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using Airport Extreme as wifi adapter?

N

ndt2011

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 23, 2017
20
2
Hello,

My mac pro doesn't have wifi card, so i've bought a Airport Extreme as wifi adapter

I would like to set up like this:

Mac pro ----- ethernet -----> Airport Extreme ------ wifi ------> internet router

I'm trying to set up but i cannot, can someone give me some tutorials plz

thank you
 
Expensive adapter. Is the other Wireless Access Point also an AirPort Extreme? Merely extending the wireless network should do what you need.
 
ndt2011 said:
Hello,

My mac pro doesn't have wifi card, so i've bought a Airport Extreme as wifi adapter

I would like to set up like this:

Mac pro ----- ethernet -----> Airport Extreme ------ wifi ------> internet router

I'm trying to set up but i cannot, can someone give me some tutorials plz

thank you
Click to expand...

No, it won’t work, only Airport Express can work advance a Wifi adaptor, AirPort Extreme cannot.

However, Airport Express only has 100Mbps LAN port, therefore, everything will be limited to 100Mbps (about 10MB/s). That may be OK for internet, but considered super slow for intranet.
 
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h9826790 said:
No, it won’t work, only Airport Express can work advance a Wifi adaptor, AirPort Extreme cannot.

However, Airport Express only has 100Mbps LAN port, therefore, everything will be limited to 100Mbps (about 10MB/s). That may be OK for internet, but considered super slow for intranet.
Click to expand...

thank you, can you recommend me a wifi card for mac pro ?
 
haralds said:
I think, you should be able to "extend the range" of a network and have it bridge to ethernet of the Extreme. But not have one of these and have not tried it.

See here further down the page: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202056
Click to expand...


If i’m not wrong. Extend the range is possible but i will have to buy an other wifi station (airport express for example). The primary base station has to connect to the modem by ethernet.
 
haralds said:
I think, you should be able to "extend the range" of a network and have it bridge to ethernet of the Extreme. But not have one of these and have not tried it.

See here further down the page: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202056
Click to expand...

This can only extend the WiFi network, but won’t capture the WiFi network and covert it to the cable network. I tried. The option OP need is the “Join a wireless network”, not the “Extend a wireless network”. This option only exist in the Airport Express.
5061A259-7D10-463E-B779-F3237F8FC1B0.jpeg

[doublepost=1514605646][/doublepost]
ndt2011 said:
thank you, can you recommend me a wifi card for mac pro ?
Click to expand...

Pick one from this thread.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...orking-on-mac-pro-2010-keep-updating.1748061/
 
I just checked my setup and confirmed my prior post. It is set to "Extend Wirelesss Network" to connect to my main SSID. The ethernet ports are live and carry my network. My BluRay hooked to it configured via DHCP from my router and worked. This means that it also rebroadcasts the WiFi.

I looked and it lacks the option to "Join a wireless Network," which would just bridge the WiFi to the local ethernet and not rebroadcast the network.
 
Last edited:
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h9826790 said:
This can only extend the WiFi network, but won’t capture the WiFi network and covert it to the cable network. I tried. The option OP need is the “Join a wireless network”, not the “Extend a wireless network”. This option only exist in the Airport Express.
View attachment 744336
[doublepost=1514605646][/doublepost]

Pick one from this thread.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...orking-on-mac-pro-2010-keep-updating.1748061/
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply

Is there any difference between:

http://www.osxwifi.com/adapters/app...-with-adapter-for-macpro-2009-and-macpro-2010

And this one:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.fr/ulk/itm/262802215866

?

Thanks
 
h9826790 said:
This can only extend the WiFi network, but won’t capture the WiFi network and covert it to the cable network. I tried. The option OP need is the “Join a wireless network”, not the “Extend a wireless network”. This option only exist in the Airport Express.
Click to expand...
For me it works this way. I have one AP Extreme (802.11ac / 7.7.9) providing WiFi in my living room. It gets its internet connection from a pfSense router. On the other side of the room I have another AP Extreme (4th generation / 7.6.9) set to extend the wireless network. An ethernet cable goes from there to the Sky TV box. No problem.
 
Sko said:
For me it works this way. I have one AP Extreme (802.11ac / 7.7.9) providing WiFi in my living room. It gets its internet connection from a pfSense router. On the other side of the room I have another AP Extreme (4th generation / 7.6.9) set to extend the wireless network. An ethernet cable goes from there to the Sky TV box. No problem.
Click to expand...

I tried, but I can't. May be I didn't something wrong. But as long as you can make it work, that means it can work.

OP, please ignore my post. Obviously it can work.
 
I use a spare Airport Extreme as wifi adapter on my workbench to check / repair mac boxes without wifi - and to check the Ethernet Ports. Join a wifi network is the way to go.

Old Airport Extremes can go for low $ so its not too bad to use some - and you dont need to fiddle with drivers.
 
Macschrauber said:
I use a spare Airport Extreme as wifi adapter on my workbench to check / repair mac boxes without wifi - and to check the Ethernet Ports. Join a wifi network is the way to go.

Old Airport Extremes can go for low $ so its not too bad to use some - and you dont need to fiddle with drivers.
Click to expand...

May I know if you are also “extending” another Airport’s Wifi network?

If yes, that may be the reason why both OP and me can’t make it work. e.g. this extend function can only serve as Wifi adaptor if the other end is also an Apple transmitter. And this also explain why there is a “join the network” on the Airport Express. Which supposed to be used outside our own place (e.g. in a Hotel), which the network is not created from an Apple Airport. Therefore, cannot be “extended”, but only “joined”.
 
I do extend a wifi network what comes from a time capsule. But using the Apple Airport Express as wifi - ethernet bridges works from the A1264 on, even when just joining. I used them a lot for this on a non Apple router, too.

On the A1264 side there was a hard- or software change, very old A1264 cannot work as access point. Neither the very first A108x airport express. 2nd generation will work also. Afair its advertised they do.
 
Macschrauber said:
I do extend a wifi network what comes from a time capsule. But using the Apple Airport Express as wifi - ethernet bridges works from the A1264 on, even when just joining. I used them a lot for this on a non Apple router, too.

On the A1264 side there was a hard- or software change, very old A1264 cannot work as access point. Neither the very first A108x airport express. 2nd generation will work also. Afair its advertised they do.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your info.

Airport Express definitely can join any network and use as a Wifi - cable bridge.

But I wonder if AirPort Extreme can only work as a bridge on an Apple network.
 
I always thought that Apple made a mistake not allowing their only AC wifi router to be be put in bride mode (join a network only) vs extending the wifi network (cutting the wifi speed in half when when a device connects to the "remote" router/bridge.

I had to move my office/computer setup due to having a second kid soon and needing to repurpose the original room into the new baby's room. I have an older iMac (wifi N only), along with some other equipment that uses older wifi. Rather than extend the network from my time capsule, I had to purchase another brand router (Netgear R6250) and use a hard to configure "bridge mode" setting to effectively give me faster wifi speeds (via the ethernet port.)

I would have purchased another apple AC router (Airport extreme), but without a "join a network only setting", I didn't want the possibility of my wifi devices accidentally connecting to the closer 1/2 speed router vs the full speed main router.
 
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h9826790 said:
Thanks for your info.

Airport Express definitely can join any network and use as a Wifi - cable bridge.

But I wonder if AirPort Extreme can only work as a bridge on an Apple network.
Click to expand...

My set up uses multiple Airport devices for total coverage of my home for Apple and Windows desktops, my PS3, AppleTV 3, 2 iPads (1st gens), an iPad mini 2, 2 iPhone 5s, and a Galaxy Note 4. Also iPhone 3GS, 1st gen Kindle Fire tablet, a Nintendo 2DS...etc

1. Airport extreme 802.11ac connected to the modem and broadcasting 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz with my 80G PHAT PS3 and 3rd gen AppleTV connected directly via ethernet
2. Airport extreme 802.11ac extending the 5GHz network (with a 2009 iMac, Dell AIO, and work phone connected via ethernet)
3. Airpot Extreme 802.11n extending the 2.4Ghz network with a CyberPowerPC connected directly to that via ethernet
4. Airport Express 802.11n connected to the network and connected to a stereo so that I can play my iTunes music on my computer and on the stereo across the house simultaneously. It's fun.

In addition I have the other devices listed connected to either the 2.4/5Ghz network depending on each device's capabilities and I have zero issues what so ever.

I am currently looking for a very reasonably priced airport express to use as access for a single location for a wireless printer.
 
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h9826790 said:
But I wonder if AirPort Extreme can only work as a bridge on an Apple network.
Click to expand...

That is my understanding of the matter. Extending a wireless network seems always vendor specific. I never achieved extended Wifi between different vendors. And joining a network doesn't exist on AP Extremes.

I'm getting a DSL upgrade within the next few days, new hardware (AVM Fritz!Box 7360) already here, so I'm planning on testing some more on this shortly.
 
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