Using airport extreme to extend TP-link router

You cannot extend wireless using Apple wireless router to a TP-Link or any other brand for that matter. Apple use a totally proprietary system.

I think the Apple employee misunderstood the question.

You can

1. Use ethernet to connect the Airport back to the TP-Link and setup the Airport to extend using wired connection.. this is not really extend at all but rather a roaming network.

As an alternative to using ethernet you can possibly use EOP (powerline or homeplug alternative names) adapters. But the airport must have ethernet to plug into.

2. Reverse the order.

Replace the faulty and now removed TC with the Airport Extreme.. rather than TP-Link and setup the TP-Link as a repeater for the Airport wireless. This is possible in some cases.. depending on what TP-Link router you have. Check if it has universal repeater mode. It is certainly NOT the best setup.. but it can work.

Since TP-Link make hundreds of different products.. what is the exact model of router you bought. I can then check what is possible.

use my old airport extreme to extend the network, which I had been doing with the Time Capsule.

There are two ways for the AirPort Extreme to "extend" a network. It can connect back to the Time Capsule using a wireless connection.....or.....much better, it can connect back to the Time Capsule using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection.

How was the AirPort Extreme configured?

We ask this because Apple's "extend a wireless network" setting is a proprietary feature that allows the AirPort to extend the signal from another Apple router using a wireless connection. But, this setting will not work with a 3rd party wireless router.

Which model of "old" AirPort Extreme do you have? Is this the current "tower" shaped model or an older "flat" or "square" version (that looks like a small white pizza box)?

If it is an older version, we need the model number. It's on the bottom of the AirPort, likely embedded in the foam pad base. The model number starts with an "A" followed by 4 numbers. Post back with that info.

The employee claimed he had done it and that it was simple.

It is.....if you are planning to connect the AirPort Extreme back to the TP-Link router using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection.

It is not simple....and in fact not possible.....if you are planning to connect the AirPort Extreme back to the TP-Link router using a wireless connection.

I haven't been back to the Apple Store to find him, and wondered whether anyone else knew how to do this.

Assuming that your AirPort Extreme is a current or recent model....we know how to do this using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection between the AirPort Extreme and TP-Link router.

But, we don't know how to do something that is not possible, so we'll assume that the employee was thinking that you would be using an Ethernet cable to connect the AirPort Extreme back to the TP-Link router.

Post back with the info that we requested, and we will continue.

Edit.....Looks like LaPastenague posted almost at the same time and before I posted. Sorry for confusion.

It looks like you provided the serial number of the AirPort Extreme, not the model number, but knowing that you have an older version might be enough information. Just to be sure though, (if you want to continue), can you look again for the model number? It is usually embedded in the foam pad base and starts with an "A" followed by four numbers.

Not sure if you were aware or not that the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme are the same product......the only difference between them is that the Time Capsule has a built in hard drive for data storage.

You don't indicate whether or not you are planning to connect the old AirPort Extreme back to the TP Link router using a permanent, wired Ethernet connection. That is the only way that the AirPort Extreme can be configured to work with the TP Link router. It would really only make sense to do this if you are planning to locate the AirPort Extreme at least a room or two away from the TP Link router.

In other words, there would really be no value in locating the AirPort Extreme close to the TP Link router.

Please let us know if you want to proceed with the setup of the AirPort Extreme.

If you cannot run the Ethernet cable from the AirPort Extreme location back to the TP-Link router, then you might want to consider trying a pair of Ethernet over Powerline (EoP) adapters to send the signal over the existing AC powerlines in your home.

The theory with these devices is that you already have the wiring in place, you just need the adapters. In practice, things do not always work as well as the theory suggests, so if you want to give the adapters a try, it would make sense to understand the store's return policies in advance, before you buy.

Another option......If you want to locate the AirPort Extreme close to the TP-Link router.....then you can connect the two devices using a short Ethernet cable. Then, you could add an AirPort Express to wirelessly extend the signal from the AirPort Extreme....just like your AirPort Extreme was wirelessly extending the signal from the Time Capsule in the past.

Unfortunately, the A1354 AirPort Extreme was discontinued 7 years ago, so the product is at least that old and as much as almost 9 depending on when the product was first placed into service. The average useful life of a router designed for home use is about 5 years, so it's fair to say that the AirPort Extreme is living on borrowed time.

It might make more sense to invest in a TP Link extender to "extend" the signal from your current router. That way, you would know the products would be compatible.

It might make more sense to invest in a TP Link extender to "extend" the signal from your current router. That way, you would know the products would be compatible.

As mentioned, if you swap things around you can probably use the TP-Link to extend by wireless (universal repeater) from the airport running as main router. Knowing it is such an old model though it is well and truly due replacement anyway.

Keeping to one brand for doing any sort of extend wireless is spot on. Unfortunately standards in wireless networking are loosely held, and some things like wireless extended not covered at all. Even amongst single brand products they do not always work.. especially if the wireless chips are different.. eg one product uses Qualcomm and another uses Broadcom.. Extend wireless may be proclaimed in adverts but the reality is, it will require WEP security.. i.e. none at all.