Extended network: Which Apple base station am I connected to?

To view what devices are connected to your base stations, you would need to open up Airport Utility in your Utilites folder and view which devices are connected to each individual base station.

Here is one of my Express units and the devices connected to it.

My other base stations show different devices connected to it.

If you hover your mouse over the devices they will show you how they are connected as in b/g/n or a/n, along with your data rate etc.

Another way of viewing would be to hold down the option key and double click the TC or the AE icon and another window will pop up giving you further information.

An alternate....and perhaps simpler.....way of identifying the base station to which the MacBook Pro is connected is as follows:

Locate the MacBook Pro close to the Time Capsule

Hold down the option key on your MacBook Pro while you click on the AirPort icon at the top of the screen

Look for the BSSID and jot down the last few characters. This is the ID of the Apple router to which you are currently connected.

Now move the MacBook Pro close to the AirPort Extreme and perform the same check

If the AirPort Extreme is extending the network correctly, you will see a different BSSID, indicating that the MacBook Pro is currently connected to the AirPort Extreme.

If you see the same BSSID as the Time Capsule when the MacBook Pro is close to the AirPort Extreme, this tells you that the AirPort Extreme is not extending the network correctly, and you will need to do some additional troubleshooting.

Seems like your method would take longer depending on the size of the home.

I could make a couple of clicks on Airport Utility and find out all the devices that are connected to each base station before the person could get out of the chair and down the hall using your method. 🙂

With your method, you would only know that computer.

The other method will tell you all the devices connected to which base station.

Different strokes.

I took MojoDK's question of...... How can I tell which base station I'm connected to using a MacBook Pro?......at face value.

He has a MacBook Pro, and he wants to know which base station on his extended network his MacBook Pro is connected to at the time. My suggestion will tell him with one option-click.

If his question had been.....How can I tell what base station any given device on my network is connected to?.......that is a different question, and I would not have suggested the BSSID check

Hopefully, MojoDK will clarify and tell us which, if any, response answered his question.

Sure. I understand.

My suggestion does them all. One, two, three, or many.

Doesn't matter. Even if he has just the one device.

Whichever he thinks is easier.

No wrong way. Both will work.

My suggestion doesn't require him walking to the other room(s).

Especially if he as multiple devices.

Walking around with 3 or 4 devices in his hand would be cumbersomb.

Couple of clicks of my mouse on Airport Utility and I can bring up all of my base stations.

Screen shots below show the 2 Airport base stations I have at the moment.

You can easliy see what is connected to which base station at a simple glance.

The one on the left is my main base station and the one on the right is the extended base station.

These devices change from time to time depending on what part of the house I am in.

Some don't change as they are stationary.

Bob Timmons wrote:

He has a MacBook Pro, and he wants to know which base station on his extended network his MacBook Pro is connected to at the time. My suggestion will tell him with one option-click.

Plus walking around the house. Don't forget that.

Bob Timmons wrote:

Hopefully, MojoDK will clarify and tell us which, if any, response answered his question.

I see. You are wanting the points.

I could care less.

My post did answer his question no matter who he gives points to.

I hope he gives you 20 points.

Basically though, I already answered his question and anything else you did was just trying to hijack these for points for yourself.