Maximum number of airport expresses on a network

Hi,
I'm using a time capsule and have three airport expresses connected to extend my wifi network. When I connect to the third airport express, all my devices cannot connect to the wifi network. The problem is resolved when I unplug the airport express and connect to the time capsule directly.
I was wondering if there is a maximum number of airport expresses that can be deployed on a network to extend the wifi connection.
Thanks

Apple does not provide a maximum number of extending devices for a network in their documenation, but the practical limit would probably be in 4-5 range. I've used 4 extending devices in the past with good results.
I"m assuming here that you are using the "extend a wireless network" setting on the AirPort Express, correct?
This setup works like the hub and spokes of a wheel. The main router is the "hub" and each of the AirPort Express devices reside at the end of a "spoke". The devices at the ends of the spokes communicate directly to the hub, not to another device at the end of a spoke.
So, in an ideal setup, your main router would occupy a central location in the home and the AirPort Express devices would be located approximately equal distance from the main router.
Can you provide a few more details on your setup?

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I have a Time Capsule as my base station and a number of Airport Expresses installed ( one with a USB printer). All the Express are connected wirelessly. When setting up you are allowed to configure the Express to join a network or to Extend a Network. What is the best choice. My goal is to make sure my printer works, but also ensure the signal is decent throughout the house.
Apple tech when I called gave two conflicting answers. One said it should be Extend the Network. When I called back the next tech said that that was in fact incorrect. He said it should be Connect. He told me that Extend only works where you are hooking up the extra Expresses to an Ethernet cable which is not the case. Who is right?

Hi Bob,
After searching all over the internet, I found your answers to be the most informative
Would appreciate if you can comment on my situation:
Room Outlay:
I have a single-story 3,000 square-foot house with the Study on one end of the house and two other key areas of the house, the Family Room and the Master Bedroom, at the other ends of a "triangle" (Note: the Master Bedroom is a little closer to the Study than the Family Room is to the Study).
Original Environment:
1. in the Study: Cable Modem (Comcast)
2. in the Study: Time Capsule (MB276LL/A 500GB) ethernet connection to Cable Modem
3. in the Study: iMac ethernet connection to Time Capsule
4. in the Family Room: iPhone, iPad, and Laptop wireless usage
5. in the Master Bedroom: iPhone, iPad, and Laptop wireless usage
Original Issues:
Particularly in the Family Room (the most important of my remote areas), the devices (iPhone, etc.) seemed to drop in and out of the wireless network connection. I measured the wireless signal strength to be between 30-40% (Note: it was 45-50% in the Master Bedroom).
New Environment (additions)
6. in the Family Room: AirPort Express (MB321LL/A) Unit 1
7. in the Master Bedroom: AirPort Express (MB321LL/A) Unit 2
Impulsively reacting to various internet posts regarding extending wireless range with the AirPort Express, I went out and bought 2 units with the hope of improving the wireless signal strength in the Family Room and the Master Bedroom. I followed the instructions to have them "extend" the existing wireless network, and I now measure the wireless signal strength to be between 55-70% (vs. 30-40%) in the Family Room and 60-65% (vs. 45-50%) in the Master Bedroom.
Concerns/questions:
Further research turned up a bunch of posts that claim "extending" a wireless network the way I have significantly reduces the overall wireless network performance (cuts the throughput in half for each extender?).
Q1. Is this true? How does this relate to the improved signal strengths I measured.
Q2. If so, if I scrap the unit in the Master Bedroom, will I get better throughput in the Family Room?
Q3. In general, is there a better way to configure my network (e.g., not using "extend", etc.) to get better coverage in the Family Room (and ideally the Master Bedroom) without compromising throughput?
Q4. Although it appears the Time Capsule does not easily support a booster antenna, I did see some convoluted "do-it-yourself" kits that seem to have positive results for people. Is this something I should consider?
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How do I remove an unwanted Airport Express from my network?

I have been using a Time Capsule for several years. I am having trouble backing up to my Time Capsule. I have discovered an unknown Airport Express in my network. I've changed networks, added passwords to the network, etc. How do I remove this unwanted Airport Express from my network? I think he is wreaking havoc with my system!! Help...

Maybe this is an issue I should consult my ISP about??
No question about that. If you can "see" Travis's device, then he can likely "see" your Time Capsule.
I'm just concerned that whomever the APExpress belongs to could be changing settings on my computer or Time Capsule that would cause the issues with me not being able to backup.
Make sure that you have a Time Capsule base station password. Unless a user has that password, they might be able to "see" your Time Capsule, but they cannot access any of the data on the Time Capsule or change the settings.
Open AirPort Utility, click on the Time Capsule and click Manual Setup
Then, click the Time Capsule tab below the icons to see the device name and password for your device. Make sure that you have entered the password and confirmed. Click Update if you have made any changes.
The message I get is "The backup was not performed because an error occurred while copying files to the backup disk. The problem may be temporary. Try again later to back up. If the problem persists, use Disk Utility to repair your backup disk."
I am not sure what this error means, because I cannot duplicate it here to test.
If it were me, I would try this "fix".
http://pondini.org/TM/A5b.html

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Until Bob Timmons gets back to you, first decide what you would like the Express to do. I understand you want it for AirPlay remote speakers, which you can certainly do.
I am assuming that you are not using an Apple AirPort router; if that's not the case stop here and let me know.
If your existing router is not an Apple AirPort Base Station, the Express:
can "join" an existing wireless network as a client, for the sole purpose of streaming music. If that's what you want to do, do not connect it to your router with an Ethernet cable.
can "extend" an existing wired network to serve as an additional wireless access point, which can also stream music. If that's what you want to do, connect its WAN port to an available LAN port on your router using an Ethernet cable.
Then, "hard reset" the Express according to the instructions below, and configure it. The prompts should be self-explanatory. If you run into trouble, describe which of the above two configurations you decided upon, and the point at which you're getting the "unexpected problem".
To "hard reset" an AirPort Base Station: make sure it's powered up, then gently press and hold its tiny reset button. Don't apply any more force than required to feel a tactile click. Keep it depressed for five to ten seconds, long enough for its LED to flash amber rapidly. Release the reset button. Then, the LED will glow amber steadily for about a minute. Then, it will flash amber, slowly, about once every second or two, waiting for you to configure it with AirPort Utility.

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In your instructions, you say to use the same encryption type as the router has set up. well, I am using the WEP 64 bit encryption and the Airport Utility does not have this...it has 40 bit. Is this a problem, or do I have to be using a the same type of encrytion ?
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I suggest you perform a simple site survey, using utilities like the following to determine potential areas of interference, and then, try to either eliminate or significantly reduce them where possible:
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o iStumbler, or
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can I connect my Airport Express to this network and extend it and ALSO use it for Airtunes?
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If you can create a WDS, streaming iTunes should not be a problem.
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Welcome to the discussions!
If you reset the Extreme back to factory defaults and reconfigured it, you will need to do the same for the Express.
Plug the Express into power and hold in the tiny reset button until the amber light begins to blink rapidly.
Open AirPort Utility to reconfigure your Express to "extend" the network created by the Extreme. If Airport Utility can't "find" the Express, temporarily connect an ethernet cable from the Express to your computer.
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The AirPort Express is broadcasting a default wireless network with a name like Apple Network xxxxxx, where the "x" could be a letter or number. If you are trying to configure the Express using wireless only, you must first log on to this network from your computer....there is no password required.....then open AirPort Utility.
If you have a spare Ethernet cable handy, connect the Express directly to your computer, restart the Express and then open AirPort Utility to configure the Express that way. Once you have the Express configured and updated, you can disconnect the Ethernet cable.

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Ok, thanks for clarifying your network requirements with the AXns.
For both AXns to be successful in extending the AEBSn's wireless network they need to be within a 25+ dB SNR range of that AEBSn. SNR, or Signal to Noise Ratio, is the base station's Signal strength (in dBm) - Noise level (in dBm). Two primary reasons for low SNR values is Wi-Fi interference and obstacles (like walls/ceilings, etc.) that prevent a signal from passing through.
You can easily calculate the SNR value by using a utility like iStumbler. Ideally, you would run iStumbler on a laptop and take signal & noise measurements at both the location of the AEBSn and at the desired locations of the AXns (with the AXns powered-off). If the SNRs are 25+ dB, then you should be get good performance with placing an AXn there to extend the AEBSn's wireless network. If not, then you won't.
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*Error Msg: "An error occurred joining the selected wireless network."
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Message was edited by: Sakahara

Addendum: Now that I've plugged it in near the printer again Airport Utility can see it but can't read it's configuration so that I can set up the printer. How is this helpful with setting up a printer in another room/level if you have to set it up near your computer first because the two Airport Extreme's you have already set up (one of them, to create the wireless network, 8 feet away from the Express, and the other, to extend the wireless network, on an upper level, to reach the iMac) to give your computer a wireless network? So Airport Utility can see all three airport devices, the network/internet works and is extended to my iMac, but it can't read the Express device to set up the printer. Isn't that the point of the extended wireless network? And yet I can read/set up the Extreme near the Express. Now I have to lug the printer up two levels to set up the printer.

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For a mission project in Northern Ireland, I am trying to connect three Airport Express units into a single wireless system. The mission group is located in an old building with thick walls, so the wireless signal needs to be "repeated." I need help on the basics of setting up all three AX units in a series. One will be located in an office on the ground floor an act as the main base station with an ethernet connection. (The mission has a cable modem/router with an independent line in the ofice that is connected directly to the AX unit in the office.) The second will need to act as a relay base station(it will be on the second floor of the building, but in range of the main base station) and the third as a remote base station down a hall on the second floor. In an initial setup, I was unable to have the main base station unit show up on the list of base statios when I did a scan in the AirPort Admin Utility.
Should I set up (configure) all three AX units in close proximity to each other and then relocate them to the final locations? I also need some advice on how to identify or assign the AirPort MAC Adress to the units. Finally, do I need to do a "hard reset" on the units and simply start over? I saw the Apple article on using WDS to create a network from multiple base stations, but it only dealt with two units. Thanks. Sawyerlex
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Check out my last post in this thread:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1756749

How can I get my time capsule and airport express (as a network extension) working properly together?

Hi,
I bought a time capsule a while back and connected it to my modem, and it seems to be backing up my hard drives but I can't tell if I'm getting my wireless signal from my time capsule or from the modem itself, which used to before I bought the time capsule.
It's bugging me because I'm trying to get my airport express to work as an extension to my network, and airport utility half the time can't pick up the express. I heard that it will only work of the time capsule is working as the base station,and I'm not 100% sure this is the case.
Also, how far can the airport express be from my time capsule for it to be picked up? I tried resetting it which helped to start with, but when I was setting it up to extend my network it just told me that there was an error and to try again, which I did with the same result.
Any advice would be much appreciated!
Cheers

Always do setups with ethernet.. setting up wireless via wireless is like cutting off the branch you are sitting on.
You do not need the TC in the network to do the setup.
Plug it by itself into the computer. Same with AE. But do each separately.
Give the TC a different wireless name.. like TC.. then you will know the TC wireless is separate and different to the main modem router. Simply allow it to be extended.
Plug it back into the main modem.
Now do the AE.. set it to extend the wireless of the TC.
When you do this check the signal level. The airport utility v5 has a full diagnostic of wireless client levels.. do not use v6 utility.. it is useless. The AE is placed somewhere in between the TC and the clients you want to connect.. it has to get decent signal itself to extend wireless. And there is no way we can tell you how far apart.. pick the half way point.. around about and suck and see. If it doesn't work move closer to the TC.
Count the walls the signal is going through.. about 15% signal loss for each one.. if angle is acute 20%.. floors are worse.. they might be 20-25%..

Time Capsule and Airport Express as separate network on route acting slow

Wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this...
I have a Time Capsule (current gen) with an Airport Express N (last gen) which I would like to connect to my current router and create a network that is separate from the router's own wireless network. Currently, I've set the TC to work in Bridge Mode (connected to the router - ethernet) and have connected the Airport Express to 'extend the network' - this is also in Bridge Mode as well. However, when I'm away from the TC and in the Airport Express's range, the connection is very slow. Is there something I'm not doing right with the 2 Apple products or is it something with the router? When I'm closer to the TC it works fine, it's just when I'm far away there seems to be an issue!
Thanks in advance!

Wirelessly extending your network will improve your range, but decrease your bandwidth. You should create a roaming network via Ethernet if you can.

Maximum number of airport expresses on a network

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