dhjaffe
Level 1 (7 points)

Q: How do I use a 2nd Airport Extreme plugged into an Ethernet Wall Plug to join an existing wireless network to give me a better signal upstairs?

I have a 5th generation Airport Extreme giving me a great wireless signal on the 1st floor of my house. However the signal upstairs is weak. So I purchased another 5th generation Airport Extreme that I would like to plug into an ethernet wall plug upstairs. I would then like to have the upstairs Airport Extreme join the same network thus giving me a good wirelss signal upstairs. I have a MacBook Pro running OS 10.7.4. Can somebody give me step-by-step directions to set up the upstairs Airport Extreme?

Posted on Jul 6, 2012 2:21 PM

by Bob Timmons,Solvedanswer
Bob Timmons Bob Timmons
Level 10 (105,433 points)
Wireless
A:

I assume that the new AirPort Extreme is still in its original factory default settings.

 

Before you connect the AirPort Extreme, please connect a laptop to the Ethernet cable that will be used for the connection and turn off the wireless on the laptop. Make sure that you can can connect to the Internet before you begin to configure the AirPort Extreme.

 

Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the laptop and connect it to the WAN "O" port on the upstairs AirPort Extreme and power it up.

 

Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility 6.1

 

Look in the upper left hand corner of the screen for a tab or box that reads "Other AirPort Base Stations (1)"

 

Click on that box,then click on the name AirPort Extreme xxxxxx

 

Wait a moment while AirPort Utility analyzes the network and then displays a message that the AirPort Extreme will be configured to extend your existing wireless network.

 

Enter a Base Station (device) name for the AirPort Extreme (and a device password if prompted), then click Next.

 

Wait another minute or two until AirPort Utility notifies you that the AirPort Extreme has been Set Up.

 

That's it.

Posted on Jul 6, 2012 2:40 PM

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Q: How do I use a 2nd Airport Extreme plugged into an Ethernet Wall Plug to join an existing wireless network to give me a better sig ... more

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  • by dhjaffe,

    dhjaffe dhjaffe Jul 7, 2012 6:30 AM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Jul 7, 2012 6:30 AM in response to Bob Timmons

    Before I did anything, I did connect my laptop (with WiFi off) to the Ethernet wall plug with that same Ethernet cable & verified I could connect to the internet. But you are correct - there is a dotted line between the two Airport Extremes when I open Airport Utility. Should I just manually  change the Network Mode setting to "Create a Wireless Network"? Will that solve my problem?

  • by CRMDVM,

    CRMDVM CRMDVM Jul 7, 2012 6:57 AM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 4 (1,365 points)
    Jul 7, 2012 6:57 AM in response to Bob Timmons

    Thanks - I am glad I didn't do anything until now - I can save some money for the museum with the Express - will each unit add 50 clients to the network in bridge mode or would I have to have NAT on each unit to have 100 clients?  Also, is the range on the new Express the same as an Extreme?

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jul 7, 2012 7:07 AM in response to dhjaffe
    Level 10 (105,433 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 7, 2012 7:07 AM in response to dhjaffe

    Thanks for checking on this.

     

    It is strange that AirPort Utility did not recognize the Ethernet connection. Check to make sure that the Ethernet cable is connected to the WAN "O" port on the AirPort Extreme and that you see a small green light next to the WAN port when you plug in the cable.

     

    Then, change the Network Mode to "Create a wireless network" and then click the Network tab at the top of the window and make sure that the Router Mode is set to "Off (Bridge Mode)" and then click Update at the lower right of the window.

     

    Allow 25-30 seconds for the AirPort Extreme to restart, then power off both AirPort Extremes, wait a minute and power up your "main" Extreme first until it displays a green light. Then, power up the "remote" AirPort Extreme.

     

    Please post on your results.

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jul 7, 2012 7:05 AM in response to CRMDVM
    Level 10 (105,433 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 7, 2012 7:05 AM in response to CRMDVM

    Also, is the range on the new Express the same as an Extreme?

    I have not seen any test reports on the Express yet. I imagine that the Extreme has the better internal antenna setup if you compare the two devices, and would go with another Extreme if the budget allows.

     

    Each AirPort will allow up to 50 wireless clients when it is configured in either Bridge Mode or Router Mode.

  • by CRMDVM,

    CRMDVM CRMDVM Jul 7, 2012 8:15 AM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 4 (1,365 points)
    Jul 7, 2012 8:15 AM in response to Bob Timmons

    Thanks again for answering my rambling questions - I now have enough info to present to the management - I will propose additional Extremes to cover the area - we are going for recognition by the Smithsonian and your advice will help us to include a public wi-fi system to make the museum more appealing - I will let you know how we make out.

  • by dhjaffe,

    dhjaffe dhjaffe Jul 7, 2012 9:39 AM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Jul 7, 2012 9:39 AM in response to Bob Timmons

    I followed your instructions & also again verified that the Ethernet cable & Ethernet wall plug work using my laptop. I verified that the Ethernet cable is connected to the WAN "O" port on the Airport Extreme & that the small green lights (as well as the big one in front) are all on. When I changed the Network Mode to "Create a wireless network", the Network Security was set at "None". So I changed this to "WPA Personal" & was prompted to enter my password which I did. The Wireless Network Name was "Apple xxxxx" - I changed this to the name of my network. I set the Router Mode to "Off (Bridge Mode)", clicked Update. After powering off both Airport Extremes, then powering on the "main" one first & then the "remote" one, on opening Airport Utility only the "main" one was recognized. The "remote" one was shadowed &, when clicking on it, there was a message saying it used to be on the network but was no longer recognized. I had the option of clicking a "Forget" button which would remove it.

     

    So I powered down everything (the Modem, both Airport Extremes & the switch/hub). After powering everything back up (first modem, then "main Extreme, then switch/hub, then "remote" Extreme) now only the remote Extreme is recognized & is supplying the wireless signal to the house. So clearly the new Extreme is working, but for some reason I cannot get both to be recognized at the same time with these settings.

     

    Is there anything else you think I can do?

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jul 7, 2012 10:04 AM in response to dhjaffe
    Level 10 (105,433 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 7, 2012 10:04 AM in response to dhjaffe

    I would start all over again and not use AirPort Utility 6.1 for the setup. 6.1 is supposed to set things up correctly, but I find that when I test this, that is not always the case.

     

    Power off the remote AirPort Extreme and wait a minute.

    Open AirPort Utility and click to "Forget" the remote AirPort Extreme

     

    Perform a Factory Default Reset on the remote AirPort Extreme as follows:

     

    Assuming that the remote Extreme is still powered off, hold in the reset button on the back of the device and keep holding for another 7-8 seconds while you simultaneously plug the power cable back in to the remote Extreme

     

    Release the reset button after the hold period and allow 25-30 seconds for the Extreme to display a slow, blinking amber light, then power off the remote Extreme.

     

    Download and install AirPort Utility 5.6 for Mac OS X Lion . You can keep both AirPort Utility 6.1 and 5.6 on your Mac.

     

    Connect the Ethernet cable again to the WAN port on the remote Extreme, power it up and wait fo the slow blinking amber light

     

    Open AirPort Utility 5.6, select the remote Extreme, and click Manual Setup

     

    Click the Base Station tab just below the icons to assign a name and device password to the remote Extreme and adjust Time Zone settings. No other settings need to be adjusted from the defaults.

     

    Click the Wireless tab

    Set the Wireless Mode to Create a Wireless Network

    Wireless Network Name = Same name as your main AirPort Extreme

    Leave the box checked next to Allow this network to be extended

    Radio Mode = Automatic

    Radio Channel = Automatic

    Wireless Security = Same setting as the main AirPort Extreme

    Wireless Password = Same password as the main AirPort Extreme

    Verify Password

     

    Click the Internet icon

    Click the Internet Connection tab

    Connect Using = Ethernet

    Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)

     

    Update to save settings and allow 30 seconds for a green light on the remote Extreme. It would be a good idea to power off both Extremes again and restart

     

    Test the network and report on your results.

  • by dhjaffe,

    dhjaffe dhjaffe Jul 9, 2012 7:40 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (7 points)
    Jul 9, 2012 7:40 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    I followed your instructions carefully but my computer continued to only recognize the closest Extreme. It would switch from one Extreme to the other as I moved my computer away from one towards the other but would still only recognize one at a time. In frustration I called Apple Support. The initial technician could not figure out the problem & referred me to a supervisor. He figured out that the switch/hub that splits the ethernet connection from the main Extreme to the upstairs rooms was actually not just a switch/hub & was supplying a different IP Address to the remote Extreme. I did not know this (and therefore you could not have known this). After switching this for a simple switch/hub, everything seems to be working & Airport Utility 6.1 shows a solid line between the two Extremes.

     

    Again I thank you for your help.

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