Q: My home network Set up
Hi, I didn't really know what to call this thread, but here goes.
Basically I have the main phone line coming into my Office at home, a BT Homehub, creating the wi-fi network 'Office'. The hub then connects to:
a) Via a very long Ethernet cable to the Kitchen where is runs into an Airport Express which then generates a wi-fi network called 'Kitchen'
b) A powerline adapter, which at the other end runs into another Airport Extreme that then generates a wi-fi network called 'Lounge'
c) Into a Sonos bridge, which then wirelessly goes through two more Sonos bridges and then finally an Ethernet connection to an Airport Express which then generates a wi-fi network called 'Top Floor'
d) To an Apple Time Machine base station wirelessly
So you can see my problem, my house has FOUR wi-fi networks. So switching between them as you move round the house means you have to detach from one and connect to the other. It's tiresome but we have got used to it. A friend told me the other day that I can have this all called the same network (e.g. 'Office') if I wanted. But I haven't got a clue how.
Here is a picture I currently get from my Airport Utility:
Any help greatly appreciated !
iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)
Posted on Mar 21, 2016 7:23 AM
From the AirPort Utility network configuration diagram, you can see that the three base stations connected by a solid line are wired connections, and the single base station, connected by a dotted line, is wireless. This pretty much sums up what you have already described as the physical layout of your home's current network.
To create a "single" Wi-Fi network from all of this will take, at least, two primary steps:
- Configure the three wired base stations into a roaming network.
- Configure the base station, connected by wireless, to extend the range of the roaming network.
The keys to a successful roaming network, are:
- Each base station other than the "main" one need to be reconfigured as bridges.
- Each base station must broadcast a wireless network, but use the same network name (aka, SSID) and use the same wireless security type & password.
Properly set up, a wireless network client would "see" only a single Wi-Fi network and could roam between base stations and be on this "same" network.
Posted on Mar 21, 2016 10:46 AM
