Airport Express n Won't Extend Wireless Network

Add one more to the victim count trying to extend a non-apple router network with an airport express. Luckily I too found this post!

John Howarth wrote:

I'm with you IPetronius on this one. I (...) also fell for the Apple/non-Apple trap at first, and then tried to extend a network, originated by an Airport Express, with a second Express, and have spent days trying to make it work. Both Expresses are allegedly set-up, according to Airport Utility, but do I get range extension? No.

I fail to see how this has to do with the Apple/non-Apple hybrid network.

If you tell us the versions of your Airport Express routers, their firmware version and the version of the Airport Utility you have, we may try and help you.

My comments were concerning the opaqueness of Apple's language relating to setting up an Express/Extreme. If one is up-to-speed with technical definitions of 'g' and 'n', WDS, and all the rest, then maybe you get it. But the rest of us, even those of us who have worked extensively with Mac gear since the beginning, may be more interested in what the machines do rather than how they work, and need to be informed what the kit will not do, as well as what it will do.

Regarding my specific problem concerning extending an Apple network, I started a separate thread, with all the details, (as you say, it was not to do with the Apple/non-Apple hybrid newtork) which was answered splendidly by John Galt, an earlier contributor to this thread.

I've been fighting this issue for about 4 hours and finally solved it. If you try and extend the network, it will slow your connection waaaaaay down and not even keep you connected. I even talked to apple support. I thought I had it resolved but no such luck. I was about to give up and return the express but tried one last thing that worked....

Do this....

Forget about extending your network. Even if you do it, it will only slow you down. Instead, select "create a wireless network". Name it something else and use the same password if you'd like. You will have to enter the password one time just like logging into any wifi for the first time. Your device will select the strongest connection anyway. One end of my house uses the express and the other the extreme. It works like a champ with no drop in speed.

This is assuming you're plugging your express into an ethernet cable. I hope this works for you too. Good luck.

Thanks that is very useful. If found the same thing trying to extend a wireless network wirelessly but it all worked great when I turned off auto channel select in the airports and hard assigned them to different channels. I like your idea of adding a new wireless network connected to the wired network because I can then take that aiport with me when I travel to give me my own private wireless network in hotel rooms.

Thanks, this has worked a treat.

As others have experienced, I wasted far too much time trying to extend my wireless network before finally discovering - after several pages of hunting on Apple's support site - it could only be done from an Apple base station. Creating a new network achieved the same aim and took me no time at all.

I dont know if this helps or not. Wen I reset my router and chose the options to extend a wireless network, it does the job by asking me what network, I noticed that it did not extend the network, but simply joined the network giving me access to my drives and devices connected to it when connected to the other routers.

Not extending I know, but it seems to default to that wen choosing the "extend network" from the "first setup" screen. going into the settings and changing the "join a network" to "extend" a network then "breaks" the airport connection. Joining back to the network I would then have to reset the device and do the setup again.

Obviously its a Network with a apple router NOT as the main router. just saying for some additional info to this

That's correct. The new network has to be plugged into the first router. I ran cat5 in the wall from first router to put a drop in my basement.

So, (at my house) it goes:

Internet/cable > modem> router A ( airport extreme)> router B (express)

It all depends on the feasibility of running inconspicuous cable from router A to B

It also works if the new networks have the same name, security settings and password. This is called a "roaming network":

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4260

The article implies an order to things, I think as long as you end up with identical wifi settings and a hardwired connection, it will work fine.

Works great, my iPhone hangs on to the weaker signal until it is lost. It then automatically retries and joins the stronger network, doesn't even know that something happened. There is no coordination between the two networks.

Not to open old wounds, but this is exactly what I wanted, in effect I've "extended" my wifi network over Ethernet. Works great even though my Express is on my porch and well of wifi range for the base station (a Time Capsule). If only I'd known that "extend existing network" was exactly the wrong thing to do.

Won't help those who want to use wireless to extend wireless, but in this hardwired scenario, I don't think the manufacturer of the two stations will make any difference. They just need to be configurable for the same security settings.

You should probably hard set the two networks to different channels? I don't seem to have problems, but maybe I've got just enough signal for auto assignment to work.

Another thread on the same subject:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4799778?start=0&tstart=0

Agreed. Coming up with a wired solution to a wireless network expansion issue is NOT a solution!

Wiring the AirPort kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think?

That AirPort will not extend off a non-Apple wifi router was the original issue. Wiring another router in a far room of my folks' house isn't an option.

Powerline adapters are your best bet at a hotel. AirPort Extreme > Powerline Adapter > Other Powerline Adapter > AirPort Express. Then follow the instuctions above.

This will give you double the coverage, without signal loss of "Extending the Network".

See if something like these would work for you:

http://www.zyxel.com/us/en/products_services/home-powerline_and_coax_adapters.sh tml?t=c