Frustrated beyond belief...

Welcome to the the discussion forum!

went to the store and purchased another, new version (simultaneous dual band) and one more brand new airport express. I plugged the dual band extreme into the ADSL router and all is well and good within the range of that one airport. I get great, fast broadband.

The instructions below assume that you have a simultaneous dual band AirPort Extreme and an AirPort Express 802.11n.

Reference pages 43-44 in the Apple AirPort Networks Guide for for info and Apple's instructions.

But *5$@ if I can extend it. I mean really, what is the difference between 'join and network' and 'extend a network'?

When the AirPort Express "joins" a wireless network, it can work with AirTunes, or provide a signal to a remote printer, but it does not do anything to "enhance" or "expand" the wireless coverage.

When the AirPort Express "extends", it does all of the above in addition to providing more wireless coverage in the area where it is located.

_On the AirPort Extreme_

Open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab below the row of icons
Your Wireless Mode should already be set to “Create a Wireless Network”
Make sure there is a check mark next to “Allow this network to be extended”
Write down the exact type of Security that you are using as you will need this later to configure the AirPort Express
Update to save any changes and the AirPort Extreme will restart.

_On the AirPort Express (AX)_

You'll need to "hard reset" the AX by holding in the reset button until the amber light begins to blink more quickly.

I would recommend that you position the AX near your AirPort Extreme and temporarily connect an ethernet cable from your computer to the AX. After the Express is updated, you can remove the ethernet cable and locate the AirPort Express at its remote location.

Open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup.
Click the Wireless tab below the row of icons
Wireless Mode = “Extend a wireless network”. If you don’t see this choice, hold down the option key when you click on the selection box
Wireless Network Name = the name of the AirPort Extreme network should appear as a choice. Click to select it.
Put a check mark next to Allow wireless clients
Wireless Security = exact same setting as your AirPort Extreme
Wireless Password = exact same password as your AirPort Extreme
Confirm Password

Click the Base Station tab to assign a name and device password for the AX, adjust Time Zone settings, etc.

Click the Music icon to enable AirTunes if you wish

Click Update to save settings. Disconnect the ethernet cable as soon as you see the message that the settings have been sent to the AirPort Express. The AirPort Express will restart in 20-25 seconds and you will have a green light if you configured it correctly.

Now the real trick is to find the right location for the AX. Start with it positioned approximately 1/2 to 2/3 of the distance between the AirPort Extreme and the area you want to cover. Then experiment by moving the AX closer or further away for the best compromise in signal.

Before you power up the AirPort Express, move your laptop to the proposed location for the AirPort Express. If you cannot get a good connection on your laptop, then neither will the AirPort Express. Look for another location where your computer connects well. That is a good starting point for the AirPort Express.

Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

The WDS type of configuration can include a "main", "relay" and "remote" type of device, so that may provide more reach for the extended network.

But the downside to WDS is that it will in effect drop any newer "n" devices down to "g" wireless levels and the network suffers a tremendous loss of bandwidth capability with this type of older setup.

The reason for this is that a "relay" or a "remote" each cut the available bandwidth on the wireless network by 50%. So the first "relay" cuts 50% and the "remote" cuts another 50% of the remaining bandwidth with a net drop of 75% loss on the network.

If this type of configuration is your only option, you might want to look at the excellent guide that forum expert Tesserax has posted, along with a reference to Apple's instructions. This configuration is very difficult for most users because it is very easy to make a mistake.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2422028&tstart=0

If this setup works for you, it is Tesserax who will get the beer, and I know he'll appreciate it.

The "best" way to provide more coverage is to connect the routers using an ethernet connection between them. This preserves the bandwidth on the network. If it is not possible to run an ethernet cable to connect them, you might want to take a look at a pair of ethernet powerline adapters to accomplish the same task by using the AC wiring in your home to transmit the signal. These devices work great and provide a faster and more stable connection that wireless.