What counts as the same Wifi network for apple products?

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What counts as the same Wifi network for apple products?

dear discussion board

I have 2 routers, one generic and one airport - the generic one acts as the main router (let's call it A), airport as bridge (so let's call it B). both have the same wifi network name and password but are at opposite ends of the apartment. does that count as one network meaning that regardless of which wifi router my iPhone is actually connected to, it will still airplay to other devices even if they are actually connected to the other router? I just noticed that while setting my first HomePod mini up (I know, a bit late to the party but I got here...:-)) I could only play to it from certain apple devices and it seemed to depend on where they were. so when setting up my iPhone should be connected to router B, and therefore my HomePod would connect to router B, however, when trying to access the HomePod from smwhr closer to router A it didn't seem to work (I couldn't see the device).

Basically the question is, if your routers are connected via LAN and all use the same name and password to create (rather than extend) the wifi network, is this viewed as the same network by those devices? or does it differentiate depending on which router it's connected to?

thank you

dublj

Posted on May 31, 2022 7:34 AM

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Answer 1

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turingtest2

Level 10

274,430 points

Jun 7, 2022 3:39 AM in response to dublj

How are you getting on? Here is another article that suggests it should be possible to configure AirPort to act as a Wireless Access Point to an existing wired network: https://docs.vilfo.com/en/articles/1990055-setting-an-apple-airport-express-as-an-access-point.

tt2

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Answer 2

Miche11e_P

Community Specialist

Jun 1, 2022 9:08 AM in response to dublj

Hi dublj,

We understand that you have a couple Wi-Fi routers and you're setting up your HomePod with your iPhone.

Your HomePod will see both routers as individual networks. You can learn more here about how to set up your Wi-Fi routers to work best with Apple products: Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points - Apple Support

If you need help to set up your HomePod, here's a handy resource which will guide you: Set up HomePod - Apple Support

We hope this helps.

Enjoy your new HomePod!

Take care.

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Answer 3

dublj Author

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Jun 2, 2022 10:26 AM in response to turingtest2

Hi tt2, thanks for the response. My understanding is that you should only use 'extend' to extend a network wirelessly whereas my router B is connected via LAN cable to router A and therefore this should not be used (as discussed in this article). I used to use 'extend' and had constant network drops, which is why I researched it a little and came to the same conclusion as in the article. Would you agree with that assessment? It basically means I can only really use one of the routers to provide WiFi if I want to ensure I can always connect to my HomePods (yes, I already bought more, sucker that I am). I don't think 'extend' is the right solution to this particular problem, but happy to hear your view.

regards

dublj

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Answer 4

turingtest2

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274,430 points

Jun 2, 2022 11:52 AM in response to dublj

See this thread. My understanding is that you want the AirPort to function as a wireless access point to an existing wired/wireless network so that all your devices can communicate with each other regardless of which wireless station they are connected to.

tt2

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Answer 5

turingtest2

Level 10

274,430 points

Jun 1, 2022 9:50 AM in response to dublj

If you created a new network, even with the same credentials, then there are going to be two disconnected segments, each with a separate DHCP server giving out addresses, and no way to send messages from one segment to the other, even though devices on both segments all reach the Internet. You should reset the AirPort and use it to extend your existing network.

tt2

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Answer 6

dublj Author

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Jun 3, 2022 12:59 AM in response to turingtest2

Your understanding is 100% correct! I tried the above last night - I think the issue is I'm trying to extend the wireless network created by router A which is not an airport. the above would only work if my router A was an airport. as it isn't I don't get the option to extend at all, never mind via Ethernet. but thanks for following up - much aprreciated!

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Answer 7

dublj Author

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Jun 2, 2022 11:28 AM in response to dublj

actually I think this thread also explains it quite well. I also re-ran the 'wizard' but never got asked the extend using ethernet question so gave up. for now it works.

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What counts as the same Wifi network for apple products?

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