HT202056: Wi-Fi base stations: Extending the range of your wireless network by adding additional Wi-Fi base stations
Learn about Wi-Fi base stations: Extending the range of your wireless network by adding additional Wi-Fi base stations
Q: airport extreme extender
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Aug 12, 2016 10:44 AMby Bob Timmons,There are two ways to "extend" a network, with one method offering much better performance than the other.
The best way to extend a network is to have the new AirPort connect back to the "main" AirPort using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection. There is no signal loss when you do it this way, so maximum speeds on the entire network are maintained.
The second AirPort can be located anywhere that the Ethernet cable will reach....up to a maximum length of about 325 feet, or 100 meters.
It is also possible to have the second AirPort connect back to the first using a wireless connection. Unfortunately, when you do it this way, there will always be a loss of about half of the potential speed on the entire network. And, this assumes that you literally have a line-of-sight relationship between the two AirPorts. If there are walls or ceiling in the signal path, then even more performance will be lost.
The second AirPort will need to be located about half way between the first AirPort and the general area where you need more wireless signal coverage.
Hopefully, you will choose the best performance method, but we must ask......which method do you want to use?.....since the setup is different for each type of network.
Is the iMac that you list in your tagline still using OS X (10.7.3), or has it been updated to a newer operating system?
