Redid wireless setup, now disaster!

Question

Redid wireless setup, now disaster!

I have 4 Apple wireless devices:

- 2tb Time Capsule

- 1tb Time Capsule

- 2 x Airport Express A1392

Both TC and one AE are connected via ethernet to my ADSL 2+ modem and thence to the internet. The other AE is at the back of the house where there is no ethernet as a wireless extender. All are up to date with their firmware.

The way it WAS set up was the ethernet AE was the source of the wireless network and the other three were extending it. It is in the same room as the modem, the two TCs in the room next door to that, the remote AE maybe a further 5 metres back through some stone walls. Its signal was always bad for understandable reasons.

I destroyed that whole network by setting all those devices to Wireless OFF in the Airport utility on my iMac (also on the ethernet). I then turned ON the wireless in my ADSL 2+ modem (which has been OFF until then) and set up an extender bought for the purpose part way back in the house. That new network was unsatisfactory, so I canned it; also I could not see a way of adding the Apple devices to it. The wireless in the ADSL modem is now OFF and the extender is unplugged and inactive.

Trying to redo the old network became a complete nightmare! The basic problem is I can only set up ONE of the Apple wireless devices successfully (obviously using the "Create a wireless network" function in the Airport utility); at present that is the 2tb TC but any of the three ethernet-connected one behaves the same way.

Attempting to add the 1tb TC or the ethernet-connected AE via "extend a wireless network" appears to work, but then the whole wireless network disconnects and connects to the internet every few minutes. By this I mean that the green light in the Internet icon of the Airport utility switches to orange, then back to green, ad infinitum. When that happens even the ethernet-connected devices like my iMac drop off the internet!

The situation is now that the Airport utility shows the three ethernet-connected wireless devices only, whether I select "ethernet" or "wi-fi" in the "Other Wi-fi devices" button there (screenshot added).

In that image the centre device is the wireless, the other two are OFF. As I say above if I try to extend the wireless network with them, the problem occurs. This happens regardless of which of the three is the originator of the wireless network. I have changed wireless network names several times.

The second remote AE simply never appears in the utility under either option.

I have powered off every device in the network to make sure there's nothing cached hanging around.

I simply cannot see what I could be doing wrong to cause this problem! It makes no sense to me. This stuff has always "just worked" before.

Thanks to anyone who can help me!

iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017), macOS High Sierra (10.13.6)

Posted on Oct 15, 2018 6:21 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Bob Timmons

Level 10

186,782 points

Oct 15, 2018 8:56 PM in response to Andrew Taubman

We can fix this, but you will likely need to change your thinking and accept the idea that you cannot configure an AirPort with an Ethernet connection to "extend a wireless network".

"Extend a wireless network" is a setting that is used only if an AirPort connects using wireless.....and the two Time Capsules and AirPort Express all connect using Ethernet.

If you try to configure an AirPort that is connected using Ethernet to "extend a wireless network", that will create a huge feedback loop and effectively crash the entire network. So, you would not ever want to try to configure an AirPort to "extend a wireless network" if it is connected to the network using Ethernet. Now you know for the future.

Power off the 1 TB Time Capsule and AirPort Express and leave them off.

Power off the modem and 2 TB Time Capsule

Wait a minute, then power up the modem and let it run a few minutes

Power up the 2 TB Time Capsule

Open up AirPort Utility

Click on the 2 TB Time Capsule

Click Edit in the smaller window that appears

Click the Wireless tab near the top of the AirPort Utility window

Check to make sure that the setting for Network Mode is set to Create a wireless network

Click the Network tab near the top of the AirPort Utility window

Check to make sure that the setting for Router Mode is set to Off (Bridge Mode)

Click Update at the lower right of the window if you have made any changes

When the 2 TB Time Capsule restarts, check to make sure that WiFi devices near the 2 TB Time Capsule can connect to the WiFi and get a good Internet connection.

Post back on your progress......but please do NOT power up either the 1 TB Time Capsule or AirPort Express yet. We need to go one step at a time.

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Answer 2

Oct 15, 2018 10:29 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Ok that is done, the three wired devices are now all on Create mode, green lights on, and also pushing out the 5ghz network too.

I wasn't able to get the wireless AE to appear in the Airport utility even after a hard reset. Then I realized both my iMac and iPhone were on the 5ghz network I'd set up not the standard one. Once I switched the iMac to the standard one it appeared in there and I was able to set it up to extend okay. It even picked up the 5ghz network and extended that too, automatically. So it looks like we are done thanks to you!

My last question is about DNS. As part of my efforts before I posted here, I set the 2tb TC to use my preferred DNS Google 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 in its Airport utility setup menu. Should I bother doing that, and indeed bother setting up the other wireless devices to do that also? Or is just doing this on say the ADSL modem enough and they'll all effectively use that?

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Answer 3

Bob Timmons

Level 10

186,782 points

Oct 15, 2018 9:45 PM in response to Andrew Taubman

I had already set the other two wireless devices to OFF, so that was already effectively as you requested it.

Sorry, not sure what you are referring to when you say OFF. It sounds like you have turned off the wireless function on these devices. I did not say to do anything to these devices for now except simply power them off.

If you want the 1 TB Time Capsule and AirPort Express to produce a wireless signal, you would set them up exactly the same as the 2 TB Time Capsule......

Create a wireless network that uses the exact same wireless network name, security and password as the 2 TB Time Capsule and make sure that each device is configured in a Network Mode of Off (Bridge Mode).

In other words, except for the name of the device, both the 1 TB Time Capsule and AirPort Express will use the same settings for Network Mode and Router Mode that the 2 TB Time Capsule is using.

If the 1 TB or AirPort Express do not "show up" in AirPort Utility, then you will need to reset them back to default settings and then set them up again. Apple's setup "wizard" makes this quick and easy.

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Answer 4

Bob Timmons

Level 10

186,782 points

Oct 15, 2018 9:55 PM in response to Andrew Taubman

My advice would be to go one step at a time. Set up the 1 TB Time Capsule and check it out. Then, power up the AirPort Express and check/adjust it as well.

If the other second Express connects to the network using wireless, then it will be configured to "extend a wireless network". Then, you should be all set.

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Answer 5

Bob Timmons

Level 10

186,782 points

Oct 15, 2018 10:29 PM in response to Andrew Taubman

DNS would need to be set up on your modem/router.....not on the AirPorts.

If you have the Google servers set up on your modem/router.....then you do not need to set them up on the AirPorts, or computers, etc, since they will all receive the DNS info that your modem/router provides.

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Answer 6

Oct 15, 2018 9:21 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thank you very much for your thoughtful and detailed reply!

> If you try to configure an AirPort that is connected using Ethernet to "extend a wireless network", that will create a huge feedback loop and effectively crash the entire network.

I thought that was how it was before, but it seems clear I was wrong in that! So thanks.

> Post back on your progress

I had already set the other two wireless devices to OFF, so that was already effectively as you requested it. But I've now actually powered them off too. Resets are done and I did not have to change anything on the 2tb TC. I've told the Airport utility to forget the other two wireless devices so only the 2tb TC shows now.

I've again connected to the wireless network from my phone and it works fine. I didn't mention that I'd also used Wireless options to create a 5ghz network; I assume that doesn't change anything but there it is, for completeness of information for you.

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Answer 7

Oct 15, 2018 9:46 PM in response to Bob Timmons

> Sorry, not sure what you are referring to when you say OFF. It sounds like you have turned off the wireless function on these devices.

That's right, I mean setting them in the Airport utility Wireless tab to OFF instead of Create or Extend or whatever. Just to take them out of the equation and stabilise the one wireless device I had working.

The 1tb TC and the wired AE show up in the Airport utility when I turn them on just fine. I'll now go ahead and set them to Create also.

However the unwired AE never shows up there. I'll see if I can find online this setup wizard you refer to, thanks once more.

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Redid wireless setup, now disaster!

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