Using TC to extend network range.

My home network is currently set up with 2x b/g AX's in a WDS configuration. I also have a TC (b/g and n capable) for backups. I am wondering if I can add the TC into the wireless network (rather than just joining it) to increase my range. I am thinking of using the TC as the main and the two AX as remotes to extend the network. Will this slow down my TC backups? Also would this now allow me to use TC backup from a larger range (obviously I imagine if im out of the n 5.0ghz range and its connecting to the TC via the AX this would decrease the speed, but the extra backup range would be very useful)?

I guess I did not make myself clear when I said that everything would drop down to "g" wireless if you choose WDS. If you configure the TC to "participate in a WDS arrangement", everything...both bands on your TC....automatically drop down to 2.4 GHz "g" wireless, so the maximum speed you will attain will be "g" levels on your "n" Time Capsule.
WDS is a "g" technology. it cannot operate at "n" level speeds.
But, with the other 2 AirPort Express devices on the WDS network, the first will drop the bandwidth in half on the entire network and the second will drop that in half again on the entire network.
Your entire WDS network will be operating at maximum "g" wireless with only one quarter of the original bandwidth on the network. The maximum speed that you will able to attain on the network will be approximately 13 Mbps.
Since "n" wireless at 2.4 GHz can attain speeds of up to 130 Mbps and up to 300 Mbps at 5 GHz, your WDS network will be operating at only a small fraction of it's capability.
If you want to use wireless only to "extend", (I suggested using ethernet with your two "g" AirPort Express devices) and you replaced the two "g" AirPort Express devices you have now with two new "n" versions, you could use Apple's "Extend a wireless network" feature and extend using wireless only.
The "Extend a wireless network" setup will maintain "n" speeds throughout the network with a much smaller bandwidth loss (about 10-15% per device), so your network would still be working at 60-70% of it's capability. Unfortunately, you cannot use your "g" AirPort Express devices for this purpose.

Similar Messages

  • Using AE to extend network range

    I'm sure this has been asked but since the search is turned off I can't find it.
    I have an Airport Express (older G) that I use for Airtunes. I have a AEBS (n) and a G5 iMac desktop and and a 14" iBook and a black MacBook. Lately the black Macbook airport signal has become flacky at best often dropping off completely. I think the card might be going south as the other two computers work fine. I'm wondering if I could use the AE to extend the network and still allow to stream Airtunes. I can't seem to find anything that either forbids or allows this.
    Any help would be appreciated.

    I just got off the phone with AppleCare. I've got a similar setup. iMac 24" serving as the iTunes Library hub, connected to the Airport Extreme. I've got a MacBook AppleTV and an iPodTouch. I have PC speakers hooked up to the AppleTV and can choose to turn these speakers on through iTunes. Recently upgraded to the 2.0 software for my iPodTouch and downloaded the Remote app.
    So, now I purchased an Airport Express to put upstairs in the bedroom to connect with my Altec Lansing inMotion iM600 speakers. I setup the Airport Express and the light is green. I've connected my speakers and switched the source to Aux....all I get is static.
    Apple Care told gave me three things to try.
    Click the extend this network on you AEBS.
    Make sure Airport is on for my main iMac (this part doesn't make sense since because you would think the signal from my iMac is being transmitted via the Ethernet cable connected to the AEBS and then broadcast to the AE.
    Bottom line, I think it will support both. Streaming music and extending your range.
    Good luck,
    Mark

  • Using AE to extend the range of a DLINK WR

    Hi All,
    We have a DLINK wireless router that I would like to extend the range of to cover two small buildings for our wireless network using my airport extreme base station.
    I have tried a few times trying to get the WDS functionality to work but can't get it to work - maybe my understanding of the capabilities is a bit off.
    I was wondering if you guys could help out. Here is the setup I want.
    1. The Dlink router is the main DHCP distributor for IP addresses
    2. There is no internet connection
    3. The encryption is WPA-PSK
    4. SSID broadcast is on and the AE picks up the Dlink wireless signal no probs.
    5. I want the AE to be a client / repeater for the Dlink router and simply extend the range of the Dlink network.
    I have managed to set it up quite easily using a Airport Express as the extender, but the AExtreme is causing me issues...
    Any help / suggestions would be appreciated.
    Thanks guys
    mjharps

    It is not possible to configure either an Airport Express or an Airport Extreme Base Station to "extend" the wireless network of any model of D-Link wireless router. D-Link's products do not support Apple's implementation of a WDS.
    I note that you said "I have managed to set it up quite easily using a Airport Express as the extender". That is not possible - likely what you have done is configure the Airport Express to simply "join" the wireless network created by the D-Link wireless router as a client. In that mode, the Airport Express does not extend the wireless range of the D-Link router - all client mode allows you to do is stream iTunes and print via the D-Link router to the Airport Express.

  • AirPort Express won't extend network range

    I spent 5 hours on the phone with three different apple reps changing every possible setting on the airport express that i wanted to use to extend the range of my existing network and even though AirPort utility said everything was set up right, the AX was only connected as a client. It was on the network, but not broadcasting ANY signal. This was at an office building with an AirPort Extreme as the base station. Both devices are brand new. 802.11n. I then took it home to see if it would extend the range of my home network which is set up using an AirPort Express as the base station. After trying every possible set up option there i was left with the same result. No broadcasting from the remote Express. It broadcasts when it's a base station, but not as a remote extender. What's the problem?!

    I am going nuts too trying to configure my Airport Express to extend the range of my Airport Extreme. Nothing seems to work and I've been at this off and on for months. The Extreme works fine (it's an "n") but the Express (I think a "g") won't cooperate. And Apple has no current definitive step-by-step instructions that help at all. Does anyone out there have a solution? Shouldn't this just be plug-and-play with a few tweaks to the settings?

  • I'm confused please help me...using airport to extend network

    I bought an apple airport extreme base station a few days ago. I was told I could use it to extend my networks range. I currently have tv Internet and phone through xfinity/Comcast. My xfinitity router is an SMC and I need to use it cuz the phone runs off it. I live in a 4 level townhome and it's range *****. Doesn't work in all rooms on the 4th floor. So I bought the base station and hooked it up to the SMC via an Ethernet and thought I set up right. But I noticed the range didn't improve so I opened the airport utility on my MacBook pro I clicked on the base station on the next window under wireless under a drop down I chose "extend network" or something like that. It said wait a few moments for update then I got an error. So I called apple to ask what I was doing wrong and they said I couldn't use an airport to extend the network of a 3rd party router. Not unless I put them in different rooms and connected them with a super long Ethernet. So now I'm confused is that right?  All I want is a better signal in my house. Please someone help me and explain to me how I make that happen..

    I wasn't able to figure out how to set up the roaming network.
    It is the same thing that you have set up now except you use the same wireless network name, same security settings and password as the "main" router and make sure that Bridge Mode is being used.
    We can easily troubleshoot this if you want.
    Now I'm just wondering if I could have done the same thing with the cheaper express base station?
    You could, but it would not be dual band operation like you have now, and no more than 10 wireless clients would be able to connect to the AirPort Express. You also have available Ethernet ports on the AirPort Extreme in case you need to connect a device that way. In addition, the Extreme has a much better Wi-Fi antenna than the Express.

  • AirPort Extreme wireless was working fine until I tried to add the extreme to extend network range...now neither is working and I can't fix.

    Help please?  I got the Express yesterday and had it set up and working fine.  However I found the signal and connection wasn't going far enough/fast enough for all areas of my home I wanted it to.  Today I got the Extreme.  I unplugged the Express, plugged in the Extreme and set up the new wireless network for that one just fine and it was working great.  However, I still wasn't getting quite the connection/speed I wanted through out my house, so I tried to add the Express to extend the network I set up from the Extreme and now neither one is working.  I tried resetting and starting over from the beginning but I can't even get just the Extreme to work by itself and am not sure what to do.

    The following are the basic steps to configure an extended network with two 802.11n AirPort. Please take a look to check if anything was missed when you configured yours.
    Dynamic WDS - Extending a Wireless Network Setup
    If practical, place the base stations in near proximity to each other during the setup phase. Once done, move them to their desired locations.
    Open AirPort Utility, and then, select the base station that will connect to the Internet.
    Choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu, or double-click the base station to open the configuration in a separate window. Enter the base station password if necessary.
    Click AirPort in the toolbar, and then, click Wireless.
    Choose “Create a wireless network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and then, select the “Allow this network to be extended” checkbox.
    Next, select the base station that will extend this network, and then, choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu, or double-click the base station to open its configuration in a separate window. Enter the base station password if necessary.
    Choose “Extend a wireless network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and then, choose the network you want to extend from the Network Name pop-up menu.
    Enter the base station network and base station password if necessary.
    Click Update to update the base station with new network settings.
    (ref: Pages 43-44 of Apple AirPort Networks.)
    (ref: Wi-Fi base stations: Extending the range of your wireless network by adding additional Wi-Fi base stations)

  • Using AX to extend AX range

    I am currently using AX for my wireless connection. Can I use another AX in another room to expand the range?

    Yes, you can do this.
    In order to configure the setup, you'll need to know whether both of your Express devices will be the newer 802.11"n" version, Model A 1264.
    Look on the side of your current AirPort Express for the model number. It may be an older A 1084.
    If you have a "mix" of older and newer devices, you'll need to use what is called Apple's WDS configuration. If both are newer "n" devices, you can use Apple's newer "extend a wireless network" feature.

  • HT4259 Extending network range

    Can I use an 802.11g with an 802.11n? I would use the N as the primary and the G as the extended station.

    Can I use an 802.11g with an 802.11n?
    Unfortunately, these two products are not compatible if you are asking about Apple's "extend a wireless network" feature....to extend wirelessly.
    Depending on which models of AirPorts that you have, you might be able to connect them together using an Ethernet cable to provide more wireless signal that way.

  • Extending network range with express device

    I'm trying to determine how to improve my wifi signal at work.  My office network is set up with a cisco router unfortunately and I purchased an airport express in order to try boost the signal I'm receiving.  I prefer using my macbook air over my pc laptop for which I purchased a wireless adapter that is basically a plug in antenna.  The signal is greatly improved on my pc.  In order to accomplish the same thing for my mac, can you configure the express to boost the signal in addition to having my printer connected to it.
    I have had no issue joining the existing office network and my printer, while a little on the slow side works with both my pc and macbook.  Any thoughts if you can use the extreme device to improve signal strength of a non-airport network or is there something else on the market that would help?

    Unfortunately, most non-AirPort routers are not compatible with Apple's implementation of Wireless Distribution System (WDS)...so it very unlikely that your non-AirPort router can be extended wirelessly with the AirPort Express Base Station (AX).

  • Using TC to extend network

    Good afternoon.
    I have a Cisco Valet Plus. I'm trying to set up my TC to extend my network by having it upstairs. I have ethernet cable connected to it, however, I can't seem to get it to work. Everytime I try to set it up to extend, it instead switches to join when it reboots. I've looked at the PDF setup instructions as well as doing some searches, but haven't had any luck. Have even reset the TC.
    Any help or direction would be appreciated.
    Thank you.

    If you will have the TC connected to the Cisco router by Ethernet, you do not want to use the "extend" feature as this is only intended if the connection between these routers would be wireless.
    Instead, you just want to reconfigure the TC as a bridge. This will allow the Cisco router to continue to provide both the NAT & DHCP services for all network clients, regardless of which router they are connected to.

  • Airport Express to Extend Network Range

    Hi everyone, hope somebody can help me out with this.
    I have an airport express which I had been using as a wireless router. It worked fine although the range wasn't all that good, so I got a new Linksys wireless router and installed it in the living room. I was planning on using the airport express to extend the Linksys range by plugging the airport express to the power in my bedroom.
    Anybody know how I can make that work without having to plug the ethernet cable into the airport express??
    Thanx

    david_neg, Welcome to the discussion area!
    I agree with Niel. You might be able to get it to work if the router is a Linksys WRT54G or WRT54GS (not latest versions v5). If you are using something else the chances of working are near zero.

  • Airport Extreme/express how to extend network range

    Can anyone guide me step by step through the process of using an Airport Express to extend an Airport Extreme bases wireless network. I think I have to use the WDS but I have no idea how to do it. A step by step manual will be very much appreciated.
    thank you
    Charlie

    Hello Degator. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
    Try the following as a guideline ...
    802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) - WDS Setup
    (Note: To facilitate the WDS set up, place the base stations within near proximity of each other during the set up phase, and then relocate them to their desired locations when complete. Also, jot down the AirPort IDs (MAC addresses) for each of the base stations to be used in the WDS.)
    Main Base Station Setup - AEBSn
    o Click the AirPort status menu in the menu bar and choose the wireless network created by the AEBSn that you will want to set up as the main base station.
    o Open AirPort Utility (located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on a Macintosh computer, or in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a computer using Windows).
    o Select the AEBSn, and choose Manual Setup from the Base
    Station menu, or double-click the base station to open the configuration in a separate window.
    o Enter the base station password if necessary. If the base station is using the
    default password of public, you will not be prompted for a password.
    o Click Wireless in the toolbar, and then choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu.
    o Click WDS and then choose “WDS main” from the WDS Mode pop-up menu.
    o Select the “Allow wireless clients” checkbox if you want client computer to connect to this base station.
    o Click the Add "+" button and enter the AirPort ID (MAC address) of the AX that you will want to connect to this base station.
    o Click Update to send the new settings to the base stations in the WDS.
    Remote Base Station Setup - AirPort Express Base Station (AX)
    o Click the AirPort status menu in the menu bar and choose the wireless network created by the AX.
    o Open AirPort Utility.
    o Select the AX, and choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu.
    o Enter the base station password, if necessary.
    o Enter the same network password as the AEBSn, if necessary.
    o Click AirPort in the toolbar and click Wireless. Choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu, and choose the same channel as the AEBSn from the Channel pop-up menu.
    o Click WDS and choose “WDS remote” from the pop-up menu.
    o Enter the AirPort ID (MAC address) of the AEBSn in the WDS Main field.
    o Click Update to transfer the settings to the base station.
    (ref: Pages 42-46 of "Designing AirPort Networks Using AirPort Utility.

  • I have two Airport Express units. Can I use one to extend the range of the other?

    The similar questions that I have found on this site refer to extending an Airport Extreme with an Airport Express. But can you also extend an Airport Express with another Airport Express?

    But can you also extend an Airport Express with another Airport Express?
    Any Apple "n" router....AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, or Time Capsule....can be used to extend the signal of another.
    Now, we just need to figure out if you have two "n" Expresses that will work together.  Are these brand new units?
    If not, check the model number on the side of the device. You need to see A1264 there. If you see A1084 or A1088, these models will not qualify as "n" Expresses.

  • Extending network range

    I have a NetComm NB5Plus4W ADSL2+ (802.11g) wireless modem router connecting my MacBook wirelessly to the internet. I also have an iMac in another part of the house which I would like to connect to the internet through the same modem, but for some reason the signal strength goes from full strength to nothing without any reason. I have the highest internet speed available in Australia with a dedicated connection.
    I don't understand why this is possible when no other conditions have changed within the structure of the house. I have even tried moving the iMac to another room only 5 meters from the router without achieving a connection.
    Sometimes there is a connection, sometimes there is not. But when there is it always seems to be full strength. There appears to be no in-between (half-strength signals)
    Can anyone make a suggestion.

    There doesn't appear to be anything in the network settings that refer to interference robustness. Is this something that is associated with using Airport Express or Time Capsule? If so, I'm using a 3rd party modem router.
    Interferences Robustness is a WiFi base station setting. However, every manufacture uses different terms. Interferences Robustness is one used by Apple in their Airport Extreme/Express/Time Capsule line of base stations.
    What you want to look for are WiFi base station settings that maximize power, and reduce the bit rate. More power is obvious. A slower bit rate allows more bandwidth for representing a bit so both base station and Mac have a higher chance of seeing the data.
    You really need to follow the advice about checking for interference from neighbors. Download one of the WiFi sniffers
    WiFi Scanner
    <http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/33185/wifi-scanner>
    AP Grapher
    <http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11859/ap-grapher>
    iStumbler
    <http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11753/istumbler>
    KisMAC
    <http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/10133/kismac>
    AirRadar
    <http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/27740/airradar>
    AirMoose
    <http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/25661/airmoose>
    Also 2.4GHz cordless phones, Microwave ovens, 2.4GHz baby monitors, Garage Door openers, along with other WiFi base stations can all interfere with your WiFi connections (and any of these things can be yours or your neighbors).
    And depending on how your walls are constructed you can loose signal there. Concrete walls, walls using metal studs instead of wood 2x4s, house hold appliances between the base station and Mac, etc...
    If you can not get WiFi to work, you could look at running an ethernet cable to the iMac, or an ethernet cable to a room closer to the iMac and setting up a WiFi extension (in bridge mode), or getting ethernet over powerline adaptors.

  • Do I need a cable connecting my Time Capsule to Airport Express if I want to use the AE to extend my wifi network range?

    I'm a bit confused by conflicting advice given by my local Apple shop and my internet provider. 
    My cable modem is plugged into a Time Capsule which I use to access the net wirelessly almost all over the house.  The one spot the wireless doesn't quite reach is (of course) where I now need my office and iMac to be.
    I thought I could just plug in an Airport Express somewhere in the middle  to extend the network's range but the guy at my local Apple shop said the Airport Express would need to be connected not just to power but to the Time Capsule, via a cable.  That's fiddly and would involve cables running under the floor or along walls and ceilings, not something I can or really want to do.  It's not really practical to try and move the cable connection point either.
    My internet provider suggested a netgear wireless extender and said that would only need to be plugged into power.  The reviews of the netgear product I found comparing it to Airport Express suggest that the Express doesn't need to be connected to anything other than power either to extend a network range (which was what I originally thought).
    So I'm wondering which advice is correct? I've also read that the netgear product isn't all that easy to set up so I'd rather stick with.   Apple if it will do what I want.
    Thanks for any help out there

    I thought I could just plug in an Airport Express somewhere in the middle  to extend the network's range but the guy at my local Apple shop said the Airport Express would need to be connected not just to power but to the Time Capsule, via a cable.
    I'm sure that the guy at the Apple shop means well, but he is not correct. 
    While it would be preferable to connect the Time Capsule and AirPort Express using a wired Ethernet connection, the Express can connect wirelessly and extend the wireless signal the same way....IF...it is located where it can receive a good wireless signal.

Maybe you are looking for