Slow Wi-Fi connection with both Extreme and Express

Hi all,
I have problems with slow Wi-Fi connection at home. With my 100/100 Mbit/s fiber I have an Airport Extreme 802.11ac connected by Ethernet cable directly into the cable modem.
With only the Extreme as a router I was not satisfied with the Wi-Fi range and therefore also bought an Airport Express 802.11n (2nd generation ) to extend the network with.
The range got better but I'm facing real slow Wi-Fi connection both on the Extreme and the Express.
Example - When connected to the Extreme less than 1 meter from it I normally get a down speed on 30 Mbit/s and on the Express (placed 8 meters from the Extreme) I normally get between 2 to 8 Mbit/s down speed.
I have a couple of questions about this issue below that I hope someone can answer.
1. The Extreme and the Express are connected wireless. If I connect them together with cable instead, will I then get the same speed from the Express that I have on the Extreme?
2. I've read in several forums that the latest versions on the Extreme and Express causes bad Wi-Fi connections and an downgrade to earlier version is recommended. My problem is that Airport Utility only can find the latest versions when trying to downgrade (bought both of them recently).
How can I downgrade to earlier versions when Airport Utility can't find them? If possible, is this still recommended to do?
Current versions:
Extreme - 7.7.3
Express - 7.6.4
3. Could it cause problems if the Extreme and Express doesn't have the same versions, or is this normal?
4. Any suggestions to improve the down speed on my Wi-Fi connection?
Thanks in advance!

1. Cable connections are always better.
But test first.. turn off the express.. reboot or even factory reset the extreme and have another go with it.
On a computer plugged in by ethernet test the speed.. wireless should be off..
So the most important thing is .. do you get full speed by ethernet.. if not you will never get it by wireless.. always less.. and sometimes much less.
2. You cannot downgrade either of those models. So you are stuck with them as is..
3. I think wireless links are always problematic.. by the very nature of the beast you will drop your speed by half.. so if the links were perfect.. and the Extreme wireless gives you 30Mbit then the best the express could ever give you is 15Mbit.. it is the nature of wireless.
4. Yes.. we can make suggestions.
But give me the pure wired network speed first. If that is low then tell me what modem you are using, which you mentioned.. normally a fibre system has no modem just a fibre converter to ethernet called ONT. Optical Network Terminal

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Apple TV often drops connection with AirPort Extreme and Express stations

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- AirPort Extreme station running WPA/WPA2 security and 802.11n (b/g compatible)
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Since I have one of the first gen Apple TVs with a 40GB hard drive but a 100GB iTunes library, I use streaming almost 100% of the time. The Apple TV can usually connect to my iTunes library for streaming via WiFi, but if the AirPort Express (a b/g device, mind you) is active on the network, the Apple TV and even my MacBook Pro get booted off the network usually between 12-24 hours, if not 48. Sometimes WiFi seems to work itself out and I can get the MacBook Pro back online, sometimes it even needs a full restart, as Mac OS X will start giving me nothing but "there was an error trying to join this network" warnings. Just as frustrating though, the Apple TV getting booted off means I need go through the whole tedious process of connecting it to WiFi again (it doesn't remember the password for some stupid reason), and then manually surfing again through the Sources list just to get back to streaming my media.
What the heck is going on? Is it the kind of security I'm running? Should I try WEP or... none at all? I would try "downgrading" the Extreme station's network type to only b/g (excluding n entirely), but I don't see that option in the radio settings anymore; it's all just flavors 802.11n now. When I set up the AirPort Express to connect to the network just for AirTunes streaming to the stereo, I used the setup wizard that the AirPort Utility provides. Should I attach it a different way? Perhaps manually set it to "participate in a WDS network" or "extend a wireless network?"
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Message was edited by: bedoughty

Firstly, the easiest bit (although I don't believe you need to do this):
I would try "downgrading" the Extreme station's network type to only b/g (excluding n entirely), but I don't see that option in the radio settings anymore
You will get additional settings if you hold down the option key while browsing the radio settings drop down menu.
Moving on: Unfortunately a dropped connections seems to be a problem with umpteen causes and not only is it difficult to troubleshoot with someone in a forum it can also be made even more difficult because many problems are associated with network settings on a router that the person who is trying to help is unfamiliar with.
However you seem to be convinced your problems arise when your express is running which may narrow things down a little if correct, if not it may actually lead us away from the answer to your issue.
Is it the kind of security I'm running? Should I try WEP or... none at all?
I use WPA and have no problems (password = 8 Characters)
Should I attach it a different way? Perhaps manually set it to "participate in a WDS network" or "extend a wireless network?
I have my expresses set to participate in a WDS network, but that's because I use them for other things other than itunes, I would have thought 'join a network' would be fine.
You could check that all your devices are using independent IP addresses and all are using the same subnet. You could also check that no two devices have the same mac address, I've been told a million times this can't happen, but I've seen it. You may be wise to check these things before and after your devices have been 'kicked off the network", you may even want to write them down to see if any are changing.

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If you want to move the iPhone or iPad to another area, try turning off Wi-Fi on the device, then move it to the other area near another access point, wait a minute or two, and then turn WiFi back on. That will usually force the iOS device to pick up the signal from the closer AirPort access point.
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Recently, I purchased an Airport Extreme 802.11n from eBay.
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Hello westladog. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
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evelK wrote:
Just got a new 1TB Time Capsule. I want it to be the main base station for my network. I already have a network set up with an older Airport Extreme base station and an Airport Express to extend it. I am thinking that rather than setting up the Time Capsule to "join" the old network, the best approach is to disconnect the Airport Extreme and Airport Express and reset them. Then set up the Time Capsule as a brand new network and bring the reset Aiport Extreme and Express onto the new network as if my original network never existed.
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Slow Wi-Fi connection with both Extreme and Express

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