[TheJoshu]

So, I've got a number of family members using a number of laptops in a three-story home. I've got one snow base station in the corner of a room on the second floor. The only place I really need to add coverage is on the other side of the house on the first floor, where a common room is currently a dead zone (actually, it depends on how you tilt your PowerBook. It's certainly on the outer limits).

I bought an AirPort Express to use here (and then bring back to school in the fall), but I learned that it can't bridge a network created by a snow base station. I assume the same is true vice-versa, that bridging requires AE devices across the board.

So, what is the best option for getting wireless Internet into that room? I've decided that it probably isn't in my best interest to upgrade the snow base station to AE. Is there a device that can act as a bridge, sense the signal and connect via ethernet to an AirPort Extreme placed in that common room? I don't want to snake a cable through any walls. If I move the snow b.s. down to the first floor, we'll have spotty coverage in the second and third floors.

Basically I'm wondering if there's any way to do any bridging or relaying or whatnot with that snow base station, because I don't want to buy two AE base stations just to accomplish this goal. Threading cat-5 wouldn't be a problem except that I'd have to go from one corner of the second floor to the opposite corner of the first floor.

Any good ideas at all?

TIA.

[HouseSold]

I believe Radio Shack has devices that plug into an AC receptacle to transfer ethernet over house wiring. This might solve your distance geographics.

Also, I remember reading about bridging some time ago on PracticallyNetworked.com . You may have to search a little. It's a pretty good resource.

[f1000]

Here's my suggestion: Place a wireless router in the physical center of your house (2nd floor) and route your WAN connection to it. One wi-fi router should cover your entire house if you position it correctly. If you can find a closet near this physical center, then turn it into a network closet and keep your cable modem and wi-fi router in there.

Yes, you might have to fish some cable through walls to keep everything neat. It's something for you to do while you're on vacation.

[aaanorton]

You might consider upgrading the snow base to another AXP. An AXP will wirelessly bridge to another AXP.