Need Help With Airport Express

[Plutonius]

Airport Express

A quick question on airport express. I want to network my powerbook to some desktop computers. My powerbook is airport ready and my desktops are connected via ethernet cable through a router (I use dial-up so no broadband connection to the internet is required). After looking at the Apple website and reading all the forum threads I could find, I was of the opinion that I could plug the airport express (with the 1 connection provided) into my router and have the powerbook (wireless) and the desktop computers on the same LAN. When I went into the Apple store today, one of the workers told me I could only plug a cable / DSL modem into the Airport Express and that I could not network with my desktop computers through the Airport Express unless all my desktop computers had wireless cards or I bought an Airport Extreme base station. Was I wrong or was the Apple Store employee wrong ?

Also, what wireless range from the Airport Express could I expect to get ?

 

[aswitcher]

My AX setup went fine, first time around. WAP etc. Signal strength could be a bit better but bandwidth stille exceeds my adsl speeds, so no biggy there.

I found the admin setup fine but why have two or three apps that administrate your wirless? Apple should create a single app to do everything, and put it in the preferences.

I think the latest Airport patch has helped the signal strength.

 

[Westside guy]

A quick question on airport express. I want to network my powerbook to some desktop computers.

Airport Express only has one Ethernet jack. It can be a WAN port (to your cable/dsl modem) or a LAN port (to your local wired computer) but not both at the same time, obviously.

The Airport Extreme has both a LAN and a WAN port, so it can be used the way you want.

 

[Westside guy]

I found the admin setup fine but why have two or three apps that administrate your wirless? Apple should create a single app to do everything, and put it in the preferences.

The Airport Admin utility IS that single app that does everything. It can be used to control every setting on an Airport Extreme base station or an Airport Express. If you're knowledgeable enough about wireless network settings you can use it to do anything you want.

The "Airport Setup Assistant" and the "Airport Express Assistant" are not required - they are simply there to make configuration easier for the less-technically-inclined user. It makes perfect sense for each to do only one specific task.

 

[Mason]

I re-enabled the WPA protection and the streaming audio to my stereo seems to be working just fine. Thanks again to everyone who helped me.

Now if I could just get the printer working ...

 

[iNetwork]

I finally went ahead and bought an Airport Express, but I can't seem to get it working. My current set-up is an Airport Base station that connects to my powerbook just fine. I plugged the usb/printer and monster cable into the Airport Express and then plugged it into the outlet. Once plugged in, the AirExpress blinks yellow. When I try to connect to my current existing network in the Airport Express Setup, it tells me that "no new Airport Express networks are found."

Can anyone help me with what I might be doing wrong and how I can correct it? Thanks.

The easiest way to set it up is to connect it via ethernet cable for configuration, then unplug ethernet cable and unplug it from the power and it'll work just fine. I got it working with a WRT54GS Linksys router in no time at all!

Hope this helps

 

[aswitcher]

The Airport Admin utility IS that single app that does everything. It can be used to control every setting on an Airport Extreme base station or an Airport Express. If you're knowledgeable enough about wireless network settings you can use it to do anything you want.

The "Airport Setup Assistant" and the "Airport Express Assistant" are not required - they are simply there to make configuration easier for the less-technically-inclined user. It makes perfect sense for each to do only one specific task.

Oh, ok, so thats what they have done. Well I know a fair bit about wireless and I found it a little confusing...

 

[wPod]

. . . the first thing you need to do is disable any security protocalls you have running. this way the base station and express and your computer will communicate flawlessly. next thing is to set up the express as described in previous posts. then go back to your base station and set up any needed security protocalls.

now why didnt you listen to me in the first place? i had the answer a number of posts before you got it soloved! oh well, glad to see that its working now. apple always makes things easy for the 'basic' setup. but with the power behind all apple products it may take some time to get it set up just how you want it. still beats any unsafe windows product out there!

now. . . if i could get profiles to work, but every time i move the express to a different set up i have to completely reset (hold the reset button) the entire thing :-/

 

[Westside guy]

Oh, ok, so thats what they have done. Well I know a fair bit about wireless and I found it a little confusing...

I was a bit humbled when I set up my Airport Express. I figured "I'm a tech guy, I don't need the darn Assistant".

After about an hour of mucking around I did a hard reset of the AE and used the assistant...