What airport setup should I use?

I just buy them on eBay. There are lots of good deals if you are not in a hurry.

The most reliable are Gen5 AE and Gen4 TC and Gen2 Express.

I really don't like the AC models.. the internal design is horrible. There were bad batches of them with poor power supplies.. there is a revision in the hardware with later ones using a power supply with one more pin.. 9 instead of 8. The fans clog up with dust and are difficult and expensive to remove and replace. Mostly cleaning out the dust is not sufficient .. you really need to replace them as the bearings are gone.

In fact the best of the lot is the Gen4 TC by a long way.. but it is now 7-8 years old and is really getting too old. The Express could be anywhere from 2-8years old.. very hard to tell.. and don't pay ridiculous prices people seem to expect.. >$100.. Of course it depends what you want to do with them.. The Gen1 Express work just as well for airplay. And can be made to last nearly forever with a bit of work on the power supply. Only problem is they are ugly because it is so hard to open the case.. at least the Gen2 you can remove the base.

Price wise the Gen5 AE should go for $30-50 including post.

Some weeks there are plenty and others (now) not so much.. also with covid delivery is really slow.

Sometimes you will see Gen6 down to say $70-90 at the time of sale.. but the state of them is really hard to guess.

I would expect to buy 3 to get 2 good ones for Gen5 but Gen6 I would say it is more like 4 to get 2 good.

Unless you are prepared to do a bit of DIY..

https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modems/apple-time-capsule-repair/repair-ac-version-time-capsule-or-extreme

An AirPort Extreme......or any other Apple AirPort router for that matter.......cannot connect to a Telstra router using a wireless connection and repeat or extend the WiFi signal from the Telstra router.

So, if you are planning to purchase an AirPort Extreme or other Apple router......plan to connect the AirPort Extreme back to the Telstra router using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection.

If you understand the requirements to use an AirPort Extreme or other router with the Telstra router.....post back when you have the AirPort Extreme in hand and you have run the Ethernet cable.......if you need more tips on the set up.

That is correct if you want the Expresses to extend the WiFi network provided by the AirPort Extreme. You will need to keep the Telstra router on the network, but you will not be using the Telstra WiFi at all.

Please keep in mind that Apple discontinued the AirPort line over 2 years ago, so there are no "new" AirPorts available. You will be dealing with "used" AirPorts, something that I do not recommend because you cannot know if they are working correctly and there will be no support from Apple for them.

The range of the Express is not impressive.. and even the last Airports (Extreme and TC) are below average.. plus they seem to do poorly with time. i.e. wireless output fades away over time.. the antennas in the top of the AC units are OK new but very fragile. I got a big improvement with a new set of antennas.. which I pinched from a Telstra C6300 cable modem.. which has excellent wireless btw.

I would recommend using something like TP-Link Deco M5 which are proper mesh units and about $200 for a pair and say $280 for a box of 3. You will still need to plug the first one into the Telstra router with ethernet.. and it would be best to turn off wireless in the Telstra router.

If you actually need the express to play music etc.. then plug them by ethernet to the Deco units.

If you want to do it really cheap..

First of all get rid of the Sagemcom.. it is a heap of trash.

You can buy a second hand Telstra smart modem Gen2 from eBay for exactly $30.

Only the Technicolor DJA0231 is worthwhile.. the identical looking LH1000 leave it where you found it.

Buy two of them and run ethernet between them.. run the second one as AP.. we can give details for the setup.

If ethernet is not possible use power line adapters.. a pair on eBay of near new Foxtel ones is $18.

Telstra also sell an extender but it is about $280 or some ridiculous price like that.. for which you can buy a 3 pack Deco.

What is the make and model number of your router at this time?

You do know that in order to extend the wireless signal from your main router that you will need an additional router, correct?