Setting Up Roaming - New AirPort Extremes and Utility

Tesserax said that "What you are proposing should work...."

The assumptions would be that the devices are working correctly, they have been configured correctly, and the AirPort Express is located where it can receive a strong wireless signal from the AirPort Extreme.

To get an rough idea of whether the Express will work correctly before it is powered up, temporarily locate your laptop in the same area where the Express will be installed and check to see if the laptop can get a good, strong wireless signal from the AirPort Extreme.

Remember that the Express can only "extend" the quality of signal that it receives, so location is critical when it connects using wireless to extend the network. You may need to experiment with the location of the Express for best results.

In general, for best results the Express would be located at a point that is about half way between the AirPort Extreme and the general area that needs more wireless coverage.

I'm using an Airport Extreme instead of an Express. The 2 Extremes are in line of site. I don't currently have a laptop to check with. My iPad has a good connection from that spot.

It should work. You may be able to locate the Extreme a bit further from the other Extreme since they have a better antenna arrangement than an Express.

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

So you "create a wireless network" not "extend a wireless network" on the additional (slave) base station?

Correct!

First, thanks for all the helpful posts above (esp. to Tesserax). A few clarifying questions, but first my setup.

Setup: I have a large area to cover wirelessly so I have 3 Airport Extremes all connected by Ethernet to create a roaming network. I have fiber to home so I don't need a cable box. Rather the Internet line comes in via Ethernet and I connect that to the WAN port on AE #1 (my primary base station). Ethernet then goes from the LAN ports on AE #1 to AE #2 and AE #3. Everything seems to work, but the setup is different than what is explained here.

1. I connnect AE #1 to Internet using (Connect Using) PPPoE along with my password and username. This is done on the primary base station AE #1 configuration. On the two other base stations, should I Connect Using "DHCP" or "PPPoE"? I have it set at "DHCP" right now and it seems to be working.

2. I also have the 5Ghz network activated. I assume the network name for this should NOT be the same name as the 2.4Ghz network name, right? I currently have the 5Ghz network named identical to the 2.4Ghz network with "5Ghz" appended to the name. The network names, passwords, etc are the same on all other Airport Extremes.

3. The instructions for creating a roaming network appear to show the Ethernet cable going from the LAN port on AE #1 to the WAN port on the other Airport Extremes. This, however, does not work on my setup. I have the Ethernet going from the WAN port on AE #1 to the LAN ports on AE #2 and #3. Is this correct?

4. And finally, does the guest network that is activated on each AE and have the same name get extended just like the primary network?

Thanks for any help.

Bob

On the two other base stations, should I Connect Using "DHCP" or "PPPoE"?

DHCP

I assume the network name for this shouldNOT be the same name as the 2.4Ghz network name, right?

Not necessarily. By default, Apple assigns the same wireless network name to both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network. This is is the setting that most users should use since devices will automatically connect to the best signal based on their capabilities and location in relation to the wireless router or access point.

If you assign a separate name to the 5 GHz network, then you must manually "point" computers or other devices to either the 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz network separately. You can do this, but it makes things more complicated for most users.

The instructions for creating a roaming network appear to show the Ethernet cable going from the LAN port on AE #1 to the WAN port on the other Airport Extremes. This, however, does not work on my setup. I have the Ethernet going from the WAN port on AE #1 to the LAN ports on AE #2 and #3. Is this correct?

This is not correct.....and.....it conflicts with the information earlier in your post where you say.......

Rather the Internet line comes in via Ethernet and I connect that to the WAN port on AE #1 (my primary base station).

If the Ethernet signal from your provider connects to the WAN port on AE #1, as you say....how can you also have a cable going from the WAN port on #1 to the LAN ports on AE #2 and #3? Please clarify.

To Bob Timmons... Thanks for the response. To clarify or correct my earlier statement:

1. The Apple diagrams show ethernet going from the primary base station's LAN port to the WAN port on the other Airport Extremes. I was inconsisent earlier, but meant to say that that I was going AE #1 LAN port to AE #2 LAN port. I just now changed it to LAN ---> WAN port and all works fine.

2. It appears that by default Apple assigns to the 5Ghz network name the same name as the 2.4Ghz but appends "5Ghz" to the network name. For example, the 2.4Ghz name is "Jones" and the 5Ghz network becomes "Jones 5Ghz". Nevertheless, because I want one seamless network (ignoring the Guest network), I will name the 2.4 and 5Ghz networks the same. Right now it seems to accept that.

Thanks tremendously for your help!

I've tried naming the 5GHZ network with the same name but it always reverts to the network name with the 5GHZ tacked on the end. My wireless devices see it as two different networks.

You have to remove the check mark next to 5 GHz name if you want both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to use the same wireless network name. Click Save, then click Update and give the AirPort a full minute to restart.

I assumed that was enabling or disabling the network. I'll try it without the checkbox.

I assumed that was enabling or disabling the network.

2.4 GHz and 5 GHz are always enabled. The check box merely allows you to assign a different name to the 5 GHz band.

By default, the box is not checked. Most users should leave it that way.

Tesserax: (Thanks for all your great input on all the Apple threads - extremely helpful!)

I have virtually the identical setup as the h-man that you replied to above: Comcast cable modem>multi-port switch>ethernet throughout house>wireless access point on one ethernet point. I need to provide wiFi to my basement and would like to do it via a "roaming" network because I have ethernet ports throughout the house. I was confused by your responses to various folks in the string above. Can EITHER the wireless base station OR a router like your CISCO be hooked directly to the cable modem, or does the primary base station have to be the first thing off the cable modem? My existing network has just a switch between the cable modem and the wireless access point device and works fine (just not enough coverage) but the postings seem to say that in order to create roaming network I cannot just hook wifi devices to my ethernet network. Something has to be in the line first. (Note: the Comcast cable modem is also a router.)

Can you help my confusion?

Thanks.

I have a variant of this you guys perhaps can help with:

I live in a large flat which has previosly been two separate flats, thus I have two separate incoming high speed internet lines - one in each end of the flat (same price for me whether I use one or both). In one end I have a Time Capsule and in the other an Airport Express. How do I get the maximum out of this situation, i.e. high signal wireless all over, but only having 1 common wirelss network setup. As far as I can see, a roaming network would be the way, but that seems to assume you physically link the two basestations - this is not an option here - and also seems stupid with the two separate inlets.

Any suggestions for a setup?

Hi Tesserax

I have almost exactly the same setup as you, except I use a Netgear router rather than a fancy Cisco one. I see you have all your Airport base stations running in bridge mode. I guess because the Cisco is doing all your DHCP NAT etc.

My question is, does this work OK? That is, you don't have to have the primary Airport device in DHCP mode as the Apple article suggests.

Also does this setup work with the Netgear router also running a Wi-Fi network with the same SSID?

Thanks for you help. Andy