Airport Extreme vs. Century Link

[Faqua]

In addition to the differences mentioned by Ashwin, the 2.4 band only has 11 channels. Due to the nature of the system, a single channel can have interference from channels as far away as 6 other channels. So, if you are in a dense neighborhood, or in a block of flats, it may be that everyone on CenturyLink is on the default channel, which is normally chan 6. You can try to get a feel for whether or not this interference is at your location by clicking on the WiFi "fan" on the top menu bar, then "Other networks" to see what other routers are nearby. Or you can get a network analyzer like NetSpot (it has a free version) to show the nearby networks, the signal strength and what channel they are using. Try to find a channel that has the fewest other networks on it and that has the lowest signals arriving at your location. Then set the CentryLink to that channel and see if that improves things. (You'll have to look at the CenturyLink user manual, assuming they have one, to see how to set the channel.)

Thanks again. Will try that route.
Sad update: It now sometimes takes minutes instead of seconds to download... :{

 

[Mac Man 2007]

Shut off yourCL wifi online. The address is on the modem. Then put reconnect your airport. Their modems are bad: I've had 3 of them. Make sure you have their special green cable that runs from the wall to the modem. No regular telephone lines and no splitters. Attach your phone, if you have one to the modem. I live 0.4 of a mile from their fiber optic cable that runs to a fancy subdivision. But my 60 year old house is on copper and they are not going to run fiber down to my house in the woods. So I have 8 Mbps down and 0.70 up. I can double stream my laptop while why wife streams hers at the same time. I consider my self fortunate. Go a few miles further down the road and speeds drop. I found CL wifi modems inferior to even my Airport Express. Both in speed and distance from the house.
I complained about my speed as I was paying for 10. So they sent out a tech who changed it to an 8 Mbps which lowered my speed. And then they charged me more as my 10 Mbps plan was for "life" of the contract. They considered that plan was changed and invalidated it after the tech lowered the speed. Then using that logic they gave me a new plan that cost more. How about them apples?

 

[Mac Man 2007]

In addition to the differences mentioned by Ashwin, the 2.4 band only has 11 channels. Due to the nature of the system, a single channel can have interference from channels as far away as 6 other channels. So, if you are in a dense neighborhood, or in a block of flats, it may be that everyone on CenturyLink is on the default channel, which is normally chan 6. You can try to get a feel for whether or not this interference is at your location by clicking on the WiFi "fan" on the top menu bar, then "Other networks" to see what other routers are nearby. Or you can get a network analyzer like NetSpot (it has a free version) to show the nearby networks, the signal strength and what channel they are using. Try to find a channel that has the fewest other networks on it and that has the lowest signals arriving at your location. Then set the CentryLink to that channel and see if that improves things. (You'll have to look at the CenturyLink user manual, assuming they have one, to see how to set the channel.)

 

[Mac Man 2007]

Shut off yourCL wifi online. The address is on the modem and so is the password. Then put reconnect your airport. Their modems are bad. I've had 3 of them. Make sure you have their special green cable the runs from the wall to the modem. No regular telephone lines and no splitters. Attach your phone, if you have one to the modem. I live 0.4 of a mile from their fiber optic cable that runs to a fancy subdivision. But my 60 year old house is on copper and they are not going to run fiber down to my house in the woods. So I have 8 Mbps down and 0.70 up. I can double stream my laptop while why wife streams hers at the same time. I consider my self fortunate. Go a few miles further down the road and speeds drop. I found CL wifi modems inferior to even my Airport Express. Both in speed and distance from the house.

 

[Faqua]

Shut off yourCL wifi online. The address is on the modem. Then put reconnect your airport. Their modems are bad: I've had 3 of them. Make sure you have their special green cable that runs from the wall to the modem. No regular telephone lines and no splitters. Attach your phone, if you have one to the modem. I live 0.4 of a mile from their fiber optic cable that runs to a fancy subdivision. But my 60 year old house is on copper and they are not going to run fiber down to my house in the woods. So I have 8 Mbps down and 0.70 up. I can double stream my laptop while why wife streams hers at the same time. I consider my self fortunate. Go a few miles further down the road and speeds drop. I found CL wifi modems inferior to even my Airport Express. Both in speed and distance from the house.
I complained about my speed as I was paying for 10. So they sent out a tech who changed it to an 8 Mbps which lowered my speed. And then they charged me more as my 10 Mbps plan was for "life" of the contract. They considered that plan was changed and invalidated it after the tech lowered the speed. Then using that logic they gave me a new plan that cost more. How about them apples?

Thanks Mac Man,
Please forgive my ignorance but I'm not sure what a CL wifi online is. I haven't found that configuration on the century box. The cable I have is yellow not green. Not a regular phone cable. If I reconnect the airport extreme should I connect that yellow cable to the airport or the centurylink? I previously had it connected to century and ran another cable to the airport. Today the signal is decent but it frequently drops to zilch for days at a time. I have a dumb phone; prepaid and just phone calls. I like it that way. :} ATT tells me my phone will go the way of the Do Do bird sometime next year. Then I'll revert back to the 'tin cans and string'...

I don't see a 'wifi fan' on the drop down. I counted six other century lines. The rest are direct and rivera, another local company. Didn't have any luck with netspot. Their 'free' service made no sense to me. As to switching channels I feel that's way above my pay grade...

I really appreciate your feedback and wish this OM (old man) hadn't killed all those brain cells in my wild youth...

 

[MacInWin]

I don't see a 'wifi fan' on the drop down. I counted six other century lines. The rest are direct and rivera, another local company. Didn't have any luck with netspot. Their 'free' service made no sense to me. As to switching channels I feel that's way above my pay grade...

The "wifi fan" is on the top bar of the Mac screen. Here is the icon:



The number of bars in the fan show the signal strength. Not the speed, just the strength of the radio signal as the WiFi is receiving it.

Here is Netspot for my home, I'll talk you through it:

SSID is the network name as it is broadcast from my WiFi router. My network is RichardsNet, and appears multiple times because I have a mesh network of four routers all working together on both 5 and 2.4 Ghz bands, for a total of 8. The BSSID column is a binary identifier of the router. CH.. is the channel and Band is the frequency of the signal. Note that where RichardsNet is on 2.4GHz the channel is set to 11, one edge of the set of channels. I set that in the router to get as far away from others as I can. If you look at the list, you can see other 2.4GHz routers at channels 6, 1 and 4. My choice at 11 was to get away from them. On the 5GHz band I chose channel 48. The closest other 5GHz routers are on 44, which should not interfere. The Security column shows the security setting on that router, Vendor is who made the router, Mode is a code for how the router handles data. Other than security, those are not settable, but built in to the router. Level is signal strength, and Signal is a number display of the strength. The numbers are negative, so -26 is better than -27, etc. The rest are just indicators of the signal quality.

Hope that helps you understand your own setup and circumstances.

So, basically, if there is a strong signal on a router nearby on the same channel as your router, they could be interfering with one another. If that is the case, you need to get the user manual for your particular WiFi router, look to see how to change the channel and move away from the interference to improve your speed.

Hope that all is useful.

 

[Faqua]

The "wifi fan" is on the top bar of the Mac screen. Here is the icon:

View attachment 34356

The number of bars in the fan show the signal strength. Not the speed, just the strength of the radio signal as the WiFi is receiving it.

Here is Netspot for my home, I'll talk you through it:
View attachment 34357
SSID is the network name as it is broadcast from my WiFi router. My network is RichardsNet, and appears multiple times because I have a mesh network of four routers all working together on both 5 and 2.4 Ghz bands, for a total of 8. The BSSID column is a binary identifier of the router. CH.. is the channel and Band is the frequency of the signal. Note that where RichardsNet is on 2.4GHz the channel is set to 11, one edge of the set of channels. I set that in the router to get as far away from others as I can. If you look at the list, you can see other 2.4GHz routers at channels 6, 1 and 4. My choice at 11 was to get away from them. On the 5GHz band I chose channel 48. The closest other 5GHz routers are on 44, which should not interfere. The Security column shows the security setting on that router, Vendor is who made the router, Mode is a code for how the router handles data. Other than security, those are not settable, but built in to the router. Level is signal strength, and Signal is a number display of the strength. The numbers are negative, so -26 is better than -27, etc. The rest are just indicators of the signal quality.

Hope that helps you understand your own setup and circumstances.

So, basically, if there is a strong signal on a router nearby on the same channel as your router, they could be interfering with one another. If that is the case, you need to get the user manual for your particular WiFi router, look to see how to change the channel and move away from the interference to improve your speed.

Hope that all is useful.

Just proves you're never too old to learn. I've always called that fan thing the 'STRIPED WEDGIE'. The guys at the Legion will stop teasing me now...

I will try your helpful suggestions and report back.

Thanks again!

 

[Mac Man 2007]

I don't want to get in the way of what Jake is trying to do. That said if you can access your CL modem on line and shut it off and turn on Mac Airport then changing channels would be easier.
So what model modem are you using? There will be instructions online.
Example I am using a C1100T.
This is what I find on my the side of my modem.
The GUI address is the number you type into the url. No www. or https stuff.
Just the number. In my case the number is 192.168.0.1
That takes me to the login page. The administrator user name is "admin"
and the password is on your modem which is unique to your modem. Login.
From there I go to wireless settings and tell it to disable wifi. I log out and it is done. Plug in you Airport and seeing that it has already been signed into your modem you should be good to go.
As for the cables green or yellow from your wall socket to "DSL" on your modem is ok. And then usually your Airport is a yellow cable leading to an ethernet port on the modem.

 

[lclev]

In my area we have the options of satellite (HughesNet) - terrible, Frontier copper phone lines - beyond terrible, and in limited areas CenturyLink - better than Frontier but not by much. Living in a rural area my options are limited to DSL over copper phone lines or satellite. I choose to get a hotspot from T-Mobile for my internet. I have 5G at my house and I now get 75Mbps down and 5Mbps up. A huge improvement over 1.7 down/0.4 up from Frontier and supposedly 25Mbps down and ? up from HughesNet. Also cheaper!

If you are renting your modem from CenturyLink I would request a new one (NOT refurbished!). That could help but I will not be surprised if it does not. Changing the band channel would definitely be worth a try. Good luck!

Lisa

 

[Faqua]

The "wifi fan" is on the top bar of the Mac screen. Here is the icon:

View attachment 34356

The number of bars in the fan show the signal strength. Not the speed, just the strength of the radio signal as the WiFi is receiving it.

Here is Netspot for my home, I'll talk you through it:
View attachment 34357
SSID is the network name as it is broadcast from my WiFi router. My network is RichardsNet, and appears multiple times because I have a mesh network of four routers all working together on both 5 and 2.4 Ghz bands, for a total of 8. The BSSID column is a binary identifier of the router. CH.. is the channel and Band is the frequency of the signal. Note that where RichardsNet is on 2.4GHz the channel is set to 11, one edge of the set of channels. I set that in the router to get as far away from others as I can. If you look at the list, you can see other 2.4GHz routers at channels 6, 1 and 4. My choice at 11 was to get away from them. On the 5GHz band I chose channel 48. The closest other 5GHz routers are on 44, which should not interfere. The Security column shows the security setting on that router, Vendor is who made the router, Mode is a code for how the router handles data. Other than security, those are not settable, but built in to the router. Level is signal strength, and Signal is a number display of the strength. The numbers are negative, so -26 is better than -27, etc. The rest are just indicators of the signal quality.

Hope that helps you understand your own setup and circumstances.

So, basically, if there is a strong signal on a router nearby on the same channel as your router, they could be interfering with one another. If that is the case, you need to get the user manual for your particular WiFi router, look to see how to change the channel and move away from the interference to improve your speed.

Hope that all is useful.

Thanks.
I bravely downloaded Netspot and here is a screenshot. I counted 6 others on #1 which is where mine (1062) is. Can you decipher what's going on and suggest possible solutions? Doesn't make much sense to me...(yet)...

This is the type of unit I have...
Thanks again!

 

[MacInWin]

From your screenshot of Netspot, I see that the signal from your router is very poor. Radio signals lose strength when they pass through solid objects, like walls, floors, furniture, etc. You said in the original post that they were in two different rooms. I would look to move the router or Mac to get them in a better spot. You have other routers that have signals as strong as your own. They are on channels 1, 6 and 11, so there is no good place for you to go to get away from the interference of those other routers. You need YOUR router to be the biggest signal to get speed.

If you want to stick with the CL router, I would contact the ISP and ask for a swap to a new one, maybe one with both 2.4 and 5GHz coverage. The 5 GHz would let you get away from the others on 2.4 and there aren't many on 5GHz nearby to cause interference.

Now, what you COULD do is put the CL in bridge mode and use the Airport Extreme you mentioned. The manual for the router has the instructions for that here: WAN Settings - Advanced Modem Setup | CenturyLink They call it "transparent bridging." But, in the instructions they have a step where you are to contact the CL technician, so maybe the better way to go is to get CL to set up the bridging for you. You might have to pay for a technician visit to get the bridging set. Once the bridging is set, you can attach the Airport Extreme by Ethernet cable and use it for the WiFi router. That bridging configuration is how I have my own network set up. Basically, bridging disables the WiFi router in the CL unit, turning it into a modem-only that just passes the signal from CL to your Airport Extreme. The AE then becomes your WiFi router, handling your local network for you. The AE is more capable than the CL unit and supports 5GHz as well, so it's a good thing both ways.

I found the user manual for the router here: Technicolor C1100T Modem User Guide | CenturyLink
It seems pretty complete. You've published the login information to the router, so if I were you I'd either change the password (look at the manual for how to do that) or I'd get a replacement from CL.

 

[Faqua]

From your screenshot of Netspot, I see that the signal from your router is very poor. Radio signals lose strength when they pass through solid objects, like walls, floors, furniture, etc. You said in the original post that they were in two different rooms. I would look to move the router or Mac to get them in a better spot. You have other routers that have signals as strong as your own. They are on channels 1, 6 and 11, so there is no good place for you to go to get away from the interference of those other routers. You need YOUR router to be the biggest signal to get speed.

If you want to stick with the CL router, I would contact the ISP and ask for a swap to a new one, maybe one with both 2.4 and 5GHz coverage. The 5 GHz would let you get away from the others on 2.4 and there aren't many on 5GHz nearby to cause interference.

Now, what you COULD do is put the CL in bridge mode and use the Airport Extreme you mentioned. The manual for the router has the instructions for that here: WAN Settings - Advanced Modem Setup | CenturyLink They call it "transparent bridging." But, in the instructions they have a step where you are to contact the CL technician, so maybe the better way to go is to get CL to set up the bridging for you. You might have to pay for a technician visit to get the bridging set. Once the bridging is set, you can attach the Airport Extreme by Ethernet cable and use it for the WiFi router. That bridging configuration is how I have my own network set up. Basically, bridging disables the WiFi router in the CL unit, turning it into a modem-only that just passes the signal from CL to your Airport Extreme. The AE then becomes your WiFi router, handling your local network for you. The AE is more capable than the CL unit and supports 5GHz as well, so it's a good thing both ways.

I found the user manual for the router here: Technicolor C1100T Modem User Guide | CenturyLink
It seems pretty complete. You've published the login information to the router, so if I were you I'd either change the password (look at the manual for how to do that) or I'd get a replacement from CL.

Thanks.
The walls are sheetrock and the distance is maybe ten feet. Plus, the connection is in the living room and all my computer stuff is in the spare bedroom. Moving it would not be possible.

FLASH! Just moved the CL closer. It was being blocked by the water heater and AC return unit previously. Look what happened!

CL was charging me rent on their modem so I bought one and am stuck with it for now.

I found my AE disk and manual. Must be the hoarder in me... Have been studying (trying to understand) its workings.

With moving the CL closer, will it be possible to get more juice (getting greedy!) by using the AE? If so, which cable (gizinta) goes from the wall to which device? Wall > AE > CL, or wall > CL > AE? And if the AE is wireless can it be in the same room as the computers without the extra gizinta?

Just delighted to see GREEN on the chart! (but it doesn't last long. Bounces up and down)...

Thanks again!!

 

[MacInWin]

The CL must always connect to the wall outlet. It converts the signal from the outside to an Ethernet protocol for you to use internally. So then from the CL to the AE would be an ethernet cable, IF AND ONLY IF, you put the CL in Bridge mode. Otherwise, the CL and AE will compete, leaving you with a worse situation than you have already. The metal of the tank and return definitely are killing the signal. Can the CL unit be moved to the side, or up or down to go around, over, or under them? What is best is a clear line between the Mac and the CL with as little in between as possible.

 

[Faqua]

The CL must always connect to the wall outlet. It converts the signal from the outside to an Ethernet protocol for you to use internally. So then from the CL to the AE would be an ethernet cable, IF AND ONLY IF, you put the CL in Bridge mode. Otherwise, the CL and AE will compete, leaving you with a worse situation than you have already. The metal of the tank and return definitely are killing the signal. Can the CL unit be moved to the side, or up or down to go around, over, or under them? What is best is a clear line between the Mac and the CL with as little in between as possible.

Thanks.
The CL is on the floor and at the limit of the gizinta. It does remove MOST of the interference as the screenshot showed. I guess the AE will have to be next to it? Must I have the CL person do this or can it be done online?

Thanks.

 

[lclev]

Jake - Are you sure the CL router has to be put in bridge mode? Couldn't the WiFi be turned off in the CL router and AE connected to the CL using ethernet cable? Then the CL gets the internet service and the AE provided the WiFi signal. That should work.

I know you can bridge the CL but might be easier for the OP.

Lisa

 

[Faqua]

From your screenshot of Netspot, I see that the signal from your router is very poor. Radio signals lose strength when they pass through solid objects, like walls, floors, furniture, etc. You said in the original post that they were in two different rooms. I would look to move the router or Mac to get them in a better spot. You have other routers that have signals as strong as your own. They are on channels 1, 6 and 11, so there is no good place for you to go to get away from the interference of those other routers. You need YOUR router to be the biggest signal to get speed.

If you want to stick with the CL router, I would contact the ISP and ask for a swap to a new one, maybe one with both 2.4 and 5GHz coverage. The 5 GHz would let you get away from the others on 2.4 and there aren't many on 5GHz nearby to cause interference.

Now, what you COULD do is put the CL in bridge mode and use the Airport Extreme you mentioned. The manual for the router has the instructions for that here: WAN Settings - Advanced Modem Setup | CenturyLink They call it "transparent bridging." But, in the instructions they have a step where you are to contact the CL technician, so maybe the better way to go is to get CL to set up the bridging for you. You might have to pay for a technician visit to get the bridging set. Once the bridging is set, you can attach the Airport Extreme by Ethernet cable and use it for the WiFi router. That bridging configuration is how I have my own network set up. Basically, bridging disables the WiFi router in the CL unit, turning it into a modem-only that just passes the signal from CL to your Airport Extreme. The AE then becomes your WiFi router, handling your local network for you. The AE is more capable than the CL unit and supports 5GHz as well, so it's a good thing both ways.

I found the user manual for the router here: Technicolor C1100T Modem User Guide | CenturyLink
It seems pretty complete. You've published the login information to the router, so if I were you I'd either change the password (look at the manual for how to do that) or I'd get a replacement from CL.

I'm looking at the CL 'advanced settings' menu. Is this where the changes are made, and which 'rabbit hole' do I fall into to affect these changes?

Remember, I'm an OM whose brain cells are not as plentiful as the used to be... :}

 

[MacInWin]

Jake - Are you sure the CL router has to be put in bridge mode? Couldn't the WiFi be turned off in the CL router and AE connected to the CL using ethernet cable? Then the CL gets the internet service and the AE provided the WiFi signal. That should work.

I know you can bridge the CL but might be easier for the OP.

Lisa

Lisa, that is what bridge mode does. It turns off the WiFi in the CL. Then it just becomes a bridge between the ISP RF signal on the exterior line to the Ethernet on the internal. From the user guide, there is no other way to turn off the WiFi in the CL.

@Faqua , you said:

Thanks.
The CL is on the floor and at the limit of the gizinta. It does remove MOST of the interference as the screenshot showed. I guess the AE will have to be next to it? Must I have the CL person do this or can it be done online?

Thanks.

You have a couple of options. You can get a longer cable of the type from the wall to the CL. (That is typically a coaxial cable, you can get them at the local HomeDepot/Lowe's or even BestBuy. If you don't mind running the cable through your house, that might let you put the CL in the bedroom with the Mac. Or you can get a long Ethernet cable, run that from the CL to the AE and put that in the bedroom, then put the CL in Bridge mode. The net effect will be that the WiFi is now in the bedroom with the Mac, either way.

You also said, while I was typing this:

I'm looking at the CL 'advanced settings' menu. Is this where the changes are made, and which 'rabbit hole' do I fall into to affect these changes?

Remember, I'm an OM whose brain cells are not as plentiful as the used to be... :}

Yes, the setting is on the Advanced Settings menu. Under "WAN Settings" is a place to change the "Transparent Bridging." But as soon as you make the change, your WiFi disappears, so you won't have any internet access until you get the AE set up and running. So don't make the change over WiFi or you will be lost. Use an Ethernet cable from your Mac to the CL and leave that connection when you shift to Transparent Bridge mode. Then attach the AE by an ethernet cable to the CL, power it on and use the Airport Utility on the Mac (In the Utilities folder in Applications) to configure the AE. Then check using the WiFi fan icon that you are connected to the AE successfully. Once you know the WiFi through the AE and bridge work, you can disconnect the ethernet from the CL to the Mac.

OK, so that is how to do it. If it all goes sideways, use the Ethernet cable from the CL to the Mac to undo the Transparent Bridge mode and put it back to whatever it was before you changed it. The manual doesn't give the settings in that section, so just note what it is before you change it.

Unless you are older than me, the old man claim is not valid. I'm 75.

 

[lclev]

Okay Jake, thanks for clarifying.

Lisa

 

[Faqua]

Lisa, that is what bridge mode does. It turns off the WiFi in the CL. Then it just becomes a bridge between the ISP RF signal on the exterior line to the Ethernet on the internal. From the user guide, there is no other way to turn off the WiFi in the CL.

@Faqua , you said:

You have a couple of options. You can get a longer cable of the type from the wall to the CL. (That is typically a coaxial cable, you can get them at the local HomeDepot/Lowe's or even BestBuy. If you don't mind running the cable through your house, that might let you put the CL in the bedroom with the Mac. Or you can get a long Ethernet cable, run that from the CL to the AE and put that in the bedroom, then put the CL in Bridge mode. The net effect will be that the WiFi is now in the bedroom with the Mac, either way.

You also said, while I was typing this:

Yes, the setting is on the Advanced Settings menu. Under "WAN Settings" is a place to change the "Transparent Bridging." But as soon as you make the change, your WiFi disappears, so you won't have any internet access until you get the AE set up and running. So don't make the change over WiFi or you will be lost. Use an Ethernet cable from your Mac to the CL and leave that connection when you shift to Transparent Bridge mode. Then attach the AE by an ethernet cable to the CL, power it on and use the Airport Utility on the Mac (In the Utilities folder in Applications) to configure the AE. Then check using the WiFi fan icon that you are connected to the AE successfully. Once you know the WiFi through the AE and bridge work, you can disconnect the ethernet from the CL to the Mac.

OK, so that is how to do it. If it all goes sideways, use the Ethernet cable from the CL to the Mac to undo the Transparent Bridge mode and put it back to whatever it was before you changed it. The manual doesn't give the settings in that section, so just note what it is before you change it.

Unless you are older than me, the old man claim is not valid. I'm 75.

You win, but only by a couple of years...

As to the longer cables, if I did that it would mean blood on the floor from my head making abrupt contact thereby eliminating the rest of those pesky brain cells, and my need for a faster internet...

Moving the mac to the CL is a process that would make moving heaven and earth lots easier...

There is a coax port next to the ethernet port on the living room wall and one in the bedroom but I'm sure that is only for TV, which I do not subscribe. Besides, the CL has no coax input. I guess I could get that longer cable to 'temporarily' bring the CL into the bedroom while the operation is going on?

Then, it appears I will have to 'chat' with someone from India in order to get the secret 'decoder ring' to make it happen?

I sometimes wish this internet addiction wasn't so "addicting"...

Still appreciate your "Senior Input"...

 

[MacInWin]

There is a coax port next to the ethernet port on the living room wall and one in the bedroom but I'm sure that is only for TV, which I do not subscribe. Besides, the CL has no coax input. I guess I could get that longer cable to 'temporarily' bring the CL into the bedroom while the operation is going on?

Ah, looking again at the images you provided, you seem to have a DSL connection on the CL. It that the port you referred to as "gazinta?" If that is the case, I was incorrect about the coax. In my experience, most providers use coax to the house, then coax within the house to the wall outlet and a small coax from the wall to the modem. Not the case for you, I guess.

So, if nothing moves, then a long ethernet cord, long enough to reach from the CL to the Mac, is in order. Actually, you may need two of them, one to go to the Mac to configure the CL and another to go from the CL to the AE when you configure it. Eventually the one from the CL to the Mac will be replaced by WiFi and you can remove it, although Ethernet will always be faster than Wifi, so if you don't mind the cable going from one room to another, you could just stick with Ethernet and none of the WiFi problems would matter. If the only use of WiFi is for the Mac, the Ethernet cable will do nicely.