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slider · Jul 15, 2003, 06:18 PM

Hello, I am trying to set up my new Airport Extreme Base Station, but I can't seem to get access to it. After reseting it it goes into the reset mode where you have 5min to make your changes, but it always returns an error. Public does not work, nor does resetting the thing to factory settings. I unwisely set up WEP 128 even though I am using the older 40 bit WEP. To clearify, I did access it one time, which is when I made the change to 128, I don't know if that is the problem or not. I actually have it connected to a router so I was trying to go back to turn off " distribute IP address" as the router handles this. I was trying to move my older graphite ABS to another location to broaden my range, I have since taken it off line to eliminate that possible problem. Anyway does anyone have some idea what is going on? Kinda frustrated at this point. Oldly, I am on the internet buy selecting the default Apple network, but again, the default password "public" does not allow access. if it is a WEP is there a way to reset that back to 40bit?

slider · Jul 16, 2003, 03:10 PM

OK, after continued mindless resetting and disconnecting the ethernet cable I was finally able to reset the ABS Extreme.

Another problem though:

My whole purpose for getting another BS was to broaden my range not only in the house, but outside as well.

My set up is from the cable modem to a MacSence Router which has four ports
Port one is to an iMac 333
Port two is to, I believe the ABS Extreme
Port three is to, I believe the ABS Graphite
Port Four is open.

I wanted to set up something like roaming, my understanding was that all I would have to do is put the ABS's on the same router and set them up with "distribute IP Address" unchecked, which would have the router assign the addresses instead. What I am getting is that the ABS Extreme (ABSE) disappears from my Airport Admin Utility. I have set up both for the same network name and the same passwords.

In the Airport Extreme manual, it says you can set up roaming if you have multiple ABSEs, and you basically just go from one ABSE to the next using the ethernet port.

Questions:
Will the latter set up work with an ABS Graphite (ABSG) instead of another ABSE?

And to the former , is there away to set up roaming with my router? Isn't this how the ABSGs worked originally?

And why won't my ABSE show up in my AP Admin Utility. Note: I have the ethernet cable running to the LAN Port and not the WAN port, this is how the manual said to set it up to a LAN.

AssassyN · Jul 16, 2003, 04:35 PM

Well, here's how I'd do it if I were you.

Run the ethernet cable from the cable modem into the WAN port of the AEBS. Then, run another ethernet cable from out the AEBS's LAN port into the "Uplink" or Channel #1 port of your router. Now, plug your wired computers into the remaining ports in the router.

It looks as if you tried to run your modem into the router and then the AEBS from that, when I think it'd work better if you ran the modem into the AEBS and the router from that.

AssassyN · Jul 16, 2003, 04:37 PM

P.S. - Concerning your inabilty to "see" the AEBS, I had the same exact problem on my 12" PB and it nearly frustrated the heck outta me until I checked Apple's website and found THIS . I just updated that software and all was well.

slider · Jul 16, 2003, 05:01 PM

Thanks, I actually did update the software on my computer and the firmware is 5.1 on the AEBS. It's brand spanking new and was shipped directly from the factory just days ago.

As for the other thing, Well this is how I have had the network set up way back when the Graphite was new, I think this was the only way to do it, but I honestly don't know what other features the AE stuff has, I like the firewall on my router.

The issue is really setting up roaming with mixed base stations, I think I might need to connect the Graphite ABS to the Ethernet port on the AEBS, but I'll need to get a new cable to do that.

Thanks again for your time though.

AssassyN · Jul 16, 2003, 05:04 PM

Originally posted by slider:

The issue is really setting up roaming with mixed base stations, I think I might need to connect the Graphite ABS to the Ethernet port on the AEBS, but I'll need to get a new cable to do that.

Ahhh, I see now. Yep, that sounds like the right idea...but why would you need a new cable? It'll still use a standard CAT5 cable...unless you're only saying that b/c you need a longer cable.

slider · Jul 16, 2003, 05:52 PM

Yep, a longer cable to position it for the best coverage. But, I'd like to see if anyone knows exactly how to set them up. If no one has done this, I will, but I just don't have the time to mess with it continuously right now. Lets face it, sometimes these things can become quiet time consuming.

AssassyN · Jul 16, 2003, 06:06 PM

Originally posted by slider:
Yep, a longer cable to position it for the best coverage. But, I'd like to see if anyone knows exactly how to set them up. If no one has done this, I will, but I just don't have the time to mess with it continuously right now. Lets face it, sometimes these things can become quiet time consuming.

Time consuming they certainly can become. Ya may wanna check www.apple.com/support and search in their AirPort section for how to extend coverage via another Base Station and it might tell ya.

slider · Jul 16, 2003, 08:03 PM

OK, so even though I should have been doing something far more important I went ahead and tried to set it up with the short ethernet cable I did have; it didn't work.

I then proceeded to hook it back up to the old configuration, which then decided it did not want to work either, even after unplugging the Graphite ABS several times for several minutes. Then I decided to try and resest the router first and then the ABS, this did work. I know think I might try the whole thing again resetting everything from the behind the modem as I add the pieces. This sounds formiliar from back in the day, but now I really can't spare the time for it. It'll have to be later.

aaanorton · Jul 16, 2003, 08:35 PM

Originally posted by AssassyN:
Run the ethernet cable from the cable modem into the WAN port of the AEBS. Then, run another ethernet cable from out the AEBS's LAN port into the "Uplink" or Channel #1 port of your router. Now, plug your wired computers into the remaining ports in the router.

This is how it should be done. With the addition of running another cable to your 2nd ABS.
Also note that config'ed like this, you'll need to enable distributing IPs (DHCP serving) on the AEBS and disable this feature on the ABS and the router (very important). This will make the AEBS the DHCP server. Then enable DHCP on the computers and you should be set. Keep the wireless names on the ABSes the same. Now turn everything off, wait a minute and start turning on stuff beginning with the modem. Wait for it to grab an IP, just watch the lights. When it seems fully back up, power on the AEBS, and then the router and ABS.
You'll probably notice that your IPs are all different now. This is because the AEBS defaults to a different subnet than your old router (which is now acting simply as a switch, since the DHCP serving is disabled on it).
On Apple's AEBS page, they are describing wireless bridging, which works the same way, but with no cable required to the 2nd AEBS. And yes, they must both be AEBSes for this to work.

slider · Jul 16, 2003, 09:20 PM

Excellent, I will try this when I get a chance. Now I seem remember the router having a firewall built-in, does the AEBS also have this? Not that I really know anything about them, except I should have one.

In the manual, it discusses two ways to do the roaming, one using WDS and the other physcially hooking them up with an ethernet cable. It's the latter I was trying to do, does that still need to be an AEBS? The manual vaguely says it does, that is it says hooking up to another AEBS, but does not exclude the ABS, it is not unlike Apple to use this kind of wording inwhich it excludes older products even though they will work.

aaanorton · Jul 17, 2003, 12:26 PM

Originally posted by slider:
In the manual, it discusses two ways to do the roaming, one using WDS and the other physcially hooking them up with an ethernet cable. It's the latter I was trying to do, does that still need to be an AEBS?

Nope.

slider · Jul 20, 2003, 10:42 AM

OK I have everything working. I hooked everything up the way aaanorton suggested after trying my last configuration one more time (which didn't work). The only real problem I ran into was trying to hook the router into the network. I had first tried to hook up the AEBS's ethernet port to the router's WAN port, this did not work. Of the four ports LAN ports on the router one had a port which would become a crossover after flicking a switch. I plugged the incoming ethernet port into the crossover port and then the iMac and ABS into that. All is running as expected, but I still need to change the layout to get maximum coverage.

Thanks aaanorton and AssassyN for your input.