Extend wireless over ethernet?

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Level 1

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Extend wireless over ethernet?

I have an Airport wireless/ethernet network in my house, and I have an AP Express in a remote barn on my property. There is an ethernet cable running from house to barn, but any wireless signals are weak. The ethernet is connected to the Express WAN port. Utlimately, there will be IP cameras in the barn, and I need the video to appear back on the house network. The cameras will mostly be wireless, perhaps some wired.

Can I set up the Express in the barn to extend my house wireless networkk via the ethernet cable? I am having trouble configuring this - the setup utility just gives "unexpeced error" when trying to connect to the (unconfigured) Express. Am supposed to have two wireless networks with different names, or can both buildings be under a single network? I read somewhere that I have to turn the "bridge mode" off, but I'm not sure what that means or if it's true.

Thanks for any advice

Eric

Posted on Mar 8, 2014 6:39 AM

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Answer 1

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Tesserax

Level 10

148,435 points

Mar 8, 2014 10:43 AM in response to Eric S

You can create an "extended" wireless network by interconnecting AirPort (or non-AirPort) wireless routers into what is known as a roaming network.

With this type of network, each base station would provide its own wireless network, but use the same network name (aka SSID) and network security type & password ... so that you can literally roam from one network to another with a portable wireless client.

Only the router connected directly to the Internet would require NAT & DHCP to be enabled. All others would need to be reconfigured as bridges. In bridge mode, the AirPort's NAT & DHCP services would be disabled. This would allow the "main" router to provide these services for all network clients regardless of which router they are connected to in order to gain Internet access and be on the same network segment.

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Answer 2

Mar 8, 2014 1:23 PM in response to Eric S

You say the Express has the ethernet cable connected to the WAN port. (that is correct)

However, you don't tell us where the other end of the ethernet cable is connected. To the LAN port of the main Airport Base Station?

The Express would be configured to also "Create a Wireless network" just like the main Airport Base Station following the directions Tesserax gave you above.

The only difference between the 2 base stations would be the Express needs to have Bridge Mode (OFF)

Like this:

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Answer 3

Eric S Author

Level 1

80 points

Mar 9, 2014 6:39 AM in response to Eric S

Awesome... that really helps. Let me just make sure I understand one more thing. Is it true that, once I set up a roaming network, ALL of my Express units in the house have to be connected via Ethernet? For example, I have an AP Express upstairs that I use to share a USB printer. Right now, it's connected only via wireless - do I have to run ethernet to it?

Thanks for all your help

Eric

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Answer 4

Tesserax

Level 10

148,435 points

Mar 9, 2014 11:09 AM in response to Eric S

Is it true that, once I set up a roaming network, ALL of my Express units in the house have to be connected via Ethernet?

Only if you want them to participate in the roaming network as a network extender.

For example, I have an AP Express upstairs that I use to share a USB printer. Right now, it's connected only via wireless - do I have to run ethernet to it?

If your goal is to only use this Express for sharing a USB printer, then no. It should be configured to join a wireless network as a network client. The network that it would be joining would be the new roaming network that you set up. However, if you want it to extend the network, then you have two choices: 1) Connect it by Ethernet and add it to your roaming network, or 2) Leave it as a wireless connection, but reconfigure it to extend a wireless network. Again it would be attempting to extend the new roaming network.

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