Losing the will to live....

Question

Level 1

6 points

Losing the will to live....

Ok, I admit I'm probably dense, but I'm hoping someone can help me...

I have an Airport Express which I purchased simply to stream music from iTunes on my Mac-Mini to my hi-fi system in the next room...

A simple task you say...not so...

I also have an ancient BT Home Hub...:-(

Sometimes it works, and works well...but then at times it goes belly up and I lose all my internet connections and have to start all over again.

I'm now wondering if I'm actually setting it up wrongly.

When first discovered by the Airport Utility, which asks to set up a network, I'm adding it to my BT Home Hub...is that correct...???

Should I simply be creating a second network which will purely stream music from my Mac-Mini to the Airport Express..???

Dougie.

Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 6, 2015 11:03 AM

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Answer 1

Oct 6, 2015 4:52 PM in response to Bloosman

The problem is we are not sure what adding it to BT hub means..

Are you using ethernet to plug it in or wireless?? Let me encourage if at all possible .. use ethernet.. it is hugely more reliable than wireless ever will be.

Otherwise give us a few screenshots from the airport utility from your mini so we can see the setup..

We can work from there.

Mac mini, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

ElCapo is still a mystery.. did the problem occur before you upgraded or did both events.. purchase of the express and upgrade happen at the same time??

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Answer 2

Bloosman Author

Level 1

6 points

Oct 9, 2015 9:03 AM in response to Bloosman

Hi,

Apologies for the delay in replying...away from home just now...

This issue was present during Mavericks and Yosemite and appears, on the face of it, to be a problem with BT HomeHub.

The Hub is nowhere near the Airport Express, which makes it difficult connecting with ethernet.

My MacMini is connected to the Hub via ethernet, and the wi-fi is on.

I thought, naively maybe, that the Airport Express would receive the itunes music via wi-fi direct from the Mac, but when I try to set this up, as a separate network, it always asks me for an ethernet connection to do so. The only way I can do it wirelessly is by adding the Airport Express to my HomeHub network, and therein the problem lies I think...

For it all to work wirelessly, I have to go into the Hub set-up via Safari, change security to WAP and then, when inputing the serial number for the Hub, there is a requirement to place a $ sign in front of the number...!!! (Nothing about this in the BT literature)

Problem with that is that EVERY wireless gadget in the house has to have the same thing done...phones, Kindle, Tablets etc.

Then, when there is a later issue with the Hub/connection (ie. a droput), it all reverts to the original setup, ie WEP security and the original serial number...so I have to start over again.

Maybe I will invest in a MEGA-LONG ethernet cable and run it into the other room...

Sorry it's a bit vague, as I say I am away from home meantime.

Dougie.

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Answer 3

Oct 9, 2015 1:23 PM in response to Bloosman

Maybe I will invest in a MEGA-LONG ethernet cable and run it into the other room...

Never bad thing to at least have a long cable around to see if it fixes things.

Have you tried using EOP adapters.. these are not guaranteed solution but they often work.. it is simple to try but when you buy them make sure you can return them if they don't work.

Typical brands like TP-Link Linksys Netgear.. all make them. Very popular in the UK where you often use solid brick construction and so no wall cavity to run ethernet.

I thought, naively maybe, that the Airport Express would receive the itunes music via wi-fi direct from the Mac, but when I try to set this up, as a separate network, it always asks me for an ethernet connection to do so. The only way I can do it wirelessly is by adding the Airport Express to my HomeHub network, and therein the problem lies I think...

This is actually possible method of setup.. but tricky.

And of course the wireless signal at the Mac from the express must be sufficient to ensure good connection.

The Express must be setup in Router mode. ie DHCP and NAT. And ignore the fact there is no wan connection.

You must use a different IP range to the Home Hub. Just make sure of it but this appears to be ok.

http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/9011/~/how-do-i-change-the-dhcp-s ettings-of-the-bt-home-hub%3F

So if your BT home hub is using 192.168.x.x then the express on its default 10.0.1.1 will be fine.

The trick is to use static IP in the computer.

So open your wireless setup in preferences and give it an IP in the 10.0.1.x range.. say 10

So

The trick here is to use the same Router (Gateway) address as the HH.

Then go to the DNS tab and fill that in with the DNS same as the HH setup for ethernet.

This will allow the wireless to work at the same time as ethernet..

I think it is not as good as using a single flat network where everything is on the same IP range but it can work.

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