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

Similar Messages

Wireless network issues w Airport Express and Belkins Powerline HD

Hi,
I have a new Airport Extreme and the wireless network generally works great with my iPad and Sony Vaio, but there are wireless deadspots in my house when using my MacBook, and the wifi signal will die out often for it in those spots. I'm guessing it's because my MacBook is old with only a a/b/g wireless capabilities. I tried extending my network using Airport Express in the deadspots, but it did nothing to strengthen the signal (i.e., since it ended up extending the weak signal).
So, I bought a Belkin's Powerline HD (gigabit), connected one Powerline receiver to the Airport Extreme using ethernet and plugged it into the wall outlet. I plugged in the other Powerline receiver into the wall outlet in the separate room with the deadspot, and I connected my the Airport Express to it directly using ethernet and am having no luck getting the Airport Express create/extend my current wifi network (i tried creating a new network too, but no luck). I know the Powerline does work because when I connect my MacBook to it using ethernet (i.e, not using Airport Express), I have no problems connecting to the internet. But I would really like to create/extend a wireless network in the deadspots of the house for my MacBook so I don't have to use the ethernet cable.
In the Airport Utilities, I set up the Airport Express to connect to Airport Extreme using ethernet and extend the current wireless network (also tried creating a new network). I got as far as getting a successful set-up confirmation and a green light on the Express base unit and can get full bars on the MacBook. But when I try to connect to the internet, I get an error message saying that there is no internet connection. (Same error when I created a new wireless network.) The diagnostic says there is no ISP signal/connection, which leads me to believe that the Express is not connecting to the internet through Airport Extreme. What am I missing? Thanks in advance!

HI, I don't know very much about Airport Express or indeed Apple products in general. However, I do use Belkin 200mbps powerline adapters.
I have used these adapters in two separate ways. 1) device to router; 2) additional wireless access point to router
In the first situation they work perfectly fine and the connection is fast and reliable for anything I care to throw at it (file transfers, audio / video streaming, internet browsing). However, in the second situation the connection drops intermittently. I will have access to the main router via the access point over powerline for all devices, then suddenly this will just stop. To restart it I have to remove the powerline from the mains, wait about ten seconds, plug back in, let it boot up and reconnect and I'm connected again.
Having read more (sorry I don't have the links to hand), it appears that powerline adapters can handle one-to-one traffic fine, but when bridging a wireless access point where several wireless clients are transmitting / receiving, they 'lock up' and just stop. Even when connected in this configuration, streams tend to stutter and my squeezebox devices get totally out of synch.
Given I know very little about Airport Express (i conceded as much at the top of this post), is it fair to assume that a belkin powerline connected to the 'Express' would closer match with scenario 2 in my above description? If so, I'm afraid I don't believe Belkin Powerline will be a suitable solution for you. Hope my experience saves you the days of head-scratching I went through before removing powerline devices (incidentally, I bought a wireless repeater to solve my problem in the end, and put the powerline adapters to good use by connecting my media player (under the TV) to the main router directly).

Extending wireless network with an aiport express

I have a netgear wireless router set up in my house on the second floor, but my room being located on the first floor i get a poor signal so i bought an airport express to extend my network. i tried going through the aiport exress setup assistant but that wouldnt work, so i ended up hooking it to my netgear router on the second floor to set it up in airport admin utility and then brought it back down to the first floor. my itunes worked with the speakers for about.. ten seconds then stopped. and my signal is just as weak as before.. any suggestions?

Unfortunately, it is simply not possible to use an Airport Express to wirelessly "extend" the wireless range of any model of Netgear wireless router. Netgear's wireless routers do not support Apple's implementation of a wireless distribution system (WDS), which is a necessary requirement for setting up an extended wireless network with the Airport Express. And no - it doesn't work the other way around either (Airport Express as base station, Netgear wireless router to "extend").
It sounds like you did successfully configure your Airport Express to "join" your existing wireless network - which will allow you to print and stream iTunes to the Airport Express. The problems you are having with Airtunes "hanging" on your Mac are almost certainly due to the poor wireless signal quality problem that you are already aware of.

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?

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?

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 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 to extend range of my wireless network with an Airport Express connected by ethernet with Airport Utility 6.0

Hi everyone,
I have AirPort Express 802.11n (1st Gen) firmware 7.6.1, that is connected to my main wifi base station (a TimeCapsule) by ethernet. I would like to extend the range of the Wifi Network but am not clear on how to do so using the new interface of Airport Utlity 6.0.
Does anyone have any tips on how to do this?
BR
AK

Hi Everyone!
Many thanks for the tips. I have downloaded 5.6 and have set my Airport Express in the "Extend a wireless network" mode. I was still having a few problems with the quality of the wifi connection in different parts of my apartment (by no means a very large one, but walls seem to be made of extra dense concrete here in Singapore) and went out and bought a few powerline adapters by TP Link (http://www.tp-link.sg/products/details/?categoryid=1862&model=TL-PA211#spec).
If you don't mind a slightly long post, I would be very grateful for any tips:
My setup is now as follows:
Main room
Time Capsule - connected to a Cisco DPC3925 Modem (http://www.cisco.com/web/consumer/support/modem_DPC3925.html) both connected to a TP Link adapter 1.
iMac - connected via Ethernet to TP Link adapter 2 and wifi enabled
Airport Express 1 - connected by Ethernet to TimeCapsule (and thus TP Link adapter 1) used to stream audio to a stereo that doesn't have an optical cable input. Since it is an Ethernet connection, I have wifi turned off.
Apple TV 1 - connected by Ethernet to TimeCapsule (and thus TP Link adapter 1)
Bedroom A
Airport Express 2 - connected via ethernet to TP Link adapter 3
Bedroom B -
Apple TV 2 - connected by Ethernet to a TP Link adapter 4
After following the tips on setting up the extended wifi network, I find that when I use a wireless client (e.g. iPad, Macbook air, etc) in either Bedroom B or Bedroom C (both don't have wifi in the room) the connection is very poor. Even more odd is that the connection in Bedroom A, one that does have Airport Express 2. To be clear when I mean very poor, I mean Skype/facetime skips frames and freezes... this doesn't happen when I am in the main living area.
I would be very grateful for tips on how to set up the most robust network given the configuration above. Specifically, I am wondering about:
When I select Extend a wireless network option on Airport Utility 5.6 the summary page states that it is connecting using "Wireless Network" vs what I would expect it to say "Ethernet connection".
Is there any advice on whether to enable 5Ghz network and if so, should I try to use that for the various wifi clients?
Does anyone know if I can somehow use Apple products to extend the reach of the Cisco DPC3925? Frustratingly the signal is quite strong (compared to Apple routers), but I cannot properly stream audio/video if that wifi network is used (as my iMac that hosts the content is on the Apple one... and I'd have to walk over to switch it to the Cisco one).
Any other tips would be much appreciated!
Cheers!
AK

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.

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.

Airport Express and Netgear powerline extender

I use my Airport Express for airtunes only on my wireless router. (It's a Netgear Rangemax WPN824). The station is in range of my wireless router and has worked fine to date.
I recently bought a powerline extender for my network (a Netgear WGX102). I put the extender in the area of my apartment that was out of range of my router. It is, however, in the same room as the Airport Express. In other words, the Airport Express is in range of both my wireless rounter and the powerline extender.
What happens is that the airport express station drops off the network when I have the powerline extender working and/or the extender doesn't work when Airport Express is.
Ideally they would work together so that I could be online and stream music. I can't seem to make it happen.
I've tried excluding the Airport Express from accessing the extender by limiting access to just the PC's, but that didn't make a difference.
Clearly there is some conflict but I don't know how to resolve it.
Unfortunately my router does not seem to support WDS, which would mean I could use my Airport Express as a bridge. (Or at least Netgear says it isn't and I'm not technically savvy enough to hack it if in fact it is.)
Is there anything I can do?
Windows XP Pro

I would like to understand why you need to set up the AEX as "create a wireless network" instead of "extend a wireless network".
"Extend a wireless network" is used only if the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express are communicating together using wireless only...not Ethernet.
"Create a wireless network" is used only if the AirPort device has an Ethernet connection....which it does in the type of setup that you have.
It just seems counter intuitive to me and I'm trying to get smarter about the whole networking thing.
All the info about all the different types of ways to provide additional wireless coverage is contained in this Apple document. It's on the main forum page, but users tend to either ignore it, or perhaps miss it.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145

I have an airport extreme and am trying to extend the range of the wireless network with an airport express. I set it up with the help of apple support, both lights are green on both airports, but the range didn't change. What could be wrong?

I am trying to extend the range of my wireless network by adding an airport express to an airport extreme. I configured it with the help of apple support, but it hasn't changed the range that I can access the internet wirelessly in my house. What could be the problem? Does weather affect the wireless network??

So, on the Extreme you checked the box to "allow this network to be extened" ?
Correct?
And on the Express, you set it up to "Extend a wireless network" ?
Correct?
See this Apple article and see if you missed anything...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145
To learn about other options for expanding your Wi-Fi base station wireless network and things you should consider before expanding your network, click here.
Set up: Components of an extended network
➊ Primary Wi-Fi base station (this is the base station connected directly to the Internet)
➋ Extended base station
Configuring a wireless extended network
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.

Having trouble with extending an Apple wireless network with a AirPort Express

Trying to extend the range of my AirExtreme with a AirExpress:
I get stuck when the AirPort Utility ask is I'm sure I want to switch networks. if I select switch I loose the AirExtreme. If I select don't switch it take me back to the beginning. Any help will be appreciated.

You have to "switch" networks to be able to pick up the signal from the Express and configure it with new settings.
Once the Express is configured it will become part your existing network when you see a green light.
Then, switch back to your regular wireless network on your Mac and everything will be on the same network

Extending airport express wireless network with another airport express

I am trying to set up another airport express to my existing airport express at home so I can extend the wireless range and also to connect my printer (to my second airport express) so I can have a shared wireless printer. Is this possible? If so, can someone assist me on how to set this up?
Thanks.

Try the following ...
AirPort Express Base Station (AX) - WDS Setup
"Factory Reset" the AX base stations
o (ref: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108044)
(Note: To facilitate setting up the base stations, place them in near proximity of each other during the setup phase. Also record the Apple IDs of each base station that will included in the WDS as these will be required during setup.)
Main Base Station Setup
(Note: The AX connected to the Internet will be assumed to be the main base station in the WDS.)
Either connect to the AX's wireless network or by temporarily connecting directly, using an Ethernet cable, to the Ethernet port of the AX, and then use the AirPort Admin Utility to make the following settings.
WDS Tab
1. Enable this base station as a WDS: main base station (checked)
2. Allow wireless clients on this base station (checked)
3. Click "+" to add Remote/Relay Base Stations.
3a. Select the Base Station that you want to be the WDS Remote/Relay.
3b. AirPort ID: <verify that this is the correct MAC address for the Base Station you are adding as a Remote/Relay.>
3c. Auto configure as a WDS remote base station (checked)
3d. Click "OK."
4. Verify that the Remote/Relay Base Station has been added to the list.
5. Click "Update," and then verify the settings for the Remote/Relay.
5a. Allow wireless clients on this base station (checked)
5b. New network name: <verify that this is the same as the network name as the main base station>
5c. TCP/IP: Configure using DHCP
5d. Base Station Password: <the Remote/Relay Base Station password>
5e. Confirm: <same as previous step>
5f. Click "OK."

Extend wireless network with multiple airport express and netgear powerline

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