Medium sized wireless network topography help.

Question

Hi.
I need to set up a wireless network for a three story vacation rental condominium complex. Each floor has 12 units for 36 in all. The idea is to give renters wireless access to the internet. My plan is to use an Airport Extreme to connect to the building's single cable modem and then use Airport Expresses strategically positioned around the complex to create a WDS. Will this work? Is it the best way to accomplish my goal? How many users could be connected at once?
Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

The limitations with WDS is that you can only have 5 wi-fi routers total. There can only be one relay router between a main router and remote router.
What is a relay router and what is a remote? Look at this "diagram":
Main router <-> RouterA <-> RouterB
RouterA is a relay router because it acts as a relay station between Main and RouterB
RouterB is a remote router.
And then check out this diagram:
Main router <-> Router1
Router1 in this case is known as a remote router also even though there is no relay.
So, you can only have 5 routers total so the largest network you can have will be in the shape of a partial star. Look at this poor diagram:
Main router <-> Router1 <-> Router2
Main router <->RouterA <-> RouterB
In the above diagram, there is really only ONE main router (but due to limitations of using ASCII drawing to make parallel diagrams, this is why there looks like two main routers). Router 1 and 2 are shooting off on their own network trunk. Router A and B are also shooting off on their own network trunk. Router1 and RouterA both connect to the SAME main router.
Also don't forget: Airport Express can at best only handle 10 clients at a time. Airport Extreme can handle 50.
This should not be a problem if your Airports are scattered adequately.
Give all of this, it is possible, I think, to use Apple's routers to form your WDS system but of course as the other reader said, depends on the construction of your building and other interferences.
HINT ON HOW TO REMOTELY RESET WDS SYSTEM
And here's my hint on how to remotely reset a WDS system using Airport Utility. You always want to work backwards from where you are connecting. So for instance, if you are connecting from RouterB, rest Router 2, then 1, then the main, then A, then finally B. If you don't do it this way, you have to keep waiting for one router to be back online before you can reset the other routers.
Message was edited by: Conal Ho