Time Capsule & Airport Express Extended Network loses connection!

OK, so I am an Apple virgin of 2 months experience, after many many years with Windows based PCs, so please be patient and gentle with me. Sorry about the long explanation.....
My set-up comprises of a Time Capsule, which is connected to the Internet via a NetGear ASDL modem. Both pieces of equipment are situated in my wife's office on the first floor of our house. My office is on the ground floor, where I have a 27" iMac and an Airport Express which is connected to a printer via the USB port. The Airport Express is sited about 10 feet from the iMac.
All software and firmware are lastest versions - TC v7.5, AX v7.4.2 & Airport Utility v5.5.
For the past 2 months, I have only been using the AX to print wirelessly and the set-up has worked faultlessly.
Earlier this week, I decided change the configuration to extend the network to allow me to use my laptop & iPhone in areas of the ground floor where I had no signal. I followed the online instructions and first changed the TC to check the box to 'allow this network to be extended', after updating the configuration successfully I moved to the AX. Here I changed the wireless mode to 'Extend a wireless network', selected the network name and checked the 'Allow wireless clients' box. This also updated successfully.
Everything ran correctly and the range of the network was greatly increased.......great, job done...not!
After about 3 hours the iMac lost the connection and the TC disappeared from the Airport Utility pane and refused to reappear. I checked but also couldn't connect or see any network on the laptop or iPhone, so have dismissed a fault with the iMac. I finally got things back up after doing a power reset of the TC, but after a few hours same problem occurred, and occurred and occurred. By clicking the Airport Utility icon on the top right of the screen and following the prompts from 'no Internet connection', I can at least get things up and working without a power reset of the TC, but the connection still drops after 2-5 hours each time.
My first call to Apple Support led to a full reset and re-config of both the TC and AX, setting the extended network up as I had done originally. The only difference was an iMac reset (alt/cmd P&R on power up) and changing the 2.4Ghz channel from 1 to 11. This had no affect and the connection drop-out problem continued.
My second call to Apple Support led to me being passed to a Level 2 Techie, who first suggested that I tried disabling the Guest Network - tried it, and it made no difference. I was then told to try a WDS network, which whilst not losing connection, is slower and has less range than the original extended network and frankly sounds a cop-out.
Has anyone had a similar problem, anyone solved the problems, can anyone offer any help or advice please.. I'd appreciate any input....thanks.

Similar problem here. Cable Modem (Moto SB6120)->AEBS (802.11n dual-band)>AX (802.11n) for wireless connection to MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.6.2. AEBS configured as dual-band: 801.11a/n at 5GHZ and 801.11b/g/n at 2.4 GHZ. AX configured to wirelessly extend the AEBS 5GHz 802.11a/n network. I am able to run on the extended 5GHz network (via AX) for varying lengths of time, until the internet connection dies. When this occurs, I am able to switch over to the 2.4GHz network to get back online. Solution up until now has been to unplug the AX, then plug it back in. After the AX restarts, I am able to hop back onto its 5GHz signal and get to the internet. However, the internet connection on this band will drop again after some time.
I was on the phone with Apple Support twice in the past week to get this resolved, but no joy. Senior Advisor seemed to think that my AX was working properly, and that that the problem could be with my AEBS -- perhaps the 5GHz antenna might be bad in my AEBS? Seems odd to me, since both my AEBS and AX are less than 2 months old...
I just read the post from LocoDoc and decided to see if I could replicate the problem. Sure enough, when I am connected to the internet via my AX extended 5GHz network signal and a Time Machine backup starts, the internet connection quits. Only recourse is to restart the AX. Note that I do not experience this problem with Time Machine while connected wirelessly straight to the AEBS 5GHz signal. Only when I am connected to the "extended" signal via the AX.

Similar Messages

Time Capsule + AIrport express extended mode, poor usability

Hello all:
I have a TC(late 2009 model) and airport express(wireless N model) that acts as extended network of the TC. Right where the airport express is located the internet signal/reception is good, but if I move away 20 feet from the airport express, my internet goes terrible slow. Not sure why, but I just followed the steps on the wizard to set this up.
Any ideas?

Similar problem here. Cable Modem (Moto SB6120)->AEBS (802.11n dual-band)>AX (802.11n) for wireless connection to MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.6.2. AEBS configured as dual-band: 801.11a/n at 5GHZ and 801.11b/g/n at 2.4 GHZ. AX configured to wirelessly extend the AEBS 5GHz 802.11a/n network. I am able to run on the extended 5GHz network (via AX) for varying lengths of time, until the internet connection dies. When this occurs, I am able to switch over to the 2.4GHz network to get back online. Solution up until now has been to unplug the AX, then plug it back in. After the AX restarts, I am able to hop back onto its 5GHz signal and get to the internet. However, the internet connection on this band will drop again after some time.
I was on the phone with Apple Support twice in the past week to get this resolved, but no joy. Senior Advisor seemed to think that my AX was working properly, and that that the problem could be with my AEBS -- perhaps the 5GHz antenna might be bad in my AEBS? Seems odd to me, since both my AEBS and AX are less than 2 months old...
I just read the post from LocoDoc and decided to see if I could replicate the problem. Sure enough, when I am connected to the internet via my AX extended 5GHz network signal and a Time Machine backup starts, the internet connection quits. Only recourse is to restart the AX. Note that I do not experience this problem with Time Machine while connected wirelessly straight to the AEBS 5GHz signal. Only when I am connected to the "extended" signal via the AX.

Hi I've recenty purchased a new imac time capsule airport express. I've set up a new network, rather than extended the current one. How do I change my new network to an extended one or create an extended network?

Hi I've recenty purchased a new imac + time capsule + airport express.
I've set up a new network, rather than extended the current one. How do I change my new network to an extended one or create an extended network?
Michael

detailed in terms of what focus?
here is a video guide about using the airport utility
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65Jv6m43eIE

Best configuration to extend wifi with Time Capsule & Airport Express

In my house I have a Fritzbox wifi router on the ground floor as my primary internet access. I have an ethernet cable going to the 3rd floor study where the Fritzbox signal is relatively weak. I purchased a Time Capsule as a backup device, but also wanted to extend the Fritzbox wifi network by plugging the ethernet cable in to the TC. I was not successful in extending the network, so I had to create a new network. When moving from downstairs to upstairs, my iphone keeps the connection to the (now weak) wifi network and I have to manually change to the (stronger) TC wifi network.
Additionally, I used to be able to successfully extend the downstairs wifi using my Airport Express (and also managed to have my speakers plugged into this for wireless usage), but do not want to additionally complicate my set-up.
So, what is the best way to connect the following equipment, ideally with the same network name, to ensure I always use the strongrst signal automatically:
Third floor:          iMac,    Macbook,   Time Capsule, Airport Express
          Ethernet cable from ground floor to 3rd floor
Ground floor:     Fritzbox wifi connected to internet

You must configure the Bridge Mode setting as the very last step before you Update the settings, otherwise the setting will change automatically.
In other words, you can change the setting to Bridge Mode, but if you make any other changes before you click Update, the Bridge Mode setting will not take effect.
Or, if you see any error messages about DHCP conflicts or Double NAT....the AirPort is not in Bridge Mode...even though you might think it is. Check the settings again.
will I still be able to set up an additional 5GHz network in parallel?
Yes

Iphone will not connect to airport express extended network - macbook and ipad will - Help

Iphone will not connect to airport express extended network - macbook and ipad will without problems.
iphone will connect to base station no problems, I've restored settings and started again but still the same, the iphone picked up the network for the last couple of months, but not now ?

I'm having the same issue. My AExpress used to give a good signal strength on the far side of the house extending he network created by my Extreme. However, I've noticed lately that my iPhone does not receive the same strong signal it once did. AE has a green light, I've rebooted it, and my Extreme but there is no change in signal strength. Other than the green light, how can I tell if the Express is working if I don't get a good network signal?

Time Capsule-AirPort Express-WDS not working together

According to everything I've read here, I've configured this properly, but it doesn't seem to be working. If anyone can help me troubleshoot this I would greatly appreciate it.
I have a new Time Capsule acting as my main wireless base station; it has a manually-configured static IP address, is plugged into my Verizon FIOS router, and is set to distribute IP addresses over wireless using DHCP. I have it set to run a 5 GHz network in addition to the regular 2.4 GHz network. I have an older AirPort Express that I want to use to extend the range of the 2.4 GHz network (the Express can only do 802.11b/g, not 802.11n), in part because we have some older devices in the house that I don't want to slow down the 802.11n network, and in part because the 802.11b/g signal doesn't reach all parts of the house very strongly. So I told the Time Capsule to make its network extendable, told the AirPort Express to participate in a WDS network as a WDS relay, and entered the MAC address of the Time Capsule's 2.4GHz network as the WDS main. Result: flashing amber light on the AirPort Express, which no longer shows up in the AirPort Utility; I had to do a hard reset in order to get the Express back (and then it had to be reconfigured again, of course). At the moment I have it just joining my wireless network, and that works -- green light -- but of course doesn't allow the Express to extend the range of the wireless network.
What am I doing wrong here?

Before there was dual band, we always told users that if they used WDS, the entire network would revert to "g", even if the Time Capsule, AirPort Express, etc were capable of "n" performance.
Your findings seem to confirm that this happens with a dual band as well.
I think it's well worth it to get the AirPort Express 802.11n. Then you can reconfigure the Time Capsule back to "Create a wireless network" and check the box to "Allow this network to be extended"
The Express"n" would then be configured to "Extend a wireless network". I use this setup and would highly recommend it. There may be a slight bandwidth loss due to overhead, but the performance is light years ahead of WDS.
If you are using the same network name for both bands on the Time Capsule, then I believe by default the Express will extend the 2.4 GHz "n", "g" and "b" band. This makes sense for most users since 5 GHz signals do not travel well over distance or penetrate obstructions well.
IF...you want to extend the 5 GHz band, the only way that I know how to do this is click Wireless Network Options on the wireless setup page for the Time Capsule and enable the option to assign a different name for the 5 GHz network.
Then you will have to configure the Express to extend this specific 5 GHz network. I never had much luck extending 5 GHz, and I wanted my iPhone to be able to use the network across the house, so I went with the simpler one network name for both bands and extended the 2.4 GHz network.
If you have a "g" device joining the extended network, it may tend to slow the "n" devices down slightly...when the "g" device is active, but it won't drag everything down to "g" levels. When the "g" device is not active, "n" devices will run at "n" speeds.
BTW, the ethernet port on the AirPort Express is active when you configure it to "extend a wireless network". This can come in handy for hooking up DVD players, etc that need an internet connection for firmware updates and extra features.
Follow up....I tried a very quick reconfiguration of my dual band AirPort Extreme (same router that the Time Capsule users) and AirPort Express using the WDS arrangement and everything did indeed drop way down in speed and performance.
Post back if you have questions. Happy to help.
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Time Capsule + Airport Express N How to extend

Have been trying to extend my wireless network but have been unsussessful. Here is my setup. Cable modem connected to Time Capsule and Express N connected via ethernet cable. I try to do it with the setup but it will eventually revert to picking up the cable modem IP address 169.etc so I think I might need to manually input the addresses. Will some walk me through this including the ip addresses I should use? The Time capsule is NOT in bridge mode and works perfectly with the internet and other expresses used only for music streaming. Thanks

Mitchell, welcome to the discussions!
You may find it easier to use Manual Setup in AirPort Utility for the device.
The key setting would be under the Internet icon. Look at the bottom of the pane for Connection Sharing, this would be set to Off (Bridge Mode). Under the Wireless tab, you would set the Wireless Mode for "extend a wireless network" and make sure there is a check mark next to "allow wireless clients"
On the setup of the Time Capsule in AirPort Utility - Manual Setup - Wireless tab, make sure there is a check mark next to "allow the network to be extended"
If you have a good wireless signal in the area where the Express will be located, you also might want to try extending your network without using the ethernet cable. Normally, a good starting point for positioning the Express is at a point that is approximately half the distance from the Time Capsule and the area that you want to cover with the Express.
You may also need to reset your cable modem by powering it down for 10-15 minutes and then restarting.
Please post back on your progress.

Time Capsule, Airport Express and Xbox Live

Recently I went out and bought a Time Capsule 1TB hoping to extend my wireless network. I knew that Apple products wouldn't usually help extend a DLINK network so it came as no surprise when I could not extend my DLINK network. My solution was to buy a new Airport Express, disable the wifi on the DLINK router and extend the Airport Expresses network via the Time Capsule.
The current situation is: DLINK <-> Ethernet <-> Airport Express Wireless Time Capsule <-> Ethernet <-> Xbox360
The issue is the Time Capsule as far as I can see. For apparently no reason it will change from a solid green status light to a flashing amber status light. Signing my Xbox into Xbox Live seems to be a trigger, but the Time Capsule goes amber even when the Xbox isnt on at all. When it does change to flashing amber I am no longer able to detect it within Airport Utility and as such am unable to diagnose the issue. Any help would be appreciated.

Here it works fine. I have a Time Capsule connected to my ADSL modem. I had to buy an all new Airport Express 802.11n, though, because my old AE could not extend my network.
On an all 802.11n setup you just check the "Allow this network to be extended" on the master (Time Capsule), and choose "Extend a wireless network" on the remotes.
The X-Box is connected with an Ethernet cable to the Airport Express, and connection to X-Box Live works fine.
Good luck!

Qwest Q100 Modem + Time Capsule + Airport Express = only wireless working

I have been reading other similar topics and havent quite got the exact fix I am looking for.
Goal: I have qwest DSL, i have a Qwest Q100 modem from them, it has one ethernet port, i have that port going into my TC, and the TC being a wireless router, I also have a slingbox(ethernet), directv receiver(ethernet), and xbox(wirelessly) connected to the TC. On another floor, I have an airport express connected to the TC extending the network and ethernet coming out of it into another directv receiver(id like to add a ethernet switch to this and add another slingbox and blu ray all via ethernet) I also plan on adding another airport express in the basement and hooking up similar items via ethernet.
Problem: NOTHING thats hooked up via ethernet works, everything hooked up wirelessly works perfectly.
I have the dsl/ppp login details from qwest. I am assuming from what I am reading I need to bridge and make the TC control the ppp login.
the TC sees the items connected, as does the Q100. but no data what so ever via the ethernet ports on the TC or the APE, but the APE extends the wireless network perfectly.
I am basically looking for what I need to do on the Q100 and what I need to do on the TC for it to work with the wireless and the ethernet all over.
Thanks for any advice and help! I Greatly appreciate it!

would i be better off with the wireless model they offer?
It would simplify things a bit. I did not check the specs. I doubt that it offers dual band wireless, so you'll probably be turning the wireless function off to use the Time Capsule wireless.
the only mention i can find in the modem is "ipoe transparent bridging" in relation to bridging or anything of that sort.
The simplest form of bridge mode is probably what you need. It will take some experimentation unless some other users have done this before you and happen to see this post.
it seems like it may just be easier to get their wireless modem, plug into it directly for ethernet items
That will work
qwest is of little help, i get "we do not support networking" responses when i talk with them.
Expect zero help from any provider. All they want to do is say "everything looks good to the modem. After that, we have no responsibility for anything".
run the TC off of it instead of as a wireless network, and make the airport express extend that modems network instead of TC's?
The Express will only extend the TC's network. It's not compatible with the other wireless router for this purpose.
is that practical at this point?
It's an option and there will always be plusses and minuses. Plus is easy connectivity. Minus is that you won't be able to use the Guest Network feature of the TC if you were planning to use that feature. I'm pretty sure the TC will have a far better dual band wireless section, so you probably won't use the wireless at all on the provider's device.
If it were me, I would try to make bridge mode on the modem work. Then you'll have all the options available on the TC. I run things that way here, but don't use Quest, so can't comment on their modem.

Select Between Time Capsule & AirPort Express

I have an iMac which sits between my Time Capsule and Airport Express (Extending)
My iMac reverts to the extender and as such - data transfer to the TimeCapsule drive is very slow.
How can I force the Mac either in Windows7 /Mac OS X to use the TimeCapsule as they share the same SSID in extention.
Thanks.

Unfortortunately, there is no way to "force" a device to connect to a given access point.
The iMac will connect to the device that it thinks has the strongest signal.
You have a few options:
Move the iMac closer to the Time Capsule
Move the Time Capsule closer to the iMac
Move the AirPort Express further away from the iMac

Time Capsule - Airport Express

Hi - This is not a problem yet!! Just looking for advice or a cautionary tale of what may go wrong
Basically, have iMac Time Capsule acts as wireless device, I have it connected to iMac and ASDL modem via ethernet cable(s) everything works well connect to various laptops/ipod touch wirelessly. Considering purchase of airport express that i could connect to my stereo system (downstairs) and 'stream' my iTunes -Is this going to cause me any problems? I did visit my local Apple outlet armed with a host of questions but unfortunately I seemed to know more than the young lad I spoke with!!
Any advice help or asistance would be appreciated!

The only issue I can think of at this point is the strength of the Time Capsule's wireless network as it will be "seen" by the AirPort Express that you are trying to join with it. If the signal strength is poor, then you may experience audio dropouts when attempting to stream to it. The primary reason for poor signal performance is Wi-Fi interference. This can be attributed to building construction material, other Wi-Fis operating nearby, or things like portable phones or microwave ovens that operate in the same radio band.

MBP C2D + Airport Express + WPA frequently loses connection. but WEP OK

many people seem to have wireless connectivity problems with their MBP
-- here is the problem I see with my 2wk old MBP and my wireless setup at home (Airport Express) and at work (Linksys, model# unknown):
1) MBP C2D + Linksys + WEP = no problems
2) MBP C2D + Airport Express + WEP = no problems
3) MBP C2D + Airport Express + WPA = frequent dropped connection, and poor range
for reference, my previous laptop:
4) Pismo + Airport Express + WEP = no problems
5) Pismo + Linksys + WEP = no problems
with WPA (whether WPA or WPA2) and the MBP, I turn on Airport, signal looks strong, but then suddenly disappears. I have to toggle Airport off and on and then (sometimes) I'll successfully re-establish connection - only to possibly lose it again at some random point in time. Or it may work fine for an hour or more - it's hit or miss. no such problem or inconsistency with WEP enabled instead.
both laptops are running OS X 10.4.8. Of course only 802.11b on the Pismo, but results don't change on the MBP whether b, mixed b/g or only g.
The Airport Express is set up as a closed network, it's running firmware v6.3 (though I also reinstalled v6.1 but no change). I've tried many of the various other ideas for fixes - deleted Airport related keychains, etc played with various other Airport config settings - but all evidence points only to WPA as being the differentiating cause.
does this match anyone else's experience?
and more importantly, is there some fix?
thanks in advance for your feedback or suggestions
MacBook Pro 15.4" 2.33GHz C2D Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Hi!
Used to have same problems. But not anymore.
Here's what I did. I have a DLINK 624 router. not the same model but this could help you, I guess
1) Disable Super G mode into router.
2) Choose a 62 character key with a $ in front of it. (go https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm) and use wpa2.
3) Uncheck the Robutesse Interference (sorry, i am french) in the airport menu.
4) Change the advanced performance settings from auto to 11 (Tx rate) into router.
5) Whent into keychains and only kept the one for the active wi-fi. Since I tried almost verything, there where a lot!
Since I did that, no more lost connection for a day now!
Now I am not saying that this is the ultimate fix....but It worked for me.
BTW, did not do the SMC and EFI upgrade, still a little scared after what I read in the forums...I bought my mac book pro last week...how come it did not came with all the upgrade done??!! bizarre.
Good luck!

Airport Express seems to lose connection after a while

My main wifi connection is through an Airport Extreme. The modem is connected to it. I also have in another room an airport express that I use as a bridge for my connection and also to use AirTunes.
Since a few weeks, the Airport Express seems to lose it's connexion after some use. It's always good in the morning, and after few hours, I realize I am no longer connected to the network. The airport light is always green, I see it in my disk utility, but I don't seem to be able to go online anymore. My solution at this point is to select my neighbor's network for few seconds, when I go back on my network, it works fine for an hour or so and I have to redo the process again.
The issue seems to be only with the Airport Express because when I'm in the other end of my house close to my Airport Extreme, I never have that problem.
Any idea what could be wrong with my Airport Express? Could it be a hardware problem? I just bought it 2 months ago. Should I go to exchange it?
Thanks for any help.

My AirPort connection worked fine when I first set it up a couple of days ago; then it stopped working yesterday: it just gives me the blinking amber light.
Strangely, though, when I use Network Diagnostics in Safari, I get green lights against Airport, Airport Settings, Network Settings, and ISP, but red lights against Internet and Server.
How can ISP be working but not Internet and Server? Also, if I pull out the the cable going into the AirPort and plug it directly into the LAN port on the MacBook, it connects to the internet fine.
Any comments/help appreciated.

Extending airport wi-fi network (time capsule airport express)

I have a time capsule linked to my BT cable modem and i have created an apple wi-fi network that I use for my Mac mini and a laptop.
However the wi-fi network doesn't reach the other end of the house, and I am thinking about extending the wi-fi network by adding an airport express.
I have looked at the documents online, but I am not sure of a few things.
Do you need to wire the airport express to your time capsule or another cable modem? (that seems to loose the purpose of wi-fi) as per a document on apple airport networks (p41)? is the only solution a Roaming set-up?
Can t you just plug it in a electricity socket the airport express and add it to your wi-fi network via your network software in system preferences?
thanks for the help

Welcome to the discussions, stephanm8!
The AirPort Express(n) can be configured to "extend" the main wireless network created by the Time Capsule. Here's how to do it.
_On the Time Capsule:_
Open AirPort Utility, click Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab below the row of icons
Wireless Mode would be set to "Create a wireless network"
Make sure there is a check mark next to "Allow this network to be extended"
Update to save settings
_On the Express:_
Open AirPort Utility, click Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab
Wireless Mode would be set to "Extend a wireless network". If you don't see this choice, hold down the "option or alt" key on your computer when you click on the selection box. When you select this choice, you should see the network created by the Extreme to "extend".
Enter the wireless password if requested
Make sure there is a check mark next to "Allow wireless clients"
Update to save settings
If you have a dual band Time Capsule the main network can be extended. The guest network cannot be extended.
Once you have the Express configured to "Extend", position it at a point that is approximately 2/3 to 3/4 of the distance between the Time Capsule and the area that you want the Express to cover. You may need to adjust the location of the Express from this general starting position depending on signal strength.

Time Capsule + Airport Express (no password for extended guest network)

Hi guys,
I´m using at home an Time Capsule combined with an Airport Express for extended range.
I´ve activated the Guest Network on the Time Capsule, using an WPA2 Password for it.
Problem is, the Airport Express is extending both the regular network and the guest network, but there´s no password set for the extended guest network.
So basically there are 4 networks, 3 are properly secured (TC regular and guest and AE regular) but I can´t set a password for the Guest Network that´s being extended by the Airport Express.
I have looked everywhere on the AirPort Utility with no luck whatsoever.
I appreciate any help on this.
Kainan-Maki.

Time Capsule and Airport Express, Windows 7
So you don't have a Mac or even iOS device to setup the TC and express?
This addition of extending guest is new in later firmware.. but you need the 6.2 utility to control it.. AFAIK.

Time Capsule & Airport Express Extended Network loses connection!

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for