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new airport extreme not as great as everyone says :((

R

raggdoll

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 21, 2012
110
1
Toronto GTA
I have a iMac, MacBook Pro, iPad, iPhone, 2 HP printers (new wireless HP 7510 and older network printer HP 1160 Laser Jet). Also a year old Dell work laptop.

I was using a dLink router from my cable modem, able to print from any device to any printer. Was nice...

I "upgraded" an obscene amount of money on the AE to circumvent (hopefully) daily dropped internet connections and hopeful increase speed.

What a night mare. My old network is still showing up even though it's been disconnected??? I cannot print from the Dell to the 1160 no matter what I try. I have had one dropped connection already, in less than a day :(

I'm not a tech person, so I'm not about able to sit here and type out every single setting or thing I've tried. Just frustrated is all.

Maybe tomorrow I'll have a refreshed mindset and try this again.

I should have know, it's NEVER as easy as people say when it comes to stuff like this :(
 
You download and install the BonJour Printing Wizard onto the Dell. As long as the printer is on and connected to the Extreme's USB port, it'll see it and connect to it.
 
Works fantastic in my three story home with 5 pcs, 2 ps3s, 3 iPads, 1 iPhone, 2 htc incredible 2s, an HP OfficePro Print Station, 1 Internet ready tv and a wireless video camera for monitoring the front door.
 
Good luck getting it sorted. For what it's worth, I'm using a 5th generation Airport Extreme (still the latest, I think) and it's the best router I've ever owned. The only router that could compare in terms of stability was a D-Link DGL-4300 (no longer made).

When you say "dropped connection," do you mean that the wireless drops out, or the internet? If the internet, suspect your cable modem. If the wireless, check network congestion in your area and ensure that channel selection is automatic (which should be default). Shift what ever you can over to the 5 Ghz band. Name your 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz networks differently, as well - when I had them named the same (which was the default behavior), I found that my 5 GHz-capable devices would connect most of the time to the 2.4 Ghz network. Name them differently, give the 5 Ghz network higher priority, and you're set.

I have one printer on the network, connected via USB to the Airport. It works flawlessly. I've used network printers before (connected via ethernet) and they're always a bit finnicky. In the case of your network printers, if you're not connecting them to the USB port, I'm not sure that you can set them up through the printer sharing part of the Airport Utility. Worst-case scenario, I'd suggest assigning them a dedicated IP address and then setting them up individually on each computer.

One last thing. Airport Utility 6 (the latest, and iOS-ified version) hides a few options, if they're not outright removed. The older version (version 5, I think up to 5.6) is still available for download. You can use both versions to set up the router; the settings are compatible between both programs. I find version 5 nicer to use when doing things that go beyond very basic functionality.
 
Until Apple sees fit to include a QoS engine in their routers, they're non-starters for any home or business using VoIP. Profoundly disappointing that Apple persists in omitting this key technology, routinely available in much cheaper routers like the D-Link DIR-655.
 
Intell said:
You download and install the BonJour Printing Wizard onto the Dell. As long as the printer is on and connected to the Extreme's USB port, it'll see it and connect to it.
Click to expand...

Perfect, worked like a charm, thanks again!!!

Ledgem said:
Good luck getting it sorted. For what it's worth, I'm using a 5th generation Airport Extreme (still the latest, I think) and it's the best router I've ever owned. The only router that could compare in terms of stability was a D-Link DGL-4300 (no longer made).

When you say "dropped connection," do you mean that the wireless drops out, or the internet? If the internet, suspect your cable modem. If the wireless, check network congestion in your area and ensure that channel selection is automatic (which should be default). Shift what ever you can over to the 5 Ghz band. Name your 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz networks differently, as well - when I had them named the same (which was the default behavior), I found that my 5 GHz-capable devices would connect most of the time to the 2.4 Ghz network. Name them differently, give the 5 Ghz network higher priority, and you're set.

I have one printer on the network, connected via USB to the Airport. It works flawlessly. I've used network printers before (connected via ethernet) and they're always a bit finnicky. In the case of your network printers, if you're not connecting them to the USB port, I'm not sure that you can set them up through the printer sharing part of the Airport Utility. Worst-case scenario, I'd suggest assigning them a dedicated IP address and then setting them up individually on each computer.

One last thing. Airport Utility 6 (the latest, and iOS-ified version) hides a few options, if they're not outright removed. The older version (version 5, I think up to 5.6) is still available for download. You can use both versions to set up the router; the settings are compatible between both programs. I find version 5 nicer to use when doing things that go beyond very basic functionality.
Click to expand...

Yes, dropped again this morning, and I checked Airport Utility and it was yellow under the Internet, still green under Airport Extreme.

So, I'll be calling my cable and internet supplier to see if they will exchange the cable modem. Thanks for your insight!
 
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