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The Linksys WiFi Experience...
- Thread starter Brother Michael
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Two things to try that have worked for me in the past:notserp said:
1. Turn the power to the AirPort Card in your Mac off then on again (use Internet Connect application).
2. Do the same thing to the base station (by yanking out the power then plugging it in again and waiting for it to finish initializing).
The station might be misconfigured not to let you in. To fix that, launch AirPort Admin Utility (make sure you have a wired connection to the base station when you do this), choose your base station, enter the password if one has been set, then check the settings to see if all is fine.notserp said:
Or, it could be that you simply haven't selected a network. Open Internet Connect and choose the network you want to join, enter the password if prompted for one, and you should be set (assuming there isn't a configuration problem as mentioned above).
Just got it to work for me. Linksys WRT54G and Airport Express, linked via WDS. I had to update the Linksys firmware using this site. That worked quite well - and I can boost the signal strength as well (I jacked it up slightly, not all the way, and saw better reception). I then set up the AE and, after some tweaking, all was well.daveL said:Airport Express can only extend the range of an Aiport/Extreme. There is supposed to be hacked firmware out there for the linksys that allows the Airport Express to be used this way, but I haven't tried it myself. If you read the Airport Express specs closely, Apple mentions this limitation, I mean feature
Key sites:
http://troyandgay.com/index.php?p=2888 (esp. comments below)
http://weblogs.java.net/blog/inder/archive/2004/10/using_airport_e_1.html
A couple of caveats:
(1) Be sure to use the correct Linksys MAC address when configuring WDS on the AE - you need to use the wireless MAC, not the router MAC. (On the Linksys, go to Status->Wireless to get the correct MAC address).
(2) Be sure to use the correct AE MAC address - or, if in doubt, use both the addresses on the AE.
Basics:
On the Linksys...
- Fetch the Sveasoft firmware upgrade and, using the WRT54G's Administration->Firmware Upgrade panel, upload it to the Linksys. Fear not - it looks just like the original firmware with a few more options.
- Under Wireless->WDS, add two LAN entries (one for each listed AE MAC address, so you don't need to bother deciding which one is the right one), disable Lazy WDS, and disable "WDS subnet"
- Make note of the channel used under Wireless->Basic Settings
- Make note of the wireless MAC listed in Status->Wireless
On the AE (or more precisely, using Airport Admin Utility)...
- On Airport tab:
- Set Base station name, contact, and location to anything you want.
- set wireless mode to "Create a Wireless Network (Home Router)"
- Name the network whatever you want - same or different as WRT54G's SSID
- Set the channel to the one used by the WRT54G
- On the Internet tab:
- Connect using AirPort (WDS)
- Set the MAC address to the WRT54G's wireless MAC
- Configure using DHCP
- On the Network tab:disable everything
- On the WDS tab:
- Enable as a WDS remote base station
- Select "allow wireless clients on this base station"
- Enter (or verify - it should be there by now) the Linksys wireless MAC
You can now use the AE as a wireless extender and plug an ethernet cable into it (not crossover/patch, just a standard cable) and plug non-wireless devices (like, say, an Xbox) directly into it.
Best of luck!
BTW, to completely reset the AE, should you muck it up, unplug it, use a paperclip, etc., to press the small reset button prior to plugging it in, keep it pressed as you plug in and for a dozen seconds or so until it blinks gree 4 times - this let up on the reset button and wait a minute or two. Then it's completely reset to factory specs. And, when intially setting it up, skip the internet connection portion of the setup (don't specify Cable/DSL modem, etc.).
I will never use Linksys ever again. I went through two Linksys 802.11A/B routers within 1 year and after the warrantee expired it died again. At which point I purchased a Netgear 802.11G with 108mb turbo support along with the wireless card. The thing is fast as heck. Very close to my wired network which is scary.