Joining a wireless network

Question

Hi,
I am trying to move from one set-up to another.
In my current set-up, I have an airport extreme base station connected by ethernet cable to a modem. The base station creates my wireless network, and its hard drive contains my itunes music library. I also have an airport express in another room connected to my stereo, to play my itunes library.
I am looking to change this set-up for the following reasons: (a) Based on the recommendations on these boards, I am going to move my itunes library to an external hard drive. The disk on the base station is spinning up and down all the time, and disconnects from itunes regularly (for which I have searched in vain for solutions -- and have made workable only by some rube goldbergian set-up that is somewhat ingenious, if I don't say so myself). However, it's time to face facts and get itunes off the base station. (b) My new comcast modem is able to serve as a router and create a wireless network of its own.
So my desired set-up, which I have not been able to complete for reasons explained below, is as follows:
1. Detach the ethernet connection between the base station and the modem.
2. Set up the base station away from the modem, connected to the new hard drive and a printer.
3. JOIN the new wireless network with the base station, and have it serve as a print server with attached storage.
4. I don't want it to extend the network, because I don't need it to. And I don't want it thinning out my wifi signal.
Here is my problem. When I try to change the settings of the (still ethernet connected) base station to "Join a wireless network," my new network does not display in the available networks list. All of my devices are on this network, so I know it works. The list includes many networks in the neighborhood, so it is not a signal strength issue. Also, the base station set itself to bridge mode when the new network, connected by ethernet, was created. If I unplug the ethernet cable to the base station, I lose access to it in airport utility.
In addition, when I try to join the new network with the express, the network is not in the list either.
This is a possibly convoluted way of asking, can the base station hop on a wireless network, not extend it (sending out a wireless signal and diluting the signal), and serve as a print server? If so, why isn't it seeing my new wireless network?
Thank you.
Bill

Answer 1

I have no wireless clients on the AEBS -- they are all on the new comcast network supplied by the modem/router, to which the AEBS is a bridge, connected by ethernet.
You will find the laptop works better on the AEBS wireless generally.. that is why you still should use it.
Access to the AEBS via the comcast is fine.. you are ethernet linked from the comcast to AEBS.. but you are losing the better wireless device. Apple stuff is deliberately created with slow speed on 2.4ghz.. anytime you can be near the AEBS and use 5ghz it is double the speed.. That does make a difference for copying files to a hard disk.. it also reduces the wireless load on the comcast. Remember wireless is single channel half duplex.. unable to handle more than one device at once. Ethernet is mulitchannel duplex. Far superior. But by splitting wireless loads you are helping both devices.
Should I match the AEBS SSID and password to the comcast router SSID and password?
Yes, I said it still applies to your situation.. even though you have mix of apple and non-apple router. Roaming network setup is way to go.
All SSID should be short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric. Following the comcast is fine. Use WPA2 AES in that one = WPA2 Personal in the TC.
Only difference as I said to the apple article is using fixed wireless channels. Since two devices set to auto is not imho a great idea.
Create a wireless network is the only way wireless will work.. in this setup. If you extend or join you are back into hopping.
Also, this KB article http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1731 suggests that for my purposes, my express should join the network and not extend it since it is merely used to connect to my stereo for airtunes.
That one is outside my "scientific" experiments.. use your own. This is a few minutes of adjusting settings. Extend is always as far as I can see the right way to go. Why join would be superior in this case, no idea. Try it.. old engineering method.. suck and see.
My main concern throughout has been to minimize the signal loss that could occur through the existence of multiple routers on the network.
Just use fixed wireless channels.. set to one of the three non-overlapping.. 1, 6, 11 and you can run three devices without issues.
It seems that by connecting the AEBS by ethernet to the router (even though it creates a new, unused network), I won't lose signal.
Correct because you set one to channel 6 and one to channel 11.. for example.
It also seems from reading the internet that I will lose signal merely by having the express out there -- perhaps by keeping it in client mode it won't.
I think you are not following .. there is no loss of signal.. the two devices are locked to each other. They have to be on the same channel to talk to each other.. but they cannot talk at the same time. And there is no information passed if they both listen at the same time. That means only one can talk.. the other listens. As soon as you introduce two wireless devices linked together.. if any device then connects wirelessly then you have double hop. It doesn't reduce the signal.. it halves the speed.
Think in pictures..
Internet
  |
Router 1 (comcast channel 1) ---- wireless client.
  |
Router 2 (AEBS channel 11) ---- wireless client.
Router1 and Router2 can both handle a wireless client.. they can both send full wireless speed info to each wireless client at the same time. Because they are linked by ethernet there is no slow down.
Now
Internet
  |
Router 1 (comcast channel 1) ---- wireless client1
                                             ---- wireless client2
Now you have two devices on the same wireless .. they share the bandwidth because wireless is not able to do multiple clients at once... it talks to wireless client 1 and then client 2.. each gets a time slice. Say 50% each so half the speed of example above.
Now
Internet
  |
Router 1 (comcast channel 1) ---- wireless AEBS--- wireless client 1 and 2.
Now you have two devices on the same wireless.. but the speed is half again. So 25% of the first case. Actually worse than that because wireless is inefficient at handling this scenario.
There is no reduction in signal.. indeed you might do this setup to get good signal to a far location in the house. But every packet is now double handled.
It goes like this..
wireless 1 Tx packet to AEBS
AEBS Tx packet to Comcast.
Comcast Tx return ACK packet to AEBS.
AEBS Tx return ACK packet to Client 1.
Then wireless client 2 gets a turn.
Same deal.