Using router "transparently" to extend network?

Hi, all... this is probably an ethernet networking question, rather than strictly a Snow Leopard question, but I'm hoping someone might know the answer...
I have a Cable Modem delivering the internet to my Time Capsule, which is providing a wireless network downstairs in my house. It doesn't reach well to the loft upstairs, where my kids have their computers, so I have used a pair of "powerline ethernet" plugs to carry the network upstairs, One is wired into the time capsule, and the one in the loft is connected to the "WAN" socket on my old Belkin 4-port wireless router. I've turned off the wireless, so it's just acting as an ethernet router.
If I plug the two computers in the loft into the router with its default settings, they can connect to the internet with no problem.
However, they can't see the printer, which is wirelessly connected to the network downstairs, nor can they share iTunes or anything like that.
The router upstairs is set up by default to have the IP address 192.168.2.1, with DHCP running, NAT and so on. The Time Capsule assigns IP addresses in the 10.0.0.x range.
I wonder whether the problem with the printer and iTunes shares is that the router and two machines upstairs are effectively on a separate small network.
Is it possible to set up the router so that it connects the two machines upstairs "transparently", so that the IP addresses are assigned by the Time Capsule, and they are both effectively on the SAME network as downstairs? If so, what modes/settings do I need to change on the router upstairs? If I turn off DHCP on the upstairs router, will the Time Capsule DHCP the upstairs computers, or will they just not get IP addresses and fail to be on any network at all? Do I leave DHCP on the router upstairs ON, but change the router's base IP address and assignment range to be within the range of the Time Capsule network?
As you can tell, I really don't know enough about Ethernet to solve this one myself - can any of you fine folk help me out?
best regards,
Matt

I believe what you may need to try is to configure the loft router for bridged networking rather than using it as a separate router. Your upstairs network, if I understand your setup properly, is no on the same network as the one downstairs. But if the loft router is using bridged networking then it should simply be on whatever is brought upstairs by the Powerline Ethernet device. But I'm still not sure this will work since I'm not knowledgeable of the possible limitations of powerline ethernet devices. You still may not be able to connect to the printer from the loft.
What you might try is to use the TC downstairs and the router upstairs both with their wireless transceivers turned on. Configure the TC to allow its network to be extended. Configure the loft router to extend or join an existing network. If the two routers can establish and maintain a wireless connection then you can omit the powerline devices altogether.
For additional information: What happens if you connect the loft computer directly to the powerline device? Can you then connect to the downstairs printer? If so, then you know that how you are using the loft router is the problem. If you can't connect to the printer then you know the problem is with the powerline devices.

Similar Messages

Using airport express to extend network of 2tb time capsule.

Is it possible to use my old airport express using 802.11g to extend the network of my 2tb time capsule using 802.11ac protocol? If so, how?

You will need to use one of the 802.11n versions of the AirPort Express....either the model A1264 or A1392....if you want to wirelessly extend the signal from the Time Capsule.
The older 802.11b/g Express does not have the capability to do what you want.

Using Time Capsule to extend network

Hello: I have a Belkin N1 wireless modem router (ADSL) and have my Time Capsule connected the the modem via ethernet cable. I have the modem at the moment connected to my MacBook Pro via ethernet cable, and am able to connect to the Internet in that manner. My problem is that I cannot sem to extend my wireless network with my Time Capsule, which is what I want to do. Any advice or help? Thanks in advance.

I first tried connecting my new Time Capsule to my 2Wire gateway (DSL modem and router) via the ethernet cable to form a parallel network, but some incompatibility kept messing up the gateway's settings (resulting in losing Internet and phone altogether). I have since used the Time Capsule to extend the network via wireless only. This currently seems to work, although I have lost access to the Time Capsule on more than one occasion this afternoon for no apparent reason. I have not yet been successful in further extending the network using my Expresses -- which are used to connect ReplayTVs to the network.
Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to turn off the router function on the gateway (a previous DSL modem allowed me to do this -- most recently, I had my Extreme connected up via ethernet to the 2Wire gateway and forming a parallel network).
In case I need to replace the gateway to get this to work properly and in a stable fashion, does anyone know which AT&T DSL appropriate modems are most compatible with the Time Capsule?

Use airport express to extend network from linksys wrt54g

Hello all, I'm having no luck here, and hope you can help me. I am running a MacBook Pro, 2.16 GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo, 3 Gigs ram, OS X 10.6.8.I am at work, trying to use a newly purchased AirPort Express to extend the signal from the back office, which has a Linksys WRT54G router. I updated the router's firmware to 1.02.8, build 001, dated 8.5.09. I have tried numerous times to configure the AE using AirPort Utility, and always wind up with an error message, "An error occurred while updating the configuration. Make sure your Apple Wi-Fi base station is plugged in and in range of your computer or connected via Ethernet and try again. (-6753)" During the configuration process, I am asked what I want to do with AE, I have tried both "create a new wireless network," and "I want AE to join my current network," with no success. Any comments will be appreciated.

The Linksys WRT54G and WRT54GS (through version 4 only for both models) were said to be compatible with Apple's WDS settings.
Perhaps this article may offer some clues, but it is doubtful that you will be able to make this work with the particular version of Linksys router that you have.
http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=2006060516541633

Trying to use Airport Express to extend network created by Actiontec M1424WR (FiOS)

I would like to use two Airport Expresses to extend my home network which is created with my Actiontec M1424WR. My ISP is Verizon FiOS. I previously had TimeWarner and used one of my Expresses to create the WiFi and the second Express to extend it. Now that I have a modem/router provided by Verizon, I'd like to utilize both Airports as extenders. I have a two story house and the signal is "fair" upstairs. I would like to use my Roku player to access my home library via Plex. My problem(s):
I used a hard reset to restore my Expresses to the default settings because my Airport Utility could not find them and my old network is not active anymore. After the reset I was able to find them but I kept getting an "unexpected error occurred try again later" message. After this message my Macbook OS X 10.8.5 could not connect to the internet anymore. I had to go to System Preferences ---> Network ---> Assist Me.. ---> Assistant ---> and then found my network and reconnected. So my Macbook is connected again but my Airport Expresses sit unused..
My Network:
Modem/Router ->     1. PC
                               2. PC #2
                               3. Xbox
                               4. D-link 5 port gigabit switch -> a. Directv b. xbox #2 c. xbox #3   d. THIS IS WHERE I WANT MY AIRPORT
I would like one Airport, connected via ethernet and towards the back of the house, extending my network and the other, connected via wifi and upstairs, also extending my network.
If anyone has time on their hands to help me with my problem I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you,
Mike

I followed Kappy's advice and connected one AEX to my modem/router using a 50ft ethernet cable, creating a new network.   I connect my second AEX wirelessly to the first, extending the network. The first AEX was placed towards the back of the house and the 2nd AEX was placed upstairs. I was able to stream netflix on two devices upstairs while streaming a movie using plex from one pc downstairs to a roku player upstairs without any buffering at all. All three were in HD and my brother was playing multiplayer on his xbox (wired). It works! Thanks Kappy!

Using airport express to extend network via ethernet socket

I have a wireless router set up which feeds my mac and tv (via a wired ethernet connection). I have also a pc which doesn't have wifi capability.
Can I use airport express to make my pc pick up the wifi by plugging the pc into the ethernet socket? I would also plug a printer (currently connected to the pc) into the usb, so it can become a shared printer.
Thanks

Can I use airport express to make my pc pick up the wifi by plugging the pc into the ethernet socket?
Yes. But, it is the AirPort Express that would "pick up the wifi". Then, you would connect an Ethernet cable from the AirPort Express to the PC.
Configure the AirPort Express to "Join a wireless network" and click the option to "Enable Ethernet clients" during the setup to activate the Ethernet port on the device.
I would also plug a printer (currently connected to the pc) into the usb, so it can become a shared printer.
There is a good chance that your printer will work connected this way, but you won't really know until you try.

Using airport express to extend network/stream music

Hi,
I just bought an airport express to extend my network throughout my house and stream music to my stereo system in my living room. My time capsule, which is connected to the DSL modem and is the base station, is in one far end of the house, while the airport express is at the other end. It has greatly improved the range of my network and when using my macbook in the front room, it gets full bars, however, the when using airtunes to stream music with iTunes 9 and OS 10.6, the music will cut in and out randomly and I occasionally get unknown error -15000 when trying to connect.
I played around with the airport express channels (any channel other than 10 will receive an unknown error -15000 automatically,) adjusted the firewall, and adjusted Netbarrier X, my third party security software. I found information in this article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA21538?viewlocale=en_US
The only thing that works is moving the airport express close to my computer to remove the physical barriers. It plays perfectly then. Is it possible to buy a second airport express and plug it in halfway between my stereo and time capsule to boost the signal to the airport express plugged into my stereo? Will this solve the problem of the music stream cutting in and out every 10-20 seconds?

Mad Cow wrote:
I checked and my signal is -87 and noise is -95.
At the risk of being the bearer of bad news, that's a rather poor signal value. Here is a description of what different ranges of signal-to-noise mean:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10329543&start=1
In the other post, you mentioned interference from other electronics. Could physical barriers be causing interference also?
Barriers won't cause interference, but they can reduce signal transmission. How far apart are the two units, how many walls are in between, and of what material are those walls made?
If this is the case, can I add a second airport express between my base station and stereo-attached airport express to boost the signal?
In theory something like that might work, but I'm not sure that an AirPort Express can act as a "relay" station between a "main" station and a "remote" station. It might require an AirPort Extreme. Perhaps someone else can comment on that possibility.
Can you relocate your Time Capsule to an different phone outlet? Can you use longer cables between the wall and the modem and/or between the modem and the Time Capsule to move the Time Capsule to the other side of the room to be nearer to your AirPort Express? Can you use a longer audio cable between your AirPort Express and your sound system?
You may be able to use a pair of Power-Line units
(http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-network.htm) to connect your AirPort Express to your Time Capsule via Ethernet.

Use airport extreme to extend network?

We were using an Airport extreme plus two airport express units to network the three computers in our home (G5 desktop with no airport card, laptop in my office, laptop in my wife's office). Too often though, my wife's computer was slow on the Net, so we decided to try the new Belkin Wireless N+ which supposedly carries a stronger signal. I can't tell if it is helping. Sometimes, it's ok, sometimes, it's not, kind of like the Extreme.
Here's my question. We have a cable television wire that comes into the house in our bedroom, which is next to her office. I had this idea that I could split that signal and find some kind of unit that outputs to an port, hook the Extreme we are not using now into the port and maybe have that find our house network as a way of boosting the signal.
Could that work? Or is there an easier way of boosting the signal?
Thanks for any info,
jeff

i realize there is a missing word, I meant to write outputs to an ethernet port. I don't know if such a device, other than another cable modem, actually exists.

Airport express won't extend network via ethernet but shows GREEN (HELP!!)

I have the following routers setup up the same network and are working.
10.0.1.1 Airport Extreme (connected to hardline from IP)
10.0.1.2 Time Capsule 1 (extending network and providing internet connection to computer via ethernet)
10.0.1.3 Time Capsule 2 (extending network and providing internet connection to Xbox1)
10.0.1.4 Airport Express 1 (extending network and providing internet connection to Xbox2)
Not working correctly
10.0.1.43 Airport Express 2 (wanting to set this router up to extend network to plug into desktop)
The router seems to join the network fine and will show GREEN but doesn't show a similar IP address as the rest of the routers. It also doesn't provide any internet connection via ethernet to any computer, the network pref page says that it shows RED and that nothing is connected to the computer for internet but airport shows GREEN.
Reset the router multiple times, tried every which way of setting it up and no go. I also tried assigning it a IP and not using DHCP and gave it a 10.0.1.5 and still the same outcome.
Right now just at complete loss as to what to try next.

Sorry, the older version of the Express does not have the option to "extend a wireless network", which is the setting on the new Express that provides more wireless coverage and also enables the Ethernet port.
What you want to do can be done with a different setting..."participate in a WDS network" on both the Time Capsule and Express, but I am not recommending that you do this because WDS operates only in "g" wireless mode. Your Time Capsule would lose most of its performance in this setting and the network would slow down tremendously...defintely not what you want for gaming.
You'll have the best performance if you connect the PS3 directly to one of the Ethernet ports on the Time Capsule using an Ethernet cable. If it is not possible to run the cable, the next best performance option would be to use a pair of Ethernet powerline adapters to send the Ethernet signal over the existing AC wiring in your home.

I have an Airport Extreme as my router and am using time capsule to extend the network in my new house. My ISP is only providing me 4-5 ip addresses and wants me to set up my router to issue out new ip addresses for all my devices.How do I fix this?Help

I have an Airport Extreme as my router and am using time capsule to extend the network in my new house. My ISP is only providing me 4-5 ip addresses and wants me to set up my router to issue out new ip addresses for all my devices.How do I fix this?Help.
They said I need to change my settings to NAT settings. I haven't been able to figure out or find anything. I have also spoken to Apple Support on the phone for hours without being able to figure out how to do this ( i don't think he knew much either lol.) Please help me because I've got about 15-20 devices in my house that require to be connected to the internet and this is just making things ridiculously slow and painful for me.
Thanks!

It is on DHCP & NAT under router mode yet my isp is still the one issuing ip addresses to my devices instead of the router issuing them

I have an airport extreme and express, if I use the extreme as a base station connected to my old router can I use the express to extend the signal while also creating a new network that only I can use?

I have an airport extreme and express, if I use the extreme as a base station connected to my old router can I use the express to extend the signal while also creating a new network that only I can use? Essentially having two wifi connection off the same network? If so how do I set this up?

Extending using a wireless connection always results in a performance compromise.
If the Express is going to extend using a wireless connection, then the Express will need to be located about half way between the AirPort Extreme and the general area where you need more wireless coverage. The more that you have line-of-sight between the Extreme and Express, the better the network will operate.
Remember......the Express can only "extend" the quality and signal speed that it receives, so it needs to be located where it can get a very good signal from the Extreme. Although Apple cleverly uses the term "extend", a more accurate term for the Express would be "repeater".
If the Express will extend by connecting to the Extreme using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection......highly recommended for best performance.....then the Express can be located exactly where you need more wireless coverage. There is no signal loss at all through the Ethernet cable, so the Express gets a full speed signal no matter where it might be located.
Post back to let us know which way to you want to go.

I am getting an un expected error message when updating the setting to "extend network". Is there an obvious setting I may be missing? Cisco router being used.

I am getting an un expected error message when updating the setting to "extend network". Is there an obvious setting I may be missing? Cisco router being used.

If you are trying to "extend" using wireless only, you may not be aware that Apple designed the "extend" feature as a proprietary setting to only work with other Apple routers.
It is extremely unlikely that this will work with a Cisco router.
If your plans call for connecting the AirPort Express to the Cisco router using a wired Ethernet connection, it should be possible to configure the Express that way.

Using Airport Express to Extend a wired network using Belkin N Router

I have an ethernet/wired network in my home office and am using the Belkin N Router which is connected to the upstairs by ethernet also. I have a wireless network that the Belkin router uses to let me connect to the internet wirelessly if needed and I use it for my MacBook Pro inside the house but can't outside [the Belkin is connected to cablemodem].
I am trying to use my Airport Express to 'extend' the network from my home office out to my back deck by having it wirelessly be available [it is connected to main router/cable by ethernet/wired]. I have 5 bars on the Belkin Router wireless signal but very low unreliable bars from the Airport - either because it is not relaying the wirelss network of the Belkin router or it's not able to send its wifi signal from its ehternet/wired connection to the main router/cable modem, not sure which --
Short of pulling an ethernet wire outside to the back deck or getting an antenna to hang on my MacBookPro to better receive the home office wireless signal, is there a way to set up the AX soit can become an internet transmitter wirelessly of the wired network it is hooked to???
I read http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108040
but that didn't seem to help == and it appears the AX won't extend a non Apple wireless signal and I don't have one [tried the Extreme but it didn't work = the Belkin has been perfect = I can wirelessly connect in the room above the home office but would love to be able to use the AX to extend its power or at least use the wired linkage to then extend the power wirelessly....

Hey
in the following thread one of those top users posted a list of wireless routers AEXP is able to extend wireless network with via WDS
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1492474&tstart=195
maybe that belkin is your modell?
and here:
http://ryanschwartz.net/2004/08/05/airtunes-airport-express-and-the-wrt54g
also here:
http://www.beatnikpad.com/archives/2004/10/19/airportexpresswds
are descriptions of how to connect to 3rd party routers (not belkin but the way to connect of both is quite similar so it might possiby help you too.
Not using wep, wpa/ wpa2 during installation and connecting the AEXP to Mac or Lan Port of your router should help.

Using Airport Express to Extend a Time Capsule Network: Results (*Long*)

Thought I would share my recent (2 hours ago) experience with setting up an Airport Express to Extend a Time Capsule 802.11N 5Ghz Network. Basically I just followed the directions in the Apple Airport Utility, using the "Extend a Wireless Network" setting:
Time Capsule (TC) 802.11N 5Ghz: In computer room
Linksys (LNK) 802.11g configured as dual network router with TC, also in computer room.
Airport Express (AE): In living room, about 50' away, several old plaster walls in between.
According to iStumblr:
1) I get an 80% signal from my TC when my MacBook is practically sitting on top of it.
2) I get an 88% signal from my Linksys 802.11g sitting next to the TC
3) I get 35% signal from my TC when my MacBook is in the living room. This is NOT enough signal, for some reason, to maintain a decent internet connection.
4) I get a 46% signal from my LNK from the same location. This IS enough signal to connect to the network.
5) With the AE configured as "Extend a Wireless Network" to the TC, and placed in the living room (again, about 50' from the TC base station), I get a 55% signal from the AE (which shows up as the same name as the TC network, for obvious reasons) Again, enough signal to connect to the network.
I did some internet speed tests using SpeedTest (take these with a grain of salt, of course)
1) From computer room over TC: 18Mb/s~22Mb/s average over 2 days of testing
2) From computer room over LNK: 18Mb/s~22mb/s average over 2 days of testing
3) From living room over AE(extended network from TC): 5~7Mb/s average in the last 2 hours
4) From living room over LNK: 12~14Mb/s average over 2 days of testing
Preliminary conclusions:
1) Setting up an extended network is pretty straightforward, and works without issue.
2) My 802.11g network with my old Linksys is far superior than my new extended 802.11N 5Ghz network, at least for internet connection speed.
3) I feel a bit irritated buying this AE now to extend my 802.11N network, if its not going to give me any advantages over my ancient 802.11g network
4) File transfers may still be better over the 802.11N-I will test that out at some point.
5) I have not tried WDS instead of "Extend a Wireless Network"-not sure what the benefits would be.
Computer Notes:
MacBook Aluminum-MB(Al) 2.0 C2D (802.11n)
finds 8 wireless networks in my neighborhood (3 of them are mine)
MacBook White-MB(Wh) 1.83 CD (802.11g only)
finds 10 wireless networks in my neighborhood (3 of them are mine)
Oddly, the signal strength of my networks isn't that different between the two computers-between 2% and 5%, even though it can't see as many networks. The 2 networks the MB(Wh) CAN see are at around 21% and 25% signal-not sure why the MB(Al) can't see them at all.

Your biggest mistake is confusing signal strength with signal quality. The signal indicator indicates strength and nothing else. You need to be using iStumblr to look at SNR (Signal to noise ratio).

Use AirPort Express to Extend Original Router's Range

I have an existing router that works fine for the first and second floors of my house (it is not an Apple router), however, my Apple TV is in the basement and the WiFi coverage is absolutely horrible. I'm curious if I can use an AirPort Express router to extend the range of the initial router (I have Ethernet access in the basement) so that I can stream to my Apple TV from anywhere in the house.
Thanks!

Yes, if the AirPort Express is configured to create a wireless network that uses the exact same wireless network name, same wireless security setting (WPA2 Personal) and same wireless password as your existing router.
In addition, the AirPort must be configured to operate in Bridge Mode.
Other than naming the network and entering the password, AirPort Utility will take care of most of the settings automatically, assuming you have Mac running Lion (10.7.x), Mountain Lion (10.8.x), Mavericks (10.9.x), or you use an iPhone or iPad for the setup.
Note.....it would be much better if you could connect the Apple TV to the AirPort Express or your existing router using an Ethernet cable connection, not wireless.

Using router "transparently" to extend network?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for