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I currently have wifi at home (via ATT uverse) with no issues. I'm thinking of getting an Airport Express for wifi when I travel...connect the Airport Express to the hotel ethernet. When not traveling, I guess I'll use it at home since I can. Should I name my the Airport Express wifi network name same as my existing network? Thus, having two beacons. When I travel, my macbook would recognize the Airport Express without the need to reconfigure it prior to leaving home. Does this sound right? Thanks.
Are you planning to connect the AirPort Express to the ATT router using an ethernet cable? If so, you'll be able to use the same configuration at home as at the hotel. Post back if you need step by step on this.
Keep in mind that it's getting hard to find hotels with ethernet connections in the US and Canada as most use wireless.
I plan to connect the AX to the ATT router with an ethernet cable via a hub. ATT router is in a bedroom closet, which than feeds multiple rooms via ethernet cable. The office has a hub with multiple devices, one which will be the AX. Can you provided step by step directions? Thanks.
Also, assuming I set it up this way, is there a way to determine which "beacon" my MBP is connected to? Will the MBP simply select the fastest strongest signal "beacon"?
I find it easier to configure the AirPort Express if you temporarily connect an ethernet cable from your computer to the device for the configuration, then disconnect the cable once it's updated and move the Express to the location where it's needed.
Open AirPort Utility - Click Manual Setup
Click the Base Station tab below the row of icons to assign a name to the device, enter a device password and adjust Time Zone settings
Click the Wireless tab
Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
Wireless Network Name = Exact name of your ATT network
Radio Mode = 802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)
Channel = Automatic
Wireless Security = Exact setting as your ATT network. Try to use WPA2 on the ATT if it is available as it is the strongest form of security and passwords are usually compatible between manufacturers
Wireless Password = Same password as your ATT network
Confirm Password
Click the Internet icon
Connect Using = Ethernet
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Update to save settings and the Express will restart. You may get a message that you do not have an internet connection but you can ignore that.
Move the AirPort Express to the desired location and connect the ethernet cable from your router/hub
Power down the complete network.
Start the modem/router first, then start the hub, then Express then computers
You should now have a "roaming" network configured. Computers will automatically connect to the router with the strongest signal as they move about the house.
To see which device your Mac is connected to at a given time, hold down the "option" key on your computer while you click on the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of the screen. Look for the BSSID. That is the MAC address or AirPort ID of the device that you are connected to. If you move your computer from one area to another and closer to another router, you should see a different BSSID, which indicates that he computer is connecting to a different device.
To use the Express at the hotel, connect an ethernet cable from the ethernet jack to the Express and power it up. Power up your Mac and connect to the Express wireless network. Open your browser on your Mac and the hotel log in page should appear so you can agree to terms, etc. That's it.
I followed the detailed directions (thanks Bob!) and it seems to work, I think...the light is green.
Only thing I'm not sure of is if the AX is really working...I think it is but not quite sure. When I click on the Airport status icon while holding the option key, I do see a specific BSSID. When I walk to the the ATT router, the BSSID remains the same even after the greyed out "Airport:On" flashes to "Airport: Looking for Networks...." and returns back to "Airport:On".
The reason I believe the AX is working is because the PHY Mode: is 802.11n where previously was 802.11g. Also the BSSID number is now different too.
It sounds like you may have two networks instead of one. A possible reason for this is that the Security settings of the AT&T network may not exactly match those on the AirPort Express.
Can you set the AT&T to WPA2 Personal security? If so, that's the most compatible setting between manufacturers of different products, and it's also the most secure setting.
Default setting is WPA-PSK (TKIP). Which is WPA2 Personal security on the ATT?
I have found that when I turn off the Airport (or turn on the MBP), Airport jumps on to the router that I'm closest to. But it doesn't automatically switch back and forth between the AX and ATT as I walk around the house.
+But it doesn't automatically switch back and forth between the AX and ATT as I walk around the house.+
What happens if you temporarily set both the AT&T and AirPort Express to no security and make sure that the networks have exactly the same name?
When I do this with security on or off, my computer always switches within a second or two as it moves closer to a different router. This is a computer function, not a router function.
Thanks for the suggestion but that didn't work. The only way I get the MBP to switch back and forth is if I force the airport off and reconnect in closer proximity to the other router.
I decided to set the AX to WPA2 Personal and the ATT router to WPA2-PSK (AES) and that doesn't to negatively impact the wifi.
