Q: Extend original generation 'round' airport extreme network
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Dec 26, 2015 8:48 AMby Bob Timmons,You will need....or be able to borrow for an hour or two..... a Mac that is running the Leopard (10.5.x) or Snow Leopard (10.6.x) operating system, or a PC with AirPort Utility 5.6.1 for Windows installed on the device to be able to do what you want.
Then, follow the instructions for a WDS Network in this Apple support document:
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Dec 26, 2015 4:16 PMby David. Bray,Thanks, Bob. You may recall a thread about two years ago asking 'which airport utility do I need' for someone trying to extent his wifi network based on a 2004 cone shaped Airport Extreme. This is what I am trying to do also. However, I have an old ibookG4 running OS 10.3.9 and an early version of Airport Administration Utility 4.2 (v420.31) which can apparently administer the old Airport Extreme. But the iBook fails to detect the new Airport Express which I wish to use to extend the network. And I have no instructions on how to actually set up the extension using Airport Administration Utility 4.2. My MacBook Pro running El Capitan is no help. Should I attempt to move the old Airport Admin Utility application to my MacBook Pro and try to configure the new Express from there? My MacBook Pro did detect the new Airport Express when I first switched it on.
Much help needed please. Thanks in advance.
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Dec 26, 2015 4:46 PMby Bob Timmons,Sorry, I have not ever used AirPort Admin Utility, so cannot offer much help there, but do know for a fact that it cannot be used to administer the new AirPort Express.
You will need AirPort Utility 5.6.1 to set up the new AirPort Express to use the WDS settings....so that means the operating system on a Mac must be Leopard (10.5.x) or Snow Leopard (10.6.x). A PC with AirPort Utility 5.6.1 for Windows should work....but I have not tested with a PC. Here's a look at Apple's Specifications for the AirPort Express:
AirPort Utility 6.x or higher and any of the AirPort Utility versions for the iPhone, iPad, etc cannot be used for your setup....since there are no WDS settings in those newer version applications. As you know, the older WDS method to extend a network was very very slow, and required the use of long outdated WEP security settings.
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Dec 26, 2015 4:58 PMby Bob Timmons,Should I attempt to move the old Airport Admin Utility application to my MacBook Pro
No, since it cannot be installed on the MacBook Pro. But even it could....as I mentioned previously....you still need the 5.6.1 version of AirPort Utility for the new AirPort Express.
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Dec 26, 2015 10:20 PMby LaPastenague,David. Bray wrote:
I wish to extend my wifi network based on an original generation 'round' airport extreme (working brilliantly) with a new airport express using my Macbook Pro with El Capitan installed. El Capitan does not recognise the old base station. I have tried to download airport utility 5.6 but El Capitan does not cooperate. Help please!!
If you really want to do this.. other than the problem of the right airport utility to use.. my recommendation would be to buy another round airport Extreme G wireless model.
It is much better to stick to right units.. apple specifically state NOT to use WDS for G to N models.
WDS is designed for 802.11g, and shouldn’t be used for 802.11n devices. Wi-Fi base stations may include AirPort Extreme (802.11g) and AirPort Express (802.11g).
A second hand G wireless base station is just a few dollars from ebay. I setup and used the G wireless models in WDS and they did work very well together.. mixing the N wireless into the mix is really the wrong move.
When you use the pair of G wireless models they can maintain WPA2 security between them.
Again from the same document.
Optional: By default, Wireless Security is set to Not Enabled so that no password will be required to join the network. We recommend you click the Change Wireless Security... button, select WPA2 Personal, and create a password between 8 and 63 characters long.
But I do still remember setting this up was a pretty complex job.
There were a few posts around the net to help you do it because you needed to spend 3 or 4 goes to get it right.
G wireless is of course going to be limited in speed.. in a WDS setup your peak speed real work is around 10Mbps.
That is many times slower than using N gear.
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Dec 27, 2015 8:22 AMby Bob Timmons,I think what I am trying to do is not possible without replacing my current and rather ancient Airport Extreme!
It is possible if you can get a copy of AirPort Utility 5.6.1. If you are saying that this is not possible, then I can understand.
But even if you could get a copy of AirPort Utility 5.6.1 to use or borrow, whether or not it would make any sense to try to work with a decade old product that Apple lists as "obsolete" is a different issue.
I think we could have saved you some time, if you had asked up front whether we would recommend that you try to use a 10 year old product to work with the new Express.....even if it is possible....which it is.
