Airport Extreme as a switch?

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Level 1

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Airport Extreme as a switch?

Here is the setup I am trying to achieve (based on the wireless locations and wanting to use the Time Capsule for better wireless coverage rather than the older Extreme):

Charter basic modem--> Airport Extreme in bridge mode and DHCP and NAT off (I assume into one of the 3 LAN ports and not the WAN port?)--> other 2 LAN ports on the Extreme go to:

1) the Time Capsule in one area of the house (WAN port) with DHCP and NAT and wireless

2) a newer Airport Express (WAN port) in bridge mode "extending" the network by creating the same SSID and password, etc.

Would this work? Or do I have to swap the Time Capsule and the Extreme for the DHCP and NAT to work...and if so, do I just turn off the wireless on the TIme Capsule and let the Extreme and Express provide wireless?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Posted on Feb 18, 2014 1:31 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 18, 2014 1:47 PM in response to KnightRyder

Charter basic modem--> Airport Extreme in bridge mode and DHCP and NAT off (I assume into one of the 3 LAN ports and not the WAN port?)

They are all LAN ports when the AirPort is setup in Bridge Mode. Makes no difference where you connect, but normal practice would have the Ethernet cable coming from your modem/router to the WAN port....if for no other reason than easy indentification about what cables come from where and go to where.

Then, you have 3 more LAN ports for connections. In Bridge Mode, the AirPort Exreme acts like an Ethernet switch.

1) the Time Capsule in one area of the house (WAN port) with DHCP and NAT and wireless

This is where I am confused. The Time Capsule would normally also be in Bridge Mode. Do you have some special requirement for the Time Capsule that would require it to run in router mode of DHCP and NAT? This will create IP address conflicts and a Double NAT error on the network for starters.

2) a newer Airport Express (WAN port) in bridge mode "extending" the network by creating the same SSID and password, etc.

OK, got that.

Would this work?

Maybe if we understood what you are trying to accomplish by setting up the Time Capsule as a second router on the network, we could provide a better answer.

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Answer 2

KnightRyder Author

Level 1

10 points

Feb 18, 2014 1:46 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thanks for the quick reply Bob, sorry I am making this confusing. I am trying to use the brand new Time Capsule as the only router but put it in a main part of the house and not the useless utility room to create better coverage. This is because I am assuming the older generation Extreme does not have the coverage that the new Time Capsule provides...I may be wrong in that... Also as an FYI the Charter modem is not an all-in-one gateway.

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

151,779 points

Feb 18, 2014 1:47 PM in response to KnightRyder

Airport Extreme in bridge mode and DHCP and NAT off (I assume into one of the 3 LAN ports and not the WAN port?)

With the AirPort Extreme in bridge mode all Ethernet ports are, just that, Ethernet ports. They no longer function as WAN or LAN ports as the routing function has been disabled.

other 2 LAN ports on the Extreme go to:

1) the Time Capsule in one area of the house (WAN port) with DHCP and NAT and wireless

2) a newer Airport Express (WAN port) in bridge mode "extending" the network by creating the same SSID and password, etc.

Again it doesn't matter which port on the Extreme that you use for both the TC & Express. Using the WAN port on both the TC and Express would be good network housekeeping and would provide for consistency for the connections.

Since all of your base station will be interconnected by Ethernet I would suggest that you configure all of them, including your Charter-provided wireless gateway into a roaming network.

This type of network will provide for an extended Wi-Fi coverage using all of your base stations as combination wireless access points and Ethernet switches. With this type of network, you can literally roam with a wireless client from one base station to another and still be on the "same" network. Only the device connected directly to the Internet (in this case your Charter gateway) would be required to be configured as a router, i.e., have both DHCP & NAT enabled. All other routers would be configured as bridges.

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Answer 4

Feb 18, 2014 2:04 PM in response to KnightRyder

OK, with that additional information, everything changes.

If you have a basic simple modem......it cannot connect to a switch*.....it must connect directly to the router. In this case if you want the Time Capsule to be the router....then the modem must connect directly to the Time Capsule and the Time Capsule feeds the rest of the network.

Please clarify on the modem model number, so we can figure out whether you really have a simple modem....or a modem/router.

*We can explain why this is so, if you want.

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