Join third party wireless network

Question

I have an AE, not (n), and would like to connect it to my working Thomson wireless router to be used as the iTunes streamer. What do I do? I have tried a few suggestions I found but what happens is that when AE is rebooting it freezes and then the computer can't find it and so on.

Answer 1

You will need to use the WPA/WPA2 Personal choice when you configure the AX, as this is the closest match to WPA Personal. This can get tricky because some routers use an AES setting associated with WPA and others use TKIP. Apple wants to see a TKIP setting, so make sure that your Thompson is configured this way.
Suggest that you start over fresh on the Airport Express (AX) and reconfigure it.
Perform a Factory Default Reset on the AX as follows:
Power down the AX for a moment or two
Hold in the reset button and keep holding it in as you plug the AX back in to power
Release the reset button after 10 seconds
Locate the AX close to your computer
Temporarily, connect an ethernet cable from your computer to the AX
Open AirPort Utility, click Manual Setup
Click the Base Station tab below the icons
Name your device, assign a device password and adjust time zone settings
Click the Wireless tab below the icons
Wireless Mode...Join a Wireless Network
(If you don’t see this choice, hold down the option key on your computer as you click on the selection box)
Wireless Network Name...The name of the network you are joining should appear
Enter a check mark next to “Allow ethernet clients”
Security...Must match the exact security setting on your wireless network
Password...password for the wireless network
Click the Music icon to enable AirTunes
Click Update at the lower right of the window.
As soon as you see the message that the settings have been saved, close AirPort Utility and disconnect the ethernet cable. The AX will restart in 20-25 seconds.
If you get the green light, you can power down the AX and move it to the location where it's needed, but do not power it up yet.
Power down your complete network for a few moments
Start the modem first and let it run a few moments, then do the same with your wireless router, then the same with the AX, then the same with your computers.
If you need to make future configuration changes, temporarily connect the ethernet cable to the AX again and disconnect it when you have Updated the changes. This is a much more reliable method than wireless for the configuration process.