Using an Airport Express to extend my network range

Dear all
I live in a three storey house, my broadband modem/router is on the first floor and my Mac is on the third.
I noticed that I kept losing my internet connection and the guy in the Apple shop recommended that I buy an Airport Express to extend the range of my current wireless network (and thereby achieve a strong connection on the third floor).
I have bought the A. Express and my question is, do I need to plug my A. Express into the router or can I simply plug it into a plug socket on the third floor (with nothing wired up to it)?
What is the best way to extend my wireless network range?
Your help is greatly appreciated. I have read the user manual but it is not clear on this point.
Thank you

Dear Bob
Thank you very much for your prompt response.
No, unfortunately the Apple guy did not explain that I needed an Apple router/modem in order to extend my network range with the AirPort Express - how disappointing. I will return the product and look for an alternative.

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Just installed a new time capsule and i want to use my airport express to extend my wireless range....time capsule working with existing devices at this time...but i am not able to get airport utility to recognize the airport express.....????

just installed a new time capsule and i want to use my airport express to extend my wireless range....time capsule working with existing devices at this time...but i am not able to get airport utility to recognize the airport express.....????

Temporarily connecting your AirPort Express to one of the Time Capsule's Etherent LAN <-> ports...as LaPastenagure suggests....is always a good way to setup and configure other network devices.
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http://www.bountifulwifi.com/Products/BountifulRouter500G/Overview.aspx
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It is in fact possible to extend your network using WDS. I say this under the assumption that your statement regarding the WDS capabilities of the Bwrg router is correct. However, keep in mind that you cannot use a WPA or WPA2 password with a WDS extended network. You must either use no encryption or use WEP. Unfortunately some routers require WEP passwords that use either 10 or 26 digits ONLY while the express uses a 13 digit password.
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This AirPort Express:
http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/
It is the only Express with 2 Ethernet ports. All others are "old"
Apple does not specify a model number in their product information, but it is A1392 in the U.S. I do not know if Apple uses different model numbers in other countries.

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Hello,
I am considering getting an Airport Express to extend my wireless network in a part of my house where it's really weak. The room I want to use it in actually has an Ethernet network drop and it is connected to my Airport Extreme on the other side of the house.
I've looked at the manual, and the only example it gives for extending a network is wireless. Since the network is very weak where I want to use it, I was wondering whether I could use the Ethernet port for the incoming signal. Is that possible?
I have an older AX (the b/g model) that I use in a similar way: it's on an ethernet port, but it broadcasts its own, different (slower, since it's the older model), wi-signal. So I didn't want to do that: I'd like the new unit to be practically transparent and broadcast the same wi-fi as the main signal.
Has anyone else had a similar experience and if so, could you let me know if this is possible?
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Yes
I'd like the new unit to be practically transparent and broadcast the same wi-fi as the main signal.
Configure the new AirPort Express as follows using AirPort Utility - Manual Setup
Click the Base Station tab located below the row of icons to assign a name to the Express, a device password and adjust Time Zone settings
Click the Wireless tab and configure as follows:
Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
Wireless Network Name = Exact same name as your AirPort Extreme network
Radio Mode = 802.11n (802.11b/g comatible) is a good general choice
Channel = Automatic
Wireless Security = Exact same setting as the AirPort Extreme network
Wireless Passwrod = Same password as the AirPort Extreme network
Confirm Password
Click the Internet icon
Click the Internet Connect tab
Connect Using = Ethernet
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Update to save settings and allow the Express to restart
Very important...power down the entire network...all devices....order is not important
Wait a few minutes
Start the modem first and let it run for a few moments by itself
Start the AirPort Exreme the same way
Start the AirPort Express the same way
Start other devices one at a time about a minute apart
You now have what is known as a "roaming" network. Computers will automatically log on to the router with the strongest signal as they "roam" around the house.

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AirPort base stations have essentially three network choices: join, create, or extend.
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It is exactly as CRMDVM wrote but that's why.

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Wi-Fi base stations: Setting up and configuring a roaming network (802.11 a/b/g/n)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4260

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I have a Time Capsule in the basement and my daughter is 3 stories up on her iMac and she complains about speed while online. She is about 40 feet up from me with 3 ceilings in between.
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Found an AirPort Express Base Station (the one that looks like a power bar for Apple laptops) - model # is A1084.
Unfortunately, this older version of the Express does not have the capability to "extend a wireless network" using wireless only.
You need the A1264 version, or the "new" AirPort Express (that looks like a miniature Time Capsule) if you want to try to "extend" using wireless only. In this case, you would want to locate the extending device approximately half the distance between the Time Capsule and her computer.
I can't say that this will do a lot to improve things....it's going to be one of those situations where you won't know if it will work until you try.
(or am I better off trying to run a super long Ethernet cable to her somehow?)
This is by far the best choice in terms of performance. There is no signal loss in a wire. She will be amazed at how well and fast her Mac runs this way.

Using an Airport Express to extend a network.

This may seem like a very simple question and that could have been solved by looking deep into the apple website. But i can't find it anywhere. I know that you can use the Express to extend an Airport network. But can i extend any other network or does it have to specifically be an airport network. As i have a BT Voyager 2091 at the moment for my wireless needs, i wanted an airport but this was free.
Thanks in advance

But can i extend any other network or does it have to
specifically be an airport network. As i have a BT
Voyager 2091 at the moment for my wireless needs, i
wanted an airport but this was free.
Though you can't extend the BT Voyager 2091 you can with the BT Voyager 2100.
I don't think BT will upgrade your router for free, but you could always ask.
iFelix

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I assume that you already have one Express configured to "join" the network.
Power up the other Express for a few minutes, then hold in the reset button firmly on the back of the device for 10 seconds and release. Allow a full minute for the Express to restart to a slow, blinking amber light.
Connect an Ethernet cable from the LAN <--> port on the "joining" Express to the WAN "O" port on the second Express.
Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click Other WiFi Devices
Click on AirPort Express
Click the Other Options button and select the option to Create a new wireless network.
Follow the guided steps, and ignore the step about powering off the modem and restarting.
Once the Express restarts, it will still have a slow, blinking amber light. Open AirPort Utility and click on the amber dot, then select the option to ignore the Double NAT error so the Express will display a green light.
Select the wireless network that you named during the setup of the second Express and enter the password to connect to the network.

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Yes, assuming that you are asking about a new Express, or the 802.11n version.
This is very easy to do with the Mountain Lion operating system that you have.
(The "roaming network" link above assumes that you are using the Leopard or Snow Leopard operating system...although the general information there is good).
Connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme to the WAN "O" port on the AirPort Express.
Power up the AirPort Express and wait a full minute
Click the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the Mac's screen and look for the heading of New AirPort Base Station. Just below that, click directly on AirPort Express there
AirPort Setup will open automatically and take a minute to analyze your network and then announce that the Express will be setup to "extend" your AirPort Extreme network
Enter a device name for the Express and click Next
AirPort Setup will take another minute to configure the Express
When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done
That's it.

I am trying to install a second airport express to extend my network. When I use the aiport utility it does not see the second airport express.

I am trying to install a second airport express to extend my network. When I use the aiport utility it does not see the second airport express.

Suggest that you perform a Factory Default Reset as follows:
Pull the Express from power
Wait a few moments
Hold in the reset button and keep holding it an additonal 8-10 seconds while you plug the Express back in to power
Release the reset button and allow 40-45 seconds for the Express to restart
Apple's instructions to do what you want are here:
It will often help to temporarily connect an Ethernet cable from your Mac to the AirPort Express for the setup. Once the Express is configured, you can disconnect the Ethernet cable and move the Express to the desired location.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259
Although an AirPort Extreme is shown as the extending device in the example, the setup for an AirPort Express is exactly the same

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Apple's "extend a wireless network" function appears to be a proprietary feature that works only with other Apple AirPort routers. As far as we know, this feature is not compatible with devices from other manufacturers.
It would be extremely unlikely that the Express could do what you want, but some things are never known until you try.

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I just played with the settings on the Airport and switched it to "enhance an existing wireless network." Tomorrow I'll try to see if this helps to accomplish what I am setting out to do. If anyone has any feedback, by all means share it.

Airport express stopped extending the network

Hi all,
I have had working an Airport Extreme acting as a wifi base plus an Airport Express to extend the network for more than one year and could receive an excellent wifi coverage all over the appartment.
Recently, I decided to update my laptop OS version (an old Leopard) first to Snow Leopard and immediately after to Lion. After lots of software updates, at some point I begun receiving warnings to update the Extreme firmware. I did so and that same day I realized that the Express was not working as network extender any more. I further got frustrated to see that the latest Airport Utility didn't even "like" my Express and I had to downgrade to Airport Utility 5.6 in order to be able to configure the Express.
This was almost one month ago and I have spent many hours and tried all kind of combinations since then. For instance, I checked that the express was ok by creating with it a new network. This worked perfectly. I also reseted the Express to manufaturing defaults several times. I have even created a full new network from the beginning. Nothing works.
Both devices show green lights, but when I'm close to the Express, the BSSID I get is that of the Extreme, not the Express BSSID. I can see the Express in Airport Utility 6 but it is shown as connected to the Extreme with a dashed line.
I don't know what else to try. The worse thing is that even by buying a new Express I don't get any guarantee that the problem won't persist, since the network extension has worked perfectly in the past and doesn't work any more.
Any ideas are welcome.
Best,
Pedro.

I am starting to think that I have a non-functional device.
That is looking like a possibility.
Try a Factory Default Reset if you have not done so already.
Leave the Express powered off for 15-20 minutes
Hold in the reset button first, and keep holding it for an additional 9-10 seconds while you simultaneously plug the power back into the Express
Release the reset button after the hold period and allow a full minute for the Express to restart to a slow, blinking amber light
Try to configure the Express in the same room as the main router. Restart the main router before you try to configure the Express. If it works, then move it further away....but do not reset it....to see if it will connect and behave.
If you still cannot configure the Express after the Factory Default Reset, I think you have a defective Express.

Using an Airport Express to extend my network range

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