Help with Airport Extreme & Express Networking Issue

Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Ok, so ive been toying with this for a few days with only temporary success. Here's the situation. Downstairs is my cable modem and internet connections. Upstairs is my imac which runs itunes/airplay to my apple tvs through the house. My NAS is holds my itunes library. In an ideal world i would like my airport express to be downstairs providing the internet connection to my network and my airport extreme to be upstairs with my imac, NAS, and printer plugged into it. This is for speed reasons. Now, this did work once for a few hours, then something screwed up and it stopped providing internet connection. My modem started blinking yellow which i guess is bad.

so now what i currently have is my Airport express upstairs with my printer plugged into it and my airport extreme downstairs with my NAS and cable modem plugged into it. It works fine, but accessing the NAS is soooooooo sllloooowwww. The NAS is a 4tb WD Live Duo, brand new, so i know its the router. I want a direct line between the NAS and the iMac to speed things up. Somebody please help!!
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,163
Reaction score
275
Points
83
Location
UK
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini i5 (2014 High Sierra), iPhone X, Apple Watch, iPad Pro 12.9, AppleTV (4)
You can setup the Express as the DHCP router so that it 'controls' your network and the Extreme is in bridge mode and connect to that. That will will.

So long as the Express is setup as the primary router and DHCP server and the extreme is in 'dumb' bridge or access point mode and doesn't have the DHCP server running
 
OP
J
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Still having problems. I noticed that when i plug the airport express in to the modem downstairs, the LED lights on the modems ethernet flash orange instead of green. When i plug in the airport extreme they flash green. Also, when i set the network up as you have described, the system freaks out after 30 minutes or so, or whenever i do any big downloads. The airport extreme flashes yellow for a few seconds then either returns to green or says can't find network.

Any ideas? Is it something to do with the settings. I'm pretty much using the basc settings with the airport express creating the network and the extreme joining the network.
 
Joined
Oct 1, 2007
Messages
7,163
Reaction score
275
Points
83
Location
UK
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini i5 (2014 High Sierra), iPhone X, Apple Watch, iPad Pro 12.9, AppleTV (4)
There's nothing to say it won't work. It can only be a configuration or hardware failure. Most likely a config issue.

Try resetting the Express (there's a small button to hold down with a paper clip or similar). Power it up and hold the button in til it flashes fast orange.
Then configure from scratch in airport utility.

The only other issue I can see is that even though the the extreme is connected by ethernet to the mac the routing is via the express. Perhaps it's timing out over wifi

Worth trying an alternative wifi channel.
 
OP
J
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
I've reset all of the airports numerous times.

Case in point, the system as you have laid out was working fine last night so i started downloding some movies from itunes before going to bed last night. when i woke up, the computer had only downloaded one movie and froze. The airport utility was telling me there was no interent and none of the airports could be found, however all of the lights on the physical airport were still green.

It seems like it did time out or something. Also still not sure why the ethernet plug on my modem flashes amber with the airport express plugged in but green with the airport extreme plugged in. I think that has something to do with it.

Considering getting a second airport extreme for downstairs.
 
OP
J
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
1
problem solved, bought a PLC, power line communicator. The Extreme is downstairs hooked up to the modem, NAS, and PLC. The second PLC is upstairs and connected to the computer. no more drama's
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top