AE settings for connection to Virgin SuperHub 3

Yes. That is exactly the same setup as I have (except I have 2 Expresses).

It is easier to do this if you reset the Extreme beforehand. Power down, take out power and Ethernet cable, insert pen into reset hole and re-attach power cable. Hold in pen for 10 seconds until the yellow light flashes quickly. You need three hands for this! Release pen and the Extreme will restart with factory default settings.

Ensure the Superhub is in modem mode and has restarted.

Connect an Ethernet cable from the Superhub (I use the top Ethernet port of the 4 ports grouped together on the back of the Superhub but I think any of the four will work, that wasn’t the case on earlier Superhubs) to the Extreme WAN port (the circular dots) on the Extreme.

Open Airport Utility on your iMac. You should see (in the top left corner) “New wireless device detected” (or similar)

Click that box.

A ‘wizard’ will open showing your Extreme and offering to set up a new network and suggesting a name for the network. Enter your name of choice. Follow the ‘wizard’ and it will do everything automatically for you.

After you have your Extreme up and running with the Virgin modem, reset your Expresses and set them up in the same manner via the Airport Utility.

it is a lot simpler than it sounds in real life!

I think it’s a matter of physics really and Apple’s recommendation. Each time the Extreme is ‘extended’ I think it’s bandwidth is halved. Also each Express will try to extend the strongest signal in its region, which could be another Express and not the Extreme, if you see what I mean.

Get an app which gives an indication of wireless signal and use it as you move around the house. I use one on my phone called WifiSweetSpot. Works well.

You have to use an Express to extend the Extreme where the signal is strongest, it’s no use trying to extend an Extreme at the end of its range, that’s not how it works.

My aim with my two Extremes (one extending the other) was to flood my house with a decent signal then get the Expresses to ‘join’ to that signal.

My house is a 4 bed semi built in 1956 with a loft conversion. The Virgin hub and first Extreme lie in the small bedroom on the first floor. With just one 5th generation Extreme I can cover this area quite adequately, even into the loft, but I wanted to extend to our garden so I’ve put a second Extreme in the dining/ garden room which covers to the bottom of the garden. The Expresses just join this system. It is rock solid.

I pay for 100Mbps from Virgin so I’m happy with this system. It gives me 100Mbps all over the house (loft about 80Mbps)

If I were you I’d change all the Expresses to ‘join’ and see how it goes. Use the app to see where the signal is poor and switch on each Express In turn to ‘extend’ and see how the signal changes. It really is voodoo and suck it and see.

I hope this makes sense.

By the way, any system is better than the Superhub in router mode.

I’m glad it worked for you! I have done exactly as you have with my Expresses to my two stereos in the house, one of them ‘extending’, the other ’joining’’ the network. As long as there is only one Express extending the Airport network you will be fine.

If you are not using the fourth one for music then, if you can, swap it for a 5th generation Extreme to extend the network. I did and it made a world of difference around the house and into the garden.

I must also encourage you to read this forum, especially posts by Tesserax, LaPastenague and Bob Timmons from whom I have learned so much over the years