Multiple Airport Extremes - use 1 SSID or 2?

The Airport Extreme is a simultaneous dual band router. This means that by default the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz network will have the same name. If you have a SSID named "NETWORK 5GHz" it means that you have setup the 5GHz with a different name. It would be suggested that you deselect this option so that the clients would find the best network suited for it. (Option 3)

1. Open Airport Utility

2. Select the Primary Airport Extreme and click on the "Edit" button

3. Go to the wireless tab and at the bottom select "Wireless Options"

4. Deselect the checkbox beside 5GHz network name.

This will name the 5GHz network the same as the 2.4GHz network name.

For the second and third Airport Extreme it would be suggested that you set them up to extend the network normally.

The 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies both have positives and negatives. 2.4GHz has can reach further ranges and can penetrate solid objects a lot better than the 5Ghz frequency. This is why 2.4GHz is standard with all routers and for that reason this can create interference. The 5GHz is a much better frequency to take advantage of when you are closer to the router. This is why it's better to let your devices choose the network themselves because they will switch to the one that offers the better connection at a given time.

Cheers,

Dekker

IMHO there are no hard and fast rules for this.

It is open to discussion which works best..

3. Change the SSID of BOTH band names to the SAME name, say NETWORK, and let each client device pick the network it thinks is better.

The problem here is that devices are all designed to connect to the best signal. Over a longer distance that is almost inevitably 2.4ghz.. even if you have loads of interference.. the apple routers will still choose 2.4ghz as will the clients.

I find by using manual setup I can force the connection of the extend wireless link to 5ghz.. and although the signal is much poorer.. the link is faster and more stable than using 2.4ghz.. In auto mode it will always choose wrongly.

2. Extend BOTH networks (Airport Utility asks me if I want to extend BOTH when I try to extend just one band).

Strange things happen when you start doing these things.. I get very odd stuff.. so you do have to say.. try it.. say extend both bands and see what the result is like.. the more you fiddle though the more strange stuff happens.

Use the wireless diagnostics built into the OS now.

The main TC5ghz shows the correct 5ghz channel.

But the extend wireless using 5ghz name.. is actually running channel 6. So that is 2.4ghz.. It is all correct when I open the airport utility.

Bob might like to add a few comments as he is the expert in this area..

But I am happy with the way I have it running.. it works.. I can make it do what I need to do and better than auto function does.. albeit some strange side effects.. seem to be part and parcel of it.

The same MacBook connects at 250Mbit when it is located on 1st floor WiFi, close to the AP, and 100-150Mbit when on the second floor connected with WiFi to one of the Extremes that extends the network.

This speed loss is expected when you try to extend a network using a wireless connection between AirPorts, since the rule of thumb is that you will lose about half of the connection speed on the network when you extend this way.

If you are interested in maintaining top speeds everywhere on your network, the only way to accomplish that goal is to connect the AirPorts together using wired Ethernet cable connections between them.

If you are happy, all is well.

If you are in the habit of backing up over wireless, or transferring files from one location to another over the network, it's nice having these backups and file transfers occur at 2-3 times their normal speed over wireless.

I never did find streaming HD content all that reliable over wireless, and fixed the issues completely with Ethernet connections between the AirPorts. It sounds like you may be having better luck than I did with wireless connections.