Extended network slow until I restart Airport Extreme

Here's something that I can't figure out.
I've got an extended network at home. The cable modem is plugged into an Airport Express. I use an Airport Extreme in another room (my office) to extend the network. I have to plug the modem into the Express since the modem is no where near my office and need the Extreme is being used as a NAS server.
Network runs fine for a bit, then it just stops and will load some pages but not others. I found that if I restart the Extreme (the extender base station) it resolves for a bit and then the cycle repeats.
Any insights?

hey man,
I've got the same problem here. only I'm using 2 airport extremes. I reversed them a couple of times - but no luck. I thought the extender one might have been out of reach, so I moved it closer - but after a while speeds slow down, and I reboot the extender one, and things work again. I know I have a decent signal by the airport extreme that is extending the network, because when it's off I have 3 bars on my computer.
I don't have an answer - but I do have the same problem as you.

Similar Messages

  • Extending a network with Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme (via Belkin powerline)

    Hello -
    I've seen many topics about extending wireless networks here, but none seems to resolve the issue I'm having. I currently have a setup where a DSL cable modem is connected to a Time Capsule and I need to extend this network to another room using an AirPort Extreme.
    I live in a very old apartment in Brazil and the walls seem to block the signal from one room to another, hence the need to extend it. Since wireless signal is very weak between rooms, I bought a Belkin powerline AV500 so I could connect both Time Capsule and AirPort using the electrical power at home (just installing a regular Ethernet cable between rooms is not an option).
    I started with the basics: configure the Time Capsule + DSL as a standalone network, and it works perfectly within it's range. Then I connected the Belking powerline, plugged a MacBook via Ethernet on the other end and still got very good results (actually better speed than expected). Used it for a while with streaming and other network intensive tasks to make sure it could sustain the connection.
    Finally, pluggned the AirPort Extreme on the Belking powerline and this is where the problems started. AirPort Utility 6.3.1 only gives me the option of extending a network wirelessly - it doesn't seem to give me the option of extending it via Etherenet (roaming), which is not good in my case. Luckly I had a copy of AirPort Utility 5.6 which seems to do the job (or I thought so), but it's still not working well.
    Although I managed to configure both with the same name, it doesn't seem reliable and some devices (the iPhone 5, for example) are unable to connect and end up with a self-asigned IP address. I'm almost sure I'm doing something wrong on the setup, as I've seen a similar setup working before, so if anyone out there has any clue of what can be done, it will be much appreciated.
    Attached the screenshots of both Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme configurations.
    Thanks a lot,
    -TM
    AirPort Exteme:
    Time Capsule:

    Hello JuliaApple. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
    You have several ways to configure both base stations for what you are trying to do.
    The simplest would be to configure the Time Capsule (TC) to "join" (AirPort Utility > Manual Setup > Wireless tab > Wireless Mode = Join a wireless network) your existing 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn). In this type of configuration the TC would perform as any other wireless client and not perform as a router. It will; however, still allow for both backups and sharing USB devices attached to it.

  • How can I force my Second Generation Airport Extreme to use 2.4GHz when extending the network of my Fifth Generation Airport Extreme?

    Hi,
    Would be great if anyone can help.  I have setup my Second Generation Airport Extreme to extend the network of the Fifth Generation Airport Extreme.  The 2nd generation Airport extreme seems to automatically get set to use 5GHz vs 2.4GHz.  I would like to force it to use 2.4GHz so my older devices can connect to it.  Any help would be appreciated.
    Thanks,
    Mike.

    Enable the option to assign a different name to the 5 GHz network on your 5th Gen AirPort Extreme.
    Then, the 2nd Gen Extreme will only "see" the 2.4 GHz network, and extend that signal.
    If you are not sure how to do this, post back to tell us what operating system you are using on your computer so we will know what version of AirPort Utility you are using....so we can provide the correct steps for the setup.

  • Can an Airport Express be used to extend the range of an existing Airport  Extreme?

    I would like to extend the range of my existing Airport Extreme.   If I connect an Airport express to my existing network will it rebroadcast the WiFi signal and therefore exrtend the overall range?

    If I connect an Airport express to my existing network will it rebroadcast the WiFi signal and therefore exrtend the overall range?
    The AirPort Express 802.11n can do this if it is located where it can receive a strong signal from the AirPort Extreme in order to "extend" it.

  • Guest network feature of Time Capsule/Airport Extreme in conflict with DNS on OS X Server?

    Hi, I want use the guest network feature of Time Capsule/Airport Extreme which requires an external DNS server but my OS X Server is the dns server...Can I configure server and airport with an external dns without messing up my OS server?
    Thx Ron

    If you want to use the guest network while also using your server for DNS - you will need to do the following:  It's a bit painful - but it works.
    On your Airport Device (Airport Extreme or Time Capsule) - in the Internet tab you will need to do one of the following:
    1)  Leave the DNS Servers Blank - which they will default to the DNS servers provided by your ISP.
    2)  Actually enter your ISP's DNS servers.
    3)  Enter Open DNS servers (I use 208.67.222.222 / 208.67.220.220).
    The DNS servers specified in the airport device must be internet routable addresses (if you are going to use the guest network functionality) - and cannot refer to private ip address (e.g. 10.x.x.x, 192.168.x.x, etc).
    Here is the painful part...on all of the devices (Macs, PCs, phones, ipads - that will be used on your "private" network 10.0.1.x - you will need to provide static DNS setting (but still allow DHCP to assign the devices IP address).  You will specify 10.0.1.13 as primary DNS and 208.267.222.222 (or your ISP's primary DNS IP).
    One you do this - your devices that you permanently use on your local network - will still use your server for DNS - and the external DNS - should your DNS server happen to be down.
    Anyone visiting your house - will connect to your guest network - and automatically be DHCP assigned a guest IP address - and the external DNS servers that you specified in the Airport Extreme device.
    This has been working great for me.  I suspect that the guest network functionality is flawed in the Airport Extreme/Express and Time Capsule.  Since I do not have another router that provides a guest network - I cannot say whether this issues is limited to the Airport devices - or whether this workaround would need to be done - regardless of which brand of router is providing the guest network.
    In a nutshell - your household permanent devices will have to specify static DNS servers - but your guests will connect seamlessly without having to change and risk messing up any of their device settings.
    If this solution works for you - Please be sure to click either "This solved my problem" or "This helped me".

  • Slow Internet Speeds with Airport Extreme

    I am noticing a dramatic slow down with my Airport Extreme. However, I have noticed this is an intermittent issue. Here are the specs of what I am running:
    • Airport Extreme Base station that is plugged into a cable modem. The AEBS is routing the IP addresses.
    • Plugged into the AEBS is an 800mhz iMac that is hardwired in. No slow down is noted on this computer.
    • MacBook (Less than 2 months old) is connected to the AEBS wirelessly.
    • iPhone is connected to the AEBS wirelessly.
    Where I am having the problems is with the MacBook. I will have full signal strength and yet it takes for ever to load a page. Plus sometimes the connection will time out. As stated above this is an intermittent issue. Sometimes everything works fine, other times the connection has issues. All pieces of equipment are running the latest firmware. Does anyone have any suggestions to solve this issue?

    I would recommend changing the wireless channel of the Extreme.
    Open Airport Utility, and select Manual Setup. Note on the summary page what the channel is set to, most often it will be set to channel 6 (Automatic), but it could be anything between 1-11.
    Goto the Wireless tab and adjust the channel so it several channels apart from the current one. If it is on channel 6, I recommend channel 1 or 11.

  • I am trying to find the network security key for my airport extreme router

    I am trying to find the network security key for my airport extreme so I can hook up my pc lap top.

    I am afraid that the "key" will be of no use to you (it is 64 characters long).....but I hope I am wrong.
    Since you indicate that you are using an iPad, I assume that you are also using AirPort Utility on the iPad.
    On the iPad home screen, tap AirPort Utility
    Tap on the AirPort Extreme
    Tap on Edit
    Tap on Advanced
    Tap on Show Passwords
    Tap on Main Network and "key" will be revealed

  • Troubling extending wireless network with Time Capsule and Airport Extreme

    I am trying to set up and extend a wireless network in my house, but it’s not working right. I have two Airport/Capsule units in the house:
    2TB Time Capsule (Dual-Band II)
    1 Airport Extreme (Dual Band)
    I have the Verizon Fios router as my gateway to the internet, and also as my DHCP server. I have also tested the ethernet ports in my house to verify that they work, and that I can get a DHCP-issued IP address.
    Now, my Verizon router has WiFI, and it’s still on. I am not using it though except to troubleshoot. So far as I understand, this should not cause a problem.
    Base station setup
    So I setup the TC to Create A New Wireless Network, on the ethernet network it’s on (Dlink switch plugged into Verizon router). I set it up in Bridge Mode (as opposed to having it dole out IPs, since the Verizon router does this already). The TC gets a valid IP, and my wireless device connect to it without a problem. I have checked “Allow this network to be expanded” under Wireless settings.
    Extended station setup
    The AE Dual-Band is plugged into the Ethernet, and is reset to Factory Settings. I name it “Airport Extreme 2” and I chose “I want Airport Extreme to join my current network.” The other two options are: “I want to create a new wireless network” and “I want to replace and existing base station or wireless router with Airport Extreme.”
    I chose to “join,” I select “I want to connect Airport Extreme to my network using Ethernet to extend my existing wireless network.” The other options are to disable wireless entirely, or to “wirelessly join my current network.” On the next page it asks me to select the device or network that the Airport Extreme will connect to using the Ethernet. I set it to the Time Capsule.
    Results:
    Access near the Airport Extreme 2 is incredibly slow. Speedtest shows I am getting less than 1Mbps. Worse yet, my mail client won’t connect. It just times out.
    What I had hoped was that the AE would connect via Ethernet to the network, and just bring the wireless network to the other side of the house. Instead it almost seems as though it is just re-amplifying the TC’s signal. Otherwise, why is performance so bad?
    Thanks to anyone with some insight here!

    Hello Kennuff. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
    Since you have the ability to connect all of the routers by Ethernet, there is no need to configure the Time Capsule (TC) & 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) for a dynamic WDS (aka, extending a network). This option is only when the routers do NOT have an Ethernet connection between them.
    Instead, you want to configure the TC & AEBSn in a "roaming" network. I suggest starting by performing either a "hard" or "factory default" reset on both.
    Next be sure that both the TC & AEBSn are on the same Ethernet subnet coming from the Verizon-supplied router.
    Configure the TC & AEBSn as follows:
    AirPort Utility > Select the TC or AEBSn > Manual Setup > AirPort > Wireless
    o Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
    o Allow this network to be extended: <not checked>
    o Radio Mode: <leave the default or if you require a specific mode make sure both routers are configured the same>
    o Wireless Security: <configure both routers the same>
    AirPort Utility > Select the TC or AEBSn > Manual Setup > Internet > Internet Connection
    o Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)

  • Can you extend a wifi network using a 2nd wired Airport Extreme ?

    Hi
    my cable broadbank service enters one corner of my house via a router/modem that I have running in modem mode.
    I then have a ethernet cable to a new Airport Extreme (my primary router) next to it that I am using to create a Wifi network (with the same name for 2.4GHz and 5GHz)
    I need to get a strong a signal as possible to opposite corners of the house.
    At the moment I have a 2nd Airport Extreme (my secondary router) in the opposite corner of the house which Extends the network from the first router.
    This AE also has some devices in the same room connected to it by ethernet.
    Thise devices are getting very patchy internet service.
    I have speeds over 100Mbps available close to my primary router, and around 7 Mbps next to the secondary.
    I also have an unused ethernet cable running from the room with the primary router to a room near to the secondary router.
    My question:
    If I plugged my secondary router into that ethernet cable (into it's input socket) and the other end to the output of the primary router: would I be able to use the secondary router to extend the same Wifi network that the primary was broadcasting ? Or would I end up having to create a completely new network (and then worry about mobile devices switching between them when you move around the house).
    Followup question:
    If the idea above doesn't pan out - would I typically be better off stationing the secondary router in the middle of the house to extend the network range - or in a far corner as it currently is ?
    thanks in advance.
    Christian.

    If I plugged my secondary router into that ethernet cable (into it's input socket) and the other end to the output of the primary router: would I be able to use the secondary router to extend the same Wifi network that the primary was broadcasting ?
    Yes. Apple's set up wizard calls this "extend using Ethernet".  Since there is virtually no signal loss through the Ethernet cable, the second AirPort Extreme will receive a much faster signal to extend.
    If the idea above doesn't pan out - would I typically be better off stationing the secondary router in the middle of the house to extend the network range
    Yes.  As it stands, the wireless signal has really slowed down a great deal by the time that it reaches the far end of the house. And, the Extreme can only wirelessly extend the speed of signal that it receives from the "main" Extreme.  It can make the signal that it receives stronger, but it cannot make the signal go faster.
    So, locating the second Extreme about half way between the "main" Extreme and far end of the house would be the best compromise. The network speed will still slow by at least half when you do it this way, and any obstructions in the signal path will slow the signal even more.
    It is easy to see why extending using Ethernet.....if possible.....provides much better performance for the network.

  • Airport Express extending network needs to be restarted daily

    I'm having a really annoying problem with my Airport network. Here's the configuration:
    Den: Latest generation simultaneous Dual-Band Airport Extreme
    Living Room: older 802.11g Airport Express used only for AirPlay
    Office: older 802.11n Airport Express wired to the Airport Extreme via ethernet, extending network
    Hallway: 802.11n Airport Express wirelessly joining and extending network
    Bedroom: Latest generation simultaneous Dual-Band Airport Express wirelessly joining and extending network
    I have an older house which is not terribly big but the radio-opaque walls make it difficult to propogate wireless, thus the need for so many units.
    It all works pretty well except for my bedroom Airport Express (simultaneous Dual-Band). On a daily basis it will lose connection with the network or go so painfull slowly that it's pointless. The only solution is to do a reboot of the unit which works temporarily (good connection / good speeds) My son likes to watch Roku in our bedroom and that Roku uses the WiFi that the Airport Express should provide. Needless to say troubleshooting wifi when your 3 year old is crying because he can't get 30 seconds of streaming before the signal craps out is not fun. Anybody have any suggestions???

    "Hard reset" the bedroom Extreme to preclude the possibility that some corrupted internal parameter is limiting its performance. Consider doing that with all of them. They will subsequently need to be reconfigured.
    Configure the den Extreme to provide a unique name for its 5 GHz network, and ensure all the devices capable of using it are using it, and not 2.4 GHz. Find out what your Roku is capable of using.
    The key to solving problems, if your challenging requirements are solvable, is to start with as simple an installation as possible, then progressively add to it. Find out the maximum usable range of your den's Extreme in both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, then position any devices used to "wirelessly extend" its signal roughly half the distance to that Extreme - not a different base station. The ideal location for the Roku's Express may not necessarily be in the bedroom.
    Run speed tests each time and make sure you are not trying to "extend" a weak signal. "Extending" a weak signal makes it stronger, but no faster that what it receives.
    That's all you can do.
    ... I thought "N" networks minimized that problem.
    You're right about that.
    The thing is I get decent wireless reception in the bedroom WITHOUT the express plugged in.
    I wonder if those devices are really using the Express you think they are. That's the problem with multiple base stations. There are ways of addressing this question but not with the current AirPort Utility version.

  • Extremely slow file copying over airport extreme network

    Hi,
    I have an Airport Extreme Base Station (10/100) network, also connected to the internet. When copying files from my MacBook Pro to a USB drive connected to the base station, OR when copying files to another computer (a windows machine) the throughput maxes out at about 700 KB/sec which is 10 times slower than when copying to the USB drive connected directly to my MacBook Pro. Although I have updated everything to the latest and greatest versions, I still have very slow file copy speeds. It's always been this way. I've read dozens of threads for potential fixes but none of them have helped. I am using Activity Monitor to measure the throughput and also timing the copy of a 10GB file. At these speeds, that file takes 4 hours. Useless.
    My base station is within a few feet. I've tried different channels, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, getting rid of WPA, you name it. At first I thought it might be some issue with the USB drive connected to the base station, but copying to another computer on my network is the same. It is very frustrating.
    Any insights would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks. I thought about buying the TC but I'm worried that if my network is operating slowly, which it appears to be, that I'm not going to get the throughput. I also noticed that my windows machine which is on the same network accesses the internet faster as well. I'm wondering if it is something with my MacBook.
    BTW - I went to school in Pittsburgh. Great great town.

  • Extending wireless network from BoB modem using Airport Extreme

    Hi,
    I am using BoB with wired and wireless internet for my house.
    I recently got Airport Extreme but am having difficulties extending my wireless network.
    I have tried turning the WDS off and on the BoB as well as turning the AE to bridge mode etc.
    I have managed to set up 2 wirless networks using both but still unable to extend my wireless with BoB.
    Can you please help?
    YOGI_OZ12

    If you are trying to "extend" your wireless network....using a wireless connection to the AirPort Extreme.....it might be helpful to understand that an AirPort Extreme can only do this if you have another AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express or Time Capsule producing the wireless signal.
    Apple routers cannot "extend a wireless network"....using wireless only....from non-Apple routers.

  • Will signal strength or internet speed suffer when using a Generation 1 Time Capsule and wireless extending a network with a Generation 5 Airport Extreme

    I have a wireless network in my home and I have a Time Capsule 1st generation and a Airport Extreme 5th Generation, will this cause my internet to be slow or have glitches with signal strength?

    We've gone over this in the other thread.
    If the Time Capsule will be connecting using wireless only, everything depends on the quality of the connection between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule.
    The quality of the connection will be affected by the distance that the Time Capsule is located from the AirPort Extreme and any obstructions in the signal path.
    If you have a ceiling between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, then you should expect the signal arriving at the Time Capsule to have lost 30-40% of its bandwidth (speed). So, the Time Capsule can only repeat the weaker signal that it receives.
    Other walls or other obstructions like heavy furniture, large mirrors, etc will also affect the wireless signal as well as cordless phones and other wireless networks around you.
    If you are lucky enough to have line-of-sight between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, then the wireless connection between those devices can work quite well. Few of us have this luxury, and must settle for significant compromises in performance.
    If the wireless connection between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule does the job for you reliably, then you can leave things as is.  If you are not getting the reliable performance that you need, then you will need to establish a wired Ethernet connection between the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule.
    As you might imagine, there is virtually no signal loss in a wire, even up to 300+ feet or 100 meters.

  • How to use the airport express to extend the range of an existing airport extreme wireless network?

    The instruction manual says nothing on the topic, so maybe it is not possible. The only reason I think it is possible is that two different Apple reps told my girlfriend it was possible. Now we have one, and no clue how to proceed.
    We have an Airport Extreme, but its range is maximum 30 feet. We would like to double that. What do we do with the Airport Express? (We cannot move the modem nor the Airport Extreme. What we are trying to do has nothing to do with speakers, iTunes, or printers.)
    thanks
    Paul

    Are both the Extreme and Express 802.11n models? If so, check out this AirPort Support article; if one or both are 802.11g models, check out this article instead.

  • Setting up network with newer and older AirPort Extremes

    Okay, I thought this was going to be so simple. I have a newer (like a year old - square) Airport Extreme that I have three computers wirelessly hooked up to in the house. Great... so now, I want to hook up the old iMac in my son's room that doesn't have a wireless card to the network. It is too far away to use the ethernet cable into the back of my newer Airport Extreme station so I figured I'd dust off the old saucer type base station, plug the ethernet cable into that in my son's room and then just easily get the old base station to network with the newer one wirelessly.
    Not so easy. The newer one has no reference how to make a network with other base stations whatsoever and the old book describes how to with the Airport Admin Utility which is not available to the newer version, just Airport Utility and it does not have the WDA options listed. I tried to extend the network and then Doh! The whole network disappeared.
    Is this a compatibility issue with the older and newer base stations? Would it just be easier to put in a wireless card to my very old iMac, if that's even possible? Has anyone successfully networked an old and new base station together? If so how?
    Thanks!

    Welcome to the discussions!
    When you have an older "g" device (the flying saucer) and a newer "n" device (the square one) in order for them to communicate using wireless only, you must configure both of them in what is known as WDS configuration.
    This is a quite tricky setup for most users. The best set of instructions that I've seen for this comes from expert user Tesserax in this thread:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2355832&tstart=0
    If you elect to try this type of setup, you will probably need to hold down the option key on your Mac while you click on the Wireless Mode selection box to get the WDS option to appear. (My guess here is that Apple "hides" it because it slows down the network substantially). But, it's the only way to do what you want to accomplish with and old and new device.
    Other options would include the wireless card you mentioned for the iMac. Even better might be a pair of ethernet powerline adapters. One adapter goes near the AirPort Extreme and the other near the iMac. The AC wiring in your home transmits the ethernet signal of the powerline. Works great, almost no configuration required and better than wireless in many cases.

Maybe you are looking for