how to use my airport express just to stream music, no interent

Yes, you can use the AirPort Express Base Station (AX) without an Internet connection for iTunes streaming. The AX would not get a Public IP address, but it would have a Private IP address of 10.0.1.1 ... and it would be providing wireless clients connected to it with Private IP addresses in the 10.0.1.2 - 10.0.1.200 range.

Note: The following instructions are intended for the 5.x version of the AirPort Utility.

AirPort Utility > Select the AX > Manual Setup > AirPort > Wireless

• Wireless Mode: Create a wireless network
• Wireless Network Name: <enter a desired Network Name or SSID>
• Radio Mode: <leave the default or select a desired radio mode>
• Channel: Automatic
• Wireless Security: <select the desired wireless security type>

Internet > Internet Connection

• Connect Using: Ethernet
• Connection Sharing: Distribute a range of IP addresses

Internet > TCP/IP

• Configure IPv4: Manually
• IP Address: 10.0.1.1
• Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
• Router Address: 10.0.1.1
• DNS Server(s): <leave blank>
• Domain Name: <leave blank>

Internet > DHCP

• DHCP Beginning Address: <leave default or change to a desired starting address>
• DHCP Ending Address: <leave default or change to a desired ending address>

Music

• Enable AirPlay (checked>
• iTunes Speaker Name: <leave default or enter a desired speaker name>

Your AX may report the following errors: 1) Configuration of WAN, 2) SNMP over WAN, and 3) Double NAT. These can all be safely ignored to stop the AX's status light from flashing amber in this configuration.

Hoping you can help. I recently bought a new airport extreme, set this up as my base station next to my downstairs computer (iMac running OS X 10.10.5). I reinitialized my older airport extreme and configured it to serve as an extender, plugged in upstairs. It works fine. Meanwhile, I've been using my airport express, also upstairs, as a client to stream internet radio from my iMac to my upstairs stereo, and using the remote app on my iPad (now running OS 9.0.2) to access internet radio from iTunes and select stations. Here's a snapshot of how airport utility sees all these elements.

All worked while until a couple of weeks ago. I can turn on my stereo upstairs, go downstairs and use iTunes to select an internet radio station, check it by playing it on the iMac, then switch to airport express and the station plays through the upstairs stereo, so everything seems to be perfect. But when I select "internet radio" from the iPad remote app, I no longer get the list of internet stations. Instead, the cursor whirls, and then streaming stops. Up until a couple the remote app in iPad worked just fine. I don't understand what's going on or how to fix it. Any ideas?

Ok, now I can see the AX and use it as I want, but I can't connect to the internet.

If I follow these steps exactly

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1731?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

(Utility 5) it all goes well until step 11. When the AX restarts, the Airport Utility stops finding it.

So, I configured the AX as a standalone wireless network (through its connection to MBA). But the problem is, that I cannot access my original wifi (and browse a net on MBA or iPad) simultaneously when I'm streaming music 😟.

... and that is how it is supposed to work in this configuration. Sorry.

Can I set up the AX as 1) extending my previous wireless network or 2) join it ... but just by temporarily connected ethernet cabel (to router or MBA)?

Option 1 would work if your existing wireless network is provided by another AirPort router. Option 2 is a common configuration for streaming and does not require that the other router be an AirPort. However, there would be no need for an Ethernet connection, even a temporary one, for streaming to work. Also, this configuration would allow you to both access the Internet and stream simultaneously. For more details on how to set up the 2nd option, please check out the following Apple Support article.

Hi- after much frustration, this worked for me and I had music streaming.

But, when I removed the ethernet cable I lost the connection. The base station restarted but the airport utility couldn't find it again...

Please help!

I don't mean to hi-jack the thread but I set up my ax and had no problems with it..I moved it to get better signal strength and couldn't get it to work since. I tried all different settings and for the **** of it i tried the manual settings used above. Everything actually seemed to work ok but when I first set it up I could log in to the original wireless network and the apple network with my iphone to stream pandora and now I can only log into apple. I thought, as long as its working I can deal with it. So pandora will only open play if im logged into my regular wireless network, then I switch over to the apple ax network and it will keep playing until the song finishes. Oonce the song finishes it freezes unless I log out and log back into the regular wireless network. Any help?

As you know Pandora is an Internet-based audio source. You need to be connected to the Internet in order to use it properly. Since the Express is providing its own wireless network (without an Internet connection) this setup won't work for you. It is intended to be used with iTunes as the audio source.

Hi Tesserax- thanks for your help- just not sure what you mean by this? Initially the Airport Express Utility 'sees' the AX whether it's connected by ethernet or not. And I have the AX working fine with ethernet cable attached. But when I disconnect the cable the utility can't see the AX. It's ony in the next room...

Not sure what I'm doing wrong?!

Is what I'm trying to do even possible? I dont have an extreme, just the Express. I want to connect the AX to my stereo, without the ethernet cable, and connect via wifi to my imac...

When I set it up the first time, I had no problems. Everything worked fine with pandora. I just couldn't get it to work on my deck, it was too far away. After moving the AX over 2 rooms and reconnecting, it couldn't locate it ect ect ect. Just seemed to not want to setup the same. So it seems like it has to be some sort of setting thats still not right. Before I could run pandora through ax through both my orignial wireless network and my apple network, not just apple works. When I go through my iphone app for airport utility and log into my original wireless network it shows I'm connected to the AX but not the internet and when i log into apple network and go into airport utility it shows I'm connected to Internet and not AX.

If I understand your goal properly, you want your AX to be a standalone wireless router that will provide a wireless network (with no Internet connection) for iTunes streaming ... is this correct? If so, then the AX must be connected to your stereo with the appropriate (analog/digital optical) cable. By default, the AX will broadcast an unsecured wireless network with a name something like Apple Network NNNNNN, which your iMac should have no trouble connecting to for streaming.

I'm not sure that your goal is the same as the OP's. Do you have just the AX or multiple wireless routers in your current network configuration? If multiple, do you have the AX configured: 1) To extend the other router's wireless network, 2) To join this other router's wireless network, or 3) As a standalone wireless network?

You should be able to set it up in one of the following three ways: 1) Temporarily connected to your router by Ethernet, 2) Temporarily connected to your iMac by Ethernet, or 3) By connecting your iMac to the AX's wireless network. Any of these methods should allow the AirPort Utility to "find" it.

I just have a modem/wireless router and ran a long ethernet cable 2 rooms over to the AX. It is setup to "create a new network" the allow this network to be extended is checked. Channel is on automatic . Radio is 802.11n Internet is set up with "ethernet" . Connection sharing is distribute a range of ip addresses. Configure IPV4 is manually. IP address is 10.0.1.1 along with the router address. Subnet mask is 255.255.255.0

Remember you have two separate wireless networks now. One for connecting to the Internet and the other for streaming. You will have to switch wireless networks to do either. This what I understood your goal to be.

If it is not, then you will want to configure the AX to join the wireless network provided by the other router. This way you only need to connect to a single wireless network to do both.