My home network Set up

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Level 1

9 points

My home network Set up

Hi, I didn't really know what to call this thread, but here goes.

Basically I have the main phone line coming into my Office at home, a BT Homehub, creating the wi-fi network 'Office'. The hub then connects to:

a) Via a very long Ethernet cable to the Kitchen where is runs into an Airport Express which then generates a wi-fi network called 'Kitchen'

b) A powerline adapter, which at the other end runs into another Airport Extreme that then generates a wi-fi network called 'Lounge'

c) Into a Sonos bridge, which then wirelessly goes through two more Sonos bridges and then finally an Ethernet connection to an Airport Express which then generates a wi-fi network called 'Top Floor'

d) To an Apple Time Machine base station wirelessly

So you can see my problem, my house has FOUR wi-fi networks. So switching between them as you move round the house means you have to detach from one and connect to the other. It's tiresome but we have got used to it. A friend told me the other day that I can have this all called the same network (e.g. 'Office') if I wanted. But I haven't got a clue how.

Here is a picture I currently get from my Airport Utility:

Any help greatly appreciated !

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Mar 21, 2016 7:23 AM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

157,854 points

Mar 21, 2016 10:46 AM in response to calvinbrady

From the AirPort Utility network configuration diagram, you can see that the three base stations connected by a solid line are wired connections, and the single base station, connected by a dotted line, is wireless. This pretty much sums up what you have already described as the physical layout of your home's current network.

To create a "single" Wi-Fi network from all of this will take, at least, two primary steps:

Configure the three wired base stations into a roaming network.
Configure the base station, connected by wireless, to extend the range of the roaming network.

The keys to a successful roaming network, are:

Each base station other than the "main" one need to be reconfigured as bridges.
Each base station must broadcast a wireless network, but use the same network name (aka, SSID) and use the same wireless security type & password.

Properly set up, a wireless network client would "see" only a single Wi-Fi network and could roam between base stations and be on this "same" network.

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Answer 2

calvinbrady Author

Level 1

9 points

Mar 21, 2016 12:03 PM in response to Tesserax

Thanks for the reply.

The reason I have so many wired connections is because Wi-Fi doesn't really work in my house (long thin house with very solid walls).

Also, the Base station, the time machine, is kind of stand alone - nothing connects to it, it doesn't emit a Wi-Fi signal, just connects to the BT hub (which is where internet first comes into the house) - I use it as a wireless hard drive only (for backing up my Mac)

Does the roaming stuff still apply then ?

Thanks

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Answer 3

Tesserax

Level 10

157,854 points

Mar 21, 2016 12:12 PM in response to calvinbrady

The reason I have so many wired connections is because Wi-Fi doesn't really work in my house (long thin house with very solid walls).

Wired connections are superior to wireless, especially where throughput performance counts ... so your set up is the correct way to go.

Also, the Base station, the time machine, is kind of stand alone - nothing connects to it, it doesn't emit a Wi-Fi signal, just connects to the BT hub (which is where internet first comes into the house) - I use it as a wireless hard drive only (for backing up my Mac)

Does the roaming stuff still apply then ?

Yes. Again, for roaming, all of the base stations should connect back to the "main," in this case your BT Hub, by Ethernet (or Powerline). The only base station that will not be in the roaming network configuration will be your TC ... unless you can get it connected by Ethernet as well. If not, then once the roaming network is properly configured, we can still use it to extend that network via a wireless connection. That way, it can still be used by network clients for Time Machine backups.

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