Q: Airport extreme connection
Hi
trying to use an old Airport Extreme to extend my network
but the option is not there
My network already has 2 airport express connected to a more recent AirPort Extreme
I can see the 2nd AirPort Extreme but it will not allow me to join the network
only choices I have is :
- Create a wireless network
- Extend a wireless network
Contrary to my 1 AE, it doesn't show :
Access to a wireless network
If I choose Extend a wireless Network
it will not connect to the network
All the other parameters are exactly the same
Any ideas ?
thx
MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9.1)
Posted on Jun 9, 2014 2:15 PM
Ok, great thanks for the updates.
You have the basis for an extended network. All of your AirPorts are 802.11n models. The least capable model is the A1143 which is a 2nd generation AirPort Extreme. It is only capable of providing a Wi-Fi network in either the 2.4 or 5 GHz band, not both simultaneously. The is also true of your A1264, which is a 1st generation AirPort Express. All of your other base stations can provide Wi-Fi networks on both bands simultaneously.
The following Apple Support article discusses how to configure an extended network using all wireless connections between base stations.
An important thing to understand is that an extended network works in sort of a wheel fashion with the base station being extended at the hub of this wheel and each extending base stations along one of its spokes. This type of network does not lend itself to daisy-chaining base stations so you cannot, for example, place one extending base station on a spoke and then place another one farther along that same spoke to try to cover a long rectangular area.
The key to placing each of the extending base stations is to put them within a certain range of the base station that it is extending to ensure that you will have the best overall bandwidth (speed) of your wireless network. Please check out the following AirPort User Tip for details on base station placement.
Based on the AirPort models that you have I would recommend the following:
- Use the A1408 (5th generation) AirPort Extreme as your "main" base station. This would be the base station connected directly to your Internet modem using an Ethernet cable.
- Use the remaining base stations to extend the main base station. Using the tip provided earlier, place each base station within a 25 dB SNR range of the main base station.
- With this mix of base stations you will likely only be able to extend the 5 GHz band only for a short distance. Most likely just a few rooms away from the main base station. However, you should be able to extend the 2.4 GHz band much farther.
- I highly recommend that you start from scratch. By that start by performing a "factory default" reset on each of the base stations.
- Then set up the main base station first, leaving all other base stations unpowered. Verify that you can get Internet access, via both a wired and wireless connection, from your network clients.
- Once you verfied the Internet access, start adding one base station at a time as an extended network. Use the automated steps provided by the AirPort Utility to extend the network. Verify that you can still access the Internet and then add another base station until you have added all of them in the desired locations to create your extended network.
Posted on Jun 9, 2014 7:51 PM