Extending home wi-fi network using Airport Extreme

If you cannot run the Ethernet cable from one AirPort Extreme to another....which is the best performance option.....then your next best option would be to use a pair of Ethernet over Powerline adapters to send the "Ethernet" signal over the existing AC powerlines in your home.

The theory with these adapters is that you already have the wiring in place, you just need the adapters. In practice though, things don't always work out as well as the theory suggests due to the differences in which the AC wiring system can be laid out in the home.

So, if you decide to try a pair of the adapters......any computer / electronics superstore will have a selection of products from which to choose.....it would be a good idea to understand the store's return policies before you buy.

Wireless is the least desirable option in terms of performance since there will always be a huge loss in potential speed over the entire network when you extend a network this way. On top of that, a ceiling is going to be much more dense than an average wall in a home, so it may be a challenge to get a decent wireless signal to pass through the obstruction to the "extending" AirPort Extreme.

You can get an idea of the signal quality that the "extending" AirPort will receive if you simply move your computer or other WiFi device down to the area on the first floor where you were thinking of installing the second AirPort Extreme. As a quick test, log on using WiFi to see how the signal quality looks at that location. If the WiFi device works OK, then the extending AirPort Extreme might receive a decent enough signal to work with.

Another way to think about things would be to state that the extending AirPort Extreme can make the signal that it receives stronger, but it cannot make the signal that it receives go any faster.

With really good luck, the wireless extension method might be good enough for your purposes, but in return for a bigger network with additional range, you will have a significantly slower network. Unfortunately, there are always signficant compromises with a wireless approach.

It's your call. No harm in trying wireless first to see if it might work well enough for you. It certainly did not for me, but you may have better luck.

I have a spare Airport Extreme; can I use it to extend my home's wi-fi network?

Yes, assuming that your spare AirPort Extreme is not one of the old "round" or "dome" shaped products.

You don't indicate "how" you are thinking about extending the network, but there are two ways to do this, with one method being far better than the other.

You would want to avoid using a wireless connection between the AirPorts to extend the network if all possible, since this method always results in a slow down of at least 50% of the maximum speed on the network.

You can avoid the slowdown by using a permanent, wired Ethernet cable connection between the AirPorts, so for best performance, that is the way to go.

Yes, you can. In my house I have one airport extreme, and two airport expresses running in my house and they really do a great job projecting the wifi.

AirPort Express: How to join an existing Wi-Fi network in client mode - Apple Support

did factory reset on the Express and reinstalled--intermittent dropping of Express continued.

This tells me that the AirPort Express is likely not receiving a reliable high quality WiFi signal.

I elected to install my second Extreme to extend the network wirelessly;

The AirPort Extreme has much better (and more) WiFi antennas than AirPort Express, so it will work better in a location where an AirPort Express might be marginal.

Power off the entire network.....all devices, modem, AirPorts, computers, printers, etc.....in any order that you want.

Wait a minute

Power up the modem and let it run by itself for a few minutes

Then, power up the main AirPort and let it run for a full minute

Keep starting devices up one at a time about a minute apart until the entire network is back up

Check the network

If the problem continues, my suggestion would be to reset the AirPort Express back to factory default settings, then move it close to the main AirPort to set it up again and then move it back to the desired location.

Anything that you can do to minimize obstructions in the signal path between the AirPorts will help performance.

In the future, if you need to apply any updates to an AirPort that extends the network using wireless, I would recommend that you temporarily locate the extending AirPort close to the main AirPort, then apply the update. This will give the update a much better chance to install correctly. Once the AirPort has been updated, then move it back to the desired location.

Unfortunately, you did not provide the correct document to "extend a wireless network". The article details a special setup for the AirPort Express to "join a wireless network" in what is known as client mode. Using this setting, the Express does not "extend" the network at all, although it can be used for AirPlay or to connect an Ethernet device.

In other words, if your Expresses really are extending your network at the present time, they have been set up to "extend a wireless network"......not "join a wireless network", which the article describes. You can easily verify this using AirPort Utility.