- Apple airport extreme setup android#
- Apple airport extreme setup password#
- Apple airport extreme setup windows#
AirPort UtilityĪpple’s current incarnation of AirPort Utility is a shadow of its former self and, whilst it doesn’t necessarily remove any functionality, it has made it much harder to configure. This is to ensure that if lose any wireless connectivity, you can easily restore it by connecting directly to your network rather than restoring anything to factory settings. I’d recommend having an ethernet cable and, if necessary, a USB or Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter. It’s assumed that you have an existing network router and Ethernet available in any of the locations you’re wanting to set up an AirPort Express, whether it’s via Ethernet outlets or Powerline network adapters which provide a cheap and efficient way of putting in Ethernet anywhere at home without needing to run any cabling. This isn’t the case and by delving into the AirPort Utility app we can configure an AirPort Express to suit our needs. Unfortunately, the terribly counterintuitive AirPort Utility app doesn’t make this obvious and, if you bought one with the sole purpose of adding AirPlay functionality to a Hi-Fi via Ethernet, it gives the impression that it isn’t possible as it must do something related to Wi-Fi. Many people (myself included) have taken to using a few of these devices solely as AirPlay receivers that have their wireless functions disabled and connect to an existing network over Ethernet - effectively they’re dumb AirPlay receivers. You can connect it to an existing Hi-Fi or set of speakers and stream audio from any Apple device on your network without having to buy a whole new sound system. Essentially, it will make all APs appear as one to the client, and the controller managing all the APs will continually survey and move clients as they roam.The AirPort Express is Apple’s pocket-sized 802.11n wireless router that features AirPlay connectivity via its 3.5mm Analog / Digital audio jack. That is the official term Ubiquiti uses, and most manufacturers have variations on the same terminology. Newer enterprise class APs offer "Zero-Handoff Roaming" at the controller level.
Apple airport extreme setup windows#
The only time I ever noted an issue with "sticky" clients was in older versions of Windows (2000 and XP) and when an AP is not properly placed or configured.
Apple airport extreme setup android#
Apple devices never seem to have an issue in my experience running a thirteen AirPort network in a school once, and most Windows and Android devices worked fine too. That is the OS atttempting to connect to the best signal, depending on location. Most major operating systems have different levels of "roaming aggressiveness".
(Not sure how enterprise Wifi does this - I think they trick it, by putting everything on the same channel, but then with all APs and clients all on the same channel, and you risk interference.)[/QUOT If they get disconnected then they will reconnect to the best signal at that location, however. You could do with I do: use used time capsules and/or extremes, since those have gigabit. So doing this with expresses may not be the best approach, depending on your internet speed and desired LAN speed. So it's only really an issue if you are moving while actively using a connection.ĮDiIT: note that the ethernet port on the expresses is only 100mbit. But it's not as bad as it might sound - every time you wake up a device, it looks for the best signal. So if you move around and find your device struggling to maintain a weak signal, you'll have to turn wifi off and then back on. Of course, if no other AP was in range, then yes they would reconnect to the original one since that's the only one available. When the original AP comes back up, the devices will not automatically switch back. For example, if you reboot one of them, the devices that were connected to it will connect to the next best available AP. (Not sure how enterprise Wifi does this - I think they trick it, by putting everything on the same channel, but then with all APs and clients all on the same channel, and you risk interference.)Īs a result, by the way, if the APs aren't all available, you could get undesirable results. They don't constantly search for a better signal, unfortunately. That's controlled by the client, and clients will do everything they can to maintain the connection they have.
Apple airport extreme setup password#
Setting up the network with the same SSID and password is straightforward so you can easily connect wherever you are but you're not going to get clients to drop and reconnect when a better signal is available.