Extend wifi network via PLC + Airport express

Hi everyone,
I have a linksys WRT54G and an Airport Express. I'm using the WRT54G to create a wifi network (toto), and the AE is too far away to get the WR54G signal.
I want to connect the WRT54G to the AE via PLC to extend the toto network, but when I try to select "extend a wireless network" in the airport utility, it says "the network you selected cant be extended..."
Ideally I don't want do have 2 wifi networks... And I think WDS is not what I want to do.
Do you know what settings do I have to use ?
Many thanks !!!!!
Message was edited by: dathieums

Hello dathieums. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
The following are a few articles that you can find in both these Discussions and on the Internet where users have been successful extending the this Linksys wireless router with an AirPort Express Base Station (AX), that you may find helpful in configuring yours:
o How to extend your Linksys WRT54G with AE
o Linksys WRT54G and WDS
o Extend a Linksys WRT54G network via AirPort Express
o Linksys WRT54G, Airport Express, and WDS
o AirTunes, AirPort Express, and the WRT54G

Similar Messages

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.

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.

How do I extend the range of my existing Belkin WiFi network with an Airport Express Gen 2?

It is my understanding that the second generation of the Airport Express can be used to extend an existing non-Apple WiFi network. From all I read, it was very difficult to do with the Gen 1 Airport Express, but I don't find anyone referencing the Gen 2. My router is a Belkin Share F7D3302 V1 (updated to current firmware as of yesterday). I am able to attach to the Belkin network and stream music to my home theater, but would also like to extend my WiFi. Any help is appreciated.

It is my understanding that the second generation of the Airport Express can be used to extend an existing non-Apple WiFi network.
Not sure where this information has come from....and it would be extremely surprising if this were true. Do you have a link to an official announcement from Apple that would confirm this?
As far as we know, Apple's "extend" setting remains a proprietary feature that is designed to work only with other Apple routers. The "new" Express appears to carry on that tradition.
As such, it would be very unlikely that any of the Apple routers would be compatible with a Belkin product....or any other manufacturer's product for that matter.....if you are thinking of extending using wireless only.
If you figure out how to do this.....it will be a breakthrough of major proportions. Please let us know if you are successful.

Trouble extending my wireless network via (4) Airport Express'

I am having difficulty extending my wireless network - I have a Airport Extreme as the base station - I was hoping to daisy chain the express devices throughout the home but I'm losing signal strength as I get further away from the base... is it possible to link each device so that i can have one network running with multiple Airport Express' wirelessly? Any help you can provide would be appreciated...
Thanks
Steve

If you have the newer AirPort Extreme 802.11n and newer AirPort Express 802.11n devices, it is not possible to "daisy chain" the AirPort Express devices. That's because each AirPort Express communicates directly to the "main" AirPort Extreme....not to another AirPort Express.
The "extend" setup is like the hub and spokes of a wheel. Your AirPort Exrreme is the "hub" and each AirPort Express resides at the end of a "spoke".
The "best" way to extend any wireless network is to run Ethernet cabling to the location of each AirPort Express. If it is not possible to run the Ethernet cable, your next option would be Ethernet power line adapters to send an Ethernet signal over the AC power lines in your home.

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.

I have an old Airport Express I want to use to extend WiFI (which is best Airport Express or Extreme) and to have a HD for storing Itunes connected to the old Airport as well. I would also like to have the new Airport hardwired to my Mac (desktop)

I am willing to buy a new Airport Express or Extreme so I can get at least one LAN port - but only if I can use that LAN port to connect to my MAC (desktop) so it doenst have to get internet via the WiFi- AND so I can set it up as its own hot spot. I think I saw that was possible?? That way my guest network would be separate from my home Network. Just trying to get the best layout. I have cable modem to old Airport now and USB from it to printer.
Maybe a new Airport - again USB to printer and LAN to MAC(?) then old Airport elsewhere in the house to extend the signal and use USB off it to hard drive to store Itunes? Would LOVE to have it there to use for Airplay etc- Is that possible- I have read many comments and still not sure if it is possible or not.
Baxically I need a simple solution to storing all my photos- music and movies (MAC only has 500GB) AND have a great back up; Currently have a 1TB drive as Time Machine - so could use that for back up- but running out of space on MAC for all the media I am saving. THANKS!!

You are asking several different questions. If you need to store your photos, music, and movies on an external volume, you certainly can. Any externally connected hard disk drive will work, connected either directly to your Mac or to your Time Capsule as a shared volume.
You should not rely upon using that as a backup device though. Although you certainly may use it for both purposes, it is a better idea to have dedicated backup devices for a variety of reasons not limited to redundancy. You would not want to simultaneously lose all your pictures as well as your backup. If they are all on the same device, that could happen. Furthermore, a backup cannot back up the volume on which it is running.
As for adding an Extreme or Express, using its LAN port for your iMac, and then enable Internet sharing so you can effectively use the iMac as a "hotspot", you can do that too, but I am unclear on what benefit you believe this arrangement would convey for you.
An Extreme's Guest network is separate from its Main network; that is the reason for having it.

Extending an Network Using Powerlines & Airport Express

Apologies for the rather long winded question - however I am hoping that there is a fairly simple response.
I have just moved into a new house with very thick walls. The wifi signal (from a BT HomeHub (2??)) router makes it around the majority of the house - except the dining room where we plan on using the macbook the most.
I thought i could solve this problem by buying a Belkin Powerline and an Airport Express. The ultimate aim is to use the Airport Express both as Airtunes device and also as a device to extend the wireless network in the dining room.
My current set up therefore is the phone line connected to the BT router; router connected to the powerline socket via an ethernet cable. In my dining room (where there is no wireless signal) I have the other powerline socket connected to my Airport Express. Having gone through the set up process, Airtunes works well, broadcasting from the mac to my stereo via Airtunes. However it is clear that i am unable to connect to the internet using the mac in my dining room - suggesting that the Airport express is not extending the wifi signal (if i plug the macbook into the powerline socket directly using the ethernet cable then the internet works fine).
My question therefore is, given the above device set up, how can do i set up my Airport Express so that I can connect to the internet AND use Airtunes in a room that is outside the range of the BT base station, but is connected to the internet via a Powerline?? Ideally the wi-fi signal provided by the Airport Express would be the same as provided by the BT Box so that I can wander round the house picking up whichever source is the strongest. Is this possible??
thanks in advance and apologies again for the long winded question!
many thanks
Paul

Hi can someone help me please....... I am new to this and as such couldnt even find out how to post a new thread..... sorry i am not into IT thats why I buy apple cos I dont normally have to think : )
Here is my issue. I ahve just moved back to the UK and into my old house, I have a BT homehub installed as they were easiest and fastest to get online with, the airpot in my Imac works fine with it and within twenty feet everything esle connects fine too, my issue is my apple tv simply cannot find the network, I have tried extending the range with everything, Belkin etc and then someone suggested airport express. Nothing seems to work but at least airport express tells you why and apparently the why is because my homehub will not let its network be extended ? BT now tell me that this is true !!!! now I am stuck in a contract with BT with a homehub that doesnt reach my apple tv that cannot be extended by airport express ? is this really true or can someone help me please, please . I have read the post above and just want to know if the airport express needs to remain pluggedinto the router via ethernet ?? if so it is unlikely I can have the airport express unit much more than a few feet away from the homehub and if so how will this increase the overall range of the network ? over the existing home hub ? frustratingly my apple tv etc is the furthest possible point away from the hub and with several thick stone walls in the way which is obviously why I am having issues ? making the airport express a repeater in a mid point would be ideal but apparently this is not possible ?

Best configuration to extend wifi with Time Capsule & Airport Express

In my house I have a Fritzbox wifi router on the ground floor as my primary internet access. I have an ethernet cable going to the 3rd floor study where the Fritzbox signal is relatively weak. I purchased a Time Capsule as a backup device, but also wanted to extend the Fritzbox wifi network by plugging the ethernet cable in to the TC. I was not successful in extending the network, so I had to create a new network. When moving from downstairs to upstairs, my iphone keeps the connection to the (now weak) wifi network and I have to manually change to the (stronger) TC wifi network.
Additionally, I used to be able to successfully extend the downstairs wifi using my Airport Express (and also managed to have my speakers plugged into this for wireless usage), but do not want to additionally complicate my set-up.
So, what is the best way to connect the following equipment, ideally with the same network name, to ensure I always use the strongrst signal automatically:
Third floor:          iMac,    Macbook,   Time Capsule, Airport Express
          Ethernet cable from ground floor to 3rd floor
Ground floor:     Fritzbox wifi connected to internet

You must configure the Bridge Mode setting as the very last step before you Update the settings, otherwise the setting will change automatically.
In other words, you can change the setting to Bridge Mode, but if you make any other changes before you click Update, the Bridge Mode setting will not take effect.
Or, if you see any error messages about DHCP conflicts or Double NAT....the AirPort is not in Bridge Mode...even though you might think it is. Check the settings again.
will I still be able to set up an additional 5GHz network in parallel?
Yes

Extend wireless network with multiple airport express and netgear powerline

I currently have the following network configuration:
1. Using ATT u-verse (2-wire 3800HGV-B "modem") to internet
2. Disabled the u-verse modem wireless router, and have connected an Apple Time Capsule wireless router (on a DMZ)
3. Have four Netgear XAVB5001 powerline adapters connected to the time capsule (for our iMac desktops and the Apple TV)
4. Have an Airport Express wirelessly connected to the time capsule to extend range (for our iPhones and iPad)
All this is currently working. What I would like to do is the following, keeping 1-3 above the same:
4. Connect the airport express to the time capsule via Netgear XAVB5101 powerline adapter (instead of wirelessly connecting to the time capsule as it is today) and use it to extend the wireless range of the time capsule
5. Add ANOTHER airport express to the time capsule via powerline adapter (and extend the wireless range elsewhere in the house).
Does anyone have any experience with this kind of setup and can assure that it would work? (I'm trying to decide whether to spring for a couple more powerline adapters and another airport express)
Thanks in advance!
Dave

I had a VERY similar problem: I was trying to extend my wireless network using a hardwired ethernet connection from Airport Extreme to my Time Capsule. Every time I plugged in the wire to the TC, everything disappeared. Unplugged, and boom. Came back.
Here's how I solved it:
Go into Airport Utility and select the unit you are trying to use as a wireless extender and choose to edit it. Then, on the wireless tab select CREATE a wireless network. But, give it the exact same name and password. This is completely counter-intuitive. You would think to choose EXTEND, but this would be wrong. Next choose the network tab. And, select Router mode to Bridge (off).
By choosing the same name and password, your phone, laptop, etc. will think it's on the same network and move seamlessly from one to the other.
See if this fixes your issue. Fixed mine instantly. AND, it only took 3 painstaking hours of checking ethernet connections and rewiring jacks, etc. to figure it out. LOL

Extending a network with 2x Airport Express

I tried searching and couldn't find any discussions which answered my question. We have a home office which was just completed (an actual, separate structure, not just a room) and I need to connect it to the main house where our Internet connection comes in. What I'm trying to do is use an Airport Express (802.11n), which wirelessly connects to the main router, an Airport Extreme (802.11n, 2nd gen.). This Airport Express is then connected via Cat5e cable and a gigabit switch (it's a pretty long run) to another Airport Express (802.11n). This second Airport Express will then reconvert the connection to wireless and allow us to connect our devices in the office to the rest of the network and get access to the Internet.
Here's a crappy diagram I drew in Paint: http://i.imgur.com/5KrhX.png
When I first connected the second Airport Extreme in the office, I got a pop-up showing the new device in Airport Utility. However, no matter how I configure it, I cannot successfully get it to join the network properly. I've gone through the process multiple times, but am not having any luck. I've attempted to get it to "join my existing network" and then specify to connect via Ethernet and extend my network, and then tell it which device (the first Airport Extreme) it's connected to via Ethernet. Once I try to commit the changes, though, the device restarts and ends up with a blinking orange light, disappearing entirely from the list of devices in Airport Utility.
I've checked and the Airport Extreme is set up to allow devices to extend the network, and I've tried setting the first Airport Express to both "Join my wireless network" and "Extend my wireless network," though neither seems to make a difference.
Am I missing something, or trying something that won't work? Any ideas?
Thanks!

When I first connected the second Airport Extreme in the office, I got a pop-up showing the new device in Airport Utility. However, no matter how I configure it, I cannot successfully get it to join the network properly. I've gone through the process multiple times, but am not having any luck. I've attempted to get it to "join my existing network" and then specify to connect via Ethernet and extend my network, and then tell it which device (the first Airport Extreme) it's connected to via Ethernet.
You have two choices with AirPort Express #1:
Configure the AX as a wireless Ethernet bridge. Apple calls this configuration a ProxySTA. In this configuration, the AX would join the wireless network provided by the AirPort Extreme, and then, share this connection out it Ethernet port to the Ethernet switch.
Configure the AX to extend the wireless network of the AirPort Extreme. This would also enable the base station's Ethernet port.
Of the two, I would recommend the first option.
To configure the AX as a ProxySTA, you need just to make the following two setting changes:
Wireless Mode = Join a wireless network
Allow Ethernet clients (enabled)
Both of these settings are on the Wireless tab in the AirPort Utility.

Extending wireless network w/old airport express

I'm trying to extend my wireless network that uses a new airport express with an older model airport express. Is this something I can do? How?

Bob thanks for the reply.
In short, the reason I am looking for this is that i have recently purchased a B&w zeppelin air for my summer house which is about 50-60 feet from my router. When in the summer house i can get wifi coverage on my iphone 4 and all ipads both 1&2 but the airplay drops on the zeppelin air. Is it possible to have the airport express setup as an alternative wireless and plug it in my summer house and have the zeppelin air airplaying from the express. I know it sounds complicated but just wondering what the alternatives are.

Extend wifi range with 2 airport express

I currently have an airport express on my main floor for wifi, can I add another airport express on 2nd floor to extend the wifi range if both of them are connected to a wired ethernet switch?

Yes. If you are using AirPort Utility 6.x on a Mac or AirPort Utility on an iPhone or iPad, the setup is a breeze, and will take about 2 minutes.

Devices not connecting to the "extended wifi" (i.e. Airport Express)

Hi,
Let me quickly describe my network setup. Attached to a Motorola cable modem (TWC) is an Airport Extreme (upstairs), firmware 7.6.4, to create a wireless network. Then, downstairs, to extend the network I have 3 Airport Express' (same firmware), all set to "Extend a wireless network". I should also add that while I don't exactly know when they were manufactured, my Airport Extreme is the dual-band version, and I believe so are all my Airport Extremes. I juse Airport Utility 6.3.2. All seems to be working just fine - all green lines, no warnings or errors.
When I look at my different devices and check which Airport they are connected to - I use the Airport Utility to check - here's what I find:
- Connected to the Airport Extreme are a total 7 devices, including a Mac, iPhone 4S, iPad and (cough) an Android tablet;
- Connected to the first Airport Express are 2 devices - another iPad and an Apple TV
- Connected to the other 2 Airport Expresses are connected... nothing.
Here's the thing: some of my devices get a pretty lousy signal (e.g. my phone downstairs). I would expect them to connect to one of the Airport Express downstairs - hey, I'm even in the same room! But even if I shut down and reboot the phone, it will connect to the Airport Express upstairs (which yield a weak signal). Same for my Macbook. So my internet on some devices is really quite slow, despite having enough wireless devices to power a whole neighborhood....
Any idea what could be behind this? Or is this "normal behavior"? As said, everything is working without error, I just suspect that the speed is suffering more than it should.
Thoughts, help or comments would be appreciated,
Phili

Yes, it is cumbersone over the internet.
What version of Airport Express units do you have ?
The 1st generation "n" or the newer 2nd generation that is the current model ?
1st generation
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB321LL/A/refurbished-airport-express-base-sta tion-with-80211n-and-airtunes
2nd generation
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC414LL/A/airport-express-base-station-june-20 12
The 1st generation is NOT simultaneous Dual band. It will only do 2.4 or 5 GHz at a time.
I went through this before with my older versions. (not the old 'g' version though at this time)
Some of my devices would only connect to the main base station because they wanted 2.4 GHz but that band on the Express was already being used by a 5 GHz device.
A few weeks ago I finally replaced the 'n' version with the newest version which has "Simultaneous" dual bands.
Now everything works the way I want it to.
Just throwing some ideas out for you to think about.

Extend wifi network via PLC + Airport express

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