Roaming Network Issues

Currently have an Airport Extreme in the basement as the main router which runs a home theater system and xbox, and 2 airport expresses on the main floor wireless extending the network. <- this all works fine
I tried to add another Extreme on the 3rd floor connected to the main Extreme via Ethernet, but once connected and the green light on, the wireless on my computer and iPhone won't load internet pages. Help?
We have a static IP and the Basement Extreme is set up correctly with the numbers provided by ISP, and is set to "DHCP and NAT" on the network tab. I unplugged the upstairs extreme in order to get my internet access back (once it was unplugged, internet worked fine again). When it was plugged in, it was configured to extend a network and Router mode was off (bridge mode). On both of them the channels were set to Automatic (currently don't have a 5GHz channel activated, got to get this fixed before messing with that).
Do I need the upstairs extreme's MAC address to have the main extreme assign it a permanent IP? From what I read that shouldn't be the case, but I don't really know what the problem is so I'm just grabbing at straws

I believe you want the 3rd floor Extreme in bridge mode, but it should "create a wireless network" with same ssid and password as your basement extreme. Setting channels to automatic should be ok. I would lean toward having the basement extreme assign the 3rd floor extreme a permanent ip address outside the standard dhcp range you use.

Similar Messages

Is there a known conflict between an extreme g base station and express n in a roaming network?

I have an extreme g base station connected to a cable modem, an express g connected to a linksys switch via ethernet, and an express n connected to the same switch via Ethernet. The switch is connected to the extreme g base station by Ethernet as well. They are all set up to be a roaming network with 128 bit WEP security. I made two changes to the network recently. I went from a WDS setup with the extreme g and express g, which was generally stable but slow, to the roaming setup above, and I added the express n. Now something is causing the network to loose connectivity at least once a day, requiring a restart of the extreme g. My hunch is the express n is causing problems for the older g units.
Does anyone know if this is a known problem and if there is a solution?
Thanks.

For what its worth.....
I have mixed older "b/g" and newer "n" devices in "extended" and "roaming" networks for years, and have never experienced any issues with this type of setup.
As a Community Support "regular", I can say that I cannot recall having seen the type of issue that you have described, but other users may comment with different opinions.

Airport - Roaming Network

Hi everyone,
I've set up a roaming network using a brand new Airport Extreme as my main wireless network and then a 2nd Generation Airport Express to extend this network via Ethernet.
I created the network by first creating my main network on my Airport Extreme and then factory resetting my Airport Express and switching it on and then letting Airport Utility detect and decide to 'EXTEND my network via Ethernet'.. Airport Utility configured this all automatically...
My Airport Extreme is upstairs and my Airport Express is Downstairs.
My Network Printer is also Upstairs.
Now as far as devices go they comfortably switch from upstairs to downstairs no problem, so the roaming network is working as it should.. .. But when I bring a device (iPad or iPhone) downstairs and try to print to the network printer, the printer can't be found on the network. As soon as I bring the device upstairs to print it finds the printer..
Now I'm not yet 100% sure if the device itself is problematic or if it's actually the network because in one instance, one device actually did find the printer but maybe this is because it was still connected to the upstairs network.
Anyway.. What I want to know is, how does a network printer tie in to or be 'related' a roaming network? Is it just the fact that the roaming network has the same SSID, Password and Security type and bridge mode? Is there anything else that my device (iPhone) is looking for when looking for a network printer?
As I try to troubleshoot I noticed that Airport Express which is the extension in Airport Utility in the NETWORK MODE tab, it has 'Create a Wireless Network' as the type.. Shouldn't this be 'Extend a wireless network'?
-Frankie

As I try to troubleshoot I noticed that Airport Express which is the extension in Airport Utility in the NETWORK MODE tab, it has 'Create a Wireless Network' as the type.. Shouldn't this be 'Extend a wireless network'?
No, it is correctly setup as create a wireless network.. but it might well work better in extend.. slower but better.. it might be worth a try if this is an issue for you.
Disconnect the ethernet connection and then try using the setup by extend wireless.
Why is this failing??
It is hard to answer but I think apple is falling down in keeping their networking quality up to date. The simple fact is.. they are overreaching trying to do too much hairy stuff with peer to peer video transfers.. for example.. and forgetting the basics.
Fundamental local DNS and routing is not working as well as it should.
The idevices have always had roaming issues.. whereas the OS X products have handled it well.. this suggests that the problem may not be the airport but rather the iOS ability to locate network resources.
There is very little however I can suggest to fix it.. since airprint is unique apple protocol.. to get around the problem you would need to use specific iOS apps that supply printing outside of apple method.. there is a number of these and it may be worth seeing if your particular printer has some method of printing apart from airprint.

Roaming Network with Powerline Adapter

Hello,
I have read numerous posts on this, but I am still having a small issue. My setup is as follows:
Arris router set on bridge connected to
latest gen. time capsule (set to DHCP, create network), connected to a powerline adapter that then runs upstairs. The other powerline adapter is upstairs and connected to latest generation airport express (bridge mode, create network with same ID and pwd as the time capsule).
Previously, I had the time capsule and the airport express (via the powerline adapter) each connected to the arris router, but this was causing some issues.
Nevertheless, with the new roaming network setup, the powerline adapter seems to be getting slower speeds or the upstairs airport express is slow. I can get close to 30 down from the time capsule, but half that on the airport express.
Any suggestions?

Powerline is always "iffy". The system can work OK when the powerline adapters are on the same electrical circuit, but things really slow down.....dramatically, in some cases.....when the adapters are on different electrical circuits, since there is a significant signal loss when one tries to "jump"' circuits.....no matter what the advertising or sales guy might say.
The signal will also slow down quite rapidly over distance.
Not much that you can do about that, unfortunately, other than experiment a bit with different AC sockets in different locations to see if one might be better than another. Like wireless, powerline is half science and half voodoo, so there are never any clear cut rules about what will and will not work.
Some users can get by with powerline, but the folks who are looking for the best performance almost always come to realize that there is nothing better than an Ethernet cable with no loss up to 300+ feet or 100 meters. Yes, I know that the running the cable might not be easy, but a good electrician or wire guy can do some amazing things.

Configuring Airport Express as Roaming Network from a Time Capsule via Powerline Adapters

I am having an issue configuring an Airport Express to extend my WiFi network as a roaming network via powerline adapters. I have configured as other threads have advised
Open AirPort Utility - Select the AirPort Express - Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab below the icons
Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
Wireless Network Name = Same name as the TC network
No check mark is needed next to "Allow this network to be extended"
Radio Mode = 802.11n (802.11 b/g compatible)
Channel = Automatic
Wireless Security = Same exact setting as the TC
Wireless Password = Same password as the TC network
Confirm Password
Click the Internet icon, then click the Internet Connection tab
Connect Using = Ethernet
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Update to save setings and allow 40-45 seconds for the Express to restart
The only difference is I cannot see an option under Connect Using for Ethernet here there is only the usual DHCP etc
After configuring my Apple TV can see the network and says it establishes an internet connection but Home Sharing does not show my iTunes library but will connect to internet radio.
I cannot get any other WiFi device to connect to the Airport Express but they can see it. The TC and Airport Express have been updated to latest firmware.
Any advice appreciated.

Please download and install AirPort Utility 5.6 for Mac OS X Lion
You can have both 6.0 and 5.6 on your Mac and choose the version that you want to use.
6.0 is interesting to look at, but 5.6 has much more functionality.

Roaming Network setup

Hello all-
I've read most of the posts on setting up a roaming network and I'm still struggling with my setup. Here's my scenario- any help is appreciated:
-I have a wireless-N Primary AEBS connected to COX cable modem in the house
-I have 100 ft cat5e cable coming out to my garage/studio that I plug directly into my MB pro from the Primary AEBS
-I am attempting to setup a roaming network in my garage/studio by plugging the ethernet cable from the primary AEBS to a wireless-N Airport Express A1264 in order to maintain a wireless network out in the garage
-I have followed Apple's Airport Networks manual and tried a combination of things in Airport Utility, but no luck
-Since I don't get a wireless signal from my primary AEBS to my MB pro on my network (when I am in the garage), I assume it is to distant for the Airport Express in my garage to get the signal. So would my configuration actually be a roaming network?
Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks

Bob, I'd like to thank you for some of the most helpful advice on the topic I've seen on the boards. I greatly appreciate this thread and a couple others you've provided guidance on. Much appreciated.
Sorry to trouble you with more but I would be grateful for the thoughts and response. I'll list out the configuration I've pulled together based on my understanding on a few of your posts. The reason for my post is that in spite of my efforts the throughput on the network seems spotty and off.
Gear:
Motorola SB6120 (DOCSIS 3)
Airport Extreme - Simultaneous Dual Band II (7.5.2)
Time Capsule - Simultaneous Dual Band (7.5.2)
Airport Express - 802.11n (7.5.2)
Mac Mini (x2)
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro
iPhone 4 (x2)
Sony PS3
Area - Connection:
I'm in a 2 story place that's unfortunately concrete but I doubt this is the cause of the issue. Cable enters downstairs and is connected to a brand new SB6120. The 6120 ethernets to the Extreme. There is a Mini hung off the Extreme using ethernet. Also off the Extreme is Cat5 running upstairs to the 2nd story connected into the Wan Port of the Time Capsule. The second Mini is connected to the TC with ethernet. The PS3 hangs off the Extreme using ethernet but this is not used often. The Express is located outside on the patio on the 1st floor level.
Configuration:
AEBS: Create Wireless Network (2.4 & 5Ghz), No Guest Network. Separate network names created for 2.4 and 5Ghz. WPA2 in place. Manual Channels 149 & 6, Share Public IP, DHCP is on and a range has been set. Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol is selected. So is Allow this Network to be extended. Create closed Network is on and Use Wide Channels are both on. I've reserved IPs for all machines (including the TC & Express) using MAC IDs and have set all machines to DHCP and confirmed they are using the corresponding IPs. I've also included the 2.4Ghz network for all the Airport clients.
TC: Bridge Mode selected. Create Wireless Network (2.4 & 5Ghz), the exact same network name & device passwords are used. Same with WPA2. DHCP on. Allow this Network to be extended is NOT checked. Manual Channels at 161 & 13. Create closed Network is on and Use Wide Channels are both on.
Express: Extend Wireless Network. Allow Wireless Clients is checked. It's using the same network name (the 2.4Ghz), device password, and WPA2 as well. Channel is set to automatic and seems to like Channel 4. Connect using Wireless Network & Bridge Mode selected.
Wow. What a long list of it. Sorry about it. Ultimately, I was hoping to create a Roaming Network but when configuring the Express the option was only to Create or Extend a network. I can't seem to find a lot of information about the pros & cons but I was hoping to achieve Roaming.
Issue: I seem to be having quite a bit of socket issues and connection closed issues. When moving about the house I'm almost forced into a restart in order to secure a better connection. Once I do get a device connected it seems to burst up and down a lot. Meaning, I'll have great up/down and then suddenly I'm down to 30B/s down. It is highly possible I've got lousy cable access. I am paying for 100MBs but I do know they suffer from noise on the line quite a bit.
Is there anything you can think of to help optimize this configuration? Again, sorry for the long note and thanks for your earlier guidance to get me this far. It is working well but I still feel I have missed something to make it better. Let me know please. Happy to respond and clarify as needed.

My iMac will not connect to time capsule used as base station in my roaming network

I have a network that is made of up a Time capsule as a base station and 3 airport express's used to extend my wifi coverage. It is setup as a roaming network with each express hardwired to the base time capsule. I have a iMac that will not connect to the base station, it will only connect to one of the remote express's. The iMac is next to the base satation. Other mac notebooks, iPhone or iPads all connect to the base station when they are near it. Only my iMac will not connect to it. Any suggestions as to why this is happening or steps I can take to fix this.

Hello FoxFamilyVA
Check out the first article below to go through some troubleshooting options to get your iMac to connect to your Time Capsule. I would go through and remove it from the list of known networks that you join and then add it back in. I would also recommend that you try and create a new Network Location to see if there is an issue with your current configuration.
Wi-Fi: How to troubleshoot Wi-Fi connectivity
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4628
Using network locations (Mac OS X v10.6 and later)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5289
Regards,
-Norm G.

Wifi roaming network

I have an Airport Extreme and a Time Capsul. Currently, I have the Extreme (primary base station) connected to the internet via an ethernet connection. Both of these are upstairs. I have the Time Capsul downstairs and it extends the wifi network wirelessly. I would like to improve the performance of the network and extend it a bit further to the other side of the house. Based on my reading, the best way to do this is to create a roaming network and connect the Time Capsul to the Extreme via ethernet. I've done this. However, after I do this, I lose connectivity to the internet for some reason and the whole wifi network crashes. I've tried rebooting each of the pieces of equipment and this doesn't help. If I unplug the ethernet and reboot, everything goes back to normal and it works. However, I haven't solved the problem of extending the network and improving performance. Has anyone had these issues or know of a solution? Do I need to change the settings on the Extreme or the Time Capsul since I'm going from wireless extension to an ethernet extension?

Based on my reading, the best way to do this is to create a roaming network and connect the Time Capsul to the Extreme via ethernet. I've done this. However, after I do this, I lose connectivity to the internet for some reason and the whole wifi network crashes.
The network will crash if you simply connect an Ethernet cable to the Time Capsule and leave the Time Capsule in a setting of "extend a wireless network".
Why? The Time Capsule is expecting a wireless connection and when it sees an Ethernet connection, a massive feedback loop is created on the network, which pretty much destroys everything until you disconnect the Ethernet cable again.
Do I need to change the settings on the Extreme or the Time Capsul since I'm going from wireless extension to an ethernet extension?
Yes, you do. If you are using the Lion, Mountain Lion or Mavericks operating system on a Mac, or an iPhone or iPad to setup the routers, the setup is amazingly simple. Other that entering a device name that you want to use for the router, AirPort Utility takes care of setting up everything for you........so you don't have to worry about all the "jargon" about Bridge Mode and other things like that.
Post back to let us know what operation system you are using to set things up, and you will be up and running in less than 5 minutes.

Do I need a Roaming Network or a Wireless Distribution System?

Hello - as the title says, I am confused about which type of network I should create.
My specs: Macbook Pro
Windows XP Toshiba Laptop
White UFO-shaped Airport Extreme Base Station
New White Square-shaped Airport Extreme Base Station
1 USB HP Deskjet printer
1 Ministack USB hub/external hard drive
1 LaCie USB external hard drive
I am in the process of finishing my basement and will finally have an "office" to place all of my stuff. I want to be able to hook up the USB printer and USB external hard drives at the same time for wireless availability, so I bought the new AEBS. I am concerned about placing the AEBS in the basement and its impact on wireless signal strength to the upper floors of the house, so I thought I would connect the older UFO-shaped AEBS into the system to extend the wireless range.
I am confused, however, about whether to set up a "roaming network" or a "Wireless Distribution System". I am not sure of the particular benefits of either system given my situation so any help someone could provide would be greatly appreciated.
My house is fairly new, and has a data line system to each room, and I have a cable modem and router in the basement and can share the internet connection to the whole house in this manner. My UFO-shaped AEBS was hooked up to the internet connection via this method with an ethernet cable into the back of the AEBS on the main floor of the house. The USB printer was plugged into the UFO-shaped AEBS. This worked well. Again, now that the new AEBS will be in the basement, I am concerned about signal strength, and would like to use my old AEBS to help out.
I have looked at the Designing Airport Extreme 802.11n Networks pdf document and while it is very detailed about how to set up each of these networks, it does not seem to adequately (in my opinion) address why I would choose one setup over another. For example, should I continue to connect the old AEBS to the ethernet wall connection to get internet connectivity, or should the old AEBS receive its connection wirelessly?
Thanks in advance.

I am confused, however, about whether to set up a "roaming network" or a "Wireless Distribution System".
A roaming network uses Ethernet to connect the base stations. Therefore they all transmit good quality wireless data signals. Physically adjacent base stations should be configured to use channels 3 or more apart to reduce interference with each other. Everything gets full bandwidth.
A WDS network connects the base stations via wireless. Therefore the remote and relay base stations can only transmit data with the same quality as they receive it wirelessly. So if a remote station receives a lousy wireless signal from the main base, all of the clients of that remote station will get a lousy data rate. Also each WDS link cuts the available bandwidth in half.
Since your house is already wired for Ethernet, I would use the "roaming network".

Airport Roaming Network and Internet Sharing

Dear Esteemed Experts (Tesserax et. al):
Thanks to you, I have successfully set up TC and 2 Airport Express N in a roaming network (plugged to Ethernet but using the same name and protocol) using 802.11n (b/g compatible) radio mode. It's working well, except a few blind spots to cover.
If I want to add an old b/g-only Airport Express or Netgear Access Point (WG602) to this roaming network (plugging them into Ethernet outlet), will this slow down the N network?
Also, can I turn on Internet Sharing on my iMac (with N capability) and make it to join the Roaming Netowrk? If so, can I manage it through Airport Utility?
Thanks
Aghoo

If I want to add an old b/g-only Airport Express or Netgear Access Point (WG602) to this roaming network (plugging them into Ethernet outlet), will this slow down the N network?
If it is connected via Ethernet it will have no direct affect on the performance of the 802.11n network.
lso, can I turn on Internet Sharing on my iMac (with N capability) and make it to join the Roaming Netowrk?
Internet sharing has nothing to do with joining a wireless network. If you want your iMac to join the wireless network, just go to the AirPort menu and select the network that you want to join.
If so, can I manage it through Airport Utility?
AirPort Utility is only for managing Apple's base stations.

How to resolve network issue or dns to access web page on snow leopard server?

I have my network setup like as follows:
internet > router 1 > ethernet ports > switch > router 2
I have a mac osx snow leopard server connected to "router 1", but it is so slow when accessing a web page hosted on the server from a browser on a workstation connected to either router 1 or router 2?
Is there a problem with my network setup or maybe because I changed the name to newservername.local?

@Jeff and @Camelot,
I think it is a DNS issue. I completely reset the DNS settings on server and the local name with the steps below, but now cannot access the site hosted on the server at all
I used a modified version of http://www.mkahn.com/2010/09/configuring-dns-on-mac-os-x-10-6-snow-leopard-serve r-for-hosting/ to reset the server set
1. Stop DNS Service in Server Admin
2. Close Server Admin
3. Obtain 10.6 DNS Default files (below)
4. Overwrite the DNS files with DNS Default files:
/etc/dns/loggingOptions.conf.apple
/etc/dns/options.conf.apple
/etc/dns/publicView.conf.apple
/var/named/named.ca/etc/named.conf
/var/named/named.local
/var/named/localhost.zone
5. Restart your server
All machines have 1ms ping responses within the network including this snow leopard server that I am trying to setup. There is another test web server that return pages instantly within this network so I doubt it is a network issue, but a DNS issue.

Networking Issues after Upgrading to Windows 8.1

I have a Windows 8 desktop PC that is working fine with my network. I can browse the Internet fine using all major browsers etc. After upgrading to Windows 8.1 through the Windows Store I noticed that my wired networking was not working correctly.
The status of the network does not change (i.e. it doesn't change to Limited Connectivity) however browsing to sites in Chrome, IE or Firefox doesn't work as well as Windows 8.
IE11 gives me the error "This page can't be displayed, make sure the web address is correct" and other browsers give a similar error. I normally have to refresh 2-3 times to get a new page to load, sometimes even more. Everything works
fine from a laptop connected at the same time so it isn't an network issue with my provider.
I thought this might be a driver issue with the two on-board Marvell wired network adapters. I wasn't able to rollback the driver to older versions I found on the Internet. I then purchased another network card, Intel Desktop gigabit and the
issue still persists with that adapter. I then tried a USB wireless adapter and the issue still persists using wifi with the wired adapters disabled. I tried a new network cable and no luck either. I also tried resetting the IP stack using
the various netsh commands.
After that I thought I might try reset the Windows 8.1 PC, however that didn't work as I didn't have the restore image available as I upgraded from the Windows Store. I then tried installing Windows 8.1 fresh using a ISO with my Windows 8 key using
some of the recent guides that are available. That all worked but it didn't fix the networking issues.
I re-installed Windows 8.0 and the networking is now fixed and back to working normal again. I'd like to try again but I think I will have the same problems. I can't imagine why this would be a driver issue as I tried 3 different network adapters
and two installs of Windows 8.1. Any ideas what would be the cause of the Windows 8.1 issue?

HI,
Since this issue only occurred in the your desktop PC, and many network adapters you tried, failed, thus I think maybe we should focus on the model of your desktop PC, I suggest you update the BIOS and chipset from the manufacture to improve
the performance of win8.1.
Please also test this issue in safe mode with networking.
Please refer to:
Windows Startup Settings (including safe mode)
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-in/windows-8/windows-startup-settings-including-safe-mode
I’d like to share the following article with you:
Wired and wireless network problems
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows/network-connection-problem-help#network-problems=windows-81&v1h=win81tab1&v2h=win7tab1&v3h=winvistatab1&v4h=winxptab1
Regards,
Yolanda
We
are trying to better understand customer views on social support experience, so your participation in this
interview project would be greatly appreciated if you have time.
Thanks for helping make community forums a great place.
The issue occurs in safe mode as well under Windows 8.1. The motherboard is an Asus P5B Premium, however it works on Windows 8. How would I update the chipset when booted into Windows 8.1? In Device Manager it wasn't allowing me to update
the network drivers as they were newer versions already installed.
Edit: I also installed at Intel Chipset Device software dated 8/8/2013 with version 9.4.0.1026 and the issue still occurs. I am also running the latest BIOS that is available.

Very Strange Network Issue With Two Guests on 2012 R2 Hyper-V Failover Cluster

Hi all. We're having a odd issue with two guests on our 2012 R2 failover cluster.
In a nutshell, if we shutdown a particular server (I'll call it Server A) another totally different server (Server B) on the same node loses it's network connectivity to the domain. If we start server A back up, network connectivity returns on server B.
At first I thought server A might be running a service that was somehow linked to server B, so I decided to disable server A's NIC. Interestingly, that had no affect on server B's connectivity.
The next step I tried was pausing server A and again, no adverse affect on server B's connectivity.
Next step was to live migrate server A to another node. This action did
cause server B to lose its network connection.
One other clue is that if I ping server B from either of the Hyper-V hosts in the cluster, I never lose network connection to server B.
So I would suspect this is some network issue on the cluster, but I'm kind of at a loss where to go from here.
Has anyone seen this behavior before or does anyone have any troubleshooting suggestions I can try?
Thanks!
George Moore

Hi Sir,
I'v never seen this before .
>>Next step was to live migrate server A to another node. This action did
cause server B to lose its network connection.
They are connecting to same virtual switch ?
First please run cluster validation to check if there is any error .
If it is ok , please try the following items for troubleshooting :
1. shutdown serverA serverB
2. then add another virtual NIC for serverB
3. start server B check if the issue happens to both "old" and "new" virtual NIC .
In addition , you can live migrate both A and B to another node , then try to live migrate A to the original node .
If the issue persists , I would suggest you to remove that virtual switch on both nodes then re-create them .
Best Regards,
Elton Ji
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Adding 802.11b/g AX(s) to multi-Airport Extreme 802.11n roaming network

First, a thanks to folks like Tesserax and Bob for the great ideas on this forum -- the questions & answers I've read have helped me to date, though I still have a question!
My home wireless network today consists of:
One fifth-generation AEBS running in 802.11n only (5 GHz) / 802.11n only (2.4 GHz) mode, on channels 149 (automatic)/11 (automatic) -- provides DHCP services
One second-generation AEBS running in 802.11n only (5 GHz) mode, on channel 157 (automatic) -- bridge mode
There is a wired home network with Cat5e and a gigabit switch in the basement. 30 down/5 up DOCSIS 3.0 service through Time Warner Cable, upstream from the fifth-gen AEBS. The AEBS units are connected in roaming mode via Ethernet.
Using the Airport Utility on my iOS devices, I'm getting "excellent" (59-65 Mb/s) connectivity when I am near either of the AEBS units. It is a large brick house built in the 1920s, and while there are now no dead zones in the house, there are areas where I drop down to 10-15 Mb/s per the Airport Utility. Unfortunately, the two AEBSs are at opposite ends of the house near external walls, one on first floor and one on second -- and the first floor rear AEBS needs to be where it is to serve a breakfast room and sunroom, while the home office AEBS needs to be where I have two Ethernet drops as the cable modem and switch are in the basement.
Before I added the fifth-gen AEBS, I had the older AEBS and two 802.11b/g Airport Express (AX) devices, also in roaming mode. I wasn't thrilled with performance, and while performance is much better with the two AEBS model, I'm wondering about the benefits of redeploying my AX devices elsewhere in the house on the roaming network -- on the theory that I should be getting better 802.11g performance from a device close enough to get max speeds than I am from a farther-away 802.11n AEBS.
However, I am concerned about whether adding back in 802.11b/g devices on 2.4 GHz would restrict the performance of my 802.11n network? I am assuming that might happen because I have 802.11n running on both frequencies... if I stepped back on the fifth-gen AEBS to 802.11n only (5 GHz) / 802.11b/g [or a similar setting] on that device, will that help? Or, am I running the risk of other cross-talk or interference -- or simply of my home network devices being befuddled by multiple access points in a single house?
Alternatively, I could try to replace my 802.11b/g AX units with 802.11n ones -- howeever, having just bought a new AEBS this week, that would encounter cross-talk with my Spousal Budgetary Compliance Unit (SBCU) and I could end up crashing the entire household....
Thoughts and ideas appreciated!

If you use the "b/g" AirPort Express devices in a roaming setup, any computers, iPads, etc in close proximity will connect at maximum "g" wireless speeds.
It's really not possible to predict the actual results in advance. The increased wireless coverage might tend to compensate for the lower speeds that would naturally occur due to signal drop off if you did not use the AirPort Express devices at all.
As long as the wireless access points are in a separate room, or separated by 25-30 feet or so from other access points, there should be no confusion that occurs with your laptop trying to connect. It will pick the strongest signal as it moves through the house.
I think the bottom line here is that this is one of those things where you just will not know unless you try. If the Ethernet cabling is already in place, it should not take long for you to find out how things are working.

In a Roaming Network, Does the Primary Base Station have to be the only hub, or can spokes come out of an Extended Base Station?

I live in the basement of an old, brick building, in one of 5 apartments, for the building's staff. I have an older Airport Extreme and Express setup that's working for me in my unit, connect to a Comcast Ubee cable modem. The rest of the basement shares a DSL connection through a wired network that includes three routers. I've been asked to build a network that the rest of the staff can share, using my cable connection and any new hardware required. Since ethernet cable is already in place for the legacy DSL network, I'd like to re-use it with new base stations and Airport Expresses, just swapping out the old gear. But the Roaming Network setup instructions show all spokes coming out of the Primary Base Station. This does not match my situation, where my cable modem is in a different apartment from the hub of the old network.
My thought was to get two new Airport Extremes and wire one to my modem, replacing my old AE, and then place the other in my neighbor's apartment, connected by a new ethernet cable. His Extended Base Station would be where all the legacy ethernet cables terminate. I would plug them into the new, Extended Base Station on his end, and put Airport Expresses on the other ends, so each apartment (and the staff room) would have its own wired router.
Will this configuration work? If not, can anyone suggest a better way? I'm an Apple products user but some of the other guys use Windows. My understanding is that this shouldn't be a problem.

What I mean is that ethernet can be wired through switches.. (or bridged routers which are switches).
So you have
Router----Switch--Client
.      .      .   |
.      .      .Switch--Client
.      .      . |
.      .      . Switch--Client
The correct way to do this is
Router----Client
.      |
.    Client
.      |
.     Client
etc.. all clients are ethernet connected back to the router.. no switches. That means loads of ethernet.. one for every client run all the way back to a central area.
What you are proposing is to run switches (bridged routers).. so you are using each ethernet link to connect more than one computer. This is wrong from a purists point of view.
Sorry for the ASCII art work.. but I hope it makes sense.
You do not need fancy gear to make this all work.. what you do need is a main controlling router.
You cannot have two routers.. so you cannot put a switch between the cable modem and use two router. You have cable modem---ROUTER.
That single router must therefore do all the work... part of that work is to provide some way to control usage.. so everyone gets a fair share.. and keep an eye on quotas.. sadly you cannot do both with any cheap routers I know of.. what I propose you do is WNDR3800 flashed to gargoyle firmware.. this is key.. this firmware will be able to track usage and allow each user a fixed amount of your bandwidth.. upload in particular.. as even with high speed on your download you still do not have upload of the same capacity.
As far as end users are concerned they do not need fancy equipment.. they just need a wireless router. So they can get connection by ethernet or wireless.
Talk to me directly if you need more help..email is here.
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s
my email is also in the profile. But I use the gmail more.

Roaming Network Issues

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