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Best way to setup wireless?

B

breh

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 29, 2010
10
0
Hey everybody, im a new poster but long time reader of the forums and huge apple fan.

I just recently got the new AirPort Extreme and im wanting to set up a roaming network with either my old Extreme or Time capsule.

Just needing some advice/ step by step instructions on it because i feel like im not getting the most out of it. also would it be better to direct connect things like my xbox to my modem or router for best overall wifi bandwidth/speed.

Thanks for the help!
 
You didn't give much detail.

Assuming you have ADSL or at least a modem...

Set your modem to bridge mode. Then set the Internet tab in your AirPort App to connect instead of the modem. Most likely the internet setting is under PPPoE (user and password)

If you do not have a modem and connect to the internet directly (such as me with IPoE) then set the internet to DHCP. No pass or user is needed.

Once you have the internet running directly to the AE (either directly through bridge mode in the modem or through IPoE direct) then you simply set the AE to do everything (WiFi, DHCP, NAT etc). Make sure the Router mode under the Network tab is set to DHCP and NAT. This will make sure your AE assigns IP addresses.

That's it. You simply need to make sure the AE is set to connect to the internet and not your modem.

Once you have the AE up and running then connect your older AE (or express) to it via ethernet. best way to set it up is to factory reset it. It will pick up your new AE and set the mode to bridge.

Where you can, use ethernet to connect. Make sure you use GbE (Gigabit) cable which is CAT6 between any GbE connections. I use CAT6 for everything (GbE or not). Ethernet cable is faster and will minimise using bandwidth for WiFi so your WiFi devices have more available to them.
 
So you already have your new APE set up and with WIFI enabled?

To add another WIFI network, use an ethernet cable to connect the WAN port of your older device to one of the ethernet ports of your new APE. Use airport utility to set the older device to bridge mode and set its SID and security as you would like (if you want to change them).

Done

For performance, its better to hardwire devices to the router (APE not the ISP Modem) than to connect wireless. But wireless can be adequate and more convenient.
 
Ok, so my apologies it does sound like a little gibberish. it was 1 in the morning though lol.

Here's the deal, right now i have:
6th Gen AirPort Extreme
3rd Gen AirPort Extreme
1st Gen (A1264 version) AirPort Express
1st Gen Time Capsule
Motorola SBG6580 Modem

I have Comcast High speed internet with the 105 Mbps package.

Right now my setup is:
6th gen and modem connected in main computer room
3rd gen connect via ethernet 2 rooms away in the den

i currently have all devices unplugged from the rest of the ethernet ports because Im waiting on the helpful tips of the mac rumors community :D

i THINK i have my roaming network setup right for the two routers but my main question is should my 6th Gen and 3rd Gen both be in bridge mode? and also do the devices themselves need the same name just like the network.

and again, would it be better for my xbox and ps3 to be direct connected via ethernet to my modem, 6th Gen router, or the 3rd Gen that is right next to them?

it doesn't matter which a long time ago we ran ethernet cables under the house from the computer room to the den because that is our main tv room and knew we would have gaming devices, etc. in there.

Also, the time capsule and express are not being used at the moment because i have read that will slow down bandwidth considering i cannot get a ethernet cable to them.

Double also(lol), i have a ps3 in one room upstairs and a 360 in the another (both upstairs).
the ps3 is my sisters who primarily uses it for streaming so that isn't as big of an issue but what would be the best way to get the best internet possible to my 360? just Wi-Fi and use the wireless N network adapter and connect to my 5GHz SSID? or try and use the time capsule or express?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Just to help here are the devices we have that use Wi-Fi on a almost day to day basis:
2x Xbox 360
2x PS3
3x iPhone 5
1x iPad 2
1x iMac
1x Macbook Pro
1x Macbook
1x 1st Gen Apple TV
1x 2nd Gen Apple TV
 
You have most of it set up OK, but what do you mean by roaming network? Is this a second WIFI network or access point? What are you using the airport express for?

The new AP Extreme WAN port is cabled to the modem.

The new AP Extreme is set up as router (as it comes from the factory) and you set up WIFI on it (have all your wifi devices set to this network).

The new AP Extreme is dual and multi band, slower wireless devices are not going to impact the high speed wireless. All your devices can connect to it wirelessly without issue, you really don't need anything else.

If you are using the time machine for backups, connect it via ethernet cable to the new AP Extreme. Turn its wireless off if you haven't already.

You can connect any of your devices via cable to the new AP Extreme, do not connect to the MODEM. The only thing that should be connected to the MODEM is the WAN port of the new AP Extreme. For best results, connect your Xbox via ethernet cable to the new AP Extreme.

If you want to set up a second WIFI network (what I think you mean by the roaming network), set your third gen AP Extreme to bridge mode, give its SID a different name than the new AP Extreme SID. Its WAN port should be connected to the new AP Extreme via cable. You can then set your slower devices to use the thrird gen AP network instead of the new AP Extreme network, as load sharing. You may see some improved performance if all your devices are streaming video at the same time.

You may be running out of ports on your new AP Extreme. You can use spare TC and the older APE ports, but it may be better to pick up an inexpensive 8-10 port GB ethernet switch. You would connect the upstream port of the switch to one of the new AP Extreme ports, and connect the devices that there is no room for on the AP Extreme to the switch.

Here is an example of a decent switch:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_-
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the quick response!
what i mean by roaming is instead of having a second AEBS and hitting "extend wireless signal" in airport utility, i have it connected to my new AEBS with the same exact SSID and pass and everything so that it will extend my signal without losing bandwidth.

So, the only two devices Im currently using are my new and old AEBS.

i was using the others before i found out they took away from bandwidth.

With that being said, my 3rd Gen AEBS is in my den right next to my 360 and PS3. could i technically just plug them directly into that one via ethernet and it not really show any effect on my Wi-Fi?

Also since Im doing this roaming thing, does my new 6th Gen AEBS need to be in bridge mode or DHCP? i know the 3rd Gen thats connected to my 6th Gen needs to be but Im unsure about the main 6th Gen.

and is there a way to make the 5GHz network hidden or i would i have to hide the 2.4GHz and 5GHz? im only asking because my xbox upstairs in my room uses 5GHz and it shouldn't ever have an issue if i can hide it from the rest of the family so they cant use it ;)

Thanks again for all the help!
 
breh said:
Ok, so my apologies it does sound like a little gibberish. it was 1 in the morning though lol.

Here's the deal, right now i have:
6th Gen AirPort Extreme
3rd Gen AirPort Extreme
1st Gen (A1264 version) AirPort Express
1st Gen Time Capsule
Motorola SBG6580 Modem

I have Comcast High speed internet with the 105 Mbps package.

Right now my setup is:
6th gen and modem connected in main computer room
3rd gen connect via ethernet 2 rooms away in the den

i currently have all devices unplugged from the rest of the ethernet ports because Im waiting on the helpful tips of the mac rumors community :D

i THINK i have my roaming network setup right for the two routers but my main question is should my 6th Gen and 3rd Gen both be in bridge mode? and also do the devices themselves need the same name just like the network.

and again, would it be better for my xbox and ps3 to be direct connected via ethernet to my modem, 6th Gen router, or the 3rd Gen that is right next to them?

it doesn't matter which a long time ago we ran ethernet cables under the house from the computer room to the den because that is our main tv room and knew we would have gaming devices, etc. in there.

Also, the time capsule and express are not being used at the moment because i have read that will slow down bandwidth considering i cannot get a ethernet cable to them.

Double also(lol), i have a ps3 in one room upstairs and a 360 in the another (both upstairs).
the ps3 is my sisters who primarily uses it for streaming so that isn't as big of an issue but what would be the best way to get the best internet possible to my 360? just Wi-Fi and use the wireless N network adapter and connect to my 5GHz SSID? or try and use the time capsule or express?

Thanks in advance for the help!
Click to expand...

I haven't read all your posts so apologies if i have missed something.
If you want to have all your WiFi devices connect to any of the AE units in a roaming config, then you need to do this :

1. Have only 1 of the AE units as a router. (the one connected to the modem). All the other should be in bridge mode.
2. I assume that all the AE units are connected by LAN cables, then a roaming network is available to you.
3. To get the roaming to work then all the AE units should have the SAME WiFi settings. All should be using "Create a wireless network" as the Network Mode. Use the same SSID, WPA2 passwords and channels.
4. Presumably all the non WiFi devices connect by LAN cables into local switches.

The above is the config I have in daily use. I have 30+ devices in use, 6 or so WiFi, the rest use LAN cables into any of 4 interconnected switches.
 
drsox said:
3. To get the roaming to work then all the AE units should have the SAME WiFi settings. All should be using "Create a wireless network" as the Network Mode. Use the same SSID, WPA2 passwords and channels.
Click to expand...
I think that for the roaming, you must have :

- same SSID
- same security key
- same type of security key
- but different channels (to avoid interferences).

(this is always the way I set up roaming networks).
 
Why do you say "nope" ?

Yes, you must use different channels, or set all the devices on "automatic".

Ask Tesserax : https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5134082?start=0&tstart=0

"All of the base station must be interconnected by Ethernet. Note: You can use non-Apple routers in this type of network.
All base stations must have unique Base Station Names.
All base stations must use the same Radio Mode and Wireless Security Type/Password.
Each base station should be on a different Radio Channel. Using "Automatic" works well here."

Or see here : http://superuser.com/questions/122441/how-can-i-get-the-same-ssid-for-multiple-access-points

"Channel is one key setting you do want to vary from AP to AP in a roaming (multiple AP) 802.11 network. To maximize bandwidth, leave your APs to automatically select the channel to use, or you can manually pick different, non-overlapping, and hopefully unoccupied channels to use. You don't want transmissions to/from one AP to compete for bandwidth with transmissions to/from the other AP."

Also here : http://www.firepowr.net/?p=2780

"Set up Wifi roaming is simple.
First login to each of your Wifi routers /access points and name all the SSID to the same name. Second you’ll need to set each of your Wifi routers / access points to use a different wireless channel. Some of these wireless access point have a limited number of channels it and it can range from 6 – 11 channels."

Also :

"As long as the second one is configured as an Access Point instead of a router, with DHCP turned off, you shouldn't have any problems. Use the same SSID and security settings on both devices. The only thing that you want to remember is that you need to put the channels a good distance apart, with only two devices I put them at opposite ends instead of using one of the middle channels. This will reduce interference and your users will experience a smooth transition between the two, they won't even know they switched."
 
Last edited:
breh said:
Thanks for the quick response!
what i mean by roaming is instead of having a second AEBS and hitting "extend wireless signal" in airport utility, i have it connected to my new AEBS with the same exact SSID and pass and everything so that it will extend my signal without losing bandwidth.

So, the only two devices Im currently using are my new and old AEBS.

i was using the others before i found out they took away from bandwidth.

With that being said, my 3rd Gen AEBS is in my den right next to my 360 and PS3. could i technically just plug them directly into that one via ethernet and it not really show any effect on my Wi-Fi?

Also since Im doing this roaming thing, does my new 6th Gen AEBS need to be in bridge mode or DHCP? i know the 3rd Gen thats connected to my 6th Gen needs to be but Im unsure about the main 6th Gen.

and is there a way to make the 5GHz network hidden or i would i have to hide the 2.4GHz and 5GHz? im only asking because my xbox upstairs in my room uses 5GHz and it shouldn't ever have an issue if i can hide it from the rest of the family so they cant use it ;)

Thanks again for all the help!
Click to expand...

Im pretty sure i have a roaming network setup... i just need to know the information above and if my main router should be in bridge mode or in DHCP.

Thanks!
 
breh said:
Im pretty sure i have a roaming network setup... i just need to know the information above and if my main router should be in bridge mode or in DHCP.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Your new AP extreme should be set for DHCP and NAT, which what you typically do for the main router and how the EP Extreme comes from the factory.

Sorry for the confusion on roaming, somehow I got the impression that you wanted a second independent wireless network for your slower devices. So your new AP Extreme does not provide full coverage for your home? With the much better performance of the new AP Extreme, you may want to check that out, would save you some complexity.
 
breh said:
Im pretty sure i have a roaming network setup... i just need to know the information above and if my main router should be in bridge mode or in DHCP.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Roaming mode when using a wired LAN to connect two or more AEs doesn't use "Extend Wireless Signal" - it uses "Create a Wireless Network"

----------
Bruno09 said:
Why do you say "nope" ?

Yes, you must use different channels, or set all the devices on "automatic".

Ask Tesserax : https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5134082?start=0&tstart=0

"All of the base station must be interconnected by Ethernet. Note: You can use non-Apple routers in this type of network.
All base stations must have unique Base Station Names.
All base stations must use the same Radio Mode and Wireless Security Type/Password.
Each base station should be on a different Radio Channel. Using "Automatic" works well here."

Or see here : http://superuser.com/questions/122441/how-can-i-get-the-same-ssid-for-multiple-access-points

"Channel is one key setting you do want to vary from AP to AP in a roaming (multiple AP) 802.11 network. To maximize bandwidth, leave your APs to automatically select the channel to use, or you can manually pick different, non-overlapping, and hopefully unoccupied channels to use. You don't want transmissions to/from one AP to compete for bandwidth with transmissions to/from the other AP."

Also here : http://www.firepowr.net/?p=2780

"Set up Wifi roaming is simple.
First login to each of your Wifi routers /access points and name all the SSID to the same name. Second you’ll need to set each of your Wifi routers / access points to use a different wireless channel. Some of these wireless access point have a limited number of channels it and it can range from 6 – 11 channels."

Also :

"As long as the second one is configured as an Access Point instead of a router, with DHCP turned off, you shouldn't have any problems. Use the same SSID and security settings on both devices. The only thing that you want to remember is that you need to put the channels a good distance apart, with only two devices I put them at opposite ends instead of using one of the middle channels. This will reduce interference and your users will experience a smooth transition between the two, they won't even know they switched."
Click to expand...


Nope. Works fine for me with 4 AE units setup as I indicated.
 
drsox said:
Nope. Works fine for me with 4 AE units setup as I indicated.
Click to expand...

Here's what linksys KB says:

How to use multiple access points on the same LAN

Question :

How do I use multiple access points on the same LAN ?

Answer1

Multiple access points can be used on the same LAN, provided they are attached to the same hubs or switches that are connected by Cat 5 Ethernet cable.

The channel for each access point should be unique, within the range of 1-11 for North America. This allows up to 11 access points to be set up on one LAN. It is recommended to go in increments of three to the next closest access point:

Example: 3 - 6 – 11

The SSID should be the same for all the units on the LAN

If WEP is enabled, all WAP11 units must have the same algorithm, passphrase, keys, and tx key in order for the wireless equipped machines to roam.

Author:
KBJLH

Copyright © 2004 Cisco Systems, Inc.
 
drsox said:
Nope. Works fine for me with 4 AE units setup as I indicated.
Click to expand...

The answer isn't "nope" though - you're both right and you need to admit that. You can have same channels or different channels, in my testing I've found better performance on different channels at the cross over region.
 
dannys1 said:
The answer isn't "nope" though - you're both right and you need to admit that. You can have same channels or different channels, in my testing I've found better performance on different channels at the cross over region.
Click to expand...

Nope. Don't have to admit anything. Works fine with no issues.
 
Bruno09 said:
Mister "Nope" is back.

To dannys1 : don't waste your time here ;)
Click to expand...

Haha, christ.

Well to anyone who is actually Googling or searching MacRumors for help on this, you can chose the same channels, different channels or just leave everything automatic and a roaming network will work just fine.

In fact if you chose automatic, in my case it'll use the DFS channels (Dynamic Frequency Shaping) which for 5ghz for me in the UK is 100, or I can manually use 36, 38, 40, 42. As I said, I'd personally found it better to set both devices on separate channels, that way when you're in the middle (in my house the bathroom is right in the middle - and id spent a lot of time in the bath dropping signal) the device can more easily chose a channel to connect to. I found when it was the same channel it would hang a lot as it was swapping between devices.

However, none of the methods are "wrong" it'll work whatever you do, its just up to your testing what works best for you at the extreme range of either network or where they meet in the middle.
 
dannys1 said:
However, none of the methods are "wrong" it'll work whatever you do, its just up to your testing what works best for you at the extreme range of either network or where they meet in the middle.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Thanks.
 
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