can a wifi network with an airport extreme be wirelessly extended with two airport express?

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can a wifi network with an airport extreme be wirelessly extended with two airport express?

i've successfully expanded the range of my wifi network by connecting an older airport express brick to a brand new airport extreme. unfortunately, there's one more room i'd like to reach, so i'm attempting to add a second (newer) express to that room to get full coverage. when i attempt to configure it in airport utility it continually hits an "unexpected error" message or crashes the network. is there anything i need to change in the settings? should the middle express be set to something else (like a relay?) in order to allow the new express to join the network? i've reset the final express to factory default and tried to let the wizard set it up to extend my existing network.

i understand that i'll sacrifice speed, but there's no way to wire them at present. worst case, would i have better results if i drill through the floor and wire the extreme to the middle express?

thanks,

david

MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4/2.2 GHz), OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Feb 11, 2016 10:08 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 11, 2016 10:15 AM in response to blundertron

Sorry, but Apple will only allow you to wirelessly "extend" the network one time, not two.

In other words, any device that "extends" the network must connect directly to the "main" router.....not to another router that is already extending the network.

Another way to say the same thing.....both of your extenders need to be about the same distance from the "main" router and both extenders need to be closer to the main router than they are to each other.

Do you want to keep trying to set up the 2nd AirPort Express?

"would i have better results if i drill through the floor and wire the extreme to the middle express?"

Yes, that would allow you to do what you want, assuming that the "remote" Express can pick up a good wireless signal from the middle Express.

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Answer 2

blundertron Author

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Feb 11, 2016 10:17 AM in response to blundertron

ok. after doing this for an hour, it finally seems to have worked. it's a bit slower downstairs, but it's functional. sorry for the hiccup.

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Answer 3

blundertron Author

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Feb 11, 2016 10:21 AM in response to Bob Timmons

hm. okay, well, i'll see how this goes, and if it's too slow i may have to see if i can get a wire down there somehow. fwiw, i did finally get this configuration, but i had to start with the laptop in the room with the third extender so utility would recognize it, and then i moved back to a location underneath the base router.

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Answer 4

Feb 11, 2016 10:54 AM in response to blundertron

To find out if both Expresses are really extending......open AirPort Utility and look at the network layout.

If both Expresses are extending the signal.....both Expressed will be side by side with each showing dotted line connections to the main router.

If you have one Express on top of the other, the bottom Express is not extending the network.....it's an illusion.

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Answer 5

Feb 11, 2016 10:29 AM in response to blundertron

Unfortunately, the bottom Express is not extending the wireless signal at all. It can be used for AirPlay or to connect a remote USB printer though.

Here is the "proof". There are other ways to prove this as well.

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Answer 6

blundertron Author

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Feb 11, 2016 10:58 AM in response to Bob Timmons

in practice though, something is happening. i previously got no signal in that room and could not connect. now i have four bars and am able to connect to the net (albeit with a bit of lag). is there an explanation for that? it's been difficult to figure out.

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Answer 7

Feb 11, 2016 11:03 AM in response to blundertron

Well, Apple has just told you that the "remote" Express is not extending the network. You are connected to the "middle" Express....even if your computer if very close to the "remote" Express.

If you have a Mac laptop handy, we can provide more proof of this fact if you want.

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Answer 8

blundertron Author

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Feb 11, 2016 11:08 AM in response to Bob Timmons

i do, but i trust what you're saying. it's just curious. as such, i unplugged the thing. i'm now getting a full signal out here without it. very weird. the only thing i can think of is that during the process i went up and reset the airport extreme at one point, so perhaps that helped?

thanks for clarifying things.

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Answer 9

Feb 11, 2016 11:13 AM in response to blundertron

the only thing i can think of is that during the process i went up and reset the airport extreme at one point, so perhaps that helped?

That was the ticket.

If you have a Mac laptop handy.......move it close to the "middle" Express and restart the Mac

Hold down the option key on the Mac while you click on the WiFi icon at the top of the screen

Look for BSSID and jot down the last 3-4 characters. That is the ID of the device to which the Mac is connected.

Now move the Mac close to the "remote" Express and do the same thing.

Do you see that you are still connected to the "middle" Express?

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