Extending a network with Airport Express 802.11n-2.4 or 5.0GHz?

I've just ordered an AirPort Express N to extend the network of my AirPort Extreme (Gigabit) and run AirTunes. It'll be connected to the router by Ethernet.
My question is this: can I run the Express at 2.4GHz (802.11b/g/n) while I run the Extreme at 5.0GHz (802.11n only), even though they're on the same network? I've got a couple of 802.11g machines (my old iBook and my iPhone, for two), so I need to keep backward-compatibility, but I'd love for the 802.11n machines (my iMac, and my wife's Mac Book) to connect at the higher speed. Can you extend a network on different frequencies?
Message was edited by: David Kudler

My question is this: can I run the Express at 2.4GHz (802.11b/g/n) while I run the Extreme at 5.0GHz (802.11n only), even though they're on the same network?
No, not while they are in a WDS. If you want to operate wireless networks in both radio bands, you would need to configure the base stations in a "dual band" network.
Setting up a "dual band" network is described in the Designing AirPort Networks document, starting on page 48.

Similar Messages

  • Does airport extreme 802.11a/c work with airport express 802.11n

    does airport extreme 802.11a/c work with airport express 802.11n

    "You can use the AirPort Express to extend the signal provided by the new AirPort, but the Express will not extend "ac" wireless since it does not have that capability. The Express will extend an "n" wireless signal if that helps."
    This is what I am trying to understand.
    So AXTRM w/ sep SSID for 2.4 (b/g/n) - call it SSID1 - and 5GHz (ac) call it SSID2 - WiFi Explorer confirms AC mode on 5G.
    Using an AXPRESS to extend - I have the option of SSID1 b/g/n *and* the 5GHz ac SSID2 in the pulldown (it sees both?) --> if I select SSID1, it also extends this same SSID in 5GHz (both showing b/g/n) >> so I now have 3 signals on SSID1 (XTRM 2.4G, XPRS 2.4G and XPRS 5G) b/g/n and one signal on SSID2 (XTRM 5G AC) ac
    If I select the 5Ghz ac SSID2 to extend - it prompts me "do you also want to extend (the 2.4GHz SSID1)?" --> select yes and I now have 2 signals for SSID (XTRM 2.4G & XPRS 2.4G) b/g/n and 2 signals on SSID2 (XTRM 5G 802.11ac & XPRS 5G 802.11 a//n)
    Is the 5G SSID2 actually being extended from the Airport Extreme to the Express?
    The reason I bring this up is I am having a lot of issues since iOS8 came out (especially on iPhone 6). Everything I am reading is pointing to when people have 2 AP's set to use the same SSID. When you walk to a part of the house where 5G 802.11 ac signal marginalizes, the phone does not immediately hand over to the 5G 802.11 a/n Airport Express.
    My thought was separate the SSID's but to me, if the Express can't extend 5Ghz from the Extreme, it's taking a step backwards. I am better off getting a more powerful router like an ASUS and going with one AP, drop the WiFi roaming altogether
    Any thoughts?

  • How do i use my time capsule and extend the network with airport express

    I have a new iMac and Time Capsule, how do i extend the network with airport express. My time capsule does have a guest net work, and logins and passwords? I am no computer person. So for me it would have to be spelled out.

    Use the search as this has been done to death ..
    Bob Timmons is the expert on this.. look at his answers here.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4274187?start=0&tstart=0
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/21856077#21856077
    This has been automated in the v6 utility. I am used to doing it manually in v5 utility which is also fairly easy.
    Apple doco is also good to read.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259
    Note.
    You cannot extend the guest network unless everything is up to date 7.6.3 firmware. And that is only with the TC as the main router in the network.
    All apple routers can be configured as the main wireless or as the extend wireless.. so don't worry if a post uses express or extreme or TC.. they are for wireless, the same thing.

  • Extending range of Linksys WRT310N router with Airport Express 802.11n

    I am trying to extend the range of an existing wireless network set up with a WRT310N router with an Airport Express 802.11n - I've tried choosing both "Participate in a WDS network" and "Extend a wireless network" and both have run into problems.
    Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
    Thanks, Amy

    amysinsh, Welcome to the discussion area!
    Sorry but this is not possible.
    It would be possible if the wireless network was created by another AirPort Express (AX), anAirPort Extreme base station (AEBS), or a Time Capsule.

  • Extending Wireless Network with Airport Express / DLink Wireless

    I have a DLink wireless router WBR-1310. I own two Airport Express 802.11n's. Can anyone help me out with how I can properly set-up an extended network with these products? All help is greatly appreciated.

    You would need one AirPort Express located near the D-Link router and connected to the D-Link with an ethernet cable. This Express would be configured to "create a wireless network" and "allow this network to be extended"
    If you have two areas that need more wireless coverage, you would locate an AirPort Express approximately 1/2 the distance between the "main" AirPort Express and the area that needs more wireless coverage.
    Then do the same with the second area that needs more coverage.
    Without knowing your room layout, I can't honestly tell you whether you need only one "extending" Express or more than that.
    It will help to remember that the "extend" setup works like the hub and spokes of a wheel. Your "main" Express connected to the D-Link would be the "hub". Each of the "extending" Express devices would be at the end of a spoke. The Express devices at the ends of the spokes communicate directly to the hub, not to another Express at the end of another spoke.
    So, to work well, hopefully your D-Link router and Express will be located in a central area of your home so the extending devices will work around the perimeter.
    I would recommend that you study Apple's support document on extending wireless networks before you make a final decision on what to do.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145
    Finally, consider if you can connect the two Express devices you have now back to the D-Link using ethernet cables. This would provide much better performance than a wireless only situation.

  • Extend wireless network with AirPort Express

    How to extend the wireless network with AirPort Express and Belkin PlayMax as the primary router ?

    How it work if I have an AirPor Station and 4 Airport Express, I actually also have an old TimeCapsule and an old AirPort Express. Can I cover all my house (around 300 m2). And will the old Airport slow down or convict with the new ones?

  • Extending a network with two AEBSn 802.11n base stations

    Problem: Laptop on remote Airport Extreme (n) doesn't get internet, but can see entire network.
    I have set up 2 new Airport Extreme's (n). One is connected to the cable modem and set to "create wireless network" and "Share a public IP address" . The other is about 80-100 feet away and set to extend the network.
    A PowerBook G4 is connected to the remote Airport Extreme and gets an IP address correctly, and can connect to a computer on the primary Airport Extreme. Transfer rates from the remote laptop to a computer on the primary Airport Extreme are strong (15-30 Mbit).
    According to the Airport utility, link speed between the two Airport Extreme's fluctuates between 104 and 130 Mbit.
    The problem is that the computer connected to the remote Airport Extreme can't get out to the internet. Computers connected to the primary Airport Extreme get a very fast connection to the internet. What am I doing wrong?
    Airport Extreme 802.11n   Mac OS X (10.4.9)   AEBSn

    Let's double-check your AEBSn's settings...
    AEBSn - Extending a wireless network Setup
    - If practical, place the base stations in near
    proximity to each other during the setup phase. Once
    done, move them to their desired locations.
    - Open AirPort Utility and select the base station
    that will connect to the Internet.
    - Choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu, or
    double-click the base station to open the
    configuration in a separate window. Enter the base
    station password if necessary.
    - Click AirPort in the toolbar, and then click
    Wireless.
    - Choose “Create a wireless network” from the
    Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and then select the “Allow
    this network to be extended” checkbox.
    - Next, select the base station that will extend this
    network, and choose Manual Setup from the Base
    Station menu, or double-click the base station to
    open its configuration in a separate window. Enter
    the base station password if necessary.
    - Choose “Extend a wireless network” from the
    Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and then choose the
    network you want to extend from the Network Name
    pop-up menu.
    - Enter the base station network and base station
    password is necessary.
    - Click Update to update the base station with new
    network settings.
    (ref: Page 45 of "Designing AirPort
    Extreme 802.11n Networks.
    I followed the exact instructions above with one AEBSn connected to the DSL modem and "creating the wireless network", and a second AEBSn "extending the network". Depending on the location (1st or 3rd floor), my PowerBook G4 connects perfectly to the AEBSn with the stronger signal.

  • Airport Extreme 802.11g with Airport Express 802.11n Aiport Express

    I have An Airport Extreme Base Station 11g and an airport express 11g and I needed to buy another Airport Express but this one is 11n and my Airport Utility does not see it. Are these new Airport Express backward compatible? The reason is the kids X-box needs the ethernet jack that the color printer uses.
    Can anyone help?
    Thanks!

    Thank you!
    I followed your advice but so far I have been able to make some progress. I went out and bought the Airport Extreme 802.11n as I needed a router too so I like the features on the new one. So I think I have made a complex situation worse, LOL.
    So far, the new airport utility can only see the new & old Airport Extreme but cant see the Express-g or express-n airports as they continue to blink amber.
    What do I am I doing wrong?
    thx

  • Numerous problems with Airport Express 802.11n with DSL and extending WLAN

    Hi all,
    I have the following hardware:
    802.11b/g Airport Express with firmware 6.3
    802.11n Airport Express with firmware 7.3.2
    MacBook Pro
    iBook G4
    Mac Pro PowerMac 2x450 G4
    Up until now I had been using the old Airport Express as the base station connecting to my PPPoE DSL line, and it worked fine. I wanted to extend the range of this network, and got another newer Airport Express, the 802.11n model.
    First I tried to use the 802.11n to connect to the Internet and the old one to extend the network. Turns out the old one can't be used to extend a network, which is bad enough, but the 802.11n one refuses to connect via DSL for more than a couple minutes, then drops the Internet connection.
    So I tried downgrading the firmware to 7.3.0 and 7.3.1, but it didn't help. Did a hard reset, factory default reset, soft reset, nothing worked.
    Next I tried swapping the two, putting the old Express back on the DSL line and the new one as the bridge to extend the network (using WPA2). But the 802.11n complains that it can't access the network and flashes amber.
    Again, tried upgrading to 7.3.2, downgrading to 7.3.1 and 7.3.0, hard reset, soft reset. Nothing works.
    Any ideas?
    Cheers,
    Fairfax71

    I don't see any option in the Airport Admin Utility for the old Express for creating a WDS network, only to participate in one...?
    That is the option you want to choose.
    You could use the newer AirPort Utility to configure the older AX.
    Sorry, forgot to ask something else: The 802.11n Express is able to join the WLAN created by the 802.11b/g Express as a client, but not extend it, is that what you're saying?
    No. If you join the network the AX is simply acting as another wireless client and is not extending the network. The "extend" option is not available since the older AX is not 802.11n capable. You must use WDS.
    Use AirPort Utiity and follow these steps for both AX's. To set up the main AX:
    Click the AirPort status menu in the menu bar and choose the wireless network created by the base station you want to set up as the main base station.
    Open AirPort Utility (located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on a Mac, or in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a Windows computer). Select the main base station, and choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu, or double-click the base station to open the configuration in a separate window. Enter the base station password if necessary. If the base station is using the default password of public, you will not be prompted for a password.
    Click the Wireless button, and then choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu.
    Click WDS and then choose “WDS main” from the WDS Mode pop-up menu.
    Select the “Allow wireless clients” checkbox if you want client computers to connect to this base station.
    Click the Add button and enter the MAC address of the base stations you want to connect to this base station. If there is a base station listed that you’d like to remove from the list, select the base station and click the Delete (–) button.
    Click Update to send the new settings to the base stations in the WDS. By default, the “Allow wireless clients” checkbox is selected. If you deselect the checkbox, and later want to change the settings on the base station, you must connect to the base station’s LAN port with an Ethernet cable. You will not be able to connect to the base station wirelessly.
    To set up the second AX to connect to the main AX:
    Open AirPort Utility. Select the AX, and choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu. Enter the base station password, if necessary. If the base station is using the default password of public, you will not be prompted for a password.
    Enter the same network password as the main base station, if necessary.
    Click the AirPort button, and then click Wireless. Choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and choose the same channel as the main base station from the Channel pop-up menu.
    Click WDS and choose “WDS remote” from the pop-up menu.
    Enter the MAC address of the main base station in the WDS Main field. The MAC address is also referred to as the AirPort ID and is printed on the label on the bottom of the base station.
    Click Update to transfer the settings to the base station.
    This can be found on page 42 of "Designing AirPort Networks Using AirPort Utility" (direct PDF download).

  • Advised to get an "extender" to be able to stream netflix, etc. through new digital tv.  Apple store told me to buy Airport Express and set up WDS.  Upon reading about WDS it stated cannot set up WDS with Airport Express 802.11n,

    I was advised I needed an "extender" to stream Netflix, etc. through my newly purchased digital TV.  Apple store advised me to buy Airport Express and choose WDS setting.  When reading instructions on how to set up WDS it states cannot set up WDS with an 802.11n airport express, which is what they told me to purchase.  How do I set up this Airport Express to extend my internet signal from my modem & airport to be able to stream internet capability to my TV?

    I was advised I needed an "extender" to stream Netflix, etc. through my newly purchased digital TV.  Apple store advised me to buy Airport Express and choose WDS setting.  When reading instructions on how to set up WDS it states cannot set up WDS with an 802.11n airport express, which is what they told me to purchase.  How do I set up this Airport Express to extend my internet signal from my modem & airport to be able to stream internet capability to my TV?

  • Extend Airport Extreme 802.11g with Airport Express 802.11n

    I bought a new AE 802.11n and I want to extend my network from my old Airport Extreme 802.11g.  I can't figure out how to do this.

    Unfortunately, the newer "n" AirPorts and older "g" AirPorts are not compatible if you are trying to configure the AirPort Express to "extend a wireless network" using wireless only. 
    The "extend a wireless network" function and feature is only found on newer "n" AirPorts.
    If you can connect the AirPort Express to the older AirPort Extreme using a permanent wired Ethernet connection, it is possible to configure the Express to provide more wireless coverage that way.
    Using an older, very difficult setup called WDS, it might be possible to configure the Express using wireless only, but the end result would be a network that provides only half the speed of your older "g" AirPort Extreme, so this is definitely not recommended due to the severe performance drop that will occur on the network.

  • HT4259 Why won't AirPort Utility let me extend my network with AirPort Express?

    I have 2 1st Gen AirPort Express stations. I have my original AirPort wired into my modem with an ethernet cable and it works fine. I have my new AirPort plugged, well within range of the network but it doesn't show up in AirPort Utility making it impossible for me to extend the network.
    All of the previous forums I've seen say to reset both routers and "set up manually" and select the box that says "allow this network to be extended". When I go to setup there is no option for either of these.
    Am I missing something? What am I doing wrong?

    All of the previous forums I've seen say to reset both routers and "set up manually" and select the box that says "allow this network to be extended". When I go to setup there is no option for either of these.
    You are looking at instructions that apply to Snow Leopard and earlier operating sysems. You are using Lion or Mountain Lion.
    Hold in the reset button on the Express that you want to use to extend for 9-10 seconds and release.
    Close AirPort Utility if if it open.
    As edex67 notes above, click the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the screen and look for a listing of New AirPort Base Station. Just below that, click directly on AirPort Express.
    AirPort Setup will open automatically and take a minute to analyze the network, then tell you that the Express will be configured to "extend" the network.
    Enter a device name that you want to use for the Express and click Next
    AirPort Setup will take a minute to configure things. When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done.
    You are done, other than locating the Express approximately half way between your "main" Express and the area that needs more wireless coverage.

  • Extend Wireless network with Airport Express via Cat6 cable to Cisco E4200 router.

    Hello there! Totally new to this, but I've been doing a lot of research, and have been getting conflicting answers, so maybe someone can help me out. I've been reading that you cannot wirelessly extend your network unless you have a time capsule or an airport extreme.  However on some forms, if you have the airport express hard wired to the router(in my case a Cisco E4200), you should be able to extend your network.  Is this accurate?  If so, can someone please post steps on how to do this?  Thanks!

    How it work if I have an AirPor Station and 4 Airport Express, I actually also have an old TimeCapsule and an old AirPort Express. Can I cover all my house (around 300 m2). And will the old Airport slow down or convict with the new ones?

  • Cannot Extend my Network with Airport Express

    I have an existing Airport Express that was used to Extend my network from my AP Extreme.  It's now flashing amber, so when I went to see it in Airport Utility, it was no longer there.  I had to reset my Express base station a while back, so it may have disconnect the 'extend'.  I reset the express and then re-opened the Utility, I saw it and tried to configure it, but it failed.  Now when I open the Utility (with the Express unplugged), the Extreme base station is not showing.  if I plug in the Express, it's the only one that shows.  Somehow the Extreme is working (even when Express is unplugged) and I have a wireless connection, but I still don't see it in the Utiltity even after doing a rescan.  FYI - I run Windows 7

    I should have posted this as a question so I could close it (I'm new to this).  I found the answer to my question in another post. 

  • Sudden slow wifi connection with Airport Express 802.11n

    Recently, all of a sudden I noticed the speed of my internet droped dramaticlly from ~27Mbps to ~4Mbps (Speedtest.com) Comcast's blast. When I connect my laptop directly to the modem there is no problem with the speed. I tried restarting the modem, changing the channel/radio mode on the airport express, hard reset the airport epress, change the location of the airport express but nothing has changed. I notice that the speed fluctuate on speedtest.com meaning it ranges from 1-3 to 5-7Mbps. I test the speed on three other laptops but still got the same result. The only change I can think of that could effect this is the addetion of two computers to the network but I would still get the same speed when they are powered off.
    Thanks

    willcyrier wrote:
    Do I have to change anything on my computers?
    you use +airport utility+ (AU) (in your applications > utilities folder). launch AU, double-click on the icon of your extreme to enter manual setup, and go to the wireless tab. see this screen shot
    however, before you do, i recommend you download iStumbler (does not work with Snow Leopard) or AirRadar (it has a trial period) and note the channels other networks in your vicinity are broadcasting on. change the channel of your network as far away as possible from those.
    good luck !

Maybe you are looking for