Unstable WiFi

Just so you know.. Time Machine is the backup software on your computer.

The router is a Time Capsule. (TC).

Which model is it?

In order to try and get good signal around the house I have two Apple Airport Express units installed at locations progressive distances from the Time Machine

I am guessing the Express are the latest model.. two ethernet ports? Please confirm.

If by progressive distances from the TC you mean that one Express is closer to the next one.. then that is extremely bad setup.

I spent a lot of time setting up extend wireless with Apple routers. I quickly discovered if there is multiple units they can swap around.. and apple designed them to only extend once.. so both Express must connect to the TC.. if one express connects to the other the whole system will fall over. So the express must be far as possible from one another and closer to the TC. They also must be placed in a position where they get very good signal from the TC so they have decent signal to extend.

Extend by wireless (ie wireless repeater) is very poor way to improve signal as it uses up half the bandwidth in connection.. don't do it.

If it is impossible to use ethernet then use powerline adapters. They don't always work but when they do are much better and more reliable than wireless.

Use the Express plugged into a powerline adapter and setup to extend by ethernet. This is entirely different configuration to extend wireless. And it will be more robust and reliable as well as a lot faster.

If you want to keep trying with wireless extend.. and having issues it is worthwhile giving us screenshots of the setup. There are some useful hidden details in the airport utility.. eg hover your mouse pointer over connection and a new box will come up showing connection details.

If the signal level RSSI is below -60db see mine is -74 which is much lower.. negative numbers increase as get closer to 0. You will get slow speed and unreliable connection.

There are some helpful rules.

1. When you extend wireless use static IP addresses.

2. Use static channels.

3. Use short names with no spaces and pure alphanumerics. Use passwords that match that but can be longer.

4. Make sure IPv6 is set correctly to Link-Local Only.

Modem with WiFi disabled because it is hard wired to an Apple Time Machine

I would also turn the wireless in the modem back on.. make sure your TC is connected as far from the modem as possible and as close to one of the wifi dark areas of your home.

Both TC and modem wifi can use the same wireless name and password.. so the clients will still determine which to join.

You also might find the signal from the modem is superior to the TC.. which can grow poor as they get older.

We have a ways to go..

I am in Melbourne. If you are in Northern suburbs a visit is possible.. otherwise sorry .. you either need to bring in some technicial help or pickup a rapid understanding of networking.

As long as we take this step by step I am sure you can manage.

I think I looked at powerline adaptors if they are what I think I was looking at and was sure that the limitation was, they all had to be on the same electrical circuit and that did not work in my house because the house is basically two houses with the computer room, incoming internet supply and modem in one and the living area with TV etc in the other one, joined together but with

two separate power supplies.

If this is not the powerline adaptors I was looking at please clarify. Also, just to clarify you are suggesting the Airport Express to be plugged in to the powerline adaptor. I thought the powerline adaptor basically was just a WIFI range extender and did the same thing the Airport Express plugged in to a power point does.

Two Separate Power Supplies??

Does the house use 2 phase power or multiple meters?

Powerline adapters can work really well .. when it says they have to be on the same electrical circuit that just means.. on the same phase behind the same meter. If one area of the house is on one fused circuit and another area of the house on another.. that certainly does not mean powerline adapters will not work.. it might simply mean they run a bit slower.

Due to the construction of the house.. multiple levels with lots of metal foil insulation you are in the worst possible setup for wireless. It is not going to work well ever.. no matter what hardware you buy. You need wired connections.. even if just one between your two areas. Powerline is the easiest.. worth a try if you don't want to go ethernet. Buy a pair of AV500 or AV1200 type (TP-Link) from store like office works that allows no questions asked return within a week. As well as price matching.. Plug one into the wall in your computer area and one into the wall in the living area.. and do an actual transfer test.. and see if they work. Suck and see is the only way. If it does not work simply return to the store and get your money back. They do not work like wireless.. they send ethernet signals over power lines.

However.. to do this properly and if you are prepared to spend a bit of money get a data cabler in to run ethernet. The cost usually starts around $200 up depending on how hard it is to access wall cavity etc. This is in the end the best.. it gives you reliable and guaranteed high speed connection. For people who own a house.. spend the dough.. it is well worth it in the long run. And then you don't have to bother with all the other stuff..

So I will get your reply on that first.. I strongly recommend ethernet.. if you don't want to do that then we can try and get better results with the wireless.. but your house layout is going to prevent it working properly ever.

What NBN modem do you have? Who is your RSP/ISP?

if many other wifi networks are close by and use the same channel as you thats an issue changing channel could help

2.4Ghz is a pretty busy band, dect landline wireless phones operate on it as does bluetooth and other wireless std's and microwave ovens make noises on it

if you can use 5Ghz it could help

Are you willing to give me a bit of advice on how I should go about it?

No problem at all. I am also old, retired.. and my brain just won't give up even if the rest of me is pretty much a wreck.

Let me suggest you move this off the forum.. talk to me direct. rayhav@gmail.com

Some of what you ask is helpful to anybody reading the thread. So that can be public.

My first question is what type of wire should I use. I am assuming CAT6 Data cable. Are you aware of anything better?

Correct. Cat6 is latest standard.. although there are higher grades available it is not really worth the expense. Even Cat5E is still fine for most installs.

My second question is, is it worth it, to run separate wires to the TV Airport Express location and connect the Airport Express, TV or Apple TV box

or is it OK to use an adaptor at that location?

or should I just rely on the much-improved WiFi signal from the Airport Express?

Alternatively, should and can I wire the TV and Apple TV box via the two outlets in the back of the Airport Express?

If it is better to run separate wires can I use the spares on the modem as the supply?

OK.. Q2 has a lot of bits.

So firstly a bit of theory.

The correct method.. is to wire each point separately back to a common switch panel in your house. On a new house this is how you would do it. Each wire run should include two cat6 cables.. even if only one is terminated.. since the wire cost is insignificant cf the labour to install it. One will be used for ethernet and the other for phone.. although nowadays phone outlets are hardly used.. both use identical Cat6 cabling. That means you have redundancy and allows you to place routers in locations different to main point where you main NBN is setup. A Laundry cupboard or garage area is then able to have a patch panel where you patch each room back to the service you want.

Hills in Australia make neat home cabinets for this.

Hills Home Hub - YouTube

Now the reality you face.

All very simple when you start from an empty frame.. much more difficult in a house especially on slab (no access underneath) and double storey.. so no access to the interior walls.. or with flat roof for example.. any sort of out of ordinary construction.. double brick, concrete, metal etc is going to make later cabling expensive.

So at a minimum.. you need one cable run from the TC to your downstairs TV location.. if there is another spot you use network/internet downstairs.. as you indicated you have two express 15M apart.. you can cross that area and terminate as well.. In the cable run I would have 2 or 3 Cat6 cables..

You can extend ethernet with a simple switch. These come in various sizes.. 5 port and 8 port are the ones you will be interested in and cost $40 or less.. ie these are really cheap items.

The speed is 1000Mbps and even one wire is more than adequate for all your needs.. but having two or three cables from one area to another just adds some redundancy and speed if you later on need it.

This method is poorer from a maintenance point of view.. fault finding is very simple with structured cabling from proper rack or wiring cabinet. But ethernet and switches are simple and reliable.. you can keep a spare and swap them over. It is not difficult.

Taking this .. let me give you a bit more specifics.

You can run a single ethernet cable.. TC to the location where you have the TV.. get a switch.. into the switch you will connect everything. Ethernet is so superior to wireless.. you want wireless for only the stuff you carry around.. ie iPhone, iPad, Macbook. Everything that does not move.. wire it.

the Airport Express, TV or Apple TV box

All just plug into the switch. (But they could also plug into multiple ethernet ports in the wall which are all independently wired back to the TC and a switch next to it).

Hope that makes sense.

or is it OK to use an adaptor at that location?

Yes.. that is a gigabit switch.. and they are cheap as.

Alternatively, should and can I wire the TV and Apple TV box via the two outlets in the back of the Airport Express?

The express is slow.. 100mbit and you will lose one port to connect it to the ethernet.. that would leave you one port only. You will need to setup the Express for wireless in your TV location.. so your iphone can connect.. but use nothing else on the express.. wire everything to the switch. Which being gigabit is 10x faster.

should I just rely on the much-improved WiFi signal from the Airport Express?

Yes, in theory you could.. don't do it. Stuff that doesn't move.. gets ethernet.. and ALL networking problems cease forthwith. Wireless is voodoo technology. Coloured feathers and rattles have as much to do with the outcome as science. Placating the evil god of the ether is not necessary with ethernet.

is better to run separate wires can I use the spares on the modem as the supply?

Possible to do this.. since the modem is also working as router.. your TC is bridged and the other ports are free.. that should give you two or three free ports at least. However it is better to plug just the TC into the modem.. and plug 8 port switch into the TC.. and plug everything else into the switch. Up to you on this one.. if the layout is messy for you for sure use spare ports..

Summary.

Wire = good

Wireless = bad.

Wire down everything that doesn't move.

In my setup I have a modem bridged.. plugged into the phone line (due to get FTTC NBN soon.. yah!!) But that will still give me exactly the same layout.. a bridged modem..

One Asus RT-AC3200 main router.

Plugged to 16 port gigabit switch. So only the switch plugs into the main router.. everything else is plugged to the switch.. this keeps maintenance easier.

I then have cabling to several rooms of the house.. but not enough.

I still need a couple of 8 port switches or AC wireless routers (I use Time Capsules) used as switch and Wireless Access Points (WAP) to get network to rooms beyond those. I also have too much steel and double brick for wireless to get very far. Single ethernet connections from room to room suffice for the rest of the house.

Get a data cabler (electricians usually have data certificates but are often hopeless at correctly wiring ethernet.. you will need to do the best you can with people available).. to do that main run with 2 cables and work from there.

Talk to me direct about switches to buy and other gear.. also configuration of the express. Any other specifics to your home.