No Wifi signal after extending Airport Express

I haven't done a great deal of research yet, but it looks like I don't need to buy an Airport Extreme to replace the Airport Express. I just need to figure out how I convert the first Airport Express to work as a bridge.

Unfortunately, you are getting confused by terminology. Any Express that is set up to extend a wireless network is also automatically configured in Bridge Mode. You don't have to worry about that, it happens automatically.

Just remember that if an Express is already set up to extend the network, you cannot connect another Express to the Express that is already extending the network. That would be extending the network two times, and Apple's technology will only allow you to wirelessly extend the network one time.....not two.

You can have multiple AirPorts extending the network, but each one of the them must connect directly to the "main" base station......not to another AirPort that is already extending the network.

Apple explains the same thing a slightly different way in their support document:

Important note

If another extended Wi-Fi base station ➋ is placed between the primary Wi-Fi base station ➊ and the extended Wi-Fi base station ➌, the extended Wi-Fi base station ➌ will not allow clients to join it. All extended Wi-Fi base stations must be in direct range of the primary Wi-Fi base station

That means that all extended AirPorts must all be located about the same distance from the "main" Airport.

Marcus -

Check here -- looks like you're not the only one. A couple troubleshooting tips, but not sure they'll help. Sorry can't provide better info but thought this might help.

https://community.netgear.com/t5/Arlo-Q/Arlo-Q-will-not-connect-Airport-Extreme/ td-p/1102855

-Andrew

Open up AirPort Utility and take a look at the system graphic.

Your "main" AirPort should appear just under the Internet "globe".

Each AirPort that is set up to wirelessly extend the signal from the "main" AirPort must appear horizontally side by side , with each AirPort connecting directly to the "main" AirPort via a dotted line (wireless) connection.

You don't want to see a graphic where one AirPort Express is connecting to another AirPort Express "vertically".....since the bottom AirPort will not be extending the network at all in this type of setup.

In other words, each of the AirPort Expresses that are wirelessly extending the network must connect directly to the "main" AirPort.....not to another AirPort that is already extending the network.

Reason....Apple will only allow you to "extend" the network one time. You can have more than one AirPort extending the network.....but....each AirPort must connect directly to the "main" AirPort.

Please report on your findings.

it's important to understand that Apple's wireless "extend" feature for the AirPorts works on signal strength. So, ideally you would want to locate your "main" AirPort close to the center of the house, and each "extending" AirPort would be located about the same distance from the main router.

Think of a wheel with several spokes. The "hub" of the wheel is your "main" router. Each extending AirPort would be located at the end of a separate "spoke". As such, each extending AirPort is about the same distance from the main AirPort.....and.....it connects directly to the main AirPort.....not to another AirPort at the end of another spoke.

I get it. My Time Capsule, (one spoke) is connected with an Ethernet cable to the cable modem,(my internet globe). If I wish to use the Airport Express as a range extender, are you saying it must have a physical connection, e.g. ethernet cable, to the cable modem as well to create a second spoke?

I get it. My Time Capsule, (one spoke) is connected with an Ethernet cable to the cable modem,(my internet globe)

No, I gave you an example of how Apple's "extend" setup really works. This will not correlate to the graphic that you see in AirPort Utility.

In the example that I gave you, the Time Capsule is at the "hub" of an imaginary wheel. Each AirPort Express that wirelessly extends the signal from the Time Capsule is loctated at the end of an imaginary spoke.

If you translate this to the graphic in AirPort Utility, the Time Capsule connects to your "modem"....the globe...using a wired connection. This is displayed by a solid line from the globe to the Time Capsule.

In a a correct setup, each AirPort Express would be lined up side by side horizontally with a dotted line....representing a wireless connection....back to the Time Capsule.

If I wish to use the Airport Express as a range extender, are you saying it must have a physical connection, e.g. ethernet cable, to the cable modem as well to create a second spoke?

No, I said that each AirPort Express....that connects using wireless.....needs to be located about the same distance from the Time Capsule. So, let's say that the den was the approximate center of the house, and there were bedrooms on either end of the house. The Time Capsule would be located in the den with one Express in one bedroom at one end of the house and the other Express in the other bedroom at the other end of the house. If you also have an upstairs, then one Express would be located upstairs. Each Express would be located about the same distance from the Time Capsule in order to have each Express receive about the same wireless signal strength from the Time Capsule.

You cannot have an Express located closer to another Express than it is to the Time Cspsule.

I have an Airport Express as my base connected to the cable modem. I have 2nd Airport Express connect to the base Airport Express via an internet cable in another part of the house. However, the 2nd Airport Express is not extending the network and, as you noted, Airport Utility has them arranged vertically, not horizontally. How do I fix this set up?

This thread is a discussion about "extending" using a wireless connection between AirPorts.

You are asking about extending using a wired Ethernet connection between AirPorts, which is an entirely different subject with different "rules". This type of network will display differently in AirPort Utility than a network using wireless connections between the AirPorts

Please start another post describing your issue and include information on what model of AirPort Express you have and what device......a Mac or iPhone / iPad, you are using to configure the AirPorts.

Aha. How then do I go from vertical to horizontal? Physical cable? or?

OK, will do.