Extend vs Join?

I just want to make sure that I understand the difference between the two.
I want to extend the range of my wireless network (2 Extreme bay stations). The express is located close enough that I can join the network, does this mean that it is then extending the range out from where it is located? Or do I need to attach an ethernet cable in order to really extend it? I suppose what I mean is am in "Join" mode, am in actuality extending the range or not, do clients still connect to the network through this baystation? The reason I am confused about this is because I am not noticing any differences with the new airport express in terms of range (still can't get the signal from my office, even though the airport is physically less that 15 feet away.
Thanks!!

jaxxs,
You say you have "(2 Exteme bay stations)" but then you say you have an Express...
Please elaborate more on what you have.
Do you have an Extreme base station and an Express base station?
When one base station "Joins" another, the network is NOT extended.
Nothing can connect to the base station that is joining the main base station. Everything connects to the main base station in this configuration.
Where is your main Extreme base station setup?
Where is your Express base station setup and why and what are you using it for?
Let us know a little more.
   Joseph Kriz

Similar Messages

  • Extended vs joined network - which should I use

    I have a Time Capsule connected to my iMac and in the living room I have an airport express that I stream music to. Which should I use. Extended or joined netowrk. I find that if it is extended my MacBook Air, iPad and iPhone run a lot slower than if it is a joined network. If it is an extended network all my portable devices are sitting on the Airport Express. If it is a joined network they are sitting on the time capsule where I get the better performance.
    In terms of the streaming of my music though it doesn't matter whether it's joined or extended.

    I have a Time Capsule connected to my iMac and in the living room I have an airport express that I stream music to. Which should I use. Extended or joined netowrk.
    For the purpose of streaming only, you will want to configure the AirPort Express to "join" the wireless network provided by the Time Capsule. The Express will, in turn, perform simply as another wireless client on the network and not introduce the bandwidth overhead of an extended network.
    In terms of the streaming of my music though it doesn't matter whether it's joined or extended.
    That is correct.

  • What's the difference between "Extend" or "Join" a wireless network?

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    If I connect the Express to the Blu-ray using Ethernet and to my speakers with an audio cable, should I set up the Express to Extend or Join my network?
    Extend.
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  • Extend or Join?

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  • Difference between Extending Network & Joining Existing Network

    I am using an Extreme as my main device.  I want to increase the range by using an Express in another area of the house.  When I setup the "Extend an Existing Network," I get an amber light.  When I then setup "Join an Existing Network," I get a green light.  My confusion is, does both modes service users, or can you only connect when the Express is in Extend mode.
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    Thanks for the info.
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  • Extend or Join a Wireless Network

    I have an Airport Extreme Base Station with two Airport Expresses to give me better reception through all levels and ends of the house. Is there any difference whether I configure the Airport Express to "Join" the Network, or to "Extend" the Network? I seem to get good reception both wa

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  • Extend or join a network?

    I have an Airport Extreme N upstairs connected directly to the cable modem. 2 flights down is an Airport Express with a printer connected to it. How should I configure this network? I'd like the Express to extend for range and join to add the printer. Shall I create a WDS? Shall I join or extend? Does the Express need a static ip?

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    (ref: Pages 42-46 of "Designing AirPort Networks Using AirPort Utility.

  • AIRPORT EXPRESS EXTEND OR JOIN !

    Dear All,
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    I am confused for these would appriciate if any one could help me out with the same.
    Regards
    Vinay Kittur
    00971501701356

    Now my motive is to connect the airport express in such a way that the sound is played through my bose systems, for that should i connect my airport express to my bose lifetsyle 135 or should i connect it to my apple tv 3 ?
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  • Airport Express: Extend vs. Join

    I have a 1TB TC as my base station and an older Airport Extreme (.n) upstairs to extend the network coverage throughout the house. I just bought a new Airport Express (.n) to add to my living room for streaming music. The Express has the option of extend or join existing network. Both will work to stream music, but I was wondering if there will be a degradation of overall system performance if I select the "Extend" option. Thoughts?

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  • Joining vs.extending existing wireless network?

    I've come to understand these as quite different (extending vs. joining). I have an AEBS and an AX. Prior to enabling WPA for my AEBS (which knocked my AX off the network!), I had my AX set up in a WDS, i.e., extending the range of my existing AE network. The AX was also connected to my home stereo.
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    Can someone clarify this for me?

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    CONNECTING to an existing network would still allow me to stream iTunes through my home stereo, but it sounds like such a set up (without WDS enabled?) would be BETTER for overall network performance?
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  • Using router "transparently" to extend network?

    Hi, all... this is probably an ethernet networking question, rather than strictly a Snow Leopard question, but I'm hoping someone might know the answer...
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    I believe what you may need to try is to configure the loft router for bridged networking rather than using it as a separate router. Your upstairs network, if I understand your setup properly, is no on the same network as the one downstairs. But if the loft router is using bridged networking then it should simply be on whatever is brought upstairs by the Powerline Ethernet device. But I'm still not sure this will work since I'm not knowledgeable of the possible limitations of powerline ethernet devices. You still may not be able to connect to the printer from the loft.
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    For additional information: What happens if you connect the loft computer directly to the powerline device? Can you then connect to the downstairs printer? If so, then you know that how you are using the loft router is the problem. If you can't connect to the printer then you know the problem is with the powerline devices.

  • IPhone 5 won't connect to Airport Express extended network

    I've just bought a new Airport Express and have succesfully set it up to extend my exisiting network through the Time Capsule. Now when I'm in the area where i need to connect my iPhone 5 to the new airport express, I'm not seeing it in my wifi settings on the iPhone. My understanding was, the express would create a an extended wifi area that any device could connect to. Is this correct?

    It should but you probably have it in the wrong mode.. it is joining a wireless network not extending.
    Go back to the airport utility and change the setup of the express.. make sure it is extend not join.
    You may need to reset it to factory and start over.

  • AE cannot extend 802.1n 5GHz TC network after applying FW v7.4.1

    Hi,
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    Thanks and bets regards,
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    After messing with it for a couple of hours, I gave up and came here -- and of course realized I should have done this first. My AEX also won't extend or join by AEBS wireless network in Closed mode -- but only on the 5GHz band. It joins up to a Closed network just fine at 2.4GHz. (I've seen the other posts here about security, but does not seem to be an issue in my case -- works fine with any of those variables at WPA2.)
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  • Joining a wireless network

    Hi,
    I am trying to move from one set-up to another.
    In my current set-up, I have an airport extreme base station connected by ethernet cable to a modem. The base station creates my wireless network, and its hard drive contains my itunes music library. I also have an airport express in another room connected to my stereo, to play my itunes library.
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    So my desired set-up, which I have not been able to complete for reasons explained below, is as follows:
    1. Detach the ethernet connection between the base station and the modem.
    2. Set up the base station away from the modem, connected to the new hard drive and a printer.
    3. JOIN the new wireless network with the base station, and have it serve as a print server with attached storage.
    4. I don't want it to extend the network, because I don't need it to. And I don't want it thinning out my wifi signal.
    Here is my problem. When I try to change the settings of the (still ethernet connected) base station to "Join a wireless network," my new network does not display in the available networks list. All of my devices are on this network, so I know it works. The list includes many networks in the neighborhood, so it is not a signal strength issue. Also, the base station set itself to bridge mode when the new network, connected by ethernet, was created. If I unplug the ethernet cable to the base station, I lose access to it in airport utility.
    In addition, when I try to join the new network with the express, the network is not in the list either.
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    Thank you.
    Bill

    I have no wireless clients on the AEBS -- they are all on the new comcast network supplied by the modem/router, to which the AEBS is a bridge, connected by ethernet.
    You will find the laptop works better on the AEBS wireless generally.. that is why you still should use it.
    Access to the AEBS via the comcast is fine.. you are ethernet linked from the comcast to AEBS.. but you are losing the better wireless device. Apple stuff is deliberately created with slow speed on 2.4ghz.. anytime you can be near the AEBS and use 5ghz it is double the speed.. That does make a difference for copying files to a hard disk.. it also reduces the wireless load on the comcast. Remember wireless is single channel half duplex.. unable to handle more than one device at once. Ethernet is mulitchannel duplex. Far superior. But by splitting wireless loads you are helping both devices.
    Should I match the AEBS SSID and password to the comcast router SSID and password?
    Yes, I said it still applies to your situation.. even though you have mix of apple and non-apple router. Roaming network setup is way to go.
    All SSID should be short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric. Following the comcast is fine. Use WPA2 AES in that one = WPA2 Personal in the TC.
    Only difference as I said to the apple article is using fixed wireless channels. Since two devices set to auto is not imho a great idea.
    Create a wireless network is the only way wireless will work.. in this setup. If you extend or join you are back into hopping.
    Also, this KB article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1731 suggests that for my purposes, my express should join the network and not extend it since it is merely used to connect to my stereo for airtunes.
    That one is outside my "scientific" experiments.. use your own. This is a few minutes of adjusting settings. Extend is always as far as I can see the right way to go. Why join would be superior in this case, no idea. Try it.. old engineering method.. suck and see.
    My main concern throughout has been to minimize the signal loss that could occur through the existence of multiple routers on the network.
    Just use fixed wireless channels.. set to one of the three non-overlapping.. 1, 6, 11 and you can run three devices without issues.
    It seems that by connecting the AEBS by ethernet to the router (even though it creates a new, unused network), I won't lose signal.
    Correct because you set one to channel 6 and one to channel 11.. for example.
    It also seems from reading the internet that I will lose signal merely by having the express out there -- perhaps by keeping it in client mode it won't.
    I think you are not following .. there is no loss of signal.. the two devices are locked to each other. They have to be on the same channel to talk to each other.. but they cannot talk at the same time. And there is no information passed if they both listen at the same time. That means only one can talk.. the other listens. As soon as you introduce two wireless devices linked together.. if any device then connects wirelessly then you have double hop. It doesn't reduce the signal.. it halves the speed.
    Think in pictures..
    Internet
      |
    Router 1 (comcast channel 1) ---- wireless client.
      |
    Router 2 (AEBS channel 11) ---- wireless client.
    Router1 and Router2 can both handle a wireless client.. they can both send full wireless speed info to each wireless client at the same time. Because they are linked by ethernet there is no slow down.
    Now
    Internet
      |
    Router 1 (comcast channel 1) ---- wireless client1
                                                 ---- wireless client2
    Now you have two devices on the same wireless .. they share the bandwidth because wireless is not able to do multiple clients at once... it talks to wireless client 1 and then client 2.. each gets a time slice. Say 50% each so half the speed of example above.
    Now
    Internet
      |
    Router 1 (comcast channel 1) ---- wireless AEBS--- wireless client 1 and 2.
    Now you have two devices on the same wireless.. but the speed is half again. So 25% of the first case. Actually worse than that because wireless is inefficient at handling this scenario.
    There is no reduction in signal.. indeed you might do this setup to get good signal to a far location in the house. But every packet is now double handled.
    It goes like this..
    wireless 1 Tx packet to AEBS
    AEBS Tx packet to Comcast.
    Comcast Tx return ACK packet to AEBS.
    AEBS Tx return ACK packet to Client 1.
    Then wireless client 2 gets a turn.
    Same deal.

  • Ist it possible to extend a wifi network with sevral Airport Express's?

    Hi, I live in a house with 3 floors. My router and my timecapsule are located on the 2nd floor and I want to extend my network wirelessly to the first floor and the ground floor by adding several (2) Airport Express stations to my network. Is this possible?
    Basically like on the picture linked:
    https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g8mvrbgo4r38lzr/5uCsbQ5E2w?v=1mci
    Somehow it works brilliant but, once I add the second AE my MacBook won't sign into the second AE but will stay in the first. Resulting in just not extending my network.
    Thanks

    Somehow it works brilliant but, once I add the second AE my MacBook won't sign into the second AE but will stay in the first. Resulting in just not extending my network.
    That's because you can only wirelessly "extend" the network one time, not two.
    Apple's "extend" setup works like the hub and spokes of a wheel. The Time Capsule would be your hub. There can be multiple AirPort Express devices, but each Express resides at the end of a separate spoke...and it communicates directly to the hub....not to another device at the end of another spoke.
    The second extender is "joining" the network, but it provides no additional wireless signal coverage when it "joins".
    You will need to move the second AirPort Express closer to the Time Capsule.....to the point where the display indicates that both Express devices are connected to the Time Capsule.
    Another approach might be to move the Time Capsule to the central area on the 1st floor, then locate an AirPort Express above and below that area. That would work.
    If that is not possible, then you will need to think about a wired Ethernet connection from the AirPort Extreme to the location of the second AirPort Express.

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