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Airport Express 2nd Edit, which port?

S

stuartrozier

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 12, 2011
271
8
Hello,

im thinking of buying an airport ex,

ive noticed upon reading up it has 2 lan ports on the back,

after reading the manual, it says one is for lan Ethernet with internet,

the other is for wan Ethernet with internet,

well ... aren't these the same things ?

does it matter which socket I plug my existing network into ?

many thanks,

stuart
 
WAN and LAN are not the same thing.

Do you have a router already providing DHCP? use the LAN port and disable the DHCP server in the Airport Express.

Do you only have a modem, and want the Airport Express to be your router, use the WAN port.
 
Menel said:
WAN and LAN are not the same thing.

Do you have a router already providing DHCP? use the LAN port and disable the DHCP server in the Airport Express.

Do you only have a modem, and want the Airport Express to be your router, use the WAN port.
Click to expand...

oh ok , yeah I understand now,

yeah I realise their not both the same, but was thinking, why would it make much difference which port I plug it into, if both ports enable the internet through it ...

so which port should I use if I just want to use the airport as an access point ?

stuart
 
stuartrozier said:
Hello,

im thinking of buying an airport ex,

ive noticed upon reading up it has 2 lan ports on the back,

after reading the manual, it says one is for lan Ethernet with internet,

the other is for wan Ethernet with internet,

well ... aren't these the same things ?

does it matter which socket I plug my existing network into ?

many thanks,

stuart
Click to expand...

WAN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wide_area_network
LAN http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAN

Sometimes google or wikipedia can help..... Just sayin'
 
stuartrozier said:
oh ok , yeah I understand now,



yeah I realise their not both the same, but was thinking, why would it make much difference which port I plug it into, if both ports enable the internet through it ...



so which port should I use if I just want to use the airport as an access point ?



stuart
Click to expand...


The WAN port is one that comes from the modem and the LAN goes to your clients.
 
stuartrozier said:
oh ok , yeah I understand now,

yeah I realise their not both the same, but was thinking, why would it make much difference which port I plug it into, if both ports enable the internet through it ...

so which port should I use if I just want to use the airport as an access point ?

stuart
Click to expand...

A wireless access point on a network that already has a router/DHCP server?

The LAN port and make sure you disabled the AE's internal DHCP server.
 
If you already have a router in your network, and use the AE as an access point, both ports will work.
(set the AE up in bridge mode).

For example, use WAN to connect to the router, and LAN to hardwire another computer/access point/Printer, etc...
 
Bruno09 said:
If you already have a router in your network, and use the AE as an access point, both ports will work.
(set the AE up in bridge mode).

For example, use WAN to connect to the router, and LAN to hardwire another computer/access point/Printer, etc...
Click to expand...

use wan to connect to the router ?

I was just going to feed a lan cable from virgin hub to AE, the wireless on the hub is terrible, so just wanting to use the AE as an access point.

also, what does bridge mode mean, and will it require any settings ?

many thanks
 
stuartrozier said:
use wan to connect to the router ?



I was just going to feed a lan cable from virgin hub to AE, the wireless on the hub is terrible, so just wanting to use the AE as an access point.



also, what does bridge mode mean, and will it require any settings ?



many thanks
Click to expand...


You run a cable from the SuperHub to the Expresses WAN port. It is the sun icon. Then set it up with AirPort Utility.
 
Altemose said:
You run a cable from the SuperHub to the Expresses WAN port. It is the sun icon. Then set it up with AirPort Utility.
Click to expand...

also, whilst on the same subject, will their also be an option to change the ip address of the AE , so that's within the range of the routers ? ...
 
It will be within the range of the router by default.

Connect the AE to the hub via Ethernet (WAN port).

Use the setup assistant, select "create a wireless network".

You can either :

- use only the AE wifi and disable the hub wifi
- use both wifi networks with the same SSID (network name), same security, same password = "roaming" network
- use both wifi networks with 2 different SSID
 
Bruno09 said:
It will be within the range of the router by default.

Connect the AE to the hub via Ethernet (WAN port).

Use the setup assistant, select "create a wireless network".

You can either :

- use only the AE wifi and disable the hub wifi
- use both wifi networks with the same SSID (network name), same security, same password = "roaming" network
- use both wifi networks with 2 different SSID
Click to expand...

cool, much appreciated response,

virgins hubs are terrible, so hopefully apple will live up to its products an supply my house with beautiful wifi in every room
 
stuartrozier said:
also, whilst on the same subject, will their also be an option to change the ip address of the AE , so that's within the range of the routers ? ...
Click to expand...

Yes. You can set it to a static address but by default it will be within range as it will use DHCP to connect to the SuperHub in Bridge Mode.
 
stuartrozier said:
cool, much appreciated response,

virgins hubs are terrible, so hopefully apple will live up to its products an supply my house with beautiful wifi in every room
Click to expand...

Most ISP routers are pretty basic.
And Airport's are quite good...

There are limits to wifi range, power limits set by regulators for both base stations and handsets.

Id be a little surprised if the Airport is significantly better on this metric. You may need an extender.
 
Menel said:
Most ISP routers are pretty basic.
And Airport's are quite good...

There are limits to wifi range, power limits set by regulators for both base stations and handsets.

Id be a little surprised if the Airport is significantly better on this metric. You may need an extender.
Click to expand...

it says that the express is dual band, but i can't find an option to select the 5ghz frequency ?
 
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