Airport Express and TWC not performing together... Why?

It sounds like the TWC "modem" that you are describing is actually a modem/router, which is also known as a gateway device. As the name implies, the device is both a modem and a router in the same package. The AirPort Express is only a router.

Because you already have a modem and wireless router from TWC, the AirPort Express.....which is not known for its speed capabilities....is really not needed unless you simply want to have an Apple device producing a wireless signal.

As far as your question about whether the AirPort Express is being set up incorrectly. we cannot say. Normally, things either work or they don't, so you probably have things configured correctly.

We can try a few things to see if the speed will improve on the Express if you want, but if the TWC modem/router is producing the speeds that you desire, and the AirPort Express is still within the 14 day return period that most resellers allow, you might want to think about your options.

I wanted to use Airport because it works with another device and extends my network thru my whole apartment.

I guess I'm not sure why Airport is not producing the same speeds as the TWC router, after all, shouldn't it reach 300 to 450Mbps?

The Express is only 100mbit ports.. it is not ever intended as a main router.. it is an adjunct device.. for airplay to your speakers.. or to carry with you for hotel wifi connections.. It is totally limited to N wireless which means less than 100mbit real world speeds.. so apple used 100mbit ports on it because they are cheaper and use less power.

If you want a cheap replacement.. buy a Gen4 or better a Gen5 Extreme from ebay.. or if you already have extreme in your network.. swap roles with the express.. the extreme is much better router and later ones.. like Gen5 have better wireless than the latest Express.

I wanted to use Airport because it works with another device and extends my network thru my whole apartment.

So, you are saying that you have another Apple router in addition to the AirPort Express? We ask because the Express can only "extend" a network wirelessly if it connects to another Apple router.

If you could detail your entire network, we would have a better idea of what you have and how it might be setup.

I guess I'm not sure why Airport is not producing the same speeds as the TWC router, after all, shouldn't it reach 300 to 450Mbps?

The WAN Ethernet port on the AirPort Express is limited to only 100 Mbps, so in theory that would be the highest speed that the Express could ever deliver. Typically, with a 100 Mbps Internet connection, the Express will do about 40-45 Mbps. Not very impressive.

I guess I'm not sure why Airport is not producing the same speeds as the TWC router, after all, shouldn't it reach 300 to 450Mbps?

I'll let Bob provide you with answers but I would like to add that you should only expect an 802.11n AirPort Express (2nd generation) to have around 140 Mbps throughput over its WAN/LAN interface and around 80-85 Mbps throughput over wireless on either band. The 300-450 Mbps would be potential bandwidth but it is rarely ever achieved.

I'll try to use Airport as an extension to the network that TWC router creates.

To do that, the Express will need to be connected back to the TWC modem/router at all times using an Ethernet cable.

When the Express is set up this way....(not as a router, but as a wireless access point).....it might be reasonable to expect a 80-85 Mbps wireless connection using the Express, as Tesserax has noted. I got 92 Mbps a few minutes ago on my Express here when I set it up as a wireless access point using an Ethernet cable connection from the "main" router.

Post back if you need some tips on the installation. We'll need to know what operating system you are running on your computer to provide specific details.

I am dealing with the same situation and am very interested in this thread.

I'm trying to help a friend get her TWC gateway based wi-fi signal to a distant iMac running Mavericks.

I used an older Airport Express (A1264 model) and configured it with an ethernet cable connected to the iMac.

Everything went exactly according to the instructions I got elsewhere on this Forum. But, when I moved the AE to a halfway point and

plugged it in again, all I got was a blinking yellow light.

The iMac did set up a new network with my friends name, but, I don't seem to be getting signal through the AE.

Both wireless signal lights are solid green on the TWC gateway device.

Any ideas on how to fix this? Is the AE not compatible wirelessly with the TWC gateway?

The TWC gateway seems to have a weak signal. Is it possible to run the AE via ethernet from the gateway?

Would the AE have to be re-configured? If so, how is that done?

Thanks, Bob.

The answer is right at the top of the previous post.

I'll try to use Airport as an extension to the network that TWC router creates.

To do that, the Express will need to be connected back to the TWC modem/router at all times using an Ethernet cable.

So, if you need a stronger signal for the iMac, ideally the AirPort Express would be located in the same room or close proximity to the iMac. Then an Ethernet cable, which must remain permanently connected at all times must connect from one of the LAN <--> Ethernet ports on the TWC gateway to the Ethernet port on the AirPort Express.

The AirPort Express must be reset back to factory default settings....see note 1 below.... and then set up again to create a wireless network...se note 2 below..... that uses the same wireless network name and same wireless network password that the TWC gateway is using. This will result in one "big" network. The idea with this type of setup is that wireless devices can move from the area near the TWC gateway or the AirPort Express to the other area and stay on the same network.

Alternately, you could assign a different name to the wireless network that the AirPort Express is producing. If you do this, then the iMac and other devices located near the AirPort Express will need to select the name of the network that the Express is producing and then enter the password to connect.

Note 1.....with the AirPort Express powered on, hold in the reset button on the Express for 7-8 seconds and release. Then allow a full minute for the Express to restart to a slow, blinking amber light status. The Express has now been reset back to factory default settings.

Note 2....use Apple's setup wizard to configure the AirPort Express. Make the Ethernet cable connection from the TWC gateway to the AirPort Express first, then click the WiFi icon at the top of the iMac's screen and click on AirPort Express under the heading of New AirPort Base Station

That will get the setup wizard up and running. It will take a minute to analyze the network, then display a window that looks like this:

Network Name.....if you want the Express to produce a wireless signal with the same name as the TWC gateway, then enter the exact name of the network that the TWC gateway is producing. If you want the Express to produce a network with a different name, then enter that name....something like Wireless, for example

Base Station Name.....enter a name that you want to call the AirPort Express device. Mine is Express, for example

Password.......if you entered the same name of the wireless network that the TWC gateway is using, then enter the password that you use to connect to the TWC wireless network. If you entered a different Network Name for the Express, then enter a password that you want to use to connect to the wireless network that the Express will be producing

Verify.......confirm the password that you entered

Click Next and the wizard will setup everything for you. When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done and you are done.

You did not indicate in your post that you planned to have one Express near the gateway.

If the Express is creating a wireless network name that is the same as the gateway wireless, then you would not want both the Express and gateway to be in close proximity to each other......the same room, for example.......since a setup like this will dramatically increase the chances of wireless interference occuring between between the two devices.

If the Express will be located near the gateway, then it needs to be configured to produce a wireless network name that is different than the gateway wireless. Better yet, if possible, the wireless on the gateway needs to be turned off.

Then, the second Express can be setup to extend the signal from the first Express

When you extend a network like this wirelessly, you should expect to lose about half of the potential speed capability on the network. That unfortunately, is a nature of the beast with wireless. The signal speed can be avoided if both Express devices connect back to the gateway using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection.

Unfortunately, trying to extend a network using a wireless connection always results in a severe reduction of speed over the network.....typically about 50-60%....or more....and this assumes that you literally have a line of sight relationship between the AirPorts. (Apple buries information like this in their support documents) Two or three walls in the signal path will slow things at least another 15-20% or more.

All that I can suggest.....if you want the best possible performance on the network....is locate an AirPort Express, or better yet an AirPort Extreme in the middle of the area where you need more wireless signal coverage and speed, and connect it back to the gateway using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection.

I'm sorry, but there are just no shortcuts or workarounds available.

Sorry to take a while to get back into this post, but, today was the day to try and establish wi-fi.

Did the AE reset, got on the iMac and configured things, then got a message that I needed to connect the AE to the TWC Gateway. It was already connected. There was even a diagram with the missing connection blinking. The TWC Gateway has 4 identical yellow ethernet ports on the back and I tried two of them.

I used my iPad Mini to confirm the Gateway was working and the distant iMac seems to be reading the AE. I'm going to swap cables just to make sure that's not a problem. Any other ideas?

Thanks, Bob.

A bad cable is one possibility.

The other is unfortunately a bad port on the AirPort.