Help with extending 5Ghz Extreme (Please Help)

[laurenr]

Just found this; quote from Apple's website on approved Channels:

"Channels 1-11, 36-48, and 149-165 approved for use in the United States and Canada
Channels 1-13, 36-64, and 100-140 approved for use in Japan
Channels 1-13, 36-64, 100-112, and 132-140 approved for use in Europe
Channels 1-13, 36-64, and 149-165 approved for use in Australia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand."

See link here (Note: this is for the Gen 5 AEBS):
http://support.apple.com/kb/SP628

 

[andy.barron]

Thank you for that (seems strange that I cannot get more range as I'm sure the UK was in Europe last time I looked!)

For note I have a couple of Solwise 1gb on order but not yet here...

 

[andy.barron]

Ok, so I'm setting up the AE & it seems that it supports both b,g & n! Does this mean that as it is coming from a dual AEBS that it extends both networks?

I could always just scroll down to the 5GHz only one & give the name of that network (2nd pic) or leave as 1st pic which seems to broadcast both GHz ranges?

Help!

 

[laurenr]

Ok, so I'm setting up the AE & it seems that it supports both b,g & n! Does this mean that as it is coming from a dual AEBS that it extends both networks?

I could always just scroll down to the 5GHz only one & give the name of that network (2nd pic) or leave as 1st pic which seems to broadcast both GHz ranges?

Help!

The AEBS - "BADGER'S AIRPORT EXTREME" - is that set to 802.11n 5.0GHz? The AE is capable of an "n or a or b/g" configuration. You would select to "n", 5.0 GHz option. Here is my setup - the "Time Cap" is my primary AEBS, the "Express n" is my secondary AE:





This is what you are looking for in the drop-down menu of the AE:



If your 5.0GHz network is named "ANDY", as I see in your pic, then you would have the identical SSID (network name) in the AE settings; also the identical "Wireless Security" option, and password.(See my setup pic) The ONLY difference between the 2 configurations, would be their CHANNELS. See how both my devices have the SSID of "Lola n"?

Edit: Just be very sure in your whole "Dual Band" setup, that each network has a different SSID. So say for eg, your 2.4GHz network could be called "ANDY g" to differentiate it from the "ANDY" (802.11n 5.0GHZ).

Does that make sense?

 

[laurenr]

One VERY important note for your settings in the "Internet" Tab of Airport Utility.
The Primary AEBS must be set to "Share a Public IP Address":



The secondary or Airport Express must be set to "Bridge Mode". This is crucial:



I should have been clearer above, it is only the WIRELESS setup that is identical (except for the channels), but there is a difference in the "Internet Connection" tab.

 

[andy.barron]

laurenr firstly can I thank you for your time. Your knowledge on this is second to none & I feel privileged to have your feedback.

Yes to both your questions & you were clear and I understood, many thanks.

Here is the setup I have that should answer your questions (hopefully)?

Basically if my AEBS is publishing both ghz & the AE can extend do you agree this is happening or have I got this wrong?

 

[laurenr]

laurenr firstly can I thank you for your time. Your knowledge on this is second to none & I feel privileged to have your feedback.

Yes to both your questions & you were clear and I understood, many thanks.

Here is the setup I have that should answer your questions (hopefully)?

Basically if my AEBS is publishing both ghz & the AE can extend do you agree this is happening or have I got this wrong?

Have you configured two entirely separate networks, one 5.0 Ghz only, and the other 2.4?? I cannot tell from your picture. If you have, perhaps a screen shot of the 5.0GHz "n" only network will help, because I am not quite sure exactly what you are asking me. Your Radio mode appears to be set to "automatic" instead of "5.0" only? (Keep in mind, your setup will appear slightly different to mine, as my AEBS is not one of the later, Dual-band capable devices. I have 2 AEBS's for my "dual-band" setup.)
P.S. Knowing the time difference between our 2 countries, (it's the wee hours by you), I will look for you much later, or in the AM Calif time.

Edit: If you want a dedicated, separate "n" 5.0GHz network - Looking at your screenshot - go to the settings at the bottom of that Airport Utility window, and select the "Wireless Network Options" button , and give that network a separate name.

 

[andy.barron]

Hi again!

Yes there are 2 networks (the 2nd 5ghz is in the network options part), so I guess my question is on the express I would have to choose one or the other to broadcast (either ANDY or ANDY 5GHz).

 

[laurenr]

Hi again!

Yes there are 2 networks (the 2nd 5ghz is in the network options part), so I guess my question is on the express I would have to choose one or the other to broadcast (either ANDY or ANDY 5GHz).

Great! I can see exactly what you mean. So, the question is - which network do you want to have the greater range? The 5.0GHZ is susceptible to far less interference than the 2.4, from cordless phones, microwave ovens, surrounding (neighbor's) networks, etc.However, it's range is far shorter, covers less area, so extending this one, would give you a wider area for this "purer" network. But, cell phones, older model computers cannot connect.

The 2.4GHZ at the outset, has a longer range, but it's the "junk band" channel and has all that "stuff" messing with it. So, you have to ask yourself, what devices you have, and where in your home you would want them to connect. My 5.0GHZ network is the one I have set up in this roaming configuration because I find myself using my iPad all over the house, whereas my iphone, (and its smaller screen), I hardly use at home.

So, let's say for eg, you decide to extend the "ANDY(5GHZ)" network. When setting up the Airport Exp, in the Internet tab, it would be set to "Bridge Mode". In the Wireless tab, you would "Create a Wireless Network", giving it that identical name of "ANDY(5GHZ)", same Security selection and password. For Channel selection, you would choose one that is different, far apart (at least 5) from the Airport Extreme settings.

 

[andy.barron]

Thanks laurenr!

I have gone for the 5ghz one & just updated with channel 36 (all seems cool)
I'll run it like that & see if the lack of coverage for my iPhone isn't too bad as I can always change it.

Thanks again for your time & patience & hope your enjoying the Cali sun!

 

[laurenr]

Thanks laurenr!

I have gone for the 5ghz one & just updated with channel 36 (all seems cool)
I'll run it like that & see if the lack of coverage for my iPhone isn't too bad as I can always change it.

Thanks again for your time & patience & hope your enjoying the Cali sun!

You're quite welcome! i do hope you get your desired results.

I love my Calif sunshine! I was born and raised in South Africa, so sunny days are what I'm happy with.

 

[andy.barron]

Then I hope it shines all year for you!

Thanks again.

 

[andy.barron]

sorry it didn't quite work like I thought!
I now have the powerline to the garage & all reports over 100ghz & Lan tests are really good.

however the express is not doing its thing! I have connected a laptop out there & Airport Utility ONLY sees the AE that is there (garage), not the other AE's I have on network?.

On the LAN it sees all devices (external drives, macs etc)?

If I bring the laptop back inside I see all AE's + extreme on wifi via airport Utility....... (same network)

Its like the garage is on its own subnet or separate from my network, but via ethernet through Powerline in garage I see all & connection speed is excellent.

Any ideas as I am stumped

 

[laurenr]

So sorry you're having problems. How many Airport Express units do you have on your network? Are they all hard-wired in the Roaming configuration, each set on a different channel as described above?

 

[andy.barron]

Hi again laurenr!

Ok, I will try to describe the network as best I can to you.

1. Living room - Extreme: dual (5ghz ch 48 / 2.4ghz ch 1) + Powerline
2. Kitchen - Express: Roam 2.4ghz + airtunes (ch 6)
3. Upstairs - Express: Roam 5ghz (ch 36)
4. Garage - Express (powerline): Roam 2.4ghz (ch 13)

So, all is great until the garage...

The powerline is reporting that it is running at full capacity (over 100mbs) & I have it connected to a gigabit switch.

I plugged a laptop (turned wireless off) in & was able to connect to server + drives on the LAN & copy speeds were good.

Now, I turn wireless on & remove the ethernet from the laptop.... I boot Airport Utility & can only see the AE that is in the garage but none of the other ones...... I can edit the settings of it etc. & it seems to respond normally.

However there is no wifi signal out there that I can connect to but I cannot figure out what I have setup wrong!

I hope I have explained this OK for you & thanks in advance for you fantastic assistance!

 

[laurenr]

Hi again laurenr!

Ok, I will try to describe the network as best I can to you.

1. Living room - Extreme: dual (5ghz ch 48 / 2.4ghz ch 1) + Powerline
2. Kitchen - Express: Roam 2.4ghz + airtunes (ch 6)
3. Upstairs - Express: Roam 5ghz (ch 36)
4. Garage - Express (powerline): Roam 2.4ghz (ch 13)

So, all is great until the garage...

The powerline is reporting that it is running at full capacity (over 100mbs) & I have it connected to a gigabit switch.

I plugged a laptop (turned wireless off) in & was able to connect to server + drives on the LAN & copy speeds were good.

Now, I turn wireless on & remove the ethernet from the laptop.... I boot Airport Utility & can only see the AE that is in the garage but none of the other ones...... I can edit the settings of it etc. & it seems to respond normally.

However there is no wifi signal out there that I can connect to but I cannot figure out what I have setup wrong!

I hope I have explained this OK for you & thanks in advance for you fantastic assistance!

An important question here - are ALL the Powerline adapters plugged DIRECTLY into the WALL socket? They cannot be connected to any power-strips with multiple outlets; this is essential.
If no to the above - have you tried taking the laptop, as an experiment to each Exp unit - the kitchen, LR and upstairs, and check if Airport Utility sees them? When you are upstairs, see if your laptop connects to the network, look to see how many bars are displayed signifying signal strength. With the correct setup, any device will connect to the strongest signal, ie. the closest base station it "sees".

If you can get Airport utility to display the base stations, look to see how many clients are on each one.You do this in the "Summary" pane. Here is my "roaming" express:

 

[andy.barron]

Hi laurenr, thanks for your reply!



Yes, both Powerlines are straight into a wall socket. Also bear in mind that I think I eliminated that as being the problem as I was getting good copy speeds over the Lan?

I will do the Laptop test when I get home (at work at mo) & post you the replies. I'm pretty sure they all work as expected from memory though.

I only have 2 powerlines & the 2nd one in the garage is where the problem lies. I will do some more testing in about an hour & let you know my findings!

 

[andy.barron]

Ok, I think I have found the root of the problem.......

Firstly I tested the Powerline to see if it had a good connection via enet & copied a 730mb file in under 3 mins:

 

[andy.barron]

then I tested the AE to see what info that was giving me & again in Airport Utility it could only see the Garage AE:

 

[andy.barron]

I thien checked the AE info & WHOA!!! it is on a different I.P. range which I believe will be the problem!!!!!

 

[andy.barron]

So I'm a bit stumped as to where the AE is getting this IP from? My network is on the 10.0 range as I am sure you are aware, but so I cover all the bases below is the setup for that AE.

Any ideas on where I start to tackle the prob (& thanks again for your help)

 

[laurenr]

I thien checked the AE info & WHOA!!! it is on a different I.P. range which I believe will be the problem!!!!!

So I'm a bit stumped as to where the AE is getting this IP from? My network is on the 10.0 range as I am sure you are aware, but so I cover all the bases below is the setup for that AE.

Any ideas on where I start to tackle the prob (& thanks again for your help)

Bingo!!! I see the problem immediately!



Funny co-incidence. When I was doing research setting up my original Roaming Network, I came across an Apple support document detailing this very problem. That IP Address, for some reason, stuck in my head, even though I had no such issue. Quote:

"Symptoms
Your Mac, iOS device, or Apple TV cannot access the Internet with an IP address of 169.254.xxx.xxx (where xxx represents a number from 0 to 255).

The symptoms of this issue include:
Safari, iChat, and other Internet-dependent applications in Mac OS X may display the message "You are not connected to the Internet."
Mail may put all of your email accounts into an "Offline" status.
iOS devices cannot use other Internet features, such as the App Store.
Apple TV may be able to use Home Sharing with computers on your local network, but not any features that require Internet access, such as movie trailers or rentals.
In Mac OS X, an AirPort menu bar icon with an exclamation point may appear, and the AirPort menu may state "Alert: No Internet Connection…"."

See link here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3798?viewlocale=en_US

 

[laurenr]

Check your primary Airport Extreme, and the Air EXP- the IP addresses should be assigned via DHCP:



Also, verify the initial setup as configured to "Share a Public IP Adress" - as in my pic on post#55.

The next step, if this problem persists, is to reset the offending base station, the one that exhibits that "169.XXX" address, and reconfigure it from scratch with Airport Utility. However, before you do this, unplug the device from both the electrical outlet, and the Powerline adapter. Leave it disconnected for at least 5-10 minutes, repower/reconnect to Ethernet cable, and see if the problem still manifests itself. Very often, powering off offending devices, forces them to correct the IP issue.

Edit: I just noticed that the "169" IP address is actually in the Network Preferences of you Computer, and not on the base station. My apologies. So, I would suggest you power of your computer, and ALL your base stations; disconnect ALL cables, both electrical and ethernet; leave them all this way for about 30 minutes, to allow everything to go through a power cycle in the optimum way. You must also disconnect your DSL/Cable modem in this manner.

Then power them on ONE at at time, the modem first. Wait a few minutes, then connect your Primary Airport Extreme, again wait; then power on your computer, check Airport Utility and your Network Preferences - verify you IP Address. If all looks good, then power on the other Airport Express Units.

Hopefully your Prefs look something like mine:




Then

 

[andy.barron]

Ok I've done exactly as you said, re-setup the AE in the house & all was good (the AE had a 10.0 range) & I was able to connect using it.

Then took it back to garage, plugged it in & it went back to the 194. Range!!

I'm really confused!!!

 

[laurenr]

Ok I've done exactly as you said, re-setup the AE in the house & all was good (the AE had a 10.0 range) & I was able to connect using it.

Then took it back to garage, plugged it in & it went back to the 194. Range!!

I'm really confused!!!

Check the edit to my post above.

Also, I see this in your Airport Configuration:



Have you tried setting this to the way I have mine set up, ie. to "Configure IPv4 Using DHCP"? Yours is set to "manual".