How To Set Up A Large Wireless Network
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How to Create a Big Wireless Network
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Hub and Satellite WiFi configuration using AirPort Farthermost as our hub, then each AirPort Limited equally a satellite. Simple!
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June 2022 Apple Reviews All Reviews
How to Brand a Multi-Room Audio/Video Organization
Apple Airport Express Audio Quality
For a normal house or flat, just ane wireless router should be all you need. I've used just one old-style (flat white square) Apple tree AirPort Farthermost, and information technology easily covers a 2,500 square human foot (250 m2) single-story, 5,000 square foot (500 mii) ii-story or seven,500 square foot (750 m2) iii-story home all past itself — presuming you put it in the eye of everything. That's piece of cake.
Ane twenty-four hours I had to install a network for viii,500 foursquare feet (850 m2) of living infinite, all on one level, and cover almost an acre of land outdoors. That required several wireless devices, all connected together.
It's piece of cake to do, simply only if you know which undercover boxes to click in the fix upwards program.
Oddly no 1 has written down how to do information technology — until at present.
Hither'south how.
Basics
Use an Apple AirPort Extreme as the central hub, and and then connect several smaller Apple tree AirPort Express to it and spread them around the property.
Connect each Airport Limited to the hub with regular Cat 5 Ethernet cables, prepare the AirPorts with Apple AirPort utility with the commands I'll share, and you're done.
If you lot don't already have True cat five wiring on the holding (most properties built since 2000 accept information technology all over), you tin connect the Aerodrome Limited slaves wirelessly, or ideally have more Cat 5 wires run.
It's even easier to connect the satellite slaves wirelessly than to connect them by wire, simply connecting by wire means that everything connected to your WiFi network is directly continued to the Internet and isn't having to make a couple of extra wireless hops.
Regardless of how yous connect each satellite AirPort Express to the hub, each ane expands our network to grow as large as we want it to be.
This configuration with one Airport Extreme every bit the hub and three or four satellites easily covers 8,500 sf of structure and most an acre of state. Information technology'south easy to do more than of this same matter to cover much larger properties, and of course it'due south just as like shooting fish in a barrel to use only one or two slaves if that'southward all you need.
All you take to do is plug them in and set them up with the commands below in a complimentary plan chosen AirPort Utility.
I used on old (circa 2007) Airport Extreme, but I had bad luck with the old "power brick" style direct plug-in AirPort Express. I'd suggest starting with all new AirPort Express as I did, and it all worked great.
This is much easier than it looks: connect your AirPorts, click the buttons beneath, and yous're done.
Setup
Overview
We're going to set up an Airport Extreme every bit our hub, then fix each AirPort Express as a satellite of the main hub.
Nosotros're going to connect every bit many Aerodrome Express as we tin can by wire, and the rest wirelessly.
We are going to prepare every one of these devices to create a wireless network of its own, and use exactly the aforementioned name and passwords for every 1. Then we'll utilize a simple but relatively unknown trick (at to the lowest degree to normal people) so that they all look like one huge network to every device, creating a huge WiFi network that can cover a huge surface area.
The AirPort Extreme has iii wired outputs. I'll presume you tin can employ whatever ordinary Ethernet Switch to add additional wired connections; in my installation I connected the fourth AirPort Express wirelessly.
AirPort Extreme Setup
I already had an old-style Drome Extreme (flat square) configured every bit a wireless router. I'll use this as the central hub.
Connect the Drome Extreme to the primary Cyberspace connectedness, which comes from the cable company in my instance. Connect the cable visitor'due south modem to the AirPort Extreme'southward connector with the circumvolve with an ordinary True cat 5 Ethernet cablevision.
If y'all don't already take an AirPort Extreme, simply ready a new one to "Create a Wireless Network." Y'all do this in Apple's free Airdrome Utility program, either on your computer or every bit an app on your mobile device. This is the default setting you'll be prompted to do when you showtime fire upward AirPort Utility to set information technology up. Piece of cake.
Connect the feed cables to each satellite device beneath from the 3 connectors marked "<-->."
Wired Airdrome Express or AirPort Extreme Setup
Yous'll generally exist using lots of little Aerodrome Expresses to exercise this, simply y'all may prepare an Airdrome Extreme the same way. The Airport Extreme costs more than, and has more range.
Here's the trick. It'due south like shooting fish in a barrel, but no one has documented these special commands to set upward the satellites to connect by wire to the central hub and and then all wait similar the same network. To do this:
i.) Agree down the Aerodrome Express' RESET push button as you plug-in the power. Keep holding the RESET button for 15 seconds and then release. This simply ensures that nosotros commencement with the Airdrome Express at its default values.
2.) Plug a Cat 5 (Ethernet) cable into the socket with the circle on the AirPort Limited. Be sure your computer and AirPort Extreme hub are already on and connected so your calculator tin talk to the new AirPort Limited through this wire.
3.) Open Airport Utility. You lot can run this programme on your computer or run it as an app on your mobile device. I'k running it on a Mac Pro with OS 10.nine Mavericks in this example; you may demand slightly different clicks to get to the same settings when run on other devices.
4.) Yous'll encounter a dark window sort of similar the movie at the acme. At the elevation left of this window, yous should meet a drop-down marked "Other Wi-Fi Devices (1)."
5.) Click "Other Wi-Fi Devices (1)" and select your new AirPort Express, which will be chosen "Airdrome Express" with some random characters after information technology like "a12345."
If you don't see the (1) next to "Other Wi-Fi Devices," try quitting and restarting AirPort Utility until yous do.
vi.) Once y'all've selected your new Airport Express, you'll see a gray "Gathering information virtually your network" box with a spinner.
When information technology stabilizes, click "Other Options" on lower left.
We're going to create what'south called a roaming network.
7.) When you see the gray "What do you lot desire to exercise with the Airdrome Limited?" screen, check "Create a new network" and hit Next.
8.) On this next screen:
For "Network Proper noun," enter the exact aforementioned proper noun of your WiFi network (SSID) that y'all set up in your main AirPort Extreme.
For "Base Station Proper noun," choose annihilation yous like. I name each for its location every bit shown in this sample above (Kitchen, Living Room, Garage, etc.), since we tin send audio to each of these, so hook some powered speakers to each Aerodrome Express and you have a whole-house music arrangement!
For "Password" use exactly the aforementioned WiFi password as you lot gear up in the master AirPort Extreme. Recollect, the primal to all this working is that every satellite is set up with exactly the same Network Name and Countersign so they all look like one big network.
Click Side by side.
9.) Yous'll come across "This Airdrome Express will create a network." (Y'all may exist asked if yous want to share information with Apple. Click your choice if asked; I click Aye.)
So simply striking Adjacent again.
x.) Don't check "Create a Guest network;" simply leave it unchecked and hit Next.
11.) You'll come across a "Waiting" spinner equally information technology sets up this AirPort Express to create a network.
12. ) Yous'll come across "(your network proper noun) is now available" and "Setup Consummate." Click "Done."
13.) You lot'll probably see some blinking orange errors. Don't worry, we still need to put information technology in "Bridge" mode:
14.) Yous'll now come across a display similar to the picture at the tiptop.
Click the device you merely ready up, then click EDIT > Network > Router Mode > Off (Bridge Mode).
We're not using the default of "HCCP and NAT." We're using "Bridge mode" to brand this all piece of work equally one big happy network.
15.) Hit Update and so striking Continue. It updates and then you should accept a green lite in a few minutes.
Yay! You now have your first satellite AirPort Express working.
sixteen.) Echo this for every other satellite Airport Limited y'all'll be hooking up past wire.
Wireless AirPort Express Setup
Information technology'south ameliorate to connect to the hub with an Ethernet cable, but if you lot can't, no worries.
This is actually the default manner that AirPort Utility sets upwardly.
1.) Be certain you have Wi-Fi turned on in whatever device y'all plan to run Airport Setup Utility so that information technology tin talk to the Drome Express we're about to set upwardly.
ii.) Hold down the Aerodrome Express' RESET button as yous plug-in the power. Keep holding the RESET push button for fifteen seconds and and so release. This simply ensures that we outset with the Airport Express at its default values.
three.) Open Airport Utility. Y'all can run this program on your computer or run it every bit an app on your mobile device. I'm running information technology on a Mac Pro with OS 10.ix Mavericks in this case; y'all may need slightly different clicks to get to the same settings when run on other devices.
4.) Yous'll see a nighttime window sort of like the picture at the top. At the top left of this window, y'all should see a drop-downwardly marked "Other Wi-Fi Devices (1)."
5.) Click "Other Wi-Fi Devices (1)" and select your new AirPort Limited, which volition be called "Airdrome Limited" with some random characters later it similar "a12345."
If yous don't meet the (1) next to Other Wi-Fi Devices, try quitting and restarting Aerodrome Utility until yous do.
half-dozen.) Once you've selected your new Airport Express, yous'll see a gray "Gathering data about your network" box with a spinner.
Keep clicking the "Nexts."
7.) When y'all see the greyness "What exercise you want to practice with the Drome Limited?" screen, leave the default "Extend A Wireless Network" checked and striking Next.
8.) For "Network Name," enter the verbal same proper name of your WiFi network (SSID) that y'all fix up in your master AirPort Farthermost.
For "Base Station Name," cull anything you lot like. I name each for its location every bit shown in this sample above (Kitchen, Living Room, Garage, etc.), since we can ship audio to each of these, so hook some powered speakers to each Airport Limited and you accept a whole-house music system!
For "Password." use exactly the same WiFi password every bit yous set up in the master Airdrome Extreme. Call up, the central to all this working is that every satellite is set upwards with exactly the same Network Proper name and Countersign then they all look like one large network.
Click Adjacent.
9.) Don't check "Create a Guest network;" just exit it unchecked and hit Side by side.
10.) You lot'll see a "Waiting" spinner as it sets up this AirPort Express to create a network.
11. ) You'll see "(your network name) is now available" and "Setup Complete." Click "Done."
Yay! You lot at present have your start wireless satellite AirPort Express working.
12.) Repeat this for every other satellite Aerodrome Express yous'll be connecting wirelessly.
Troubleshooting
Weak Signals
I had an installation that no matter what I did, I couldn't get 100.000% perfect AirPlay playback no matter what I did.
There was a huge whole-wall mirror between a room and any place I could put another AirPort or spare old Airport Extreme to piece of work as a repeater.
The solution was to seize with teeth the bullet and utilize a make-new state-of-the-art AirPort Extreme as a WiFi repeater/extender instead of only another AirPort or sometime express.
The Extreme has a much stronger bespeak than an Express, and powered-through any bug to requite me rock-solid betoken.
If you get stuck or need more range, just use an Airdrome Extreme base station as an extender.
Orange Lights
If you have orangish instead of dark-green lights, click them to run into what's incorrect.
If you see a "No DNS" fault in a satellite Express, exist certain that the central AirPort Extreme is prepare as DHCP, which we do by EDIT > Network > Router Mode > "DHCP and NAT."
Sometimes simply unplugging the newly setup device, waiting thirty seconds and plugging information technology back into power will clear the errors.
The orange lights also come up on if at that place is a firmware update available, which is easy to update right from Airdrome Utility.
Seeing more information
Running Drome Utility on Mac, agree OPT and double-click each device for more information.
Passwords
All the passwords need to match. Information technology is possible that you may gear up one of the stations to a different countersign accidently during setup.
To check base station passwords (or to change settings), tap on each device in Airdrome utility on Mac, hit EDIT, then at top menu bar hit Base Station and click the drop-down for "Testify Passwords."
However Stuck?
If you merely bought your AirPorts, in the USA phone call (800) APL-Care for live assistance.
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