Is it possible to use Airport Express to extend my Cisco E2500 wireless network

Hi everyone,
I just bought the new 2012 Airport Express yesterday, and want to extend my network which is using Cisco E2500 via the Ethernet port, but I don't know how to do it, anyone can tell me if it is possible and how to do it?

Hi Bob, I have successfully extend my Cisco E2500 network using the 2012 Airport Express via Ethernet port, below is the things I have configured.
1. Inside AirPort Utility - Wireless Tab, choose "Create a wireless network" in the Network Mode option, use the same Wireless Network Name, Wireless Security, Wireless Passowrd as the Cisco E2500.
2. In the Internet Tab, I just choose using DHCP since the Cisco E2500 will be the one to distribute IP Address, then the IP address, subnet mask, router address and DNS servers address has been assigned successfully to Airport Express.
3. In Network Tab, use "Off (Bridge Mode)" for the Router Mode option.
4. Click Update, and let the Airport Express to update itself and restart.
All done, and all my devices in different part of my house can access the internet connection, also my iMac in the living room and airplay music to the speaker that connect to my Airport Express inside the bedroom.

Similar Messages

How does one use airport express to extend a non-Apple wifi network?

Hello. The wifi signal reaching my room shows good on my macbook but weak on my ipod touch. Therefore I want to pick it up on my airport express and extend/boost it.
I have tried everything in the auto and manual methods of setup to do this, but the only thing I can manage to do is to join a wireless network wirelessly and then then connect to it through a ethernet cable from my airport express. I want to pick it up wirelessly and extend it wirelessly - is this possible? This is the reason why I bought it!
thanks a lot, JJ

Thanks for that info. So, I have been trying to use my airport express n to extend an airport n network (for greater distance of coverage) and cannot get this to work either. I can join the other apple airport's network and then connect to the airport express by cable. I have tried all the help available here but that seems to be the only way to extend a network. But I cannot see any point in that! JJ

Using Airport Express to extend an existing wired/wireless Dlink network

Our network uses a Dlink router which must be located in the basement. Our home office Apple computers are wired, and the wireless Apple laptop is almost always used in the living room, directly above the Dlink, so no signal strength problems there. However, the wireless signal does not reach as far as the home office. It's only 20-25 feet away on the main floor, but for some reason, probably structural, the wireless signal doesn't penetrate.
Now I need to extend wireless access capability to the home office, so that I can use the iPod Touch in the office. I've read through a number of posts, and haven't found one that exactly matches this issue.
The information about joining an existing network has this sentence in it:
"Or you can use AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme to extend the range of an existing AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express network by creating a Wireless Distribution System (WDS)."
The existing network I have isn't an AX network. And it's both wired and wireless. And one of the detailed posts explained why a WDS was not the best way to go. Plus I'm confused by references to "base stations" which seem to refer to something that looks like a Time Capsule, not to an AX.
If AX will do what I want it to, I'm envisioning plugging it (all by its lonesome) in to a wall outlet in the hallway outside the home office. That's based both on what I want and what the salesperson said AX could do when I explained what was wanted.
The Dlink network has been working beautifully for months, and I don't want to do anything to screw it up! That includes even opening up the AX utility software until I know exactly what to do.
Can I do the setup (once it's explained!) on the wired computer? If I have to connect the AX to the network as part of the setup, can I use the 5-port switch that extends the wired connection the extra two feet to the computer (and also provides the wired network connection for the main printer)? Or should I take the laptop downstairs and connect the AX directly to the Dlink router?
Thanks,
Marg

+If I connected the AX by cable to my 5-port switch (which in turn is connected directly to the Dlink), would that constitute "an ethernet connection to the D-Link"? If so, then it should be possible to use it as described in your 6th paragraph, to "expand ... (our) main wireless network" -- is that right?+
Yes, this will work great.
+I'd never heard of ethernet powerline adapters, which sound very cool but are not wireless per se - you need a cable to connect the computer with at the far end, and it's wireless capability that I'm trying to create in the home office.+
Rather than hooking a computer up at one end, you could hook up the AirPort Express at one one and setup wireless that way. You won't need the adapters in this case since you have access to the switch. You may have need sometime in the future to get an ethernet signal to another part of the house, so keep this option in mind.
Here is how to setup the AirPort Express. You will use AirPort Utility, which should already be on your Mac Pro. Its located Hard Drive > Applications > Utilities.
Temporarily, connect the AirPort Express (AX) directly to your computer with a short ethernet cable to set it up. When you have the configuration done, you can disconnect the cable and move the AX to the location where it's needed.
Open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup
Click the Base Station tab below the row of icons to enter a name and device password for the device and choose your time zone, etc.
Then click the AirPort icon in the row of icons at the top of the setup page.
Click the Wireless tab below the icons
Wireless Mode....Create a wireless netork
Wireless Network Name....Exact same name as your D-Link wireless network name
Radio Mode....802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)
Channel...Automatic (see note* at bottom)
Wireless Security...exact same setting as D-Link network
Wireless Password....exact same setting as D-Link network
Click the Internet icon in the row of icons
At the bottom of the page, make sure that the setting for Connection Sharing is set to "Off (Bridge Mode)". This setting allows the AX to work in tandem with the D-Link.
Update to save settings.
*Automatic will usually work well for this. Ideally, you want the D-Link and AX to be on channels that are least 5 channels apart. Automatic will usually choose an open channel, but you may need to manually set the channels on both routers for this step.
Your setup should work fine. Please post back on your progress or questions.

Use AirPort Express to Extend Original Router's Range

I have an existing router that works fine for the first and second floors of my house (it is not an Apple router), however, my Apple TV is in the basement and the WiFi coverage is absolutely horrible. I'm curious if I can use an AirPort Express router to extend the range of the initial router (I have Ethernet access in the basement) so that I can stream to my Apple TV from anywhere in the house.
Thanks!

Yes, if the AirPort Express is configured to create a wireless network that uses the exact same wireless network name, same wireless security setting (WPA2 Personal) and same wireless password as your existing router.
In addition, the AirPort must be configured to operate in Bridge Mode.
Other than naming the network and entering the password, AirPort Utility will take care of most of the settings automatically, assuming you have Mac running Lion (10.7.x), Mountain Lion (10.8.x), Mavericks (10.9.x), or you use an iPhone or iPad for the setup.
Note.....it would be much better if you could connect the Apple TV to the AirPort Express or your existing router using an Ethernet cable connection, not wireless.

Help: Using Airport Express to extend the range of Airport Extreme

I am trying to use the Airport Express to extend the range of the network created by my Airport Extreme. The Express works in terms of streaming music from iTunes on the PC connected to th Extreme.
However, I am trying to run a short Cat-5 cable out of the Express to a nearby PC in order to have access to the internet. If the Express is recognized by the Extreme and can play music through connected stereo cables, why can I get an internet connection through the LAN port..??
Here's a real basic representation of my connections...
Cable Modem >>-- Cat5 -->> Airport Extreme >>-- Wireless -->> Airport Express >>-- Cat5 -->>PC#2

To wirelessly extend the range between two AirPorts, you need to configure them in a Wireless Distribution System (WDS).
To facilitate the WDS set up, try the following:
o Perform a "hard" reset on the AirPort Extreme Base Stations & a "factory default" reset on the AirPort Express Base Stations (AX) before setting up the WDS.
o Place the base stations within near proximity of each other during the set up phase, and then relocate them to their desired locations when complete.
o To avoid having to "switch" wireless networks during the WDS setup, attach each of the remote/relay base station, via an Ethernet cable, to the main base station. Of course, this would be dependent on the AirPort types used for the main/relays/remotes.
o Be sure to jot down the MAC addresses for each of the base stations to be used in the WDS as these will be required during the setup.
o When enabling wireless encryption, configure the relay/remote base stations first and the main base station last.

Can I use an airport express to extend a Cisco E4200 802.11n or 802.11g wireless network?

Can I use an Airport Express to extend a Cisco E4200 802.11n or 802.11g wireless network? I'd like to improve access in a dead spot with an airport express. I know I can connect this wayt for airplay, but how about extending the signal?
Thx! ACB

Apple's "extend a wireless network" function appears to be a proprietary feature that works only with other Apple AirPort routers. As far as we know, this feature is not compatible with devices from other manufacturers.
It would be extremely unlikely that the Express could do what you want, but some things are never known until you try.

Airport Express stopped showing up on the wireless network

Airport Express stopped showing up on the wireless network, and now I can't stream music from my iMac or iPhone through the AE as I used to. I now have a new adsl modem, but it doesn't help. The AE has a wireless connection to the modem. I've used Airport Utility to setup the AE again, no help. I also updated to Maverick but it didn't help. Any ideas?

By "I can't reset it" do you mean you tried both the "hard" and "factory default" resets on your AirPort Express Base Station (AX) and still were not able to see it from iTunes? ...and if so, were you able to connect to it directly, using an Ethernet cable, to configure it using the AirPort Admin Utility?

Using airport express to extend network/stream music

Hi,
I just bought an airport express to extend my network throughout my house and stream music to my stereo system in my living room. My time capsule, which is connected to the DSL modem and is the base station, is in one far end of the house, while the airport express is at the other end. It has greatly improved the range of my network and when using my macbook in the front room, it gets full bars, however, the when using airtunes to stream music with iTunes 9 and OS 10.6, the music will cut in and out randomly and I occasionally get unknown error -15000 when trying to connect.
I played around with the airport express channels (any channel other than 10 will receive an unknown error -15000 automatically,) adjusted the firewall, and adjusted Netbarrier X, my third party security software. I found information in this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA21538?viewlocale=en_US
The only thing that works is moving the airport express close to my computer to remove the physical barriers. It plays perfectly then. Is it possible to buy a second airport express and plug it in halfway between my stereo and time capsule to boost the signal to the airport express plugged into my stereo? Will this solve the problem of the music stream cutting in and out every 10-20 seconds?

Mad Cow wrote:
I checked and my signal is -87 and noise is -95.
At the risk of being the bearer of bad news, that's a rather poor signal value. Here is a description of what different ranges of signal-to-noise mean:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10329543&start=1
In the other post, you mentioned interference from other electronics. Could physical barriers be causing interference also?
Barriers won't cause interference, but they can reduce signal transmission. How far apart are the two units, how many walls are in between, and of what material are those walls made?
If this is the case, can I add a second airport express between my base station and stereo-attached airport express to boost the signal?
In theory something like that might work, but I'm not sure that an AirPort Express can act as a "relay" station between a "main" station and a "remote" station. It might require an AirPort Extreme. Perhaps someone else can comment on that possibility.
Can you relocate your Time Capsule to an different phone outlet? Can you use longer cables between the wall and the modem and/or between the modem and the Time Capsule to move the Time Capsule to the other side of the room to be nearer to your AirPort Express? Can you use a longer audio cable between your AirPort Express and your sound system?
You may be able to use a pair of Power-Line units
(http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-network.htm) to connect your AirPort Express to your Time Capsule via Ethernet.

How can I use Airport Express to create a standalone Wi-Fi network without Internet Access so I can browse web pages on the local network? I will be using MAMP as my server (Apache)

I would like to create my own Wi-Fi standalone network at an upcoming tradeshow where there will be NO internet access.
Currently, I run and develop sites on my iMac use MAMP to manage my sites locally. Using MAMP, I run my sites as though they are on the internet although everything is local.
I purchased an Airport Express hoping I could create a standalone network so that the iMac would broadcast its website to whatever device connects to it such as my iPhone, iPad and MacBookPro.
However, after setting up the network successfully (I have a green light on the Airport Express, and there is NO internet going through it), I am not able to go any further by logging into the iMac's websites from the other machines. Form my MacBookPro Finder, I can look at files and folders using afp://10.0.1.2, from the Find/Go/Connect to Server utility, but I can't browse the website that is running on the iMac via the Safari browser.
Can anyone help me configure my MacBookPro (or iPad, or iPhone) to run the website on the iMac when they are all on the same network?
Thanks so much!!

1) connecting the TC using a ethernet cable from one of the two modem's LAN ports to the TC's WAN port
2) create a new Wi-Fi network using the TC ?
Does someone already create a new Wi-Fi network using its TC connected by Ethernet on a modem/router device ? How do you set up the DHCP (and NAT) ? Which range did you use ?
This is easy enough to do..
Plug the TC directly into a computer.. without other connections to do the setup.
Using the newly installed 5.6 utility.
Bridge the TC.
Create a wireless network.
This is an older screen shot and I would set security to WPA2 Personal only not WPA/WPA2 Personal as shown above.
I do recommend you use wireless names that are short, no spaces, pure alphanumeric.
Update the TC..
Now plug it into the modem router.. it will be a part of the network without doing NAT and DHCP itself.. which you do not want.. that leads to double NAT issues.. but it is a WAP that provides access to devices on both 2.4ghz and 5ghz bands directly to the main router.

Can I use airport express to extend my network AND stream iTunes???

I have an airport extreme connected to the cable modem and sending a signal out to my home network. I also have a powerbook and an airport express connected to the home stereo.
My question is, can i use the express to extend my extreme signal (to reach the back yard) and stream music from itunes at the same time? The set up utility seems to suggest that you do one or the other.
Thanks!

Are you sure you configured the Express to extend the Extreme's network? If you use the standard setup, the two base stations will be indistinguishable, i.e. you'll only see one entry for the wireless network.
If you were connected to the Extreme when you configured the Express, try turning off Airport in the Airport menu and then turning it back on. The computer should pick up the stronger signal at that point.

How do I use Airport Express to extend my current network.

I am now using an Airport Extreme and want to use my old Airport Express to extend my network. How do I do this? Thanks!

Linc44, welcome to the discussions!
I am now using an Airport Extreme and want to use my old Airport Express to extend my network. How do I do this?
By "old AirPort Express", I take it that you have a "b/g" version of the device, which is model number A 1084. Is that correct?

How do I use airport express to extend my wireless network?

How vcan I extend the range of my wireless network using Airport Express?

It appears that you may have "join a wireless network" and "extend a wireless network" mixed up a bit.
The Express can "join" virtually any wireless network produced by any manufacturer's router if it is provided with the correct settings:
name of the wireless network
the correct wireless security settings
and correct password.
"Join" is normally used for AirTunes or to connect a USB printer to the Express for remote printing.
But, the Express does not provide any additional wirless coverage when it "joins" another wireless network.
Apple's "Extend a wireless network" feature, which was introduced about 5 years ago, allows the Express to connect to another Apple "n" wireless router and then "repeat" or "extend" the wireless signal....providing more wireless coverage in the area where the Express is located.
This is a proprietary setting. Apple says it will not work with devices from other manufacturers. To our knowledge, this is correct.
Prior to 2007, Apple used a setting called WDS to allow the Express to be configured to provide more wireless coverage. Attempts were made by a number of manufacturers to standardize the WDS settings, but things were never finalized.
The result is that Apple's older "b/g" routers were sometimes compatible with WDS settings from another manufacturer. There were a handful of products....5 or 6, as I recall....that were said to work. Some did, some didn't. Linksys had a couple of models, Netgear had one, SMC another, etc. Extremely limited.
Since WDS was never adopted as an industry standard, manufacturers developed their own WDS settings. Compatibility was extemely limited and unreliable. That continues to this day with WDS.
Bottom line....It is always best to stick with the same manufacturer throughout your network as far as routing is concerned.
If you have an newer "n" Apple router like an AirPort Extreme, the Express can extend the wireless as can along Extreme. If your Extreme is dual band, and you want to extend both bands, then you need another Extreme.
Another responder suggested to someone that they could connect the AirPort Express to a router via Ethernet. What exactly would that achieve?
That is a completely different subject since this discussion is about extending a wireless network using wireless only.

Using Airport Express to Extend a Time Capsule Network: Results (*Long*)

Thought I would share my recent (2 hours ago) experience with setting up an Airport Express to Extend a Time Capsule 802.11N 5Ghz Network. Basically I just followed the directions in the Apple Airport Utility, using the "Extend a Wireless Network" setting:
Time Capsule (TC) 802.11N 5Ghz: In computer room
Linksys (LNK) 802.11g configured as dual network router with TC, also in computer room.
Airport Express (AE): In living room, about 50' away, several old plaster walls in between.
According to iStumblr:
1) I get an 80% signal from my TC when my MacBook is practically sitting on top of it.
2) I get an 88% signal from my Linksys 802.11g sitting next to the TC
3) I get 35% signal from my TC when my MacBook is in the living room. This is NOT enough signal, for some reason, to maintain a decent internet connection.
4) I get a 46% signal from my LNK from the same location. This IS enough signal to connect to the network.
5) With the AE configured as "Extend a Wireless Network" to the TC, and placed in the living room (again, about 50' from the TC base station), I get a 55% signal from the AE (which shows up as the same name as the TC network, for obvious reasons) Again, enough signal to connect to the network.
I did some internet speed tests using SpeedTest (take these with a grain of salt, of course)
1) From computer room over TC: 18Mb/s~22Mb/s average over 2 days of testing
2) From computer room over LNK: 18Mb/s~22mb/s average over 2 days of testing
3) From living room over AE(extended network from TC): 5~7Mb/s average in the last 2 hours
4) From living room over LNK: 12~14Mb/s average over 2 days of testing
Preliminary conclusions:
1) Setting up an extended network is pretty straightforward, and works without issue.
2) My 802.11g network with my old Linksys is far superior than my new extended 802.11N 5Ghz network, at least for internet connection speed.
3) I feel a bit irritated buying this AE now to extend my 802.11N network, if its not going to give me any advantages over my ancient 802.11g network
4) File transfers may still be better over the 802.11N-I will test that out at some point.
5) I have not tried WDS instead of "Extend a Wireless Network"-not sure what the benefits would be.
Computer Notes:
MacBook Aluminum-MB(Al) 2.0 C2D (802.11n)
finds 8 wireless networks in my neighborhood (3 of them are mine)
MacBook White-MB(Wh) 1.83 CD (802.11g only)
finds 10 wireless networks in my neighborhood (3 of them are mine)
Oddly, the signal strength of my networks isn't that different between the two computers-between 2% and 5%, even though it can't see as many networks. The 2 networks the MB(Wh) CAN see are at around 21% and 25% signal-not sure why the MB(Al) can't see them at all.

Your biggest mistake is confusing signal strength with signal quality. The signal indicator indicates strength and nothing else. You need to be using iStumblr to look at SNR (Signal to noise ratio).

I was told at the Apple store that I could simply plug in ( electric power) the Airport Express and it would find my wireless network. I hoped to use it as a way to play music from my iphone. I do not use other Apple routers etc,

The Airport Express is not finding my wireless network. I do not have any of the devices listed below. I have a Belkin wireless router. Can I still use Airport Express ( without plugging an ethernet cable into it) ? Any ideas for how to make it find my network ? It is sitting next to the wireless router-so is in range.
If you already have a wireless network in your home and want to extend its range, AirPort Express can help. Just place it in range of your primary base station — an AirPort Extreme, Time Capsule, or another AirPort Express — and near the area where you want your wireless connection. Launch the easy-to-use AirPort Utility app on your iOS device or Mac, and you’re mere minutes away from long-range Wi-Fi enjoyment.

Hi - you can do what you want to do with AirPlay from your iPhone - but unfortunately it is not as easy as the people in the Apple store told you - your first problem is that you have a non Apple router - you cannot extend a non Apple router wirelessly with the Express - you can only join the network and connect an ethernet device to it - you can however connect via ethernet and have it create a wireless network of its' own - you can set this up from your iPhone or the XP - but this is a complicated setup and would involve many different discussion areas of this forum - therefore I would suggest that you use your 90 days of support and consult directly with Apple to do this - go to this link - http://www.apple.com/support/contact/

Use airport express to extend network from linksys wrt54g

Hello all, I'm having no luck here, and hope you can help me. I am running a MacBook Pro, 2.16 GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo, 3 Gigs ram, OS X 10.6.8.I am at work, trying to use a newly purchased AirPort Express to extend the signal from the back office, which has a Linksys WRT54G router. I updated the router's firmware to 1.02.8, build 001, dated 8.5.09. I have tried numerous times to configure the AE using AirPort Utility, and always wind up with an error message, "An error occurred while updating the configuration. Make sure your Apple Wi-Fi base station is plugged in and in range of your computer or connected via Ethernet and try again. (-6753)" During the configuration process, I am asked what I want to do with AE, I have tried both "create a new wireless network," and "I want AE to join my current network," with no success. Any comments will be appreciated.

The Linksys WRT54G and WRT54GS (through version 4 only for both models) were said to be compatible with Apple's WDS settings.
Perhaps this article may offer some clues, but it is doubtful that you will be able to make this work with the particular version of Linksys router that you have.
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=2006060516541633

Is it possible to use Airport Express to extend my Cisco E2500 wireless network

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