AEBS @ 5ghz, Express at 2.4

[reebzor]

Hey all, I recently acquired a previous gen (802.11g) Airport express. I have a MBP (n), iPhone 3g (g), Mac mini (n), Macbook (g) and various other devices, some being n and some g. How well would it work for me to run my non-dual band AEBS for n only (5ghz), and have my express run the 2.4ghz frequencies? Do you think my n devices will automatically choose the n access point over the g one? Proximity to the access points isnt really an issue because I have a 1br apartment. I'd just like to use this opportunity to really get everything I can out of 802.11n, while still being able to use my g devices. From my understanding, the 5ghz 802.11n is faster than the 2.4ghz. Does anyone else have a setup like this? Let me know.

 

[skorpien]

I used to have a setup like yours. What you want is to create two separate SSIDs, that way you control which SSID the device joins and you won't have to worry about n devices slipping onto the g network. Configure the Express' Connection Sharing to Off (Bridge Mode), set a unique SSID (i.e., Network (G)) and securities, and connect it to one of the AEBS' LAN ports. This makes it operate on the same subnet as your AEBS and allows your AEBS to handle DHCP. Any devices on either SSID will be able to see and communicate with one another. And since only n devices can join the AEBS' SSID, you won't experience any slowdown.

 

[flopticalcube]

I used to have a setup like yours. What you want is to create two separate SSIDs, that way you control which SSID the device joins and you won't have to worry about n devices slipping onto the g network. Configure the Express' Connection Sharing to Off (Bridge Mode), set a unique SSID (i.e., Network (G)) and securities, and connect it to one of the AEBS' LAN ports. This makes it operate on the same subnet as your AEBS and allows your AEBS to handle DHCP. Any devices on either SSID will be able to see and communicate with one another. And since only n devices can join the AEBS' SSID, you won't experience any slowdown.

I do the same with my d-link and AEBS. It really is the best solution for mixed equipment if you don't need to extended.

 

[reebzor]

I used to have a setup like yours. What you want is to create two separate SSIDs, that way you control which SSID the device joins and you won't have to worry about n devices slipping onto the g network. Configure the Express' Connection Sharing to Off (Bridge Mode), set a unique SSID (i.e., Network (G)) and securities, and connect it to one of the AEBS' LAN ports. This makes it operate on the same subnet as your AEBS and allows your AEBS to handle DHCP. Any devices on either SSID will be able to see and communicate with one another. And since only n devices can join the AEBS' SSID, you won't experience any slowdown.

Thanks for the reply. I just wish I didn't have to go through that and that the Computer would pickup the fastest signal by default. I dont think I'm going to change the way its set up considering I rarely even use the WiFi on my n devices. I was just hoping for a simple yes or no answer haha. Thanks, though.

 

[skorpien]

Ah my apologies, I misunderstood. I believe you can accomplish what you want with what I suggested above. But instead of unique SSIDs, make sure both networks have the exact same SSID, security and password. Your computer will then choose the best/strongest signal to connect to. I could be mistaken though, so if anybody can confirm or disprove this, please do.

 

[reebzor]

Ah my apologies, I misunderstood. I believe you can accomplish what you want with what I suggested above. But instead of unique SSIDs, make sure both networks have the exact same SSID, security and password. Your computer will then choose the best/strongest signal to connect to. I could be mistaken though, so if anybody can confirm or disprove this, please do.

You know what, I'll just test it out for myself later. Will report back with my findings.

 

[reebzor]

For some reason, my macbook pro chose to join the g network everytime. I put the AEBS @ 5ghz and then back to the mixed mode, and my connection stayed at 54Mbps.

So I'm just disconnecting my Express for now. Maybe I'll try to sell it or something.

 

[DoFoT9]

For some reason, my macbook pro chose to join the g network everytime. I put the AEBS @ 5ghz and then back to the mixed mode, and my connection stayed at 54Mbps.

So I'm just disconnecting my Express for now. Maybe I'll try to sell it or something.

hmm i think it might be that the airport express network preference is higher then the ABES - you can check this by going into System Prefs->Network->Wireless->Advanced and looking at the preferred networks list. you will most likely have two identical network names listed there but trial and error might help to identify the "g" and "n" networks.

worth a try.

n.b. i dont use wireless