Extending range of Airport Extreme Network

[pinkoos]

Hi,

I'm having some A/V type work done in my home and my router needed to be moved to one far end of the house. It's an Airport Extreme (latest N).

Consequently, the middle (and especially) opposite end of the house either gets spotty or no network coverage at all.

The A/V guys who are doing the work said that all I need is a WAP (wireless access point) to extend the range. They plan on hard-wiring (cat5e) from the Airport Extreme to the WAP and thereby extending the range to include whole house wireless coverage.

Well, looking around this weekend, it seems that it's very difficult to find a WAP. Most everything is a router that also can function as a WAP, but I couldn't really find (locally) a stand alone WAP only device.

I asked the guys if I could just get another router and they said it would just unnecessarily complicate things b/c it's hard to disable the "router" part of it or something to that effect.

So, they sent me a link to some Linksys WAP (model 610N) that has gotten mediocre reviews, one of which states that it's not Snow Leopard compatible and also is pretty pricey ($160).

So, for what I want to do as described above, would it be okay to just buy a $99 Airport Express, hard wire it to the Airport Extreme (the cat5e has already been run through the attics/walls) and extend the wireless coverage that way?

Thanks!

[Ken Sp.]

You can use the Airport Express wired (preferred) or wirelessly to your Airport Extreme.
To do wirelessly, you must log into your Extreme>Manual>Wireless> enable "Allow this network to be extended"


For that matter you can use almost any router to spread the signal wired, as long as you disable DHCP on the second router.

[rz]

That's what I would do.

[mattkime]

Much confusion and bad advice.

If you can run a cable from the Airport Extreme to the Airport Express, why don't you just run a long ethernet cable to the Airport Extreme?

I really don't see a reason to use a WAP when you could get a single router to do the job. Its ALWAYS easier and typically works better. (fewer signals = stronger signals)

The linksys 610n is a perfectly good router which works perfectly fine with snow leopard. However, you'd gain nothing in using it over your Airport Extreme.

Run cat5 so you can keep the Airport Express where it was before.

[maco]

AirPort Express frequently asked questions (FAQ)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1515?viewlocale=en_US#2.5

Using the AirPort Admin Utility to create a WDS network with multiple base stations
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2044?viewlocale=en_US

I use an AirPort Extreme, an AirPort "snow dome" & AirPort Express. Works well for me.

[Doc]

mattkime wrote:
Much confusion and bad advice.

If you can run a cable from the Airport Extreme to the Airport Express, why don't you just run a long ethernet cable to the Airport Extreme?

Exactly what I thought when I read the OP.

Otherwise, get an Airport express and set it up for WDS.

[cbelt3]

Pinkoos-
As noted above. Bad advice from your installation guys.

Which, considering I've done that sort of work specializing in Macs, is not a surprise. Most of them are in the school of "Macs are too hard to figure out" and will happily try to push you into some weird Linksys / Windows solution.

So here's the solution alternatives:

Method #1- Distributed network over Cat5 to WiFi

1- Run the Cat5e (can't have enough of them) as a 'backbone' through the house. In fact, pull two of them at the same time.

2- Buy ANY cheap ass wifi 'router' and RTFM to turn off the DHCP They're all capable of it.

3- Connect up like this:
Modem (Cable, satellite, FIOS, direct quantum tunneling FTL link, whatever) connects to the AEBS in the "WAN" port. Cat5 switch (cheapo is OK, but go gigabit) connects to the AEBS in the "LAB" port. Cat5 cable to the other side of da house connects to a free port on the switch. Other end of the cable connects to the cheapo wireless access point (or Airport Express base station if you like), in the "LAN" port.

Option B:
Don't run the Cat5. Buy an Airport Express base station, read the Manual, and set up your AEBS and Airport Express to function using Wireless Distribution System. (WDS) Wiring is like this:

Modem wired to AEBS ("WAN" port). Airport Express plugged in farther away (but so it can 'see' the AEBS) and setup as a WDS access point.

[pinkoos]

Doc wrote:
[quote=mattkime]
Much confusion and bad advice.

If you can run a cable from the Airport Extreme to the Airport Express, why don't you just run a long ethernet cable to the Airport Extreme?

Exactly what I thought when I read the OP.

Otherwise, get an Airport express and set it up for WDS.
Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, that is kinda what I was thinking of doing (and what I mentioned in my post): AExtreme at one end of the house ------> ethernet (cat5e) through attics/walls ------>AExpress in middle or opposite end of house

[mattkime]

>>Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, that is kinda what I was thinking of doing (and what I mentioned in my post): AExtreme at one end of the house ------> ethernet (cat5e) through attics/walls ------>AExpress in middle or opposite end of house

Maybe i'm missing something here -

AExtreme at one end of the house (Why have it here? is this where your cable modem is? move it if you can!) -------> ethernet (cat5e) through attics/walls ------> spot in middle of house

[pinkoos]

cbelt3-

For #3, are there 2 switches or 1? That is, the AExtreme is connected to an adjacent switch and then a Cat5e from *that* switch is run through the attics/walls to the other end of the house and directly plugged into either the AExpress or wifi router/WAP?