Level 1

5 points

Guest Network Not Working Airport Extreme

I read that the Extreme does not provide Guest Networking if it is in Bridge mode.

Since it is VERY hard these days to find a DSL Modem that is not also a router, this means that effectively Apple can't support Guest Networking.

Has anyone found a workaround to this dismal state of affairs? It seems crass that Guest Networking isn't available. I expect better of Apple.

The few DSL modems I have found are either too slow (8 Mbs) or work over PPPoE whereas most ISPs only work PPPoA. I've got a perfectly reliable DSL Modem/Router with routing turned off, but I can't get a simple thing like a guest network.

I've got the Extreme running 7.6.4 and my Mac is at 10.9.2

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Mar 12, 2014 9:21 AM

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Tesserax

Level 10

161,840 points

Posted on Mar 12, 2014 2:21 PM

NAT ON and DHCP ON was how I started out, and I think this was how the Extreme configured the modem/router when I first installed it. I don't think I had to go into the modem/router settings, the Extreme handled it on its own (which I thought was cool).

Both the Zoom & the Extreme are, by default, Internet routers. The Zoom, unlike the Extreme as you know, has a built-in ADSL modem.

When performing as a router, both NAT & DHCP are enabled. If they are enabled on the upstream (closest to the Internet) device, the downstream should have both disabled. Otherwise you would find your network complaining that it is in a Double NAT condition.

You already know that the Extreme cannot provide a guest network if both of these services are disabled. That is, when it is in bridge mode. The Extreme cannot reconfigure another router automatically or manually.

The goal to gain access to the guest network was to disable both NAT & DHCP for the Zoom AND enable them both for the Extreme. Not just disable the Zoom's wireless radio. You want the Zoom to be in bridge mode and the Extreme to perform as the router.

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22 replies

steftheref Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 12, 2014 1:19 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thanks. I understand now.

So when attached to a non-routing DSL modem, the Extreme itself acts as the router and can deal with its network.

Only hope is for someone to produce a reliable, Extreme-compatible DSL modem. The only ones I have seen come with pretty popor ratings, some don't even work with the Extreme, others are unreliable.

Thanks again. Now I can give up messing up my network connections trying to find a combo that works.

steftheref Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 12, 2014 2:49 PM in response to Tesserax

Oh! my. I learned a lot from my question. I had no idea I could configure the Extreme. I hadn't pressed all the options when installing because the ting 'just worked'. There was no need to experiement.

But now youlvbe pointed this out I've opened up the settings and I'll see what happens.

Thanks so much for the explanations/

AndyNE

Level 1

4 points

Oct 8, 2015 3:48 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Thanks for the suggestion. Their list of "approved" devices does not include any that are modems only. Unfortunately. (And to simplify my query, I did not state that I own my Arris cable modem/router--but Comcast controls the software on it and basically controls it).

Bob Timmons

Level 10

198,292 points

Oct 8, 2015 12:45 PM in response to FistralG

I cannot answer for the Netgear product, but "guests" on the Guest Network of the AirPort Extreme do in fact have access to other devices on the Guest Network.....like a printer, for example.

But "guests" cannot even "see" the devices on your "main" or "private" network unless they are IT professionals who know a lot about how you have set up your network. Even if they could figure out how to "see" your Mac, they would still have to have the administrator password to access any of the data on the Mac.

You can verify this easily for yourself. Simply log on to the "guest" network that the AirPort Extreme is providing and then try to find any of the devices on your "main" or "private" network.

Everything that I have written above assumes that the "guests" are using wireless. If they really want to get into your private network, all they need to do is connect their computer to one of the LAN <--> Ethernet ports on the AirPort Extreme using an Ethernet cable and they are on your private network in seconds.

If you think your "guests" might do something like that though, you probably don't want them as guests.

NathonC

Level 1

10 points

Dec 31, 2015 6:33 AM in response to FistralG

So if the guest network is not supported with the Airport in bridge mode, what is the impact when attempting to extend you wireless environment by cascading additional Airport devices (all in bridge mode) off the base unit doing the NAT & DHCP? Does this mean that the guest network will not be extended?

steftheref Author

Level 1

5 points

Mar 12, 2014 2:50 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Bob, thanks for that. And for the caveat.

I'll give it a go and see what happens. Thanks for taking the trouble to write.

AndyNE

Level 1

4 points

Oct 8, 2015 2:06 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thanks! There are some new units added since I last looked at this list.

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Guest Network Not Working Airport Extreme