Extending wireless network with Express

Hi all
We recently renovated and got the house wired with ethernet to almost every room. Currently the signal comes through a Motorola router/modem and connects to the ethernet network.
I am broadcasting a wireless signal via the Airport Extreme, and everything works great except that the range does not cover one end of the house. I have an Airport Express that I'd like to set up in order to extend the range of the signal. My understanding is that simply doing this wirelessly (where the express picks up the existing signal and rebroadcasts) isn't all that effective. I'd like to connect the Express to the ethernet network and broadcast the same wireless network as the Extreme.
Will that work?
So basically both the Extreme and the Express will be connected directly to the Motorola modem. Can they both broadcast the "same" network? or does the Extreme have to be connected directly to a port on the Express for this to work?

My understanding is that simply doing this wirelessly (where the express picks up the existing signal and rebroadcasts) isn't all that effective
Correct.
I'd like to connect the Express to the ethernet network and broadcast the same wireless network as the Extreme.
Good plan.
So basically both the Extreme and the Express will be connected directly to the Motorola modem
A true "modem" has only one Ethernet port, so that would not work. Better to connect from the WAN "O" port on the Express to a LAN <-> port on the AirPort Extreme.....even if the "modem" is a modem/router or gateway with more than one Ethernet port.
Can they both broadcast the "same" network?
Yes, this is known as a "roaming network".
Your next question might be how to set this up. The answer depends on the AirPort models that you have and what operating system you are using on your computer.
Check on the bottom of the AirPort Extreme for the model number....starts with an "A" followed by four numbers. The model number on the Express is on the side or bottom of the device. It also will read "Axxxx".
If you have a Mac and are not sure what operating system it is using.....click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen, then click About This Mac. Post back with the OS X Version number that you see there.

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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").
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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.

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Does the extended network function not work if the existing router is non apple ?
Apple uses proprietary technology in their "extend" feature that.....as far as we know.....will only work with another Apple router.....if you are trying to "extend" using wireless only.
It would be extremely unlikely that it would work with a router from another manufacturer for this purpose.

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I currently have the following network configuration:
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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

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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!

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Here's a Youtube video of how to do it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3EdbRfX1_w
I had the same set up you do. I did not have success with the Express g. And in my case I had much better success when I sold the Express g on ebay, bought an Express N from the refurb store, so it only cost around $20 get something that is much more reliable.
I quickly tried to find an Apple Support tech note for you but didn't, post back if you need more.

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Hello all,
I have 1 brand new Airport Extreme, 1 somewhat new Airport Express (802.11n) and 3 older Airport Expresses and I'm at a loss at how to use them all together to get wireless coverage in our apartment.
For some reason I just can't seem to get the older expresses to extend any network. I started with the Extreme as the base station and set the radio mode to 801.11g and used the Airport Utility to set up an Express to extend the network but it didn't seem to actually extend the signal but rather it just joined the network. I was hoping to use the Extreme and the 3 older Expresses to set up an 802.11g network, but now I'm not sure how that will work.
It's strange because when I first purchased the 802.11g Expresses several years ago it was easy to set up and extend the wireless network, not sure what is different now.
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Thanks!

There are basically two methods to extend the AirPorts' wireless network by wireless: 1) The 802.11g "static" WDS, or 2) 802.11n Extended Network or "dynamic" WDS.
The second option is only available when ALL base stations are 802.11n models. The first option is available when either ALL base stations are 802.11g models or you use a mix of 802.11g & 802.11n models.
Since you have a mix, you should be aware of two significant drawbacks of the earlier static WDS: 1) The overall network can only operate in the 802.11g radio mode. That effectively nullifies have any 802.11n devices, and 2) For each base station added to the WDS, the overall bandwidth (speed) is cut in half ... so with a total of five base stations, you would get around: 54 / (2 x 2 x 2 x 2) = 3.375 Mbps! I hope you don't plan on doing any video streaming, especially not HD video.
If you still want to push ahead, please check out the following Apple Support article how to do so.

Extend wireless network with Time Capsule

I have a dual band Time Capsule in a two story house. The TC is upstairs, and I have an Airport Express downstairs to extend the wireless network. However, the speed is very slow downstairs. I have recently wired the downstairs with ethernet cable, and would like to use a wired wireless repeater (bridge) to get a better signal downstairs. What hardware should I use?

I have a similar but slightly different issue/question. I didn't know whether to start a new post but I will try here first. I'm not able to set up a 5GHz roaming network.
I am a self employed songwriter and need 5GHz speed for numerous devices that stream video and music (computers, DirecTv, Tivos, AppleTVs etc.). All these have both wireless cards and Ethernet cables connected for backup. I need the 2GHz radio only for iPhones or guests. I have ATT DSL with 5 static IP addresses. The first is assigned to TCdual and "shared". My older "L" shaped home is tuff on wireless signals (plaster walls etc). Since I've had a lot of trouble with WDS and wireless connections, years ago, I ran Ethernet to every network device as backup, including an Ethernet connected Airport Express, with wireless turned off, I dedicated exclusively to Remote Tunes. It's been working the past few months (knock on wood). But I need to extend TCdual's 5GHz network with roaming. Here's what I've tried without success.
I placed a 2nd Airport with 5GHz (the model before TC dual) in the room TC's 5GHz will not reach and connected it to TC via ethernet. Using Airport Utility, I tried to "extend" TC's 5GHz network. No luck. AU will only extend TC's default network, which is 2GHz. Very frustrating. So... the only way to get 5GHz in this room is to create a 2nd 5GHz network on Airport #2. Even using the same network name does not create roaming. Whenever I move MBP from this room, I lose Airport#2's 5GHz network and every WAN/LAN connection. I have to reconnect to TC's 5GHz network, every other WAN/LAN device, resume downloads, iChats etc. and start again. VERY frustrating. I think I must be missing something. Am I really forced to choose between speed or roaming. Can't I set up a 5GHz roaming network and have both?

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)

Extend Wireless Network with Two Airports Via Ethernet?

I would like to know if you can extend a wireless network using an ethernet cable between two Airport devices.
There are a couple of reasons why Id like to do this:
Im thinking that because the additional basestation (Airport Extreme) is hardwired to the main Airport (Time Capsule, plugged directly into my cable modem), it doesnt rely on a Wi-Fi signal source, so the network speed wouldnt be degraded as it does when you normally extend a Wi-Fi network over the air. And possibly the range would be a little better? Id still be using Airport network for my iDevices.
Id like to use the Extreme as a router to hook up other devices such as a TiVo, TiVo Stream and Xbox 360. I'd prefer these devices be hardwired to the network (and actually the TiVo Stream requires that it be).
How would you set this up while keeping everything on the same network? Is this even possible?
Currently my setup looks like this: Cable Modem<ethernet>Time Capsule<ethernet>Airport Extreme:<ethernet>TiVo,<ethernet>TiVo Stream,<ethernet>Xbox 360

In addition to John Galt's suggestion, there is another very simple and quick way to verify that your AirPort Extreme is "extending" correctly.
Locate your Mac laptop near the main router first....in your case, it would be the Time Capsule and log on to the wireless.
Hold down the option key on your Mac while you click on the AirPort icon
Look for the BSSID and jot down the last few numbers. That is the AirPort ID of the Time Capsule.
Now move your laptop close to the AirPort Extreme and perform the same test. If you see the same BSSID as you did before.....the AirPort Extreme is not extending, since your laptop is still picking up the wireless signal from the Time Capsule.
If you see a different BSSID, that will confirm that the laptop is picking up a wireless signal from the extending AirPort Extreme.
Try to minimize obstructions between wireless devices and the access points to which they are connecting.

How do I know "Roaming Network" is working with Airport Express and Airport Extreme and should I use extended wireless network for third Express?

Attempting to eliminate a dead spot in Wifi coverage [and implement AirPlay] have one Airport Extreme 802.11n and two Airport Express 802.11n's.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145
The Airport Extreme is of course connected to cable modem and Ethernet switch, and one Airport Express is connected to the Ethernet network. As per instructions for creating a "Roaming Network", Airport Express is set to same SSID, security type, and Password.
Questions:
1. How does the client device know which Airport to connect to? In other words, will it switch to the closer WiFi transmitter automatically? The WiFi reception problem is intermittent in the fringe areas so what I do not want it for it to stick with the more distant Airport Extreme in the basement when the Airport Express which is closer will work better.
2. How can I tell which of the Airports the attached client device is using?
The third Airport Express will be in a third location - I was planning on using it also for expanding coverage but after reading the warnings about performance suffering when purely using WiFi for the expansion in this location ("Wireless Extended Network" without an ethernet connection) I have figured that the single wired Airport Express will be adequate and will use the third Express to do Airplay only.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259
Question: Can I use this second Airport Express to extend the wireless network via "Extended Wireless Network" while the other two are in "Roaming Netowrk" configuration? Without bogging down??
Mitch

1. How does the client device know which Airport to connect to?
The Mac computer will automatically connect to the wireless access point with the strongest signal...which is probably the closest AirPort. An iPhone or iPad may not do this and will tend to stay connected to one AirPort.
2. How can I tell which of the Airports the attached client device is using?
On a Mac, open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility. Click on one of AirPorts. In the area to the right, locate the AirPort ID and jot that down. Then do the same for your other AirPort.
Move your Mac near one of the AirPorts and log on to the wireless. Hold down the option key on the Mac while you click the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the screen. Look for the BSSID. That is the AirPort ID of the device to which you are connected.
If you are close to the "remote" AirPort, and you see the AIrPort ID of the "main" router when you are testing, then you know that the network is not configured correctly.
Can I use this second Airport Express to extend the wireless network via "Extended Wireless Network" while the other two are in "Roaming Netowrk" configuration? Without bogging down??
There will be a modest 10-15% bandwidth loss with the "extend" setup, assuming that the Express is located where it can receive a strong wireless signal from the AirPort to which it is associated. You can avoid the bandwidth loss if the Express is also connected via Ethernet as part of the roaming configuration.

I have installed Airport Extreme on my iMac, but want to extend the wireless network with Airport Express. Everything is fine until I try to select Extend the wireless network. I select Extend Wireless network but have no success. Ideas?

I have installed Airport Extreme on my iMac, but want to extend the wireless to rooms with a weak signal. The internet connection is fine with the basic setup. As soon as I go into Airport Utility to select Extend Wireless Network and fill in what I believe is proper information, I get an error message that Airport Extreme no longer has an IP address, the internet connection is broken, and under Wireless, that there is a wireless network in existence that can't be found. Rebooting the modem only brings the Airport Extreme back to the starting gate so that the internet is once again available. I assumed (naively) that with the All Mac All-the-Time context, adding Airport Express would truly be Plug and Play. I got the plug, but no play. I asked a Comcast technical specialist about it and he said that I needed to reset the Airport Express settings back to their default, factory status. I looked that process up online and found out that the way to do that was to hold down the reset button, then plug Airport Express into the socket and wait for the green light to flash four times. Then wait 45 seconds and the default settings will return. I did all that, only to find out that after the initial flash of green, green never appeared again. I got a fast flashing yellow light, followed by the light going off. Apparently this didn't reset it properly. So, after hours trying to get this system to work, I appeal to someone who can see through this mess and provide the key to success!
highFly376

Let's see if I can get this straight.
You have an Airport Extreme base station that is set to "Create a wireless network" and you have the box checked for "allow this network to be extended"....
Then you have an Airport Express that is set to "Extend a wireless network" which you selected the name of your network in the box...
Correct?
See this Apple document:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
The wireless unit on the right of the diagram can be either of the newer Apple base stations.
Extreme, Express, Time Capsule

Extending wireless network with Express

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