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Help with setting up Time Capsule plus Airport Extreme to Extend Wifi

I recently bought a new Time Capsule and set it up without a problem. I want to use my slightly older Airport Extreme to extend the signal. I connected the Airport Extreme up to the AC, but the Airport Utility does not display the Airport Extreme for me to configure. The online instructions I found on Apple are no help. It isn't clear to me if I need to connect the Airport Extreme to my Mac, new Time Capsule, or other connection for initial set up. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

iPhone 3G, iOS 4.3.3

Posted on Mar 1, 2015 6:34 PM

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7 replies

Mar 1, 2015 7:20 PM in response to cliftonfromladera

Sorry, but I am not clear on whether the AirPort Extreme will connect to the Time Capsule using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection to extend the network that way.....or.....whether you want to try to use wireless for the AirPort Extreme to connect to the Time Capsule.


Unfortunately, if you select wireless, there is going to be a significant drop in the maximum potential speeds on the network....about a 40-50% loss. But, things still might work OK that way since your Internet connection speed is likely going to be less than the max speed on the network.


When you mention that AirPort Utility does not "see" the AirPort Extreme......is this AirPort Utility on a Mac, PC, or on an iOS device like the iPhone or iPad?


If you are using a Mac, is it running a recent version of the operating system like Yosemite, Mavericks, or Mountain Lion?


If you have an iPhone or iPad handy, the setup can be done that way as well.

Mar 1, 2015 7:45 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I want to connect the AirPort Extreme to the Time Capsule wirelessly. I would like to use an ethernet connection but don't have an easy option for running the wires from upstairs to downstairs.


I am using an Mac running the latest OS (Yosemite). I didn't think to try using my iPhone or iPad.


Thanks in advance for your advice.

Mar 1, 2015 7:54 PM in response to cliftonfromladera

Thanks for the clarification.


Power up the AirPort Extreme for a few minutes

Hold in the reset button on the back of the AirPort for 10 seconds, then release

Allow a full minute for the AirPort to restart to a slow, blinking amber light status


Do not connect any Ethernet cables at all to the AirPort, since you want it to work using wireless


Let's try an iPad or iPhone for fun


On the Home Screen, tap Settings

Tap Wifi

Look for a listing of Set Up a New Base Station

Tap on AirPort Extreme


That will bring up the setup wizard, and it will take a minute to analyze things, then suggest that the AirPort will be configured to extend the Time Capsule network


Type in a name that you want to call the AirPort Extreme and then tap Next


The wizard will set up everything for you. Tap Done when you see the message of Setup Complete.

Mar 1, 2015 9:03 PM in response to cliftonfromladera

Whenever you want an AirPort or Time Capsule to do something different than it was originally set up to do, you must reset the device and start over again so that the setup wizard can propose the correct setup.


The "wizard" will literally do everything for you....all that you really do is name the device and tap or click Next.


These are really the only instructions that you need. Most of the online stuff is long out of date, and does not refer to the newer versions of software that are on current operating systems.

Mar 1, 2015 9:28 PM in response to cliftonfromladera

Nature of the beast when you extend using wireless.


Remember that the signal loses speed as soon as it leaves the main router. By the time it has reached the extending device, it has already lost a good deal of speed.


The extending device can only extend the speed of signal that it receives. It cannot receive a signal and then somehow make it go faster again. A better name than extender would be "repeater". If the repeater gets a slow signal, it repeats a slow signal.


None of the nice looking advertising will ever tell you this.


When you connect AirPorts or Time Capsules using Ethernet, there is no loss at all through the Ethernet cable, so the extending device gets a full speed signal to work with and extend.


Edit....buried deep in an Apple support document.....you will find this:


In the case of a wirelessly extended network, throughput may be reduced to less than 60 percent of that of a single device. The general rule is to keep the Wi-Fi network as simple as possible. You can accomplish this by using the minimum number of Wi-Fi base stations required to service the physical network area and by using Ethernet wherever possible.


Extending the range of your Wi-Fi network by connecting Wi-Fi base stations together using Ethernet is always the best option, and will provide the best throughput.

Help with setting up Time Capsule plus Airport Extreme to Extend Wifi

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