[tooki]

Use this thread for problems pertaining to AirPort Express networking issues.

tooki

[Xeo]

This isn't a problem, but just a question.

Can the Airport Express do wired-to-wireless bridging? I want to hook it up to my college wired network and get the college-assigned IP on my iBook wirelessly. So basically I just want it to act as an access point. I'm pretty sure the answer is yes but I'm not positive.

[Vash]

Edit - Solved my own problem. To do what Xeo says just uncheck the distribute IP addresses box in Airport Admin Utility

[sdeshw]

<nevermind.>

[ratlater]

Originally posted by Xeo:
This isn't a problem, but just a question.

Can the Airport Express do wired-to-wireless bridging? I want to hook it up to my college wired network and get the college-assigned IP on my iBook wirelessly. So basically I just want it to act as an access point. I'm pretty sure the answer is yes but I'm not positive.

The answer is yes.

-matt

[mmurray]

This isn't a problem either - just a question

In

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/22/te...s/22state.html

its said that Airport Express can store up to 5 sets of network settings. Thats a feature I have always thought would be handy in my Extreme Base Station. Is that possible ?

Michael

[xenu]

Two questions for those of you with 2 of these beasties, or an Airport Extreme basestation and an Airport Express.

1. Can the express be used to extend range while they are using WPA, and
2. Can it be used to extend range while delivering music to the stereo?

I have yet to see a definitive answer to this, when using Apple products only.
It would also be nice to have real world testing.

[vharris528]

I just purchase a airport express for the sole purpose of extending the range of my wireless network. I specifically asked the apple salesperson if this configuration would work. As far as I can tell it doesn't appear to be working. On the Apple support site it seems to indicate that this configuration doesn't work. Just want to confirm if this will work before I finish pulling the rest of my hair out??

BTW, my Airport base station is the 2nd generation router.


Also if this config will not work, can I buy a 3rd party (linksys, netgear) "G" router and use the airport express as a range extender??

If the Airport express acts as a base station, then what advantage is there to buy a Airport Base station???

[all2ofme]

I'm not certain, but I think I remember reading somewhere that in order to extend the range it would have needed to be an Extreme base station.

<edit> http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=220576

Second post down. Not sure how authoritative this is, but it's something at least.

Originally posted by vharris528:
BTW, my Airport base station is the 2nd generation router.

[-Q-]

Just got an Airport Express and using the open source firmware online was able to set up the Express to extend my wireless network. It was a bit of kludge to figure out how to set up the express (the guided assistant really doesn't work very well for this-the Airport Admin is much better), but once you have it it works flawlessly. Really an impressive bit of kit.

[aabbas]

Originally posted by -Q-:
It was a bit of kludge to figure out how to set up the express (the guided assistant really doesn't work very well for this-the Airport Admin is much better), ...

Could you please provide details on your Airport Admin settings? My setup works (Extreme as base, Express as relay), but I'm not sure if I chose the best options. In particular, what's the difference between Relay and Repeat? I couldn't tell from the brief descriptions Apple gives.

Thanks,
Alex

[jamesob5]

Here's what I got and what I'm trying to do.

iMac w/airport card
iBook w/airport card
Airport Express
Compaq PC (Win XP) w/Netgear 54 Mbps Wireless PCI Adapter/WG311
Comcast Cable Internet Service

I want the two Macs and the PC connected to the Airport Express wireless network. The Apple store said this is doable. All the Apple products function perfectly on the wireless network. I installed the wireless PCI adapter on my PC and took it to my work where there is a D-link wireless network. Connected to the network...meaning the adapter works fine. When I boot up at home the network icon on the tool bar has an "X" on it and in the network connections page the devices status says "Disconnected"?

Maybe the problem is I don't know wireless networking or networking in general. What do I need to do or what am I not doing? Help Please!!!

[-Q-]

Originally posted by aabbas:
Could you please provide details on your Airport Admin settings?

Be glad to, but I'll have to wait until I get home. After the day I've had, the details are fuzzy.

I do think you've set things up correctly to get the best performance tho'.

[adam1185]

Originally posted by -Q-:
Be glad to, but I'll have to wait until I get home. After the day I've had, the details are fuzzy.

I do think you've set things up correctly to get the best performance tho'.

I'd also love to hear what settings you used to extend your wireless network, especially if you're using a WRT54G as your base station. Everytime I try extending mine my express just craps out and I have to go reset it with a paperclip

[crystalthunder]

Originally posted by adam1185:
I'd also love to hear what settings you used to extend your wireless network, especially if you're using a WRT54G as your base station. Everytime I try extending mine my express just craps out and I have to go reset it with a paperclip

I'm in the exact same situation as you, paper clip and all. I'm looking for a definitive guide to getting my Airport Express to act as an extender for my Linksys WRT54G router, and -Q- appears to be the best bet

[adam1185]

Hehe yeah it's quite annoying. I've reset that thing countless times already and it only arrived monday

[blizaine]

Ok, it seems like what I am wanting to do would be quite simple, but I am having trouble...

Here is what I am trying to do:

I have a Mac and a PC connected (wired) to an 802.11g wireless Router (Netgear) via Cat5. I also have a wireless bridge connect to my PS2. I also have a laptop (work) with 802.11b that connects to the wireless router. (All this works fine)

I got the Airport Express in hopes that I could plug it into the wall next to my stereo and it would let any of my computers (wired or wireless) send iTunes to it (via my wireless router).

However, I have only been able to configure it to play music if I use my laptop�s wireless card and connect to it directly to it (not through my router), or if I plug it in via Ethernet to my router�.

Is it not possible to set it up as a �Bridge� so that I could plug it into power and it would connect to my wireless router and be on my network, allowing the computer of my choice to send music to it?


Thanks for any help you can provide!

Blizaine

[adam1185]

I'm having more problems with my airport express. Now it just randomly dies every day and I have to go reset it with the paper clip. I have it set up in client mode to join my current linksys wireless network just for the purpose of using air tunes and it just stops playing the music about once a day and disappears from my iTunes speaker list and from the whole network... ARRRRRGH

[vandelay]

I�m looking for a way to extend my existing network. Has anybody managed to get an AirPort Express to work with a white AirPort Basestation?
Also, if that doesn�t work, could somebody please point out to me, what the benefit is to get an AirPort Extreme Basestation plus AirPort Express, in contrast to just getting two AirPort Express?

[Parky]

Originally posted by vandelay:
I�m looking for a way to extend my existing network. Has anybody managed to get an AirPort Express to work with a white AirPort Basestation?
Also, if that doesn�t work, could somebody please point out to me, what the benefit is to get an AirPort Extreme Basestation plus AirPort Express, in contrast to just getting two AirPort Express?

It should work fine.
When you setup the Airport Express one of the options is to extend an existing Airport Network.

Buy have a look at the document on the Apple Support page for the Airport Express, it's called 'Designing Airport Networks'

Ian

[vandelay]

Originally posted by Parky:
It should work fine.
When you setup the Airport Express one of the options is to extend an existing Airport Network.

Buy have a look at the document on the Apple Support page for the Airport Express, it's called 'Designing Airport Networks'

Ian

Thank you for the advice. But the official info from Apple is, that it only works with Airport Extreme. I ordered an Airport Express anyway, so i�ll see how it goes pretty soon.

[fisherKing]

got my aE today; tried to extend my d-link network, no luck.
guess we have to wait for someone to devise a shareware solution...

any ideas anyone?

[fisherKing]

Originally posted by fisherKing:
got my aE today; tried to extend my d-link network, no luck.
guess we have to wait for someone to devise a shareware solution...

any ideas anyone?

hey, i'm replying to myself!

can extend my d-link, wired (running ethernet cable from the router).
but still want to extend wirelessly (allowing me to use the aE in other rooms, for example).

do-able?
& how...??

[beverson]

Originally posted by fisherKing:
hey, i'm replying to myself!

can extend my d-link, wired (running ethernet cable from the router).
but still want to extend wirelessly (allowing me to use the aE in other rooms, for example).

do-able?
& how...??

FisherKing (and others), can you explain your situation better? You can extend your D-Link's network, but only if you connect the APE via Ethernet? Am I correct in understanding that if you simply have the APE "join existing network" that the range of said network is not effectively extended?

I helped a friend set up her APE tonight. It worked great for her setup � non-Apple wired/WiFi router, APE connected wirelessly to the LAN, one wired PC, one wireless PC (and my iBook worked too, wirelessly). She is able to see and stream to the APE from both wired and wireless PCs, but I couldn't determine if the APE was providing any Internet connection or only working to stream music. Her house isn't big enough to notice anecdotally if the range of the network has increased. But the LED was glowing solid green, which is supposed to indicate an Internet connection, and I only saw one WiFi network on my iBook. Alternately, when we first plugged in the APE in its default config, it was blinking yellow and I saw two WiFi networks on my iBook �_connecting to her existing network in this scenario worked as expected, and connecting to the APE allowed me to stream music but I was not on the Internet.

To put it more simply, after tonight's experience I really want to get an APE for streaming music to the main stereo downstairs in my house, but I also want it to extend our poor WiFi coverage downstairs. We already have a non-Apple wired/WiFi router upstairs. The spot where I'm thinking of placing the APE would be in wireless range of the WiFi router, but there is also an Ethernet connection there. Would I get better results by plugging in the APE to the LAN and having it join the network or by having it join wirelessly? Is what I want to do even possible?

(I read through this thread thoroughly to try and figure it out on my own, but I couldn't � sorry if this is somehow redundant).

[fisherKing]

it seems (and i have to explore this more) that i can extend my dlink network ONLY thru a wired connection to my aE; wirelessly, i did not seem able to join the network.

my roommate had to rejoin the network after i set it up (sony vaio).

so, currently, i am connected to the aE; surfing, streaming music, printing.

all good, but...would like to sometimes take the aE into my bedroom. that means a wireless connection to the dlink, and doesn't look promising.


will investigate more.

we need a shareware solution to wirelessly extend 3rd-party routers!...

[beverson]

Hmm � I'm confused then. I was able to have my friend's APE join her existing wireless network through the AirPort admin utility (the setup assistant choked on this). Does this not extend the network? Or were you not able to make this work with your D-Link, FisherKing? For me, I just checked the box (or whatever � don't have it in front of me) that said "join existing AirPort network" and then selected her WiFi network from a pull-down menu.

In case it's helpful to anyone, here's a thread of mine where I was trying to get a really old graphite ABS to work with our Linksys router at home � if I get an APE I'd put it in place of the old ABS (and I'm trying to convince my roommate to replace the Linksys, which is only 802.11b and seems to be on its last legs): http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...postid=1956705

[fisherKing]

thru the setup assistant, could not get the aE to see the dlink network (it seems to need an airport basestation).

thru ethernet, could route from the dlink...

[beverson]

Interesting. My friend has an Intel router. The assistant could see her network, but could not connect to it. Using the setup utility, I could both see and connect to her network. This is all wirelessly. I wonder what the difference should be.

Regardless, I'd recommend trying the setup utility instead of the assistant. See if that gets you anywhere.

[beverson]

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108040

Seems this is what was happening in my friend's setup last night �_though I didn't know it, the APE was in client mode. Apparently it wasn't extending the WiFi network, though it does support AirTunes and wireless print serving from both wired and wireless clients on the LAN. Despite what they say, though, I think it is possible to configure an APE to extend a WiFi LAN of non-Apple base stations. If you see the link I pasted previously, it tells how to set up roaming with a non-Apple router and an ABS �_essentially you give them both the same name and set them 3 channels apart. This does require the APE to be wired on the LAN, though. I don't know of a way to do what Apple calls WDS when using anything other than all Apple hardware.

(Typing this in an Apple Store that has AirPort Expresses in stock...so tempted....)

[fisherKing]

Originally posted by beverson:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108040

Seems this is what was happening in my friend's setup last night �_though I didn't know it, the APE was in client mode. Apparently it wasn't extending the WiFi network, though it does support AirTunes and wireless print serving from both wired and wireless clients on the LAN. Despite what they say, though, I think it is possible to configure an APE to extend a WiFi LAN of non-Apple base stations. If you see the link I pasted previously, it tells how to set up roaming with a non-Apple router and an ABS �_essentially you give them both the same name and set them 3 channels apart. This does require the APE to be wired on the LAN, though. I don't know of a way to do what Apple calls WDS when using anything other than all Apple hardware.

(Typing this in an Apple Store that has AirPort Expresses in stock...so tempted....)

my APE IS wired to the dlink; but i want to extend the network wirelessly...will check out the link you posted.

[Jack-iMac]

Hello,

I will be getting a APE soon and have a few questions to clear up. At the moment I have a iMac G3 and an XP Based Laptop. I want to have wireless on the laptop but just leave the iMac as it is (wired up) both comps are wired at the moment. So am i right to assume that i can have wireless Ethernet on my laptop just by plugging the Ethernet Cabel into the APE and the power supply and thats it? hope so because thats what im lead to believe from apples website. I am also getting my internet through DHCP automatically, will this have any effect? Thanks for any help on this matter!

Jack

[fisherKing]

Originally posted by Jack-iMac:
Hello,

I will be getting a APE soon and have a few questions to clear up. At the moment I have a iMac G3 and an XP Based Laptop. I want to have wireless on the laptop but just leave the iMac as it is (wired up) both comps are wired at the moment. So am i right to assume that i can have wireless Ethernet on my laptop just by plugging the Ethernet Cabel into the APE and the power supply and thats it? hope so because thats what im lead to believe from apples website. I am also getting my internet through DHCP automatically, will this have any effect? Thanks for any help on this matter!

Jack

there's no ethernet out from the ape, just in...to connect to your cable modem (or dsl);
the imac would need an airport card to work wirelessly, or...you need a different router (like the airport extreme, or a dLink, etc) that has ethernet jacks AND wireless...

hope that helps...

[:haripu:]

NEW QUESTION: Help needed!

I am trying to configure my AiPort Express right now and I have the following problem:
My provider only allows me to use three different computers to access the internet (don't ask!). However: I have three computers. And when I connected the AirPort basestation it couldn't access the internet, because its ethernet ID is not recognized. So I would have to register the base station with my provider in order to get access, but I would have to take out one of the other macs. Which is fine, as they could use the base station, but if I want to transfer a lot of data on my ethernet, i would prefer to plug them directly into the network. Which means that they couldn't access the internet then. Which sucks.

How do I mask my AirPort base station so that my provider thinks, it is actually my iBook? Is there a way to do so? I know a few people with PC wireless networks and they can do this. PLEASE HELP!

[beverson]

Originally posted by :haripu::
NEW QUESTION: Help needed!

I am trying to configure my AiPort Express right now and I have the following problem:
My provider only allows me to use three different computers to access the internet (don't ask!). However: I have three computers. And when I connected the AirPort basestation it couldn't access the internet, because its ethernet ID is not recognized. So I would have to register the base station with my provider in order to get access, but I would have to take out one of the other macs. Which is fine, as they could use the base station, but if I want to transfer a lot of data on my ethernet, i would prefer to plug them directly into the network. Which means that they couldn't access the internet then. Which sucks.

How do I mask my AirPort base station so that my provider thinks, it is actually my iBook? Is there a way to do so? I know a few people with PC wireless networks and they can do this. PLEASE HELP!

Lots of routers can spoof (is that the right word?) a MAC address. Every network interface (Ethernet port, AirPort card, etc.) has a unique MAC address. I don't know if or how to do this with an APE, but try and look for some way to enter a different MAC address through AirPort utility, copying the proper MAC address of your iBook (or whatever). You should be able to find the appropriate MAC address in System Profiler, which is called Ethernet address there.

Or else buy an inexpensive non-wireless router with four ports � one for the APE and even one for each computer for faster file transfers. As long as the router is doing NAT and DHCP and the APE is just a wireless access point, you should be fine. Just register the router's MAC with your ISP or even spoof one of your registered computers with it.

[Ashman]

I borrowed a shiny new Airport Express to see if it would work out on the wireless setup in my home. My wireless network consists of a Graphite Basestation connected to my DSL modem, a 500MHz dual USB iBook, and a Linksys WGA11B Game Adapter hooked up to an Xbox. I'm running static IPs with 40 bit WEP turned on. It was an ordeal getting the WGA11B configured due to the flakey PC-Only setup software. But once I got it running back in January, it ran perfectly up until recently.

I'm not exactly sure when the Linksys stopped connecting since I haven't played the Xbox in over a month or so. I found out about it after I had installed the Airport software that came with the Airport Express. Could that of caused something to change in how the network functions? Does it update the Basestation?

Since the WGA11B is such a bear to get configured, I brought home a WAP11 from work to see if it was my Game Adapter that tanked. I configured the WAP11 for my network, but it too will not connect. This is so frustrating since WGA11B was working fine for 6 months. No problems whatsoever. The only things that have changed since I last had a connection were the Airport Express software installation, an occasional security update, and the OSX 10.3.5 update.

Any ideas from you gurus?

[chris v]

Okay, can we discuss range? I just installed an Airport Express last night, and the range seems horrible. I have an AL Powerbook 15" & I can't get around a corner with this thing. The Airport Expres in plugged in behind my desk, about a foot from the floor in my living room. My bedroom door is maybe 10 feet from the desk, and reception is unreliable more than two feet into the bedroom, with the door open. I'm only getting 3 bars sitting on the couch six feet from the thing. Around 2 corners into the kitchen is hopeless. No signal at all, maybe 25 feet from the desk. Overall, reception is just a tad better than it was when I was sharing from the Airport card in my Cube, which only worked in the same room, period. Is it perhaps the antenna on my Book?

The desk is wooden, and It's pulled a couple inches away from the thing. Could it really be blocking the signal that badly? I don't have much of anywhere else to plug it in where it won't be too far from the stereo.

[makeshift]

I have 3 airport expresses... don't ask.

Can you setup one as the base station and have the others extend the range of the first airport express?

I'd want to do this cause id have my dsl apE in one location and then put another near my stereo, etc.

From the .pdf documentation it would seem you can only do this if an Airport Extreme base station is the base station.

Thanks
- Drew

[zubro]

Originally posted by makeshift:
I have 3 airport expresses... don't ask.

Can you setup one as the base station and have the others extend the range of the first airport express?

I'd want to do this cause id have my dsl apE in one location and then put another near my stereo, etc.

From the .pdf documentation it would seem you can only do this if an Airport Extreme base station is the base station.

Thanks
- Drew

I am planing to buy 2 but my question is the same...
Anyone?

[mo]

Originally posted by zubro:
I am planing to buy 2 but my question is the same...
Anyone?

Sure you can. You use the assistant to first set up one as the base station, and then the second one as the bridge. Look on pages 70-71 of the PDF manual "designing airport networks" on this page:

http://www.apple.com/support/airportexpress/

[makeshift]

For some reason, the second airport express never appears.


When I plug the second one into the wall, it boots, then doesnt stop flashing the yellow light. Possibly because there's nothing physically connected to it?

[mo]

Originally posted by makeshift:
For some reason, the second airport express never appears.


When I plug the second one into the wall, it boots, then doesnt stop flashing the yellow light. Possibly because there's nothing physically connected to it?

How long have you waited? It takes a frustratingly long time, in my experience, for the light to go green. But I haven't clocked it.

[xenu]

I purchased two this morning.

Is it possible for apple to produce documentation that doesn't suck?

I have no idea if I have set things up correctly. My main base station is upstairs, the second is downstairs (where I am currently sitting, typing this).

I have 4 bars, so that is working, but I assumed that the lounge express would show up in the menu, so I could choose it to extend my range.

Ah well, I really bought it to stream music to my stereo anyway.

[beverson]

Originally posted by xenu:
I purchased two this morning.

Is it possible for apple to produce documentation that doesn't suck?

I have no idea if I have set things up correctly. My main base station is upstairs, the second is downstairs (where I am currently sitting, typing this).

I have 4 bars, so that is working, but I assumed that the lounge express would show up in the menu, so I could choose it to extend my range.

Ah well, I really bought it to stream music to my stereo anyway.

I've never set up two Expresses as you are describing, but with any Wi-Fi base station, Apple or not, if you set it up for extending a network (also called roaming I think), every base station on the network shows up as part of the same Wi-Fi (AirPort) network. Your Mac (or a PC) should automatically pick the strongest signal when it connects to the network.

That being said, you should be able to see both Expresses in iTunes. If you see them both there but only one AirPort network from the AirPort menu (or pref pane), then you've got it set up perfectly.

[mo]

Originally posted by xenu:
I purchased two this morning.

Is it possible for apple to produce documentation that doesn't suck?

I have no idea if I have set things up correctly. My main base station is upstairs, the second is downstairs (where I am currently sitting, typing this).

I have 4 bars, so that is working, but I assumed that the lounge express would show up in the menu, so I could choose it to extend my range.

Ah well, I really bought it to stream music to my stereo anyway.

If you open the airport admin utility, and ask it to scan for basestations, do both show up? Remember that the name of the network is the same for both -- it's the base stations themselves that have different names (sorry if this is more elementary than you need; you may be way ahead of me). My point is, everything may be working just fine here.

[xenu]

Thanks for the replies.

Both appear in iTunes, and the AIrport Admin utility.

I guess I did it right! Not bad for my first wireless network!

All I need now is a switch to add my wireless iMac to the network, and a cable to connect to the stereo, and I'll be set. Guess I'm going shopping again this morning.

[mattcass]

Two problems I am having with my APE:

1) I cannot access the other computer on my netowrk. When I try to connect to them my computer just searches and searches but never finds the other computers. When I plug the network cable directly into my computer it finds the other computers instantly.

2) I cannot receive mail through the Mail program. It simply says it is unable to retreive mail due to networking problems or something other jazz.

Where should I start with this? Internet and wireless printing work perfectly.

Thanks!

[spacefreak]

Originally posted by crystalthunder:
I'm in the exact same situation as you, paper clip and all. I'm looking for a definitive guide to getting my Airport Express to act as an extender for my Linksys WRT54G router, and -Q- appears to be the best bet

It took me 10 or more tries (settings + paper clip reset) before I was able to get my Airport Express to extend (and play Airtunes) my Linksys WRT54G wireless network.

The odd thing is that between the ArsTechnica article and 2 or 3 other people's directions... all these solutions seem to differ in minor ways.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

I am having problems with my iBook 500 locking up after streaming music to my stereo after about 30 minutes. It locks totally solid.

Anyone else?

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
I am having problems with my iBook 500 locking up after streaming music to my stereo after about 30 minutes. It locks totally solid.

Anyone else?

I guess I'll wait until rev. B...

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
I guess I'll wait until rev. B...

Ya right, it is called software. I am not playing that rev b game or I will never own anything.