AEBS and AE Problem

A. Modem > Linksys router > AirPort Extreme.

Turn off the wireless service on the Linksys router, making it a wired router only, but use it just like you have in the past to control your network, act as the firewall, limit access to sites, etc.

The AirPort Extreme provides only the wireless service.....not the control or routing services. It's called a wireless access point in this type of setup, since it provides wireless service, but it does not provide routing service, which is being handled by the Linksys.

It would make sense to consider this type of setup if the AirPort Extreme wireless provides better performance than the Linksys wireless. It likely does if the Linksys router is a few years old or older.

Been following this and agree that if the Linksys has the firewall controls you need, do "A" (as Bob advised) and put the Extreme in Bridge Mode. I have a Time Capsule doing the same thing in my network.

If you are looking for a replacement, the ASUS routers (I have an RT-AC66U) provide firewalling and also allows timed control (to the granularity of an hour) for individual devices, based on Mac address. The latter feature is available with the Extreme (Excluded Devices).

The downside of the ASUS line is that it really helps to be a techie - it appeals more to those who want a lot of knobs and know how to twist them.

Sure thing. I'll note up front that when our house was built 15 years ago, I had it wired to the hilt, so I have CAT lines running into just about every room. Any device that doesn't move around (i.e., is not an iThing or laptop) is connected to Ethernet.

I have cable Internet service. My modem is a Motorola Surfboard. That plugs into the WAN port of the ASUS.

The ASUS acts as my router / NAT / firewall. It has both a 2.4GHz and 5GHz network, with different SSIDs for each network (I try to force anything that can run on the 5GHz network onto it). The ASUS happens to be in the same room as a printer, so one of the LAN ports connects there. Another LAN port is connected to a 24 port Trendnet Gigabit switch. This switch feeds the built-in wiring throughout the house.

I use the time controls on the ASUS for the kids' devices. An advantage over the Apple products is that this applies both to wired and wireless devices. I've occasionally had to tweak things on the router to try to compensate for misbehaving devices (had a bad experience with Nest thermostats) but otherwise I'm not making use of many of the features. The key thing for me is that the router reveals a lot of information about what is going on. I can log into the unix shell (akin to using the terminal app on a Mac) if there is something the ASUS web interface doesn't show. I used to develop networking protocol software, so I sometimes even know what I'm looking for. 😁

The Time Capsule connects to the Gigabit switch. It is in bridge mode and "creates" both a 2.4GHz and 5GHz network. The 5GHz network has the same SSID as the ASUS, so essentially anywhere you are in the house, if you want to connect at 5GHz, you use that name (what is sometimes called a "roaming network"). The 2.4GHz SSID differs from the ASUS (it uses a name previously used by an Airport Express) but I'm thinking about changing that to match ASUS to simplify things. The Airport Express hangs off a LAN port on the TC, but the wireless is turned off; It is only used for AirPlay and whenever I want to run some sort of wireless experiment without bothering everyone else in the house.

Besides that, I have another 8-port Gigabit switch (also Trendnet) in the family room TV console to connect up all the stuff there (smart TV, Apple TV, set top box, etc.).

I would like to create an Apple network at home. However, the TC and AEBS doesn't provide any good network/firewall control

And that.....just might be one of the reasons why the Apple Stores do not use Apple routers to run the network.

They do however, use the Apple routers as wireless access points, just as we already suggested that you consider doing.

Modem > Router > AirPorts

My teens all have iPods and I would like to use TM to perform backups.

That will be difficult at best, if you were planning to back up the iOS devices directly to a Time Capsule, since they cannot do this.

If you need for the iOS to back up directly, they can do that to iCloud.

Correct me if I am wrong, most typical routers (Asus, Linksys, etc..) doesn't give you the option to block by IP. These routers only give you the option to block by URLs. If you have teenagers, it is a matter of time before they figure out the backdoor around the basic parental controls.

The one parental control I use, as mentioned above, is time control. It allows me to do this on a per-device basis, by device Mac address. There is no access for any kid devices at night. Now, the oldest one could figure out that cellular data still works then, but she likes sleep too much. There is an emulator for the UI at this link.

You mentioned, you have have a TC connected to the Asus. How did you correctly configure the TC to work with the Asus? Are you using TM on the TC?

The main reason for getting the TC was for TM. As Bob mentions, it only backs up Macs, not the iThings.

As I wrote above, the TC WAN port connects to a LAN port on the ASUS. On the Internet tab in AU, I connect via DHCP. A DHCP reservation is configured on the ASUS for the TC (and, well, for everything so that if I'm ever looking at a log or a packet trace I don't have to figure out what 192.168.1.72 - or whatever - is). On the Wireless tab, I create a wireless network, WPA2 protected. No guest network. Under wireless options, I give the 5GHz network a different name. All Automatic for channel selection. No hidden networks (a worthless "security" measure that causes more problems than solutions - don't get me going!).

This creates a "roaming" network for my 5GHz. Essentially, any number of wireless access points can advertise the same SSID and you'll see this in any large building that offers WiFi. A joining device will choose one usually based on signal strength. I'm about equidistant from the ASUS and TC right now and am connected to the TC (slightly better signal).

The TC is located on the opposite side of the house from the ASUS for WiFi reasons. Otherwise, I could put it anywhere.

In your case, the lack of wires means you'll have to create an extended wireless network as Bob indicates. You could wire the TC to Linksys (or its replacement) as I did. Leave the wireless off on the Linksys. Configure a DHCP reservation on the Linksys so the TC IP address doesn't keep changing. Create a WiFi network with the TC. Then you can use AEs in "extend a wireless network" fashion to cover the rest of the house.

You mention a Wii... Something I discovered a few years back is that if the Wii is in standby mode (yellow light), it repeatedly executes its network startup code - requesting a DHCP address, etc. - once every minute or two. It is a bunch of traffic on the WiFi that isn't going to kill things, but isn't productive, either. This doesn't happen when on (green light) or off (red light). So I've taught my kids to hold in the button until it turns red when they finish using it.

The main reason for getting the TC was for TM. As Bob mentions, it only backs up Macs, not the iThings.

Actually, if you have the iOS devices set to back up to iTunes on a Mac......then....the backups of the iOS devices (in iTunes) are backed up when the Mac backs up to the Time Capsule.

So, you could say that iOS devices can back up indirectly to a Time Capsule.

I have this AEBS just sitting around not even being used and I feel compelled to use it.

I think that we have already mentioned that you can use the AirPort Extreme as a wireless access point. Maybe there is some area in your home where you could use a stronger wireless signal?

Last night, I am in my office, the other side of the house, I noticed the AE dropped connection and rebooted itself. The light was green then turned blinking amber then green again. At that point, it was late and I went to bed. This was after 11pm EST. I think it was due to an Optimum outage. In AU, the globe had an amber light.

Are you sure that it rebooted? Powered down and started up again? If there was a loss of Internet connection from your provider, then the AirPort will blink amber until it is happy again when it has a good connection. This is normal.It is not a reboot, though.

Sorry, I don't' use BTMM, so can't comment on that. I do use port forwarding.....Apple calls it port mapping.....so that I can connect back to the Time Capsule or any other drive or computer on the home network when I am traveling. It has been rock solid for years.