airport express help! setting up

[mojohojo]

i've got an airport express, a wired router, broadband modem, 2 desktop pc, and a macbook.

i would like to set up so that one desktop pc and my wireless macbook to connect to internet. im not sure how to set this up.

originally, my modem is connected to the router and other computers connect via router. is it possible to connect the airport express through ethernet port to router, and use its wireless for my macbook?
i've tried but no light appears on router to show its connected.

if this is not the correct way. how else to set up?

 

[WildPalms]

You're on the right track. Look at it like a path or flow of water....starting from the outside the internet (the lake) flows into your home through the cable modem, then to stop bad traffic coming in (piranha, pollution, etc) you have a firewall/router in place. The firewall/router then filters traffic and allows the cleaner traffic to come in which can then travel down a tributary e.g. through a router port to P.C. 1

...or through another router port to P.C. 2


....or through another port to the Wireless Airport express which alters the media that the traffic flow is travelling along (think carrying the water in buckets instead of a stream) and then via wirelss to the laptop.

Hopefully thats not too simple a take on it, but it helps to visualize when understanding the operation of a technology. So your first step in troubleshooting is seeing where the traffic is not flowing, in this case you said the routers port light for the Airport Express is not showing (correct me if i'm wrong) so you need to get that happening first. I'd suggest using the laptop to establish a connection to the Airport Express by first factory resetting it http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=108044 , and then using Airport Setup Assistant to configure it. Allow all traffic to begin with, ie. dont setup security or encryption until you have established that you can surf out via wireless to a public website. You'll need to see the router port light illuminate for the Airport Express to be correctly communicating which is probably not currently working due to a configuration issue. See how you go.

 

[smueboy]

I have my broadband (DSL) modem connected to a pc via USB cable and to my Airport Express via ethernet which gives me net on the pc and wireless net on my MBP (no router).

Do you get any signal if you connect the ethernet cable from the router directly into the macbook? If so, it may be the airport settings. If not, it may be the modem settings.

 

[redAPPLE]

i would suggest, configuring one computer and work from there...

create a list, what works, and what doesn't.