Extended Network Airport Extreme + 2 TC's

Question

Extended Network Airport Extreme + 2 TC's

Hello all,

I have the following setup in my apartment:

Internet Router from Sky. I have wired that via LAN cable into a 2nd Generation Airport Extreme 802.11n. (The Sky Router doesn't allow to extend networks and I live in a apartment block completely made out fo concrete - hence I wanted to extend the network around the whole apartment).

I have extended the Network wirelessly to two Time Capsules.

1st Time Capsule (also LAN Cabled into my iMac for streaming TV shows etc to my Apple TV as I have all shows and music on this TC) - Time Capsule 2nd Generation 802.11n (European Purchase).

2nd Time Capsule (is just a hub in the living room to boost the internet) - Time Capsule 1st Generation 802.11n (USA purchase).

All three Apple Products are running version 7.6.4

Here's the precicament:

I have recently found that the Wifi on 2nd Time Capsule is not working anymore. There is no signal coming from that TC. I have the Airport Extreme transmitting as follows....

Country: United Kingdom

Radio Mode: 802.11n only (5GHz)

Radio Channel: 48

I chose these settings because there is interference from other networks in the building affecting my Apple TV.

Now I go into Summary of the TC's and I have the following:

TC 1:

Wifi 2.4GHz Channel 6

Wifi 5 GHz Channel 48

with 4 wireless clients (ipads, iphone etc)

TC 2:

Wifi Channel 6

No Wireless Clients.

I have been working my head around this all - I cannot change the Wireless Options on the TC 2 - it only offers me country ( a choice of the american countries only) or create a hidden network.

Does anyone have a solution how to get the best out of my network here at my home?

Time Capsule-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jan 14, 2014 2:18 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 14, 2014 12:42 PM in response to CuttingItFineFilms

I think you need some new equipment. The Gen2 AE and Gen1 TC are both getting really old.. certainly if the TC wireless has clapped out the rest of the box will shortly follow.

There is nothing much you can do with what you already have.. no mere rearranged setup will fix it.

Gen 5 AE are fairly cheap in Refurbished shop here.. check if apple have them for sale where you are.. the Gen5 made a fair improvement to the signal over earlier versions.. and is of course dual band as well. Two of them could be added to the setup with the TC1 still working ok as it is dual band type.

Or look at spending on the newest version AE or TC..

Mind you, and Asus RT-AC66U or 68U will give signal even at 5ghz all over your unit in all probability.. the apple routers do not do very well in the range tests. Especially at 5ghz. Although wireless is never ever predictable.

Reply

Answer 2

Jan 14, 2014 12:52 PM in response to LaPastenague

Thanks for the input. Oh boy - shelling out a few hundred pounds (to update the network) is just not what I wanna do right now....

Would putting Time Capsule 2 off the Sky Modem and then having the Airport Extreme in the living room work? I guess not.... I can't seem to change the channel on the Time Capsule 2! And after running iStumbler it seems that most of the interference is coming from a few routers running on Channel 6 (which, coincidentally is the channel this TC likes to transmit on).

Have you tried http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/netgear-universal-wifi-range-extender-a93kt ?

Reply

Answer 3

Jan 14, 2014 1:12 PM in response to CuttingItFineFilms

Universal wireless repeaters are to be avoided like the plague..

Especially trying to mix it with apple equipment is like chalk and cheese.

Merely swapping devices from one location to another is not going to fix anything.

EOP adapters are probably your best bet.. they don't always work.. so you do need to know the return policy but when they do work they are much better and more reliable than wireless in a crowded (wifi band) area with poor environment (wifi point of view). They are extremely popular in the UK.

The trick with getting wireless to work, is to use it on a single hop up close. very close to where you work.

As with all wireless signals the level drops off at the square of the distance.. halve the distance and improve the signal 4 times.

I must also say 7.6.4 firmware is the worst possible to be doing this on. Especially on old boxes.

I would take everything you have back to 7.5.2 firmware.. simply hold down the option key when you click versions on the summary page in the airport utility.

Then factory reset all the items and start over.

The Factory Reset TC Gen1-4. Or AE Gen1-5

Unplug your TC/AE. Hold in reset. and power the TC/AE back on.. without releasing reset for about 10sec. When the status light flashes rapidly; release it.

Be Gentle! Feel the switch click on. It has a positive feel.. add no more pressure after that.

TC/AE will reboot after a couple of minutes with default factory settings and will wipe out previous configurations.

No files are deleted on the hard disk.. No reset of the TC deletes files.. to do that you use erase from the airport utility.

The mix of US and UK and Euro stuff will be fine.. just stick to the common channels in the bands..

1-11 in 2.4 ghz is universal.

The low end 5ghz should also be the best.. 36-44.

Reply

Answer 4

Jan 15, 2014 2:57 AM in response to LaPastenague

Thanks for the help on this and your advice.

The one thing i noticed was before (when I used to have to broadcasting on Channel 6 - my apple TV was so slow & would drop when pulling shows from the imac. If I can't change the channel on the Tc 2 (the US TC) from Channel 6 - what should I do? Make it redundent and put a new Airport in the living room?

Reply

Answer 5

Jan 15, 2014 1:28 PM in response to CuttingItFineFilms

No equipment should be stuck on a single channel.. for 2.4ghz there is something wrong.. every item you have will work from channels 1-11.. UK and EURO stuff should add 12,13 to that.

Do what i said.. pull everything down to a better firmware... and factory reset and try again.. you can select a different channel once you do that.. or the item is faulty.

And to get ATV to work.. run ethernet to it. That is why it still has ethernet port.

Reply