....("room") because they are bridged.

I have a linksys WRT54G router that we use as a base. I want to use Airplay using Airport Express and hook up my stereo to it. How can i set up my Airport express without a PC/laptop? I just downloaded Airport utility on my iphone and ipad,will that work?

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The first message that AirPort Utility will display during the auto setup will be that the Express will be confgured to "extend" the network. When AirPort Utility analyzes the network further, and sees that the Express cannot "extend" the 3rd party network, the next message will indicate that the Express is being configured to "join" the wireless network.
Once the Express is configured, if you later go into AirPort Utility to check the settings under the Wireless tab, you will see that the Wireless Mode is indeed "Join a wireless network".

Do I need to plug an AirPort into my router in order to use AirPrint.

I am thinking about purchasing an airport express.
I know that if I want to use airport with a printer that is not airprint compatible, I need to plug the airport express into it via USB.
Do I also need to plug the airport express into my Wi-Fi router?

An AirPort Express can extend an AirPort network (created by an AirPort Extreme or Express), but not necessarily any other brand's network. (It might work with some offbrand network somewhere, but most do not have the right software to support the AirPort-style extended network.)
However, an AirPort Express can join (become a client of) any standard wifi network (if the bands match) and pass data through to the ethernet port, pass print data out the USB port, or pass audio out the audio port.

Can you use airport extreme as a bridge to netgear wdnr4500 wireless router

can you use airport extreme as a bridge with a netgear wndr4500 router.I need to extend my wireless connections to the other side of the house

can you use airport extreme as a bridge with a netgear wndr4500 router.
This is extremely unlikely. The AirPort Extreme can provide this function with other Apple routers, but as far we know, it is not compatible with products from other manufacturers for this purpose.
Suggest that you use a Netgear product for the best chance of compatibility.

I currently have a D-Link DI-604 broadband router with windows computers. How can I add wifi to the network for use with ipad? Can I use AirPort Express?

I currently have a D-Link DI-604 broadband router with windows computers. How can I add wifi to the network for use with ipad? Can I use AirPort Express?

Yes. You can directly connect an 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station (AXn) using an Ethernet cable. The AXn would then just need to be configured as a bridge to allow the D-Link to continue to provide both NAT & DHCP services for all network clients connected to either router.
In this configuration, the AXn would broadcast a wireless network for your wireless network clients to connect to.

I have an old PowerPC and a Macbook Pro running 10.6.7 sitting side by side. Both are using AirPort to connect to the internet wirelessly to the same router, but the old Mac connects with full bars, but the MBP struggles with only 2. Pls help, thanks!

I have an old PowerPC running 10.4.11 and a Macbook Pro running 10.6.7 sitting side by side. Both are using AirPort to connect to the internet wirelessly to the same wireless router. The old Mac connects with full bars but the MBP struggles with only 2 bars. Pls help, thanks!

BDAqua,
Thanks for the response.
Apple has used the term "Digital Audio" to identify this machine. System Profiler has the following information:
Machine Name:          Power Mac G4
Machine Model:          PowerMac3,5
CPU Type:          PowerPC G4 (2.1)
Number Of CPUs:          1
CPU Speed:          800 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU):          256 KB
Memory:          768 MB
Bus Speed:          133 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          4.3.3f2
Serial Number:          XBxxxxxMK9
Sales Order Number:
Yes, I could connect them by ethernet if all I wanted to do was transfer files, but I would like to network them so I could use wireless internet. The machines are not always so close together, I did that to simplify the testing. With the very slow transfer speeds I am reluctant to move ahead with the internet step.
<Edited By Host>

I am setting up a used Airport Express. It works fine with my computer for internet connection. Now I am setting it up for Tivo connection. They ask for a Gateway router number. Where can I find this number?

I am setting up a used Airport Express. It works fine and my computer can get on the internet whith no problems.
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Do I use Airport as my main router or do I use it in addition to a router?

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