Expanding range of airport extreme

how can I expand the range of an airport extreme. I am in a condo and only get about 30 ft range. is this unusual? are there any settings that I am missing? would another router about 20 ft pick up the signal and boost it?
thx

30' is extremely under spec. Have you tried using a different wireless channel? Are you using wireless G or do you have N enabled? Are your walls made of lead? Are there wireless phones or microwave ovens nearby, or other electronic devices that use the 2.5Gh spectrum, that might be interfering with the signal and destroying your range? Is your router tucked away behind furniture or electronic devices that might block its signal? Can you mount it higher up than it is currently (i.e., on top of a bookshelf vs. just on a desk)?
To answer your original question, yes, you can extend your range, either with an Airport Express or another Airport Extreme (or even a time capsule). But I believe you can only extend Apple routers with other Apple routers. I have never done this myself, so I cannot give advice on the configuration particulars. But first, look into the things in the first paragraph above - like I say, 30', even if you just have an older wireless G router, is an extremely short range.

Similar Messages

Extending the range of Airport Extreme in house with walls

Any sugggestions on the best way to extend the range of Airport Extreme? The base unit is located in an office at one end of a house. I would like to be able to connect from rooms at the other end of the house, some 70' away. There are three walls betgween the base and the far room.

I have essentially the same problem, except that our router is a Netgear product (NOT my choice, my husband is a PC guy). I get a great connection when my G5 is on the desk, but if I put it under the desk (which is where I really, really want it) I get nothing.
Will an Airport Express do anything for me? Or do I need to get an AirPort Extreme router? If I get an Airport Extreme router and locate it closer to my computer can I set it up to work with the same cable internet service we have the Netgear connected to? Or do I have to have a totally separate service? My computer is downstairs, the Netgear is up. Moving it is not an option. Our house is wired for cat 5 throughout. (No idea if this matters, I'm clueless on this stuff). Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

How to set-up new Airport Express to extend range of Airport Extreme

Purchased a new Airport Express to use it as a range extender on existing home network with an operating Airport Extreme base station. While I've read instructions, I'm unclear whether the Express needs to be connected by ethernet cable for its initial setup, or can I simply plug it and initialize it wirelessly onto the same household network? (I've tried the latter but without success).

to edex67 and Bob Timmons:
My objective is to extend the wireless range of the Airport Extreme base station wirelessly - so I do appreciate that the Airport Express would needsto be located haflway between the base station and the "dead zone" area.
The suggestion of using a Powerline ethernet connection to the Airport Express has merit (especially as I have one available).
I continue to use OSX 10.6.8 - does this affect my set-up in any way?
My problem had been - and remains - how to configure the Airport Express in range extend mode - I did click these boxes on both the Extreme base station and the Express, however the Express still has flashing amber lights and error codes - one indicating no internet availability on the Airport Express.

HT4260 what is the actual range of airport extreme in meters ? can it cover my whole home if it is in the range of 50 meters of radius ?

What is the actual range of the Airport Extreme in Metres? Can it Cover up to 50m in Radius?

What is the actual range of the Airport Extreme in Metres? Can it Cover up to 50m in Radius?
50m would be approximately the range.....if there were no walls or obstructions in the path the wireless signal must travel.
Since we know nothing about how many walls, ceilings or other obstructions there might be the path that the wireless signal would take in your home, or the construction type of those obstructions, we cannot even make a guess about whether the AirPort Extreme might provide a signal to cover your home.

What's the range of airport extreme can the signal reach my basement my house is about 2500 sq ft

Whats the range on the airport extreme is the signal strong enough to reach the basement of a 2500 sq ft home. Thx

The maximum free-space range is 150 feet; slightly more in the 5 GHz band. However, walls, floors, other electronic devices, microwave ovens, etc. will attenuate the signal reducing the range for actual use.
I live in a 2300 SF townhome and wireless works fine from an AEBS on the second floor. I use an Airport Express on the first floor in Extend mode that is configured for my Slingplayer. Apple TV2 does not seem to have any problems. It's also on the bottom floor.
This is a six year old home so the walls are not made of plaster. Plaster on metal lath can prevent AEBS signals from being detected outside of the room where it's located.

How to extend wifi range using Airport Extreme and Airport Express connected via ethernet cable

Hello,
I'm having an Airport Extreme fifth generation in my living room. I bought yesterday an Airport Express to extend the range of my WIFI in the house and I put in in my bed room. The two devices are connected together via an ethernet cable, from airport extreme (lan 1 port) to airport express to (wan port). Now from the airport utility what configuration I have to set to the airport express in order to extend my wifi range? Inside the wireless tab what i have to select in the network mode?
1. Create a wireless network (use same same wireless network name and pass work as the airport extreme)
2. Join a wireless network
3 Extend a wireless network ?
Thank you

You are way overthinking this. The utility will literally configure everything for you automatically. All that you need to do is name the device and click Next during the setup.
You can use your Mac using Mountain Lion or an iPhone or iPad.
Post back if you need the steps.

Help: Using Airport Express to extend the range of Airport Extreme

I am trying to use the Airport Express to extend the range of the network created by my Airport Extreme. The Express works in terms of streaming music from iTunes on the PC connected to th Extreme.
However, I am trying to run a short Cat-5 cable out of the Express to a nearby PC in order to have access to the internet. If the Express is recognized by the Extreme and can play music through connected stereo cables, why can I get an internet connection through the LAN port..??
Here's a real basic representation of my connections...
Cable Modem >>-- Cat5 -->> Airport Extreme >>-- Wireless -->> Airport Express >>-- Cat5 -->>PC#2

To wirelessly extend the range between two AirPorts, you need to configure them in a Wireless Distribution System (WDS).
To facilitate the WDS set up, try the following:
o Perform a "hard" reset on the AirPort Extreme Base Stations & a "factory default" reset on the AirPort Express Base Stations (AX) before setting up the WDS.
o 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.
o To avoid having to "switch" wireless networks during the WDS setup, attach each of the remote/relay base station, via an Ethernet cable, to the main base station. Of course, this would be dependent on the AirPort types used for the main/relays/remotes.
o Be sure to jot down the MAC addresses for each of the base stations to be used in the WDS as these will be required during the setup.
o When enabling wireless encryption, configure the relay/remote base stations first and the main base station last.

Airport Express to Extend Range of Airport Extreme 802.11 ac???

Hi:
We just installed a new Airport Extreme 802.11 ac. I would like to extend range within the house with our older Airport Express. I plug in the Airport Express (model A1264) 1 m away from the Extreme, but the light just blinks yellow on the Express. When one turns to Airport Utility, the box in the top left (Other Wi-Fi Devices) shows no other discovered options. Is this 802.11 n Express not compatible with my new 802.11 ac extreme, or am I doing something stupid/wrong?
Thanks!

Tried soft and hard reboots on the Express. I now have a slowly flashing yellow light.
But, Airport Utility under the tab "Other Wi-Fi Devices" still lists nothing.
Airport Utility in the main window has a globe with a green dot next to the word "Internet" under it.
There is a vertical line under the globe going to an icon of my brand new Airport Extreme that has a green dot under it and the name of the Airport Extreme.
My iMac is connected to the internet via an ethernet cable (Wi-Fi is off).
This is the same configuration I had with my old Base Station, but for some reason the Airport Express doesn't show up in Airport Utility with my new Airport Extreme as the base station and I have no idea how to use Airport Express as a range extender.
Again, thank you for your advice and help.

Extending Range of Airport Extreme via LAN connection to Airport Express

I am an expat living overseas. I live in a 100 concrete walled house and thus when trying to set up a wireless network I have very limited range. Using Airport Extreme is not a problem downstairs...but to extend the wireless connection upstairs had been a challenge. What I've attempted to do is use the LAN connection on the back of the Airport Express Base Station and run the line upstairs along the side of the house into a room upstairs. I then have connected the ethernet line to an airport express in this room. My computers upstairs recognize the Airport Express and are connected to it...but I can't get an internet connection to those computers. Additionally, the Airport Extreme Base Station does not recognize the Airport Express as part of the network (wireless or LAN). Any suggestions?

I would bring the Expresses to the room where you have your Extreme and factory reset the Expresses so that they are in the original condition when they came out of the box - they will reflect their Apple IDs.
I would then open the Airport Utility (I am assuming you have the new Extreme, not the old one). Scan for the Expresses and then join them to the network.
If they work in the room where your Extreme is located then they are configured appropriately. They I would try moving them back to the room where you want to extend your network. If they then do not work you will know it is not the Express but the amount of concrete and metal in your building.

Extend range with Airport Extreme and D-Link DI-614?

Can I use an Airport Extreme and a D-Link DI-614 wireless router to extend the range of my network? If so, which router should be the main base station, and which should be the relay station?

...does anyone know the cheapest way to extend a wireless network?
Ethernet cable. Run an Ethernet cable between the 2 devices.

Extending the range of Airport Extreme 802.11n

I have 2 Airport Extremes 802.11n. One of the is connected to a DSL modem and it works fine. I have been trying to use the other one to extend the network, but have not been successful.
I used the exact steps in the manual (Designing Airport Network) published by Apple. The steps I used (several times) were under "Extending the Range of an 802.11n Network".
Whenever I compete the steps and update the base station, the one that I want to use as the extension (not connected to the internet) disappears from the Airport Utility Application and the base station blinks the orange light. I did reset the base station and tried the guide several times but no success.
I am doing something wrong or this manual is not complete. Any help from you guys will be most appreciated.
Thanks!

I have the same problem. I didn't have this issue with the 802.11g version. Are you using the base station in "bridge" mode? Because when I used the "n" basestation in DHCP/NAT mode, it worked fine. Unfortunately, I needed to change to bridge mode for reliability issues with my service provider.
Now I have the same issue as you.

Extending range on AirPort Extreme

The range of my AirPort Extreme is very short, seems a lot shorter than when I first set the network up.

Cordless phones, BlueTooth devices, and other WiFi networks around you can all interfere with the wireless signal, which can slow things down and limit the range of the wireless signal significantly.
Chances are, there are three or four times as many wireless networks around you than there were just a couple of years ago. That can make a big difference.
Unfortunately, the number of available wireless channels has not changed in many years, so there is severe overcrowding in many apartment areas, condos, etc where folks live in close quarters.
The AirPort Extreme will try to find the best channel to use when it starts up. So, if you have not powered off the AirPort Extreme recently and then powered it back up, now would be a very good time to do this.

Expected range of airport extreme?

i just bought an airport extreme. i have had problems lately with routers having strong enough signal. i live in a 3000 square feet home..i have a game/enterainment room up stairs. i mostly use internet for online game play for PS4. i have an speed test on my phone that says im getting over 20 mbs a second. but when im playing online games on a daily basis i get kicked for a "network timeout". i have tried several different routers, dual band routers. all around the same 200$ price tag of the airport extreme. doesnt appear the speed is the problem its maintaining a strong signal consistently.
i would estimate the distance to be about 50 feet from airport extreme. but through walls, floors, up the stairs etc is there nothing that can give me betrhtter signal? i do live in a underdeveloped area. new housing area, some homes still being built etc. seems the internet isnt as good as it was in my prior house. would one of those range extenders help? thanks in advance to anyone can offer some help

The PS4 is more than likely forced to use 2.4ghz signal.. (I don't even know if it is dual band but most likely it is).
Small location difference can make a big difference in this setup. Most wireless routers are not designed for vertical signal.. it is designed for horizontal wide but little above or below. So the angles of things can matter.
I would test it manually.. set the AE with different names on 2.4ghz and 5ghz.
Keep all names short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
So AE24ghz and AE5ghz might be good suitable wireless names.
Then test the different channels, 11, 6, 1 for 2.4ghz in that order.
You can try 40 for 5ghz but I am not sure the new AE will actually move.
No luck at that distance through walls and floors.. at acute angle so the amount of material is significant. (wireless travels in a dead straight line.. like a 4" pipe.. Router to Client) try using EOP / Homeplug adapters.. they can be superior by far to wireless.. and do not change day by day as wireless seems to do. They can also not work at all.. so buy from store with good return.
Of course wiring ethernet would be the ideal.. but I take it that is impossible. If the house is yours.. I would do it yesterday. Forget using other media and just pay for ethernet.. it makes a huge difference even a single run from upstairs to downstairs or front to back of a house.
Otherwise look at high power 2.4ghz wireless AP.
You don't need a lot of speed for games.. it is consistent signal that you want.
eg.. cheap one is Dlink DIR-645.. this sells here on runout for about $35.. has great wireless.
Or a ubiquiti high power wireless AP. These things put out 10x the power of the AE.

The range of Airport Extreme is shrinking or so it seems. How can it be improved?

My Airport Extreme is behind one wall but the signal strength has become weaker over time. Is there any way to improve the signal strength?
Thanks.
Jay

Assuming that your AirPort Extreme is not failing, proper placement of the base station may improve bandwidth performance especially in the presence of Wi-Fi interference.
Check out the following AirPort User Tip for details. Please post back your results.

What is the expected range of Airport Extreme on 5 GHz band?

I just installed a AE 5 gen. I live in a wood frame home and I having difficulty receiving adequate signal levels (5 GHz) on the second floor. Total distance 40 feet and two frame walls (one wall and one ceiling). I am replacing a LinkSys E2500 that presented a greater signal level with the same router Powerbook placement. Any suggestions?

The bottom line here is that the issue is one of obstructions, not distance. A ceiling is probably about equal to 3 normal walls in terms of absorbsion, so anywhere from 60-80% of the signal will be lost. If you need more wireless coverage upstairs, then it is likely that another AirPort Extreme will be needed in that location.
Since the signal is already quite weak upstairs, trying to "extend" the signal by using wireless only will only result in a weak signal being extended a bit further. No real improvement at all.
You will likely need to plan to connect the second AirPort Extreme using an Ethernet connection to maintain the bandwidth on the network.
The best solution by far is to run an Ethernet cable to the second AirPort Extreme. If that is not possible, the next best choice would be to use a pair of Ethernet power line adapters to send the signal over the existing power lines in your home.
This is an "iffy" type of thing, because it is one of those types of things where you will not know if it will work until you try it in your home. If you decide to try this route, make sure that you have a clear understanding of the store's return policy in case things do not work as hoped.

Expanding range of airport extreme

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for