Extending dual band issues

Received a call. New client, "Wants to extend his Apple network"
So I swing by and pick up an Airport Express. Arrive at the clients to discover that he has a dual band Extreme Router.
He has set up a Shared Network, which he wants extended so others throughout the abode can get internet and print. He also has a Private Network which he does not want the others to have access to. I learn you cannot extend the Shared network. Then I thought just flip them, have him use the Shared network with a private password, and make the normal Private network the one for which everyone has the password. In the same room, works fine. Create the extended network using the utility on the express. less than 25 feet from the express base station, the network is not being seen by an iPad. Windows machines see it, sometimes can join with a "low signal" message. Then the windows machine drops the signal and rejoins saying it is unsecured and it doesn't have internet.
I'm thinking of pulling an ethernet cable and just setting up a wired connection to the express and making a separate network with the express.
Anyone seen this type of problem with the dual bands and extending the networks? Or have suggestions which may help

+He has set up a Shared Network, which he wants extended so others throughout the abode can get internet and print.+
It sounds like what your client calls the Shared Network is actually the Guest network. +Computers on the guest network have access to the internet, but they cannot "see" any other devices on the main or Private network. So, users on this network will not be able to print or share files with any devices on the Private network.+ And, as you have already discovered, the Guest, or Shared, network cannot be extended...either by wireless or ethernet.
You can extend the main, or Private, network but you have to setup both the AirPort Extreme and the AirPort Express for this. If you only configured the Express, the extend setup won't work. Unfortunately, the client really wants the Guest network extended. Even if you could do this, which you can't, printers would not be available on this network.
+I'm thinking of pulling an ethernet cable and just setting up a wired connection to the express and making a separate network with the express.+
That would also work for the Private network, but not the Guest or Shared network. You could setup a separate network, or you could assign the same name to the network that the main or Private network is using, and "extend" in that manner.

Similar Messages

Can 2nd Gen Express extend dual band or only a single?

Since the new express is simultaneous dual band capable, I assumed I could extend both the 2.4 & 5 GHz bands at the same time. While setting it up I noticed it only allows one netrwork from the Extend drop down box.
Is the simultaneous dual band only for creating a new network and not an option for extending?

Since my Express (and Apple TV) are located a floor above my Extreme, I'm guessing that they'll automatically connect to the 2.4Ghz band since it'll be stronger/better quality signal...?
Yes, that would be a good assumption.
I'm looking to get the best performance to the ATV (hoping for 5GHz) and don't have the luxury of running CAT cable to bridge the 2 routers.
From personal exprience the ONLY way to get stable streaming performance, especially of HD content, is via a Gigabit Ethernet connection between routers. As you surmised, 5GHz wireless would (or should) perform better than 2.4 GHz. If you are "stuck" with the lower frequency band, be sure to eliminate as many other 2.4 GHz signal sources (portable phones, microwave ovens, baby monitors, etc.) as possible to achieve the best bandwidth for streaming.

Extending dual band Extreme

When I extend the Airport Extreme network, using the Express, it asks me for the name of the network.
On the Extreme I have devided the network in 2.4ghz and 5ghz (with different name for the 5Ghz).
I can only choose one of them to extend.. is this 'normal' or can I extend both? (the 2.4ghz and the 5ghz).
Thanks!

The AirPort Express is a single band device. I can work with either a 2.4 GHz network or a 5 GHz network, but not both at the same time. So, you will have to choose which band you want to extend.
If you need to extend both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands of the AirPort Extreme, you will need to use 2 AirPort Express devices, or another simultaneous dual band AirPort Extreme.

Dual band issue on AP541

Hi
I just got 3 AP541, the reason for getting this was the dualband...
but has anyone gotten this AP to actually give both 2.4 and 5 GHZ at the same time???
I have in my other office a Asus RT56, it costs about 1/3 of the cisco and this supports both 5 and 2.4 GHZ and i get a 450 mbit connection, can only get 130 on the Cisco.......

Hi, My name is Eric Moyers. I am a Network Support Engineer in the Cisco Small Business Support Center. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the AP541N does have a dual band radio, but can only broadcast on one band at a time.
What would be looking for if you wanted to be able to broadcast on both at the same time is an access-point with dual-band radios vs a dual-band radio. An example would be the Cisco Aironet 600 Series AP.
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Eric Moyers
Cisco Network Support Engineer
CCNA, CCNA-Wireless
1-866-606-1866

Extending dual-band wifi?

I'm keen to replace my Airport Extreme to the new model so that I can use 5GHz for my MacBook Pro and 2.4GHz for my iPhone. However, if I want to extend the network, does anyone have any idea of how this could be done? Could I use an Airport Express to extend the 2.4GHz part of the network? I've heard that extending wifi networks slows them down - but would the 5GHz part be 'immune' from this slowdown?

I have a similar question, but slightly different angle on the problem. In my network I have an older APBS (snow, I think? b/g only) that is connected to the cable modem. Currently I'm using WDS, with this SnowBS as main, to extend to an AEBS (gigabit, not-dual antenna) in my office. This is connected to printers, NAS, etc.
I have both G and N clients to serve, but would like to the N clients to be faster. Currently everything is limited by the WDS limitation.
If I got the new dual AEBS, could that be a remote WDS on 2.4 ghz and server N-only at 5ghz? Or does WDS screw up the dual antenna somehow? Is there a better way to architect my network to get N speeds?
TIA, tf

Setting up/extending a Dual Band network

Any recommendations regarding dual-band vs. the n/b/g blended network? Is it possible to set up a dual-band network on an AEBS-n and also boost the "n" side of the network with an AX-n? I've searched the discussions but have not found much on the topic, other than some comments regarding iMacs not liking "n" or 10.5.3 or airport utility 5.3.1 or maybe the "automatic" channel setting or possibly something else.....
A little history:
We have 3 iMacs (new 3.06 Ghz, 17" late 2006, 20" late 2006), 3 MacBook Pros, and one dual-2.5 Ghz G5 that all shared internet access through a Motorola modem/Comcast cable via an Airport Extreme Base Station b/g. The AEBS was in the basement and configured as a WDS with an Airport Express b/g that served to extend the network's reach to the second floor and remodeled kitchen (new steel beams). This setup has worked nearly flawlessly for years until recently, when both of the older iMacs started experiencing intermittent airport signal drops--supremely annoying. The modem seemed to work fine, however, and the AEBS light stayed green and the G5 and MBPs weren't having issues (some running Tiger, some Leopard).
I thought that upgrading to Leopard (erase and install) might take are of any weird settings or corrupt files and thus improve the iMacs' airport connections, so I upgraded the first one, and it seemed to fix the problem--no drops of airport or internet for several hours. I then decided it was time to upgrade the network as well--swapping out the old b/g AEBS and AX for a new AEBS-n and AX-n. (Yes, I know, not too smart to change both the OS and the network at the same time ... but here we are.) Since the G5 in the basement can't connect to an "n" network, I decided to set up a Dual Band network with the AX-n acting as the old AX b/g had to extend the network.
This is what it looked like:
cable modem ------>
AEBS-n ------> wireless to Airport Extreme-n ---> wireless to older iMacs and MBPs
AX b/g (connected via ethernet to AEBS) -----> wireless to the G5
This worked, sort of, in that all but the G5 could all pick up and join either the "n" or the b/g network. Problem was, the network was very unstable-- the airport signal would suddenly drop out for no reason then recover, or the airport icon would show a full 4 bars but have no internet connection. This was happening on all of the macs, perhaps more so on the two older iMacs, while the modem itself showed no change in status, and the AEBS-n light would remain green. When I removed the AX-N from the setup to see if that was causing a hiccup, the drops were a little less frequent but the kitchen iMac was marooned with 1, maybe 2 bars in the airport icon and the signal strength on the second floor was decreased. Oh, and the drops continued to happen. I've now reverted to a b/g-compatible network, which is better, but still hasn't prevented all of the drops.
My questions are:
1-Any ideas about why the airport is acting wonky? Are 'n' networks proving to be more problematic than the old ones?
2-Is it possible to use an AX-n to extend the range of the "n" side of a dual band network?
2-If so, any ideas for improving the network's reliability?
3-If not, will going back to a b/g-compatible network negate the supposed speed benefits of 802.11n? Would I go back to using a WDS setup then?
I've tried so many different settings, combinations, configurations trying to get this up and working, that I'm ready to pull my hair out. Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Message was edited by: wiswic

Thanks for your reply. Looking back at my sorry attempt at a diagram, I realize I wasn't clear about a couple of things. The modem is connected via ethernet to the AEBS-n. The AEBS-n is connected via ethernet to the AE-b/g, which provides wireless coverage to the G5 and others. So far, everything is in the basement.
We live in an old house--no way to set up the network via ethernet--and so rely on the airport network to provide internet access to the computers on the first and second floors. In our old network, I had an AE-b/g as a WDS remote located in the kitchen that provided the first and second floors with their internet connection.
When I upgraded our network, I set up the new AEBS-n as a 5.0 Ghz an-only network (create a network/allow network to be extended) and connected the old AE b/g to it (bridge mode/create a network) to provide wireless internet for the G5. The iMac in the kitchen could hardly pick up the "n" signal at all, and it could receive only a weak signal from the b/g network. Lots of dropped airport signals and also lots of dropped internet connections. Strangely enough, the MacBookPros on the second floor could pick up both signals pretty strongly, but they, too, had lots of drops. The 2nd floor iMac was even worse than the kitchen iMac--spotty reception at best, and lots of drops. The G5 and the iMac in the basement, meanwhile, were fine--strong signal and only intermittent drops.
Hoping to extend the reach of the "n" network and thereby eliminate the drops, I added an AE-n to it (bridge mode/extend the network) and put it where the old b/g had been. This boosted the "n" signal to the kitchen and 2nd floor, but the drops seemed to become more frequent and for longer durations. Perhaps this was merely coincidence, but it made me question whether adding the AE-n in a dual-band network was advisable. Not finding any info that specifically addressed that scenario, I turned to the discussion forum for guidance.
Further research leads me to believe that the iMacs' issues may be more due to their being iMacs in the first place, but I was still left with a very unreliable dual band network for the rest of the Macs. Reconfiguring the AEBS-n and AE-n as an n (b/g compatible) network has led to far fewer drops, but like you, I'd prefer to keep my "an" devices separated from the G5 to make use of their higher wireless speed.
So....I guess what I need to know is whether anyone else been having so many dual band dropouts? Have you had any success in eliminating them? Have you successfully extended the "n" side of their dual band without adversely affecting stability?
As long as I know this isn't a lost cause, I'll give it another go and keep tweaking settings in hopes of finding a stable setup....

Dual-band networking issues

Hi, all. I'm seeing a few posts on spotty internet connectivity with Airport Extremes and I wanted to add my voice to the list, with some more details, perhaps my situation can help us all decipher this issue.
My setup:
iMac running Leopard 10.5.7 (and home to my media library) with n-class Airport
Macbook Pro running Tiger 10.4.11 with g-class Airport
Apple TV with n-class Airport
Dual-band Time Capsule with 7.4.2 firmware
iPhone running 3.0 with g-class Airport
Until recently I've had what I thought was a pretty standard setup: my Time Capsule ran one wireless network, with WPA2 protection. The network was private, but I had a guest network enabled as well. In addition to the equipment I've listed above, I have an older g-class Airport Express connected to a radio (not extending the network).
I started noticing this issue when the Time Capsule had the 7.4.1 firmware. It's similar to what other people are describing: sometimes internet connectivity would simply stop, or slow down drastically. It had the appearance of, say, a DNS lookup problem: my browser would spin, searching for the server. But this was only on my iMac: if I switched to my Macbook, running Tiger and connecting at g, everything would be fine.
At first I thought the firmware was the problem: after upgrading to 7.4.2 the problem seemed to go away for a couple of days, but then it reappeared. I also got the impression that somehow Time Machine backups were part of the problem: the slowdowns seemed to coincide with the backups, which always seemed to take a long time.
A few days ago, I finally went into the Airport administrator and tried to divine what was going on. I'd had an amber flashing light for weeks but that had gone away with the firmware update: it seemed to have no effect on connectivity. I turned off the Guest Network: no change. But then I gave the 5 GHz band a unique network name (instead of sharing the regular network's name), and connected my iMac to the new name. Bingo! That has seemed to get the job done! My internet connectivity has not wavered in the few days since.
But it has created a second problem:
Under the old setup, all my devices connected to the same network name. Under the NEW setup, my iMac and my Apple TV can connect to the separate n-only network but my iPhone can't. Which means that I lose the ability to control my Apple TV with the iPhone remote program. Right now I've switched the Apple TV back to the original network, but I fear I'm losing bandwidth because of it, connecting the ATV at g speed.
This can't be the way it was envisioned...is there some other setting or device that might be causing the issues with the one-network-name setup?

go into networks and airport and preferred and delete it.

Extend an AE dual-band router with a 2nd AE dbr: will automatic mode work?

I have a new Apple Extreme dual-band router, and it works just great. My N devices all get the maximum bandwidth, and the G devices connect easily as well. I have a section of my house that gets weak reception, and want to extend the network with a second router.
If I bought a second Apple Extreme dual-band router, and configured it to Extend Wireless Network and Allow Wireless Clients, could I then leave it on the default radio mode of Automatic? It seems like either router would then be able to tell if the wireless clients were N or G, but communication between the routers would be N. I want to keep the maximum bandwidth for my N devices.
Thanks in advance

I have a new Apple Extreme dual-band router, and it works just great. My N devices all get the maximum bandwidth, and the G devices connect easily as well. I have a section of my house that gets weak reception, and want to extend the network with a second router.
If I bought a second Apple Extreme dual-band router, and configured it to Extend Wireless Network and Allow Wireless Clients, could I then leave it on the default radio mode of Automatic? It seems like either router would then be able to tell if the wireless clients were N or G, but communication between the routers would be N. I want to keep the maximum bandwidth for my N devices.
Thanks in advance

Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Router Issue

Hi We have recently Purchased
8 Linksys WRT1900AC Dual Band Router. And we are trying to connect our External Hard Drive which is
(Seagate Backup Plus 4TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive STDT4000100) non of them are recognizing in USB 3 or USB 2 Yes we have also tried to format the drives in NTFS still no luck. I am really surprise that External 4TB HD not working with this Such Hi-Fi Router. I am hoping it should really don't want to return these router.
Please Confirm if this router support the Following Newest USB 3 External Hard Drives. I have tried everything but its not working.
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Faz

Have only 1 drive connected to the USB port. Restart the router and then map the drive. See if that works. The issue that I am having is that when I have only one drive (NTSF) connected to my WRT1900AC Router I can see it, no problem. The problem ocurrs when I install the second drive (FAT32) then it locks both drives and I can not map any of the drives either on mac or windows. I do see both drives on the Linksys Smart wi-fi browser (192.182.1.1) and tells me that both are connected, but thats about it. I am going to format both as NTSF and see if that solves the problem.

Connecting dual band netgear extender to dual band...

Hi,
I switched from my Netgear router to HomeHub 3 so I could get BT Sport. I then added a Netgear wireless extender (3500) to push the signal into my garage (different electrical circuit so powerline adapters didn't work).
The Netgear 3500 is dual band and it was working okay but when I spotted the Home Hub 4 (released by BT with some stealth) and that it was a dual band router I ordered and installed that instead of the 3. Surely a dual band router with a dual band extender had to make sense?
Now here's the strange thing. If I connect the extender to the router on 2.4 and on 5 then the extender only pushes out a signal on 2.4. There is a very limited signal on 5 but sooooo slow that it registers as a fat zero on a speed test.
If I restrict the connection between the extender and the router to only 2.4 ghz then the extender pushes out 2.4 AND 5 and does so at a good speed.
So what's the problem? I just feel there's something wrong when I can't connect on both signals and have both signals pushed out from the extender. I feel I miight be missing something (like a better/faster signal!)
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Hi, Keith
Thanks for picking this up.
I guess that one definite option is for me to return my netgear extender (still within return period I think) and switch to the BT extender.
My reservation would be that I have had a terrible history with BT routers over the years and a very, very positive experience with Netgear. I'd have stayed with Netgear if my old router would allow BT Sport (which it did not).
My preference would be to switch to a Netgear router that WILL allow me to receive BT Sport.
Meanwhile...be great to hear from someone who has the BT extender up and running.
Max

Extend my Time Capsule (Dual Band) network

Hi, I need to extend my Time Capsule (Dual Band) network as currently the Time Capsule is downstairs connected to a modem and I need to connect my Blu-ray player via ethernet to the internet which is upstairs.
I came across the following article from Apple http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259 if I follow this will I be able to use the ethernet ports on the AEBS?
Also do I need to purchase an AEBS or is there another router i.e. Linksys or D-Link?
Cheers

Apple's "extend a wireless network" will enable the ethernet ports on the "remote" device in addition to providing more wireless coverage in the area where the remote device will be located.
Be sure to check to make sure that there will be a good wireless signal where the "remote" device is to be located by moving your laptop to the proposed location and logging on the wireless to make sure that you get a good, stable internet connection.
If you cannot get a good wireless signal at this location, you'll need to look at an ethernet connection method to allow communications between the devices.
It is extremely unlikely that the "extend" setup would work with devices from other manufacturers, so it would be wise to stay with the same manufacturer on any type of "main" and "remote" wireless setup.

Extending a simultaneous dual-band network using an Airport Extreme

I have a new Time Capsule that can operate in simultaneous dual-band mode. I have a single SSID for both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, and all of my devices correctly connect using the appropriate frequency.
I also have an older square Airport Extreme that's dual-band capable (but not simultaneous dual-band). I have this Airport Extreme set up to extend the network from the Time Capsule, but it's extending the 5 GHz network rather than the 2.4 GHz network. I'd rather have it extend the 2.4 GHz network because our iPhones move around the house much more often than our other wireless clients.
I know that I could go back to having different SSIDs for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks, and then telling the Airport Extreme explicitly to extend the 2.4 GHz network, but I'm really enjoying having a single SSID that any device can use to connect to my network.
Thanks,
Scott Gardner

Thanks for the replies. Right now, there's about 30 feet, two interior plaster/lathe walls and a closet between the Time Capsule and the Airport Extreme. The area of the house where I'm trying to improve the 2.4 GHz reception (an attached studio) is only about another 18 feet, one interior wall and one exterior wall further past the Airport Extreme's current location. I can't put the Airport Extreme any further from the Time Capsule because the 18 feet between its current location and the attached studio is an open area.
If there are no hidden settings that I'm missing, I guess I'll just break the network back into two discrete SSIDs and explicitly tell the Airport Extreme to extend the 2.4 GHz network.
Thanks again,
Scott Gardner

Extending an extreme dual band network using an old Express (802.11g)s

Previously I had a 802.11g home network based on two Airport Express (old version) in WDS mode.
I've installed a new Airport extreme station in order to have a dual-band network to use 802.11g/n without loosing performance and hoping to cover my area with the enhanced power.
Unfortunately there are still some corners with insufficient signal so i tried to extend the 802.11g segment with the old airport, checking the extreme flag to allow the network to be expanded and manually configuring the express WDS page.
I payed attention to the channel (the same in extreme and express station) and configured the airport ID of the extreme base station in the express remote station.

When using WDS you automatically reduce the efficiency of the Airport Extreme's 802.11n extended features. WDS requires that the network drops to 802.11g instead of 802.11n which boasts the extended network range.
There isn't much more you could do for network range other than changing the channel to remove wireless interference or move the Airport Expresses closer to the areas of low signal (internet speed will be reduced the farther the Expresses are from the main base.)

Extending an extreme dual band network using an old Express (802.11g)

Previously I had a 802.11g home network based on two Airport Express (old version) in WDS mode.
I've installed a new Airport extreme station in order to have a dual-band network to use 802.11g/n without loosing performance and hoping to cover my area with the enhanced power.
Unfortunately there are still some corners with insufficient signal.
As I do not want to throw away the old Express and buy a new one I tried to extend only the 802.11g segment with the old airport, checking the Extreme base station flag to allow the network to be expanded and manually configuring the Express WDS page.
I payed attention to the channel (the same in extreme and express station) and configured the airport ID of the extreme base station in the express remote station.
Unfortunately I could not have the WDS running on the 802.11g segment.
Does anyone have experience in such matter? Is that possible?
Thanks a lot

Scatmac wrote:
As I do not want to throw away the old Express and buy a new one I tried to extend only the 802.11g segment with the old airport, checking the Extreme base station flag to allow the network to be expanded and manually configuring the Express WDS page.
I paid attention to the channel (the same in extreme and express station) and configured the airport ID of the extreme base station in the express remote station.
Unfortunately I could not have the WDS running on the 802.11g segment.
You need to configure your new unit to participate in a WDS network. You can't see that option unless you hold down an "option" key when you pull down the "Wireless Mode" list.
Depending on what other equipment you have, you might want to configure your Extreme to create a separate 5 GHz band. That's under the "Wireless Network Options" button on the same panel as the "Wireless Mode" list.

Issue with new dual band APE

I am having an issue keeping a good connection on the 5ghz channel with my new dual band airport extreme. Let me explain my current network. I just purchased a new APE. Airport utility shows it as AirPort Extreme Dual Band II with 7.5.1 firmware. I have it running a 2.4ghz G network and a 5ghz N network. In the basement I have my older APE which is a Airport Extreme N with gigabit ethernet (7.4.2 firmware). It is set to join 5ghz network from the dual band and then acts as a hub to my gaming Windows PC, ps3, and xbox. The 5ghz network is very spotty, it will work fine and I can browse away for about a minute and then it will just stop. My laptop and ipad will still show full signal strength, safari will just end up timing out while waiting. If I move them over to the 2.4ghz G network everything works fine, except of course file transfers which are slow because of being on the G network. Also should the older router be on a higher version number of firmware? I have tried checking for updates on both.

+Something seems off.+
Absolutely.
At 2.4 GHz, the high noise level indicates that you are experiencing interference from another wireless network (do you see other networks in iStumbler?), cordless phones (could be yours or your neighbors', a nearby wireless security system, microwave interference...lots of possibilities.
iStumber may not display "hidden" networks. Most modern routers (Apple included) allow users to "hide" their network, so it's possible that you may be experiencing interference from a wireless network that you cannot "see".
If you have cordless phones, you might want to pick a time when you can power them and their base stations completely down for a few hours to see if the wireless signal improves and noise drops on your network. Not much you can do about a neighbor's cordless phone or security system.
Experiment with different channel settings on your 2.4 GHz wireless as well.
Most cordless phone will not interfere with 5 GHz. I can't explain why your 5 GHz signal is so low..and the noise high..if you are close to the router and have line of sight between devices. Try a few different channel settings on 5 GHz as well.
Let us know what you find.

Extending dual band issues

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