RT-AC66R - Extend wireless network with Airport Express?

[mvalpreda]

I am trying to move from an Apple Airport Extreme 802.11ac to an Asus RT-AC66R and the last piece is getting the Airport Express connected.

I go through the settings on the APE, get it configured and then after a reboot it won't connect. I have to do a reset on the Airport Express and try again. Is there something in the Asus that I need to enable to allow the network to be extended?

I am able to join the wireless network with the APE.

 

[ozgurcnbyz]

airport express can only extend airport extreme or another airport express not a router of a different brand.

 

[mvalpreda]

Not true. The Airport Express can extend a non-Apple network. The router just needs to support WDS (Wireless Distribution System).

 

[mvalpreda]

I think this might be what I need to look into:

http://support.asus.com/FAQ/Detail....A-F59E-6A44-9182-C513B58F5B89&p=11&m=RT-AC66U

 

[ozgurcnbyz]

Not true. The Airport Express can extend a non-Apple network. The router just needs to support WDS (Wireless Distribution System).

WDS? Thats totally different than "the extend network" feature of airport express which like i said doesnt work with none apple routers. This is a known fact and its all over the forums. WDS by the way only supports 802.1g therefore is not ideal . What you can do though is to hardwire the airport express to the asus and create a wireless network with exactly same ssid and password. Thats called roaming.


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[ozgurcnbyz]

I think this might be what I need to look into:

http://support.asus.com/FAQ/Detail....A-F59E-6A44-9182-C513B58F5B89&p=11&m=RT-AC66U

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4650868



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[mvalpreda]

WDS? Thats totally different than "the extend network" feature of airport express which like i said doesnt work with none apple routers. This is a known fact and its all over the forums. WDS by the way only supports 802.1g therefore is not ideal . What you can do though is to hardwire the airport express to the asus and create a wireless network with exactly same ssid and password. Thats called roaming.

I don't have the ability to run a cable, so that is why I am using this. It's not for much, just adding some basic wireless in my garage. I don't need AC in there, even b/g would be fine.

According to what I read on Apple's site, the router has to support WDS in order to extend the wireless network with an Airport Express. I'm guessing that whatever they do on their routers is WDS...just simplified.

I'll try it later today and report back.

 

[PrivateJoker]

I don't have the ability to run a cable, so that is why I am using this. It's not for much, just adding some basic wireless in my garage. I don't need AC in there, even b/g would be fine.

According to what I read on Apple's site, the router has to support WDS in order to extend the wireless network with an Airport Express. I'm guessing that whatever they do on their routers is WDS...just simplified.

I'll try it later today and report back.

You used to be able to fiddle around more with Apple router hardware when they still allowed the old ver 5.x setup utility, and there were hidden options to enable things like WDS (hold down the option key on pull down menus and you would get the larger list of options). With ver 6.x of the setup utility those options are gone, and Mavericks now refuses to run ver 5.x (whereas Mountain Lion would allow running both/either of the setup utilities).

But, ya, either way you probably don't want WDS, IIRC it forces WEP & 802.11g only, and half its bandwidth will be committed just to bouncing traffic back and forth, which probably will slow down your main router in its communications with other, faster devices. Even when given ability to setup WDS, it's never a given that it will actually run well (or at all) between different manufacturers.

Apple stuff has different proprietary mojo that enables it to wirelessly extend/repeat the signals of Apple routers even using WPA2 and 802.11n and beyond, but you don't have an Apple base station so that doesn't do you any favors.

I run an AP express wired to my RT-N66U with no problems. If wiring via ethernet isn't possible look at another possible location that you can actually wire an additional AP to, or doing AV2 homeplugs (ethernet over power lines) or MoCA or some other solution that uses wires you already have, or even a true wifi repeater (again you'll get reduced performance due to the added hops, but a reduced 150-300Mb/s N connection is a lot better than a 54Mb/s G connection.