Add a 2nd Airport to An Airport Network

S

smithgg

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I give up . . . I have a main airport base station on "Network 1", configured to distribute IP addresses, on channel 1, with WDS enabled as "Main Base Station," allowing wireless clients on this base station -- in the small window beneath this is the remote base station and its own MAC address.

I've configured the remote base station to be on "Network 1", not configured to distribute IP addresses, on channel 1, with WDS enabled as "remote base station", with the Main Airport ID# -- which is the MAC address on the main base station.

It looks correct to me, but they won't talk to each other. When I open Airport Admin Utility it will scan and pick up one airport, but not the other. If I turn off the remote base station the scan will turn up the main station; otherwise it will pick up the remote base station.

Any ideas? I can call Apple again -- I have AppleCare, but I'd love to figure out what I'm doing wrong, thanks, Buz
 
Isn't that what it's supposed to be doing? If I'm not mistaken, you're using one base station as the "master" or "main" station, and the second base station as a "repeater" or "range extender" of sorts -- correct?

If so, this should appear as only one network to any clients, as it is just one, single network.

I don't think I'm understanding correctly, though...
 
I am not quite sure what's happening in your case, but have you tried going through the Airport's logs?
You can browse them by setting up syslogd on a machine running Tiger on your network, or using Apple's Airport Management Utility.

http://www.apple.com/support/airport/ -> Additional Resources (column on the right) -> Airport Management Tools download.

Hope it helps
 
Thanks for the tips, it shouldn't be too tough -- I'll probably call Apple and have them walk me thru it again.
 
I've pin-pointed the problem a little more closely. Both Airports are configured on the same channel, the same network name, but different airport names (no password or security). When I turn "Airport On" and select the network, then go to Airport Admin Util, I can see the main Airport, but not the remote Airport. So I can then configure the main Airport. To configure the remote Airport I have to unplug the main Airport, turn "Airport Off" in the menu bar, plug in the remote Airport, turn "Airport On" in the menu bar and select the network (same network as before), and then go to Airport Admin Util and configure the remote Airport.

Bottom line: In Airport Admin Util I never see both the main and remote Airports listed at the same time, even though both are on and within easy distance of my laptop.

One other funny thing -- when configuring the main Airport with Airport Admin Util I try to set the Internet tab to "Connect using Airport (WDS)", but when I Update and save the changes it somehow automatically converts the Internet tab to "Connect Using Ethernet", even though no ethernet cable is plugged in to my laptop.

Any ideas on what might be going on here? Thx.
 
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