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Setting Up Roaming - New AirPort Extremes and Utility

Hello Everyone,


I just purchased two new AirPort Extreme units (the new 802.11ac capable ones) and want to setup a roaming network whereby the 2nd APE is upstairs and is connected via ethernet to the first APE down in the basement where my internet connection comes in.


Like this:


Cable modem ---ethernet----> APE 1 downstairs ------ethernet------> APE 2 upstairs.


My question:


- How is this done using the most current version of the AirPort utility for OS X? (version 6.3)

- Because I'm dealing with these brand new 802.11ac units, is setup any different?



I've already done a bunch of research on this and have found very helpful kb articles and discussions on this, but they all reference the old hardware and old utility. Such as: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4260

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), Mac OS X (10.7.4), 16GB RAM

Posted on Jun 27, 2013 2:23 PM

Reply
89 replies

Oct 15, 2017 8:25 AM in response to fbornemann

Then, you need to start over again and set up the older AirPort Extreme again. Follow these instructions very closely.


Power up the old AirPort for a few minutes

Hold in the reset button on the old AirPort for 7-8 seconds, then release

Allow a full minute for the old AirPort to restart to a slow, blinking amber light status


Temporarily.......use a short spare Ethernet cable.....that you know is working......and connect it from a LAN <--> port on the new AirPort to the WAN "O" port on the old AirPort.


Turn the WiFi back on at MacBook Air and click on the WiFi menu at the top of the screen

Look for a listing of New AirPort Base Station

Click directly on AirPort Extreme under that listing


User uploaded file


When you click on AirPort Extreme, that will get the setup "wizard" running. It will take a few seconds to display a screen that looks like the example below, except that you will see your devices and network name displayed


User uploaded file


Type in a name that you want to call the old AirPort

Click Next


Watch the next screen very carefully to see that the old AirPort is being set up to extend using Ethernet. This confirms that the setup wizard has picked up the Ethernet connection between the AirPorts, so the correct settings are being applied to the old AirPort


User uploaded file


When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done.


Now use your MacBook Air and the Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter to connect to one of the LAN <--> ports on the old AirPort. If the MacBook Air can get a good Internet connection this way, then you know that the old AirPort is working correctly.


Move the old AirPort to the location where it is needed and connect it to the powerline adapter. If the powerline is working correctly, then so too will the old AirPort be working correctly.

Apr 27, 2017 9:16 AM in response to kokomorbtp

Sure, if you are willing to limit the performance of your network.


Remember that the AirPort Express has only 100 Mbps Ethernet ports, so that will be the theoretical maximum speed at which your downstream network will perform. The AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule use 1,000 Mbps Ethernet ports......10 times the speed capability of the Express.

Oct 15, 2017 5:51 AM in response to Tesserax

I am trying to set up a Roaming Network Extremes as well. I have a new Extreme 6th generation used as my main base in Router mode (DHCP and NAT). The other Extreme is a 4th generation connected to the main base by ethernet cat 5 cable. I have followed your instructions and everything looks right, but when i am connected to the second base I do not get an IP.


What am I doing wrong?

Oct 15, 2017 7:24 AM in response to fbornemann

What device.....a Mac, a PC, iPhone or iPad.....are you using to try to set things up?

If it is a Mac, what operating system is installed on the Mac?


We assume that the new AirPort Extreme is operating correctly by itself....when the older AirPort is powered off....and that devices are able to connect to the new AirPort and get good Internet connections, would that be correct?


but when i am connected to the second base I do not get an IP.

I'm not clear on what you mean by this. It is not possible for a device to connect at all......unless.....it receives an IP address. So, if it is connected, it must have received an IP address. Maybe you meant to say something else?

Oct 15, 2017 7:48 AM in response to fbornemann

More than half of the time, problems with a roaming network are caused by a bad Ethernet cable or a bad Ethernet plug/port. Unfortunately, you cannot assume that a new Ethernet cable is also a working Ethernet cable.


So, the first thing to do......if you have not already done this.....is test the Ethernet cable that will connect from the new AirPort Extreme to the old AirPort Extreme.


Do you have a Mac or PC with an Ethernet port handy? Or, do you have a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter for the MacBook Air?


For the test, connect the Ethernet cable from one of the three LAN <--> ports on the new AirPort Extreme. Then, connect a computer to the other end of the cable. Turn off the WiFi on the computer and then check to see if you can get a good Internet connection that way.


If you can, then we can proceed. If you cannot get a good Internet connection though, then you have either a bad cable or a bad connector somewhere. And, you'll need to get the cable working before we can proceed to setting up the second AirPort Extreme.


Post back when you have completed this check.

Oct 15, 2017 8:15 AM in response to Bob Timmons

So I disconnected the Ethenet cable from the second AE and left it connected to the poweline, put on a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter and connected it to the MBA. I then turned off the wireless adapter in the MBA and get a good strong wired connection. I ran a test on it gave me 100 Mbps. I get around 115 from my main AE, so that dos not seem bad.

Oct 16, 2017 11:29 PM in response to Bob Timmons

So I followed your excellent guide - Thanks - and everything worked perfectly until the last step:


"Move the old AirPort to the location where it is needed and connect it to the powerline adapter. If the powerline is working correctly, then so too will the old AirPort be working correctly."


I tried connecting the old AE directly to the new AE by Ethernet cable again and it immediately worked again. It is strange as my MBA will worked and get an IP from the new AE when connected directly to the Powerline.


There is no doubt the powerline is the problem. The Apple products are working correct.

Jun 27, 2013 5:53 PM in response to Tim Hassett

The good news is that the basic roaming network setup is the same with the new 802.11ac base stations, but you did discover that the Apple Support article is a bit dated. I would expect them to update it soon.


In the mean time, let me try to give you some step-by-step instructions using the 6.x version of the AirPort Utility. First, there are a few key elements to successfully configuring a roaming network, and they are:

  • All of the base station must be interconnected by Ethernet. Note: You can use non-Apple routers in this type of network.
  • All base stations must have unique Base Station Names.
  • All base stations must use the same Radio Mode and Wireless Security Type/Password.
  • Each base station should be on a different Radio Channel. Using "Automatic" works well here.
  • All base stations, other than the "main" base station, must be reconfigured as a bridge.


Let's start with the "main" base station. This will be the one directly connected to the Internet modem:

  • AirPort Utility > Select the "main" base station > Edit
  • Base Station tab > Base Station Name > Enter a unique name here
  • Internet tab > Connect Using: DHCP
  • Wireless tab > Network Mode: Create a wireless network > Wireless Network Name > Enter the desired name. This will be used on all base stations > Wireless Security: WPA2 Personal (recommended) > Wireless Password > Enter the desired wireless password. This will be used on all base stations.
  • Network tab > Router Mode: DHCP and NAT
  • Click on Update


For each additional base station added to the roaming network:

  • AirPort Utility > Select the appropriate base station > Edit
  • Base Station tab > Base Station Name > Enter a unique name here
  • Internet tab > Connect Using: DHCP
  • Wireless tab > Network Mode: Create a wireless network > Wireless Network Name > Enter the desired name. This will be used on all base stations > Wireless Security: WPA2 Personal (recommended) > Wireless Password > Enter the desired wireless password. This will be used on all base stations.
  • Network tab > Router Mode: Off (Bridge Mode)
  • Click on Update

Jul 1, 2013 4:51 AM in response to Tesserax

I have a similar situation, where I have just purchased a new Airport Extreme and hope to set up a roaming network with my earlier AE located near the entertainment center. My new AE is in the basement next to the cable modem.


I have spent three days trying different ways to get the second AE to be recognized by Airport Utility, and it is never discovered. Do I need to revert back to installing the older AE in place of the newer one temporarily to change some settings first? It was intially configured to serve as the router for the house, but the wifi signal was not reaching the second floor and I hoped to place it near the television to provde a LAN connection for faster downloads of movies.


I also tried setting it up as an extended wifi network and it was not discoverable in that mode either.

Setting Up Roaming - New AirPort Extremes and Utility

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