I currently use an Airport Extreme and 2 Airport Expresses, all of them now quite old. I live in a very old home with horsehair walls, and need my wi-fi extended. I'm thinking about replacing them with a new mesh system. My question is connectivity. I have an Xfinity router configured to allow the Airport Extreme. If I buy a mesh system, can I just plug it in and it'll work? Or would I need an Xfinity tech to deal with it?
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Mesh wi-fi upgrade question
- Thread starter JPS127
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You won’t need an Xfinity tech. Should work, although complexity of setup will depend on your Xfinity router and its config.
It's already configured to handle the Airport Extreme, so would that be sufficient?
It’s not clear what that actually means. If you are asking whether it’s “plug-n-play”, again, it depends. Is the Xfinity Wi-Fi turned off so only the AE is providing Wi-Fi?
No, the AE is bridging the Wi-Fi and connecting to two Airport Express units, one in my office on the same floor, one upstairs. The house was built in 1815, and the walls are made of horsehair, not the most conducive material for Wi-Fi. I'm basically asking if I can simply replace the AE and associated units with a mesh system without having the Xfinity router reconfigured. Plug-and-play, indeed.
From quick Googling, this Xfinity.com link:
"Typically, two pieces of equipment are required to connect to the internet and the WiFi network in your home:
We understand, however, that there may be times when you may want to use your own router.
To do this on our network, you'll have to enable the Bridge Mode feature on your wireless gateway, which turns off its routing capabilities while leaving the modem capabilities on. Then, you may connect and use your own router."
If the Xfinity product in Bridging mode, so it's just serving as a modem and your Airport Extreme is currently providing router functionality, which the 2 Airport Expresses are extending?
If that is accurate, you propose to remove the Airport Extreme & 2 Airport Expresses from the setup, leave the Xfinity device in Bridge mode (so it continues to function just as a modem), and hook it to one of the component modules of a few mesh router network, yes?
If that is the case, I imagine you'll need to setup a wifi network.
I believe it was last year I realized my several year old Netgear combo. cable modem/router wasn't delivering the speeds I was paying for, so I bought a new Motorola cable model and separate TP Link router. I had to set up the wifi network for the TP Link router; give the 2-GHz, 5-GHz and 6-GHz (it's a 6E router) sections their names (all the same name works for me), provide name and password, etc...
I don't think you will find this beyond your capabilities (hey, even I got it done), but I doubt it's going to be just 'plug and play.' I'm guessing you won't have to change anything on the Xfinity, though?
If you have a different arrangement plan going on, that may be different.
"Typically, two pieces of equipment are required to connect to the internet and the WiFi network in your home:
- A modem connects your home to an Internet Service Provider's (e.g., Comcast's) network.
- A router connects your wired and wireless devices to your modem.
We understand, however, that there may be times when you may want to use your own router.
To do this on our network, you'll have to enable the Bridge Mode feature on your wireless gateway, which turns off its routing capabilities while leaving the modem capabilities on. Then, you may connect and use your own router."
I'm no networking whiz, so apologies if I make glaring errors; just trying to help.
If the Xfinity product in Bridging mode, so it's just serving as a modem and your Airport Extreme is currently providing router functionality, which the 2 Airport Expresses are extending?
If that is accurate, you propose to remove the Airport Extreme & 2 Airport Expresses from the setup, leave the Xfinity device in Bridge mode (so it continues to function just as a modem), and hook it to one of the component modules of a few mesh router network, yes?
If that is the case, I imagine you'll need to setup a wifi network.
I believe it was last year I realized my several year old Netgear combo. cable modem/router wasn't delivering the speeds I was paying for, so I bought a new Motorola cable model and separate TP Link router. I had to set up the wifi network for the TP Link router; give the 2-GHz, 5-GHz and 6-GHz (it's a 6E router) sections their names (all the same name works for me), provide name and password, etc...
I don't think you will find this beyond your capabilities (hey, even I got it done), but I doubt it's going to be just 'plug and play.' I'm guessing you won't have to change anything on the Xfinity, though?
If you have a different arrangement plan going on, that may be different.
OP:
You started two threads on the same subject. I replied in the other one.
Comcast (Xfinity) has a "wifi extender" option you can go with (which is probably "mesh" of some kind). Have you given any consideration to that?
Having said that, if the Xfinity residential gateway (modem/router) is already set to "bridge mode" for the Airport setup you're using now, you might just be able to swap out the Airport(s) for a new mesh system, and be good-to-go.
If not, you probably need to set the residential gateway's router to bridge mode, and go on from there.
This is one of those things that you just have "work through" once you have the hardware...
You started two threads on the same subject. I replied in the other one.
Comcast (Xfinity) has a "wifi extender" option you can go with (which is probably "mesh" of some kind). Have you given any consideration to that?
Having said that, if the Xfinity residential gateway (modem/router) is already set to "bridge mode" for the Airport setup you're using now, you might just be able to swap out the Airport(s) for a new mesh system, and be good-to-go.
If not, you probably need to set the residential gateway's router to bridge mode, and go on from there.
This is one of those things that you just have "work through" once you have the hardware...
Yet I already have a Wi-Fi network in place. So would I need to create a new one? I'm not sure I see why.
Good points. Didn't know Xfinity had a wifi extender option. I'm already in bridge mode (otherwise, the Extreme and Express units wouldn't work).
I would check with them first. If you’re renting your equipment from them, contact their rep and tell them you won’t continue with them unless they upgrade you to their mesh solution with their extenders.
If you’re NOT renting the equipment and are looking to build a mesh network, you likely can just plug your new main router from there.
The login credentials for your equipment is printed right on it, so odds are if any adjustments needed to be made you can just log into it and turn bridge mode off (IF needed).
Thanks for this, NT. I read some comments on Xfinity's mesh system, and it gets generally poor reviews. So I'll look into other units.
As much as I don’t like that they’re owned by Amazon I have several friends, family, clients, and myself on the Eero mesh networking system.
Given you’re dealing with old construction and insulation I recommend going with the “pro” models of whatever system you go with.
I'll lay out my understanding and thinking.
My understanding: you have an Xfinity device in bridge mode, so the wifi capability is deactivated and it is functioning solely as an Internet modem. To it you have connected an Airport Extreme router, which is wirelessly connected to 2 Airport Express network extenders.
You plan to get rid of the Airport Extreme router & 2 extenders and replace those with a mesh product as your router.
You plan to buy a mesh product (for sake of argument, let's say an Amazon Eero with 3 nodes), and plug one of those nodes into your Xfinity device (still in bridge mode, so still serving solely as a modem).
I'm saying when you do that, you'll likely have to set up a new network, though it should be fairly easy to do and I don't think you'll need a tech. You're asking me why you'll need to create a new network since you already have one.
It's been many years since I used an Apple Airport Extreme router, so if anything is different about a setup with one, I don't recall that.
Let me explain using my own system. I have a Motorola cable model and TP Link 6E router, and set this network up probably last year. The Motorola modem was pretty much 'plug and play.' The router, on the other hand, involved me either using a web browser interface on my desktop Mac to set parameters, or an iPhone app, both provided by TP Link.
In other words, my network settings, the names of my 3 frequency bands (2.4, 5 and 6-GHz), the passwords, all that I had to set using TP Link app.s. Let's say I named my home wifi network JoeBlow1.
Let's say I buy an Amazon Eero mesh network, toss my current TP Link router in the trash, plug the Eero node into my Motorola modem. Will this work?
Well, if I go get on my iMac I won't have Internet connection, and JoeBlow1 won't show up as an available wifi network. That network info. was on my TP Link router, now sitting in the trash.
So I would expect to have to use Amazon's Eero app. (whether a phone app., or web browser-based app. or similar), use the default username and password to access it, name my new Eero-based wife network, and go.
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In other words, I think your current wifi network is embedded in your Apple Airport Extreme router, that when you throw out the Airport Extreme you are effectively throwing out your old wifi network with it, so when you attach a new router to the Xfininity-in-bridge-mode, you'll need to set up your new wifi network.
Apologies if I made a mistake and there's no need for all this. I'm no network guru; I've set up home networks a few times. In a nutshell, a new router tends to mean a new network.
But...if you like your current network name and password, I suppose you could use those for your new network, in which case maybe you won't need to put in network log-in info. on each of your new devices.