Roaming Network & Same Channel

I have set up a roaming network with an airport extreme & 2 airport expresses via Ethernet. Setup was a breeze using the utility. I have read that on a roaming each base-station should be 4-5 channels removed from the other stations so as to not cause interference. Every station on the roaming network is set to "automatic" for radio mode and radio channel. Out of pure curiosity, I looked to see which channel the base-stations were tuned to and found that two of the three were set to the same channel in 2.4ghz and on the 5ghz a different pair were set to the same channel. Is this normal? Should I manually change? Everything is working perfect, i just don't know if i am missing out on optimal performance.
Jimmy

Setting the Radio Channel to "automatic" usually provides the best channel selections ... but not always. The key for a roaming network is that only the base station adjacent to each other should have their channels set to 4-5 channels apart to prevent interference. Automatic tends to do the trick nicely.
If you can imagine a roaming network that spans over 4 base stations or more, you start running out of channels to choose from if you configure each to have a 4-5 channel separation from each other. Since the 2.4 GHz band only has three really non-overlapping channels, this would get harder as you add more base stations. So, either setting them all to automatic or carefully setting them manually you will still find some operating on the same channels. Again, this is ok as long as they are not near each other.

Similar Messages

Can you use a roaming network and wireless extender at same time?

Greetings community - I've been struggling with an attempt to extend my wireless network for some time now. Please forgive my ignorance on the topic - I realize how 'simple' this is for many of you. Let me summarize:
What I have functioning:
1. Comcast telephony modem
2. 5th gen Airport Extreme as main wireless router connected to modem via Ethernet (corner of floor 3)
3. 2nd gen Airport Express as wireless extender (hooked to a stereo on floor 2)
What I want to accomplish:
1. I have poor wireless signal on my sun porch (corner of floor 1 opposite side of building as modem)
Extra equipment I have:
1. Another 5th gen Airport Extreme
2. Another 2nd gen Airport Express
What I have tried (and failed at):
1. Initially I set up the second Airport Extreme as a second wireless extender and placed it at a further point away than my first wireless extender. I quickly realized that set up does not function appropriately and one cannot connect to the further extender (I read about that on the apple forums).
2. I tried placing the second Airport Extreme in a different part of the house at equal distance from the main router as the first wireless extender. It's capability to extend was minimal if any.
3. I tried connecting the Airport Extreme to the main router via an Ethernet cable with the hopes of creating a roaming network (which I read about on the apple forums). I would have to come up with a way to run the Ethernet through the house but I'm willing to cross that bridge later. Once I got that set up, the 2nd gen Airport Express which was previously set up as a wireless extender is no longer recognized. Argh!!
Questions/Theories/Suggestions:
1. Is it possible to have a wired extender (via Ethernet) function at the same time as a separate wireless extender all connected to the same router? If so how do I do it?
2. I thought about keeping Airport Extreme #1 wireless connected to Airport Express #1 and call that Network 1. Then plug Airport Extreme #2 directly into the modem to create Network #2 and use Airport Express #2 as wireless extender. When I tried plugging both Airport Extremes into the modem, they both stopped functioning.
3. Do I get a second modem to put somewhere else in the house and use Airport Extreme #2 and Airport Express #2 in that fashion? My guess is Comcast will try to charge me a separate internet access fee to do that (boo!!).
I know there are a lot of brilliant folks out there. I'm sure someone can read this and see the 'obvious errors' in my ideas and attempts. I'm certainly open to new suggestions as well.
Thank you in advance for your time and advice.
- The New Guy

Is is possible to rename the AEx 2 a different network name from the AEx1 and AE 1 (even though they are all connected to each other)? And say it is possible, would that potentially preventing the jumping?
No, in extend wireless the names must be the same..
However since you are creating a network on AE2 which is extended by AEx2 then you can indeed use a different name.. but it must be both,, AE2 and AEx2.
2. Even more crazy - if I did (could) give the AEx 2 a different network name, could I use my AE 2 as a wireless extension to that second network? Or is this just getting out of hand now?
You have lost me now.. there are ways and means.. but let me recommend a better solution.
Use EOP (homeplug in US) adapters if you cannot run ethernet. Multi-storey houses where you have heavy concrete construction are never going to work well with wireless alone. You are much better getting ethernet properly installed (which is the only 100% guaranteed method).. or buy a set of EOP adapters and give them a try.. they work in some cases and not others.. but better than wireless when they do work.
Otherwise I think you need higher power wireless routers.. but I can suggest you do the setup in a more controlled manner.
In other words do not use auto as per the airport utility.. use very short wireless names, different for both bands.. and fixed wireless channels.. then test which band works better.. Then you can do a link.. which will be slow but might give you better performance.
So..
Link1 Main AE1---- AEx1 This is wireless extend.
Link2 AEx1--ethernet--AE2. AE2 is in bridge mode and is also set to create a wireless network. (Use different wireless name here to prevent confusion).
Link3 AE2-----AEx2 Second wireless extend.
This overcomes the Apple limitation on multiple extends. It is not great setup but might get wireless to where you need it.. And better speed than you can get now.
NOTE>. I would personally never do this.. I will run ethernet forevermore.. having tried and tried in various places and using all kinds of equipment.. my conclusion is.. wireless is not suitable.. unless you can get enough signal in from one AP.. everything behind it must be ethernet.
It is much more expensive in some cases.. but ethernet works.. nothing else can be guaranteed to work.

Roaming Network - Channel Question

I have an Airport Express and an Airport Extreme which I have set up for roaming, so that no matter where I am in my house I am getting coverage from at least one of them.
Is it best to have the two base stations on the same channel or on different ones? I have heard conflicting suggestions.
At the moment I have the Extreme on channel 6 and the Express on channel 11.
Thanks in advance,
David

If you are using WDS to connect the 2 wirelessly, they must be set to the same channel.
If they are connected via Ethernet to extend the network, they should use channels that are 3 or more apart to reduce interference.

When extending my wifi network using an Extreme as my main and an Express to extend.. does it help to make sure that both devices are on the same channel or does it even make a difference if they are on different channels?

when extending my wifi network using an Extreme as my main and an Express to extend.. does it help to make sure that both devices are on the same channel or does it even make a difference if they are on different channels?

Have you even tried the process in which i have described in my previous post?
Yes, many times. If you are setup to "extend a wireless network, the screen looks like this:
If you click the Wireless Options button, the screen looks like this:
Where is it on this screen that you see a setting to adjust the channel? It sounds like you are confusing "create a wireless network"....which does allow you to adjust channels.....with "exend a wireless network" which does not.
Normally, when you extend a wireless network, AirPort Utility used to always assign the same channel to the extending device. That is no longer the case. It might be the same, or it might be different. You have no control over this, so you have to accept what AirPort Utility thinks is best.

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".

Roaming network without effect

Hi guys
¨¨
I need some help. I have 2 airport extremes (A1143, one of them is 1 gen and the other is 2 gen) and have made a roaming network in my 120 m^2 appartment, but i dont really feel a difference !
in the utility on my imac i have same ssid name, same password, same protection and same channel settings (set as automatic as apple recommend)
One of them is DHCP distributor and the other is in bridge mode, I know that.
They are separated form each other at 7-8 meters. I have tried to turn my network down and turn it on again, no really effect.
I can however see that my wireless devices are connecting to the router with bridge mode when that is nearest and same with the other router.
Still its not ok. What is the problem ?
The 2 routers are not placed near metallic surfaces or anything.
I suspect that maybe my wireless phone are disturbing the network. The situation is that my wireless phone is situated in the same room as my router with bridge mode but there is only interference when the phone is calling and ringning ? or also when its in stand-by and not ringing ??
Thanks in advance

I must be the only guy in the world to have a set up like this. The Ethernet in our building, of course carries the internet signal all over the building to not only other Airport Extremes but to computers (mostly PC's) that are hardwire connected to the internet and to our local ethernet network via that ethernet cable.
When I ran the cat five cable from the Quest modem to the WAN port on the first Airport Extreme and then ran the Ethernet cable that supplies the whole building via various routers "patch panels" and "switcher" etc. out of that same Airport Extreme LAN port it didn't work. There was no Internet signal to the hardwire ethernet network throughout the building.
Before that supply cable (supplying the whole building and AE's with the internet) was hooked directly up to the Quest modem and now that it's back in place I (on my lone MAC in the building) have internet back again via the hardwired ethernet.
Why could I not use the AE LAN port to supply hard wired ethernet to the rest of the building? Why must that wire, apparently, be connected directly to the Quest modem? That same modem has four "out" ports. One supplies the whole building with said ethernet (which I temporarily disconnected to hook into the AE LAN port, hoping that the Internet signal would go from Quest modem to AE#1 WAN port, THROUGH that AE#1 and out to the rest of the building via the AE#1 LAN port, but that doesn't seem to work)
What am I missing?
I've got internet to the whole building: hardwired via the ethernet and wireless if one is willing to start up at each new location with a restart as described above, but roaming. Nope.

Can't Connect to "Roaming" Network

I have set up a new Airport "roaming"network. I have an Airport Extreme as the primary wireless router attached to the Internet. The Extreme is attached via ethernet cable to an Airport Express. I believe everything is set up according to Apple's instructions.
When I have both devices on, their status lights are green. However, if a device (iPhone, PC) is near the Express, it is asked to join the network and I have to re-enter the password. It will never connect.
If I take that same device and get near to the Extreme, it will connect, no problem.
Also, if I unplug, the Express, everything is OK (except my wireless coverage is not good enough in the house).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Let's double-check your roaming network configuration just to be sure nothing was missed.
Roaming Network Setup
Ref: See page 42 of the Apple AirPort Networks guide.
Setup the AirPort connected to the Internet to "Share a public IP address." Internet > Internet Connection > Connection Sharing: Share a public IP address
Setup the remaining AirPorts, as bridges. Internet > Internet Connection > Connection Sharing: Off (Bridge Mode) For each AEBSn in the roaming network:
For each base station:
Connect to the same subnet of the Ethernet network.
Provide a unique Base Station Name.
The Network Name (SSID) should be identical.
If using security, use the same security type (WEP, WPA, etc.) and password. Note: It is highly recommended that you use WPA2 Personal for best bandwidth performance.
Make sure that the channel is set at least three channels apart from the next base station to prevent Wi-Fi interference.

Serious packet loss creating roaming network over Ethernet.

Comcast Business Gateway modem/router with static addressing provides one address for an externally accessible web/mail server on one of its four RJ45 LAN ports. The second RJ45 LAN port provides a second external address with NAT & DHCP to an internal private 10.1.10.x network connected to a 24-port Netgear gigabit switch. The Netgear is our home's primary switch, with most of the ports going to different jacks thrpughout our house. We have various PCs and Macs, a home server and other similar devices hardwired through the house jacks back to the Netgear receiving DHCP assignments from the Comcast router.
We've had (1) Airport Extreme base station (last generation, not the tall one) connected to the network, also receiving a DHCP IP address from the Comcast box. It's set to bridging mode, cabled from its WAN port by CAT5e to the Netgear switch and offering a Wi-Fi SSID with WPA2 PSK. NAT/DHCP etc is disabled. IPv6 is set to link-local only. No disks attached. Wireless channels set to Automatically.
At this point we have fairly smooth network performance, everything connects immediately (iOS devices, Android devices, utility boxes, computers, etc) and 0% apparent packet loss.
We have some weak Wi-Fi coverage on the far side of the house and I'd like to establish a roaming network, with a new Airport Express (most recent gen) plugged into a wall jack on that side of the house, cabled by Ehternet back to the Netgear, and set up identically. Same SSID and PSK. But when I activate this, I'm finding the network gets anywhere from 88% to 98% packet loss pinging the Comcast router and going outbound. And none of the iOS devices I tried could establish a functional network connection.
I tried replacing the Airport Express with another similar Airport Express, to same effect. I set the Airport Express to create a second SSID and that seemed to work OK, but then I had two distinct networks instead of a roaming network. I also tried disabling DHCP on the Comcast router and enabling it on the Airport Extreme Base Station, but still had the same packet loss. I also tried setting one, the other, and then both Airport boxes to static addressess bypassing the DHCP for their LAN-side connections (although still bridging) and still too much packet loss. No matter what I do, I can't seem to establish a functional Ethernet-connected roaming network with both Airport boxes.
Any ideas?

Thank you for the reply. The Netgear switch I'm using is a GS724T -- it has management features which I'm working through, but all the ports are set to auto-negotiate and the port the Airport Express is on is lit for 100baseT. I didn't see any way to set the MTU in the Airport Utility menus/buttons.
When I join the Airport Express to the network, it sets up the roaming network as intended. But then performance all across the switch goes downhill -- even when pinging from a PC attached to one of the switch ports to the Comcast router I get 90% packet loss or worse, so that nothing seems to get out or in until I disconnect the Airport Express.. It's that dramatic a difference. It doesn't make sense to me that a wireles roaming network across the two Airport boxes should kill performance through the router...

Creating "roaming" network

I have two 800.11n Airport Extreme base stations (AE) and an Ethernet network. I connect to the internet via a DSL modem. It is physically connected as follows: DSL - WAN AE1 LAN - LAN AE2. I have read the instruction in the manual on page 40-41. My settings on AE1 are (Internet connection PPPoE) and on AE2 (Connect via Ethernet; Configure using DHCP; connection sharing off (bridge mode)). This is not working. What am I doing wrong? Help!

To setup an 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) as a roaming network:
- Network configuration: DSL/Cable Modem or Internet Router > (Ethernet cable) > [WAN] AEBSn#1 [LAN] > (Ethernet cable) > [LAN] AEBSn#2 [LAN] > (Ethernet cable) > [LAN] AEBSn#X
- Setup the AEBSn connected to the Internet to "Share a public IP address."
Internet > Internet Connection > Connection Sharing: Share a public IP address
- Setup the remaining AEBSn(s), as a bridge.
Internet > Internet Connection > Connection Sharing: Off (Bridge Mode)
- For each AEBSn in the roaming network:
-- Connect to the same subnet of the Ethernet network
-- Provide a unique Base Station Name
-- The Network Name should be identical
-- If using security, use the same encryption type (WEP, WPA, etc.) and password.
-- Make sure that the channel is set at least three channels apart from the next AEBSn.

Roaming Network

Following suggestions from a previous topic ( Thomas Way, "Verizon, Westell & AEBS & Express", 02:09pm Aug 5, 2005 CDT) I set up a roaming network in my home (and adjoining office) but have run into an odd conundrum.
There are three buildings in my configuration. The main house has an office where a Westell 327 wireless modem/router is connected to Verizon DSL. I set up an Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS) in an adjoining room as a wired access point. I set up an Airport Express (AEX) in an office/shed about twenty feet from both the Westell and the AEBS. There is also a garage (the third building) that sits back aways, between the first two buildings, but it is not directly in the path of the AEBS and the AEX.
From my main office I can see and configure both the AEBS and the AEX via the Admin utility. I set the AEX to "join" the Westell network. But the laptop in the office/shed can't see the AEX or any part of the network. If I move the laptop to the garage between the two buildings, it connects to the network, but apparently only to the Westell. If the AEBS and/or AEX are shut down, the laptop remains connected. If I walk it slowly out the shed, it loses signal.
The AEBS and the Westell share the same SSID. There is no security at the moment (we live in a rural area with few neighbors). The AEBS and AEX are set to get IP via DHCP. The AEBS is on channel 11 and the Westell on channel 6.
Logically, one might say the distance of the shed and the walls are the problem. But before we got DSL we had an ISP via microwave towers and I used the AEBS as a wireless router and that laptop worked perfectly with the AEX in the shed. Also, the computer in the main office can see the AEX in the shed even if the AEBS in between is turned off.
One interesting note is that the AEX shows up on my main computer in the office, using the Admin Utility, as 192.168.1.43. But when I first connect to it, it briefly appears as a completely different IP in the format 254.xxx.xxx.xxx. The IP of my Westell is in the format 71.xxx.xxx.xxx.
Where is that 254.xxx IP on the AEX coming from?
Thanks,
TW

I finally gave up on the "roaming network" and created a second wireless network. For anyone else wanting to know how, here ya go:
The Westell 327 network is setup normally. I set the modem/router combo to channel 6. Any wireless station within range can connect to it by selecting the Westell's SSID name in the Airport menu item.
The Airport Extreme Base Station (AEBS) is wired to the Westell via Ethernet cable. The cable goes from the Westell's router port (use any one of the four on the back) and goes into the WAN port on the AEBS. My AEBS network is named Sunrise and is set to use DHCP. Under Network, it's set to distribute IP, sharing a single IP address. The channel is set to 11 (different from the Westell's).
Before I could change the WDS settings on the AEBS, I had to reset the AEX and choose Create a Home Network, and choose the "Sunrise" network I created earlier. The AEX channel is also set to 11. Under the Internet tab, select Connect via WDS and (if not automatic) enter the MAC address of the AEBS. Also configure using DHCP. Under Internet tab, Distribute IP is off. Under WDS tab, share as remote station and allow wireless clients to connect. Many of these setting were automatic after I entered on or two of first ones (don't remember--at one point, it just happened).
In order to connect to the AEX, I select my Sunrise network from the Airport menu item. On some of my wireless computers, both the Westell SSID and the Sunrise network appear, and I can select either one easily, without any hiccups.
The laptop that's off in the shed, where the AEX is located, now gets a full signal.
I suppose the roaming network idea might be a better solution but I could never get it to work with my Westell. Probably one preference I needed to change, but never discovered.
This setup works great so far, and does what I need.
One last hint: after hard resetting my AEX several times, it still refused to show up in the Admin utility or AEX assistant. I connected an Ethernet cable from the Westell to the AEX, and reconfigured it that way.
TW

Time Capsule on a Roaming Network

Hello everyone,
Quick and hopefully simple questions.
I just bought a 2TB time capsule. Is there any good reason to setup partition(s)? My household has 1 iMac and 3 Macbooks. Would it be good to have a separate partition for each machine? I am also open to having some network attached storage on the time capsule but don't find it absolutely nessasary.
Lastly I plan on setting up a roaming network using my airport extreme(connected to the cable modem) and then run cat 6 to the time capsule and 2 other airport express units to get great wifi coverage throughout my house. Anyone have any tips or advice on this setup? I have checked the apple support site and understand the confing involved in setting up the roaming network, just wanted to poll the forums for any helpful advice.
Thanks for your time!!

Quick and hopefully simple questions.
I just bought a 2TB time capsule. Is there any good reason to setup partition(s)? My household has 1 iMac and 3 Macbooks. Would it be good to have a separate partition for each machine? I am also open to having some network attached storage on the time capsule but don't find it absolutely nessasary.
Answers are simple.. There is no way to partition a TC. Not without voiding warranty and removing the drive and doing it on a computer .. then returning the drive to the TC. So don't do it.
You do not need to have separate partitions for each machine.. if you are going to use Time Machine as most people do, each computer will create its own sparsebundle which is kind of virtual disk partition. Each computer will use only its own sparsebundle and everything will be kept isolated from each other.
I am not sure what you mean by using NAS .. do you mean a separate NAS plugged in or a USB drive or using some of the TC internal disk space for file sharing?? The later is not a great idea. TM and data do not generally get on too well.. And the TC is a backup target for TM.. it has no way to back itself up, nor can TM backup a network drive. So any files on the TC are not backed up.
See pondini .. our TM guru master for all things TM.
Basic info. http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html
See particularly Q3 here for sharing TM and data.
http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
Lastly I plan on setting up a roaming network using my airport extreme(connected to the cable modem) and then run cat 6 to the time capsule and 2 other airport express units to get great wifi coverage throughout my house. Anyone have any tips or advice on this setup? I have checked the apple support site and understand the confing involved in setting up the roaming network, just wanted to poll the forums for any helpful advice.
Roaming is a good setup. Not a lot that goes wrong.
BUT.. IMHO.. and it is that..
Setup the whole wireless network using simple names.. no spaces pure alphanumeric.
Since every unit gets the same SSID.. I do recommend a lot more manual control.. I simply don't trust the automagical system to work.
You have only 3 non-overlapping channels at 2.4ghz.. 11, 6, 1 and you need to setup each unit on one of those channels.
There are more channels at 5ghz and the range is poor so they tend to interfere less.. but AC wireless uses 80mhz and even N uses 40mhz. So take care to spread things.. and you decide. Hence I use separate names for 2.4ghz and 5ghz so I can force clients to use band I choose.. not the one they choose.
Be experimental.. no one setup is ideal for everyone.. and since wireless is about 80% straight voodoo then try a few arrangements and see what works well for you. Be prepared to wipe the whole thing out and start over.. keep track of all the options you try in a log. (that is the science part.. log the voodoo!!)

Roaming network with AirPort Extreme and Netgear R6300

Hi there everyone
I need to know if I can make a roaming network with my apple AirPort Extreme as the base station and then I want to use an Ethernet cable to connect to a Netgear R6300 which will be located at the other end of my house where th connection is poor via wireless.
So is this possible with this set up and if so how do I go about configuring each router to make it work?
Will I need to make both SSIDs the same so I wan wander through the house and stay connected to the same network?

Do not even bother to link wirelessly.. Apple do not allow it.. nor probably does the netgear.. there is no proper standard to wireless link routers.. it is a case where everyone does what is right in their own eyes.
Roaming is the best anyway..
SSID = Wireless Name must be the same.. and use short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric names.. not apple type. You can set a different name for 5ghz.. imho that is the best idea.. but up to you .. roaming and band swapping at the same time leads to chaos.
WPA2 Personal = WPA2 AES security and is the only standard that should be used now..
Password for wireless the same. 10-20 character mix upper and lower case + numbers.. keep it pure alphanumeric.
And now the tricky one.. channels.. there is only one difference between the different wireless stations and that is channels. You can leave everything at auto.. but if it leads to trouble fix them on both 2.4ghz and 5ghz.
Use non-overlapping .. see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels
Which show the 2.4ghz channels very clearly.. you will need to work your way around the 5ghz a bit because it differs so much region to region.

Airport Extreme network performance problems - roaming network help!!

Hi! I have the following setup: ADSL2 Router (about 18Mbps down and 1.5Mbps up - tested by connecting laptop directly to modem), connected to Time capsule set up to "create network" in "bridge mode" 802.11n 2.4GHz. My desktop is connected directly to the Time Capsule - download speed is OK, upload speed is a mere fraction of what it is supposed to be, sometimes a mere 50Kbps. In the next room (about 5 meters and 2 walls away) speed on the wireless network drops to about a tenth of wha I get at the modem and I can not reliably use my apple TV in that same room as the bandwidth does not seem to cut it. I have an extra Airport Extreme base station but I can not seem to set it up to make the situation any better. If I set it up wireless to "extend the network" the speeds just drop further. If I try to set it up as a roaming network linking it directly to the time capsule via an ethernet cable as per the instructions from Apple, I would need to set the Time Capsule to be "distributing a public IP address", however whenever I try do this I just get a NAT error message saying I should switch to bridge mode (I have tried to change the subnet IP range, etc without any luck). If I switch to bridge mode and connect the airport extreme (also in bridge mode) I just get a network that is frozen . . . I am tearing my hair out : (( Is there a way to connect both the Time Capsule and the Airport Extreme to the modem/router to cast the same wifi network?? Or can I connect them to each other in bridge mode somehow?? Any suggestions will be much appreciated! Thanks

It would be a good idea to "hard reset" the "remote" AirPort Extreme (AEBS) to clear out any old and possibly conflicting settings. Hold in the reset button for 10-12 seconds. You'll see the amber light begin to blink more quickly during this process, just be sure to hold for the full 10-12 seconds and then release the reset button.
Check that the ethernet connection is from one of the LAN <-> ports on your "main" AEBS to the WAN (circle of dots icon) on the "remote" AEBS.
Open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup
Click the Base Station tab located below the row of icons to assign a name for this AEBS, device password and adjust Time Zone settings
Click the Wireless tab
Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
Wireless Network Name = Exact same name as your "main" AEBS wireless network
No check mark needed next to "Allow this network to be extended"
Radio Mode = Automatic
Radio Channel = Automatic
Wireless Security = Exact same setting as your "main" AEBS. Should be WPA2 Personal
Wireless Password = Same password as your "main" AEBS
Confirm Password
Click the Internet icon
Connect Using = Ethernet
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Click Update to save settings and let the AEBS restart
Then, power down the entire network...all devices...order is not important
Start the modem first and let it run a moment
Start the next device attached to the modem the same way
Keep starting devices one at a time until the network is back up
You should be good to go.
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Can't enable Airport Express as a roaming network

Objective: trying to extend my wireless network to a detached back office. Have attempted to create a "roaming network" by running an ethernet cable, connected to my 2Wire wireless router in my house about 40 feet to my detached back office.
Btw, thx to all those who have helped thus far.
Here's some additional info:
- The ethernet cable works fine when I connect it directly to my computer.
- The AX does have a solid green light. I am guessing that it talking to my my wireless router since it's green regardless if the ethernet cable is plugged into the AX or not... although the signal is very faint (1.0 Mbps). Hence the decision to run an ethernet cable from the hosue to the office.
- AX set up has Disable "Distribute IP addresses" grayed out and unchecked.
- The AX was previously used in the house for wireless printing. I would still like to use the AX for wireless printing in the office AND create the roaming network.
Any suggestions to make this work?

In the AirPort Admin Utility, change the wireless
mode from "Join an Existing Wireless Network" to
"Create a Wireless Network".
In doing this, am I only changing the configuration of that one AX or am I changing the settings of my 2Wire wireless router? Btw, I also have another AX in my house configured for AirTunes.
To make the roaming seamless, configure the AX with
the same SSID (network name), wireless encryption
level, and encryption password as the 2Wire. Make
sure that the 2Wire and AX are working on channels
that are 3 or more apart.
By using the same SSID name, is that using the same name as my existing network that my airport sees? My current network is "2WIRE040." So are you saying I should name the AX "2WIRE040" and have the same password?

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 & Same Channel

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