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airport extreme wifi extender

I have recently gotten an Apple Airport Extreme, 6th gen, and I want to add it to my already existing network. I am using a Netgear AC1900 modem/router, located in my basement, but I want to get a better wifi signal thought my house. When I start the setup process through Airport Utility, it won't let me choose to extend an existing network, it keeps running me through the new network process. Why won't it let me add on?? I've done a factory reset and I've updated the firmware. Is it the airport itself or are there other settings that I need to dive into??

Mac Pro

Posted on Jan 16, 2021 1:33 PM

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Posted on Jan 16, 2021 3:37 PM

Apple's "extend a wireless network" option is a proprietary setting that Apple designed to only work with other Apple routers. It is not compatible with a 3rd party router using only a wireless connection.


If you are able to connect the AirPort Extreme back to the Netgear router using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection, the AirPort can be set up to extend the Netgear network in that manner.


Set up the AirPort to create a wireless network that uses the exact same wireless network name and exact same wireless network password as the Netgear network. The setup utility "wizard" will automatically configure the AirPort in the correct Bridge Mode setting for this type of setup.


Keep in mind that the Apple router is not an exact match for the Netgear, so devices may or may not automatically switch from the wireless signal of one router to the other router when they move about the house. Macs will usually do this pretty well. iPhones and iPads not so much.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 16, 2021 3:37 PM in response to Tim Reisinger

Apple's "extend a wireless network" option is a proprietary setting that Apple designed to only work with other Apple routers. It is not compatible with a 3rd party router using only a wireless connection.


If you are able to connect the AirPort Extreme back to the Netgear router using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection, the AirPort can be set up to extend the Netgear network in that manner.


Set up the AirPort to create a wireless network that uses the exact same wireless network name and exact same wireless network password as the Netgear network. The setup utility "wizard" will automatically configure the AirPort in the correct Bridge Mode setting for this type of setup.


Keep in mind that the Apple router is not an exact match for the Netgear, so devices may or may not automatically switch from the wireless signal of one router to the other router when they move about the house. Macs will usually do this pretty well. iPhones and iPads not so much.

Feb 1, 2021 8:23 PM in response to Tim Reisinger

I'm sorry, but we never suggested that you make any changes to the Netgear modem/router.


We told you that you could connect an AirPort Extreme to the Netgear modem/router using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection and set up the AirPort to provide a WiFi network. This will work fine, and no changes at all to the Netgear modem/router are required.


We also mentioned that you could connect a second AirPort to the first AirPort using a wired Ethernet cable connection if you needed more WiFi signal coverage in another part of the house.


Just ignore the WiFi signal of the Netgear modem/router, or use it as a "guest network".


If you don't want the Netgear modem/router to provide a WiFi signal, most modem/routers will allow the WiFi to be turned off. The product still operates as a wired modem/router when you do this. An Apple router can do this. I assume that the Netgear......which is a lot more sophisticated than the Apple.....can do so as well.


In other words, turning off the WiFi does not turn off the routing functions of the product. Nothing changes, the Netgear just stops broadcasting a WiFi signal.


It sounds like you were trying to configure the Netgear modem/router to operate only as a modem.....not a router. There is really no need to do this, even if it might be possible.


It is your call as far as any changes or modifications to the Netgear modem/router. We will not be able to help on that.

Jan 16, 2021 3:51 PM in response to Bob Timmons

I think I was just having that thought....

I would be shutting off the wireless in the Netgear and using the Airport as the primary router, than I could add more Airports to the network around the house to create a mesh???

would I get decent speeds if I were to hardwire a computer on another floor to one of the Airports, better than using WiFi??

Jan 16, 2021 4:54 PM in response to Tim Reisinger

I would be shutting off the wireless in the Netgear and using the Airport as the primary router, than I could add more Airports to the network around the house to create a mesh???


Yes, but it won't be a "mesh" network though since Apple never offered products in that category. It will be an "extended" network.


would I get decent speeds if I were to hardwire a computer on another floor to one of the Airports, better than using WiFi??


Yes and no. Yes, if the computer is hardwired back to the "main" AirPort and not one of the extending AirPorts. No, if you will be connecting the computer to one of the extending AirPorts. It won't hurt to do this if you want and it is convenient, but it won't really help either.


Remember in an "extended" network when the remote AirPorts connect using only wireless, that you will lose at least half of the potential speed on the entire network. That's why you would always want to wire the extender(s) back to the main AirPort whenever possible.....because there is zero loss of speed through the Ethernet cable. So, the extenders get a full speed signal to extend.





Jan 16, 2021 5:07 PM in response to Bob Timmons

so, if I hardwire an Airport, at the furthest part of the house, to my primary Airport and then have an Airport somewhere in the middle connect via wifi, I should be covered pretty well. The further most Airport then could either connect to a computer through ethernet or wifi and get good speeds on the computer. I would like to get an express or another extreme for outside in the yard too. good times... good times


thanks Bob

Jan 16, 2021 5:15 PM in response to Tim Reisinger

Hard wire the AirPort where you need the fastest high quality signal.


If you are planning to pull cable to the far end of the house though, it should not be much more difficult or expensive to pull a second cable to the middle part of the house for another AirPort there.


The bottom line is that you want to hard wire AirPorts......or any other router for that matter....... as much as possible if you are interested in the best performance.

Feb 1, 2021 5:55 PM in response to Bob Timmons

well.. "just " shutting off the router side of my modem/router (Netgear Nighthawk C7000v2) isn't as easy as I thought. I first tried turn off the SSID broadcast first, but the wifi lights were still on, then I tried actually turning off the Router within the Netgear Genie, that caused even more problems. My MacPro wouldn't even get a connection through the ethernet cable, I had the message, within the Network window, "Status: Connected Ethernet 1 has a self-assigned IP address and will not be able to connect to the internet". I've already posted this problem on the Netgear forum and all they can tell me is to post on the Apple community, because i'm sure its Apples fault not there's.

I would really like to make use of the apple hardware because I think it will give me better coverage throughout the house.

Any thoughts on this or does Netgear not play well with Apple??

is there something else I need to do with the modem settings when I turn off the router side??? I had to do a reset on the modem/router to get it back up and running


thanks for any help

airport extreme wifi extender

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