Howto: Get AirPort Express working with Belkin Routers

[thestaton]

Yesterday I bought a Airport Express so I could stream my music through my big money home stereo system. According to the manual I could use the AirPort express to expand my pre-existing wireless network.

I started working on this at 9Pm and finally figured it out by 4AM

First I have the Belkin F5D7231-4 so this will work with this router & I've heard the F5D7230-4. Basically your Belkin needs to support "Wireless Bridge" or "WDS".

Configuring the Belkin:
Set your DHCP Server Range to what ever you desire. I use 192.168.2.2 - 192.168.2.22. Save your Changes.

Go to Wireless Bridge: Enable Wireless Bridging & Enable Only Specific Access Points to connect.. Input the mac address of your Air Port Express into the field and save your changes.

Next configure your wireless security. You have to choose WPA "2". I repeat you have to choose WPA2. Setup your password and save your changes.

For the Encryption Technique I use TKIP. I have not tried AES and can not verify it works.

Save your changes and say man this is pretty easy so far.

Configuring the AirPort Express to act as an expander:
At this point its a good idea to take a pin and reset the AirPort Express. After it boots back up change your wireless networks and log on to it.

Loadup the Airport Admin Utility.

Now choose to configure your AirPort Express.

Change all the settings you see for Name / Contact / Location to your liking.

Under Airport Network: Choose Join an Exisiting Wireless Network (Wireless Client)

Find your Belkin under Wireless Network: It should be called what ever you named it.

It will ask for your WPA2 Personal password to join the network so enter it twice.

Now click on the internet tab at the top: Connect using: Wireless Network

Configure TCP/IP Choose to Configure Manually.

Ip address you need to make it something outside of your Belkins DCHP Server Range. I used: 192.168.2.50 because my range stops at 22.

Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Router Addy: 192.168.2.1
DNS Server: 192.168.2.1

Now choose the Music Tab at the top and configure it to your liking.

Give All your options a once over and then hit update. Wait for the AirPort Express to load up and enjoy the Green Light

Thanks for reading.

 

[dekiruhito]

Nicely Done.

I even created an account on the forum to log in and tell you that your post was very well written. Can you add one thing? How do we test to make sure its working? My signal kind of stinks but I am assuming that since I can access AirTunes via my Belkin SSID/Connection that everything's up and running Ok.

Once again, very well written post and thanks again.

 

[thestaton]

if the light is green on the front of your air port express you are good to go. and if you can still access it then you are for sure good to go. I noticed that in my 2 story house that after I added the air port express that my signal upstairs got worse. however it's still 2/4 bars or 3/4 bars and some times its full. but the speeds are always top notch without any loss.

I also noticed that for some reason I have no roommates who don't have macs and there old dells around 3 years can't connect to to WPA 2. So instead you have to pick the option WPA - WPA2 its the last one on the list.

I changed over to that and the air port express liked it & the dells where good to go as well.

i'm trying out the demo right now for Airfoil its a pretty cool program. Lets you play anything over the airport speakers. you can have it play what your mic says, quick time anything very fun. But it costs 25 bux so meh.

Enjoy.

 

[BillG07]

Security?

So I know this thread is two years old but I have the same router model and am hoping that someone has figured out a way to do it without securing the network. If not, will it work by following these steps and then turning security off immediately afterward?

 

[edrian]

Airport Express can't join existing Belkin F5D7230-4 Network

Hi, I read your successful post and bought the Belkin F5D7230-4 Router with Airport Express today. I followed each step carefully but it couldn't work... (I'm running Leopard 10.5.4 Airport Utility, so things are a bit different).

I have Belkin Router connected to iMac in office as wifi, whereas in lounge I have aBigs HDMI Media Player Ethernet LAN connected to Airport Express, plus Home Theather Audio jack connected to Airport Express too. I wanted to browse or FTP files wirelessly between iMac & aBigs, plus AirTunes Home Theater with my iMac.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1635595&tstart=105

I read many posts about Joining Existing Network or even Participate WDS, I tried both settings for 6 hours now and still can't get it work, it stuck at "restarting Airport Express after configured" and afterwards there's an error and I couldn't view/modify the setting even though the Airport Express blinks Green light. The AirTunes appeared in my iTunes but couldn't connect.

I set up the Belkin router fine (followed each step), modify Airport Express to join existing network both ends without any security/password to avoid problem... Can someone help please urgently?

Yesterday I bought a Airport Express so I could stream my music through my big money home stereo system. According to the manual I could use the AirPort express to expand my pre-existing wireless network.

I started working on this at 9Pm and finally figured it out by 4AM

First I have the Belkin F5D7231-4 so this will work with this router & I've heard the F5D7230-4. Basically your Belkin needs to support "Wireless Bridge" or "WDS".

Configuring the Belkin:
Set your DHCP Server Range to what ever you desire. I use 192.168.2.2 - 192.168.2.22. Save your Changes.

Go to Wireless Bridge: Enable Wireless Bridging & Enable Only Specific Access Points to connect.. Input the mac address of your Air Port Express into the field and save your changes.

Next configure your wireless security. You have to choose WPA "2". I repeat you have to choose WPA2. Setup your password and save your changes.

For the Encryption Technique I use TKIP. I have not tried AES and can not verify it works.

Save your changes and say man this is pretty easy so far.

Configuring the AirPort Express to act as an expander:
At this point its a good idea to take a pin and reset the AirPort Express. After it boots back up change your wireless networks and log on to it.

Loadup the Airport Admin Utility.

Now choose to configure your AirPort Express.

Change all the settings you see for Name / Contact / Location to your liking.

Under Airport Network: Choose Join an Exisiting Wireless Network (Wireless Client)

Find your Belkin under Wireless Network: It should be called what ever you named it.

It will ask for your WPA2 Personal password to join the network so enter it twice.

Now click on the internet tab at the top: Connect using: Wireless Network

Configure TCP/IP Choose to Configure Manually.

Ip address you need to make it something outside of your Belkins DCHP Server Range. I used: 192.168.2.50 because my range stops at 22.

Subnet: 255.255.255.0
Router Addy: 192.168.2.1
DNS Server: 192.168.2.1

Now choose the Music Tab at the top and configure it to your liking.

Give All your options a once over and then hit update. Wait for the AirPort Express to load up and enjoy the Green Light

Thanks for reading.

 

[edrian]

Airport Express join existing Belkin F5D7230-4 Network successfully!!!

I just managed to make it works.
Airport Express (AirTunes + Ethernet Cable to join Local Area Network, not WAN) to join existing wireless network of Belkin F5D7230-4 router. 2 routers in 2 locations.

Configuring the Belkin F5D7230-4:
1. Type 192.168.2.1 in Safari to set up the Belkin Router
2. Enable Wireless Bridging http://www.edrian.com/web/router_bridge.png
3. Security - WPA/WPA2 http://www.edrian.com/web/router_wpa2.png

Configuring the Airport Express:
1. Launch Airport Utility in Application/Utilities
2. Choose Manual Setup (To be safe and easier)
3. Name it, password it. http://www.edrian.com/web/airport1a.png
4. Join a wireless network, WPA/WPA2. http://www.edrian.com/web/airport1b.png
5. Go to Internet (tab on top), change nothing. http://www.edrian.com/web/airport2.png
6. Go to Music (tab on top), tick "Enable AirTunes". http://www.edrian.com/web/airport3.png
My Summary: http://www.edrian.com/web/airport1.png

Done.

My experience was having error after restarted the AirPort Express, too complicated setting. Please note that you have to HOLD 5 sec until the light blinks in order to reset AirPort Express. You can try Automatic Setup, just remember the rules stated above.

Now I'm wondering if I can do this on Belkin's 802.11n router instead of this Belkin 802.11g (slower) router. I only get 3mb/sec transfer rate wirelessly at the moment, I remembered I used to get up to 6mb/sec with AdHoc (iMac create network wirelessly and Macbook join network using both Airport Cards without a router). Correct me if this is wrong as I am not sure if Airport Card 802.11n should do better/faster comparing to Belkin F5D7230-4 802.11g router...



Thanks to many sources to make this possible.

 

[dalijay]

no option to create wireless bridge

I went to go configure my Belkin Router, but there is no option anymore to create it as a Wireless Bridge. Can anyone give me an updated way to configure my Belkin to use as a bridge for my Airport Express?

 

[Moniker84]

For anyone having issues with AEX + Belkin Set ups I can recommend this post - no issues with Mountain Lion/iPhone5 6.0.2 and AEX 7.6.1

If your iPhone isn't streaming BBC Radio iPlayer / Tunein Radio / iPod via Airplay, just check that iTunes isn't open on your Mac as it 'reserves' the airplay speakers selected by 'Multiple Speakers'. - 48hrs of no problems on airplay so far!