Airport Express - extending network

so, i have bought the Airport Express to try and extend the wireless network to the first floor of the house.

i have followed the onscreen instructions and the green light is/was glowing...however, the network is not enhanced/extended one bit. i have dismantled it again and checked the signal strength from the downstairs router/Time Capsule and it is the same..

I have read and re-read the search options re- 'extending the network' and they all go over my head technically, so what i am looking for is some simple / dumbed down instructions that i may be able to follow, to get this thing working..

when i went through the on screen instructions (Automatic not Manual) it did not give me the option of 'extending the network' as it appears on numerous youtube guidance etc..but i did upgrade the firmware before i started. i went through the process and it completed the exercise, hence the green light.

i have tried to add a little pic of what i am trying to do at the bottom of this page (not sure why it is at the bottom)

i am not sure what i have done, but the Mac is now wobbling a bit, sometimes it can detect the Express, sometimes it cannot. Sometimes the internet kicks out and then re-engages..i am sure they are not connected to this mess but the mind does boggle sometimes. As i write this thread the Express has popped in and out of the utility list 3 times and now it has disappeared, whilst the signal in the room upstairs has been constant enough to download web pages..not sure if that is strong enough though.

so, the Specifics:

Router - Thompson TG585 v8
Base Station - Time Capsule, firmware v7.6
Express, firmware v7.6

any help would be greatly appreciated

J

The picture you've attached and priciple are all sound.

There's now way to determine the enviromental factors remotely but here are a few things that come to mind.

Unplug the Express.

Can your Mac 'see' the network being broadcast from the Extreme?

If you can connect direct to the extreme use iStumbler and make a note of the signal strength/noise etc.

Now plug the express back in. If it's setup correctly and is extending the network (rather than creating one on it's own) your Mac should switch to the express as it should have a stronger signal. You can confirm this by going back into iStumbler and see if the noise has drop and strength has gone up.

That will at least tell you the connection there and improved (or not).

It's also worth trying the same exercise using 2.4ghz N rather than 5ghz N

mrplow said:

The picture you've attached and priciple are all sound.

There's now way to determine the enviromental factors remotely but here are a few things that come to mind.

Unplug the Express.

Can your Mac 'see' the network being broadcast from the Extreme?

If you can connect direct to the extreme use iStumbler and make a note of the signal strength/noise etc.

Now plug the express back in. If it's setup correctly and is extending the network (rather than creating one on it's own) your Mac should switch to the express as it should have a stronger signal. You can confirm this by going back into iStumbler and see if the noise has drop and strength has gone up.

That will at least tell you the connection there and improved (or not).

It's also worth trying the same exercise using 2.4ghz N rather than 5ghz N

Click to expand...

Thanks Mrplow, i will give it a go tonight and report back tomorrow.

many thanks for taking the time

J

Before i download istumbler, i did a quick reckie on the web. i cannot see a version that works with Lion. does it matter?

cheers

J

I have downloaded stumbler but it didn't really provide an insight into what was wrong. however i have downloaded AU 6.0 and following a read from OneMoreThing's article on the updated AU - http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/ap...-retools-interface-match-ios-counterpart.html I noticed that the image, which i have appended below, is different from the one i have set up.

The one i have has the time capsule and the AE aligned, i.e. side by side and then connected to the internet...where as the one attached, has them AE' (s) configured through the TC.

how do i change the configuration to make it more like the attach image?

many thanks in advance

J

Firstly, part way down the iStumbler page:

iStumbler Release 100 GM Candidate 3 is available on the beta page
it includes a number of bug fixes and enhancements for Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.

Click to expand...

Secondly, It's worth updating the firmware on the Office AE.

You're pic doesn't show the Living Room AE so I'll ignore that and assume it's working OK.

Thirdly, once the firmware has been installed on the Office AE. Press and hold the reset button until the light. Once it re-appears in Airport Utility run through the setup wizard selecting extend network etc.