Multiple Wi-Fi base station roaming network

You'll have to recreate your network from scratch. Disconnect all devices (including printers, hard drives, computers, etc.) from the network, remove any reference to your old network in them (in Network/Wireless) and Keychain Access. Then turn everything off and hard reset your base stations. Turn on one of your computer and set up in Airport utility (I do it manually). Make sure to create a WDS network, with only one BS distributing a range of addresses and the others as bridges (i.e. with DHCP off). Make sure the main knows about the remotes (in WDS, need to click on + and enter the hexadecimal code--MAC address?--appearing under each of the physical base station selected as remotes; the remotes also need to know about the main). Also make sure your devices are all on the same channel (there may be other settings to check as well). Then turn on all of your other devices one at a time and connect them to the network so that they each get their own IP address (if not set statically). It may also work to use a brand-new name for your network to make sure old settings don't get in the way of your new network.

Good luck,

In a Roaming network, all your base stations that are hard wired to the main router need to have the same network name, same password, same security, same everything.....

That is the roaming network.

You want all your devices set to "Create a wireless network" with the same settings mentioned above.

Now, for the Airport Express in your diagram, that would be set to "Extend a wireless network"...

Do not setup a WDS network as you already know slows the entire network down and cuts speeds in half....

Use AirPort Utility to configure the Wireless Network Name, security, and password on each Wi-Fi base station to be exactly the same.

You just need to change the Roaming units to all the same name, password, security, etc.

Have them all "Create a wireless network"

and restart those units....

I know this thread is older however, I'm having a problem with roaming. I've setup multiple base stations before with no problems however, now, unless I turn-off | turn-on my wifi, it stays connected to the original base station I first associated with.

If I go next to another base station in another room, it won't associate with it unless I bounce my connection. I can be right next to it and have a much better signal but it never will automatically associate.

MacBook Pro Mid 2012 Retina 10.9

From what I have read, associating with a new AP is in the client. Are there settings that I can chance in Mavericks to always pick up the strongest signal?

Thoughts?