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Setting up a 2005 AirPort Extreme as wireless bridge

Ih8reno

Ih8reno

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Aug 10, 2012
1,383
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Just picked it up today for $5 but am wracking my brain as to how to use it as a bridge for some of my power pcs. The wifi network here is running from a netgear router which supports g and n as well. Any help would be appreciated.
 
Ih8reno said:
Just picked it up today for $5 but am wracking my brain as to how to use it as a bridge for some of my power pcs. The wifi network here is running from a netgear router which supports g and n as well. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
I don't know about the AE, but I can tell you my setup which may help you.

I have a wired router, a wireless router and a switch.

The switch connects to the wired router and everything else including the wireless router connects to the switch.

The wired router handles all DHCP. I have assigned all my devices a static IP address within a certain range and the DHCP is within a certain range as well. The static IP assigned to the wireless router is OUTSIDE the DHCP address range of the wired router.

Ex. 192.168.0.3 to 192.168.0.199 is my wired router's DHCP range. The static IP address of my wireless router is 192.168.0.250 which is outside the DHCP range of the wired router.

I have DHCP on the wireless router switched off. Consequently, by virtue of all of this, the wireless router becomes my WAP (Wireless Access Point) or wireless bridge if you prefer. I control the security of the wireless devices accessing my network through the wireless router and I control the assignment of IP addresses through my wired router.

I don't know how the setup on an AE works, but if you can make any assignments like this with your current router that may be the way to make it work.

If any of that is confusing or doesn't work at all for you, let me know.
 
Ih8reno said:
Just picked it up today for $5 but am wracking my brain as to how to use it as a bridge for some of my power pcs. The wifi network here is running from a netgear router which supports g and n as well. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Are you talking about having the Netgear connect to the AirPort by Ethernet or have the AirPort wirelessly connect to the Netgear and then use the Ethernet ports on the AirPort? I do not believe the AirPort of that vintage will work with the "Extend" function but may work in WDS.
 
I'm trying to do it wirelessly and then connect it by ethernet to older power pc macs.
 
Have the Extreme join the network. You may not see that option by default in the list of wireless modes. To get that mode, press the option key and click the drop down menu, you'll then see the join a network mode.
 
When I click on wireless modes I get 2 options

Participate in a wds network or create a wireless network. If I try and save in that mode it says

Wds requires multiple apple wifi stations

Which I do not have
 
No difference

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anuga4yv.jpg
 
It's located in another room then my macs, a closet.
 
Can't seem to find any solutions anywhere. Too bad as this would have helped my setup.
 
lol I could but for $5 I'll just keep it as a part of my collectiob
 
Altemose said:
I am not sure if an AirPort of this vintage will support it then. My Express supports it but I am not sure if Ethernet clients can connect through it as it is simply a printer adapter in my case.
Click to expand...


802.11n Express can as I use one occasionally as a 'wireless dongle' but the earlier 802.11g Express cannot. However, IIRR the Express can only extend from an AEBS. I tried it with a Netgear router and it wasn't having any of it. As far I can gather, each manufacturer tends to employ its own protocol for wireless extension of signals and that tends to limit interoperability of brands.
 
If you're ever in need of an Airport Extreme G card, you can open that Extreme up and extract its card for use in a PowerPC Mac.
 
weckart said:
802.11n Express can as I use one occasionally as a 'wireless dongle' but the earlier 802.11g Express cannot. However, IIRR the Express can only extend from an AEBS. I tried it with a Netgear router and it wasn't having any of it. As far I can gather, each manufacturer tends to employ its own protocol for wireless extension of signals and that tends to limit interoperability of brands.
Click to expand...

Never had a reason to put the wireless G in a wireless bridge position. I only use it as a printer adapter.
 
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