airport time capsule

The AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule base stations both have four Ethernet ports. One for WAN and three for LAN, by default. What you are proposing is the basis of a roaming style wireless "extended" network and should work.

When configuring this type of network the "extending" base station will need to be reconfigured as a bridge. In this case the Ethernet ports on this base station will perform only as Ethernet ports ... so it doesn't really matter which port you connect the Ethernet cable to that is coming from the "main" base station. However, for consistency, I suggest that you connect it to the WAN (circle-of-dots) port.

Two things to consider:

1. The Ethernet cable run, between base stations, should be 100m or less.
2. Apple has gotten out of the networking HW business. Finding a new AirPort base station may become difficult and you should consider going with another manufacturer going forward.

Yes.....but.....you might not be aware that the Ethernet ports on the AirPort Express are limited to only 100 Mbps speeds, while the Ethernet ports on an AirPort Extreme can handle up to 1,000 Mbps speeds, also called Gigabit Ethernet.

So, if your Internet connection plan from your Internet provider is less than 100 Mbps, you won't see a drop off in speeds with the addition of the AirPort Express. If your plan is higher than 100 Mbps, whatever devices connect to the AirPort Express will be limited to a maximum speed of 100 Mbps. Realistically, I would expect about 80-90 Mbps speeds from the AirPort Express.

In addition, the wireless antennas (4 of them) on an AirPort Express do not really compare that well to the 6 antennas that are used in an AirPort Extreme if WiFi coverage is important.

Bottom line....the AirPort Extreme is a perfect match for the performance of the Time Capsule because a Time Capsule is in effect an AirPort Extreme without a built in hard drive.

For some users, the compromise AirPort Express might be OK. For others, the drop in performance would be unacceptable.

It's your call.

Let us know whether you will be using a Mac or an iPhone / iPad for the setup, and we'll provide a few tips on the setup that will simplify things and minimize the chances of a problem occurring.

will this work as I want it to

Yes

does the AirPort Extreme base station have a LAN “out” connection so he can connect his computer to the base station to provide a hard wired connection for gaming ?

Yes, there are 3 LAN <--> ports on the AirPort Extreme.

Apple discontinued the AirPort Extreme almost 2 years ago, but you might be able to locate a new, refurbished, or used AirPort Extreme on Ebay.

Assuming that you can find an AirPort Extreme, your next question might be "how" to set things up. Post back if that might be the case. The good news is that Apple's AirPort Utility setup "wizard" will practically configure the AirPort Extreme for you automatically with the correct settings.

You don't need to do anything to the Time Capsule at all with AirPort Utility.

Connect a short spare Ethernet cable......any length will do.....from one of the 3 LAN <--> ports on the Time Capsule to the WAN "O" port on the AirPort Extreme.

Power up the AirPort Extreme for a minute or two, then perform a Hard Reset on the Extreme to make sure that it has been reset back to factory defaults. To perform the Hard Reset, simply hold in the reset button for 7-8 seconds on the back of the AirPort Extreme, then release and allow a full minute for the AirPort Extreme to restart to a slow, blinking amber light status

On the iPad.....

Go to the Home screen

Tap Settings

Tap WiFi

Look for a listing of New AirPort Base Station

Tap on AirPort Extreme

The example below shows an AirPort Express, but you will see AirPort Extreme on your screen.

Follow the prompts to assign a device name for the AirPort Extreme and set up the AirPort to extend using Ethernet. The setup "wizard" will configure everything for you correctly.

When you see the message of Setup Complete, power off the AirPort Extreme and move it to the desired location and connect it to the long Ethernet cable from the Time Capsule. This way you know that the AirPort Extreme has been set up correctly, so if there is a problem, it is very likely with the long Ethernet cable or a connector.

Power the AirPort Extreme back up and you are all set.