ethernet

David Hendon posted:

I'm not the world expert here, but can you clarify what you want to do? Is this AE going to be in just one home or will you move it between your home and your g/f's? If you are moving it, it is much simpler if you can connect the AE with Ethernet to the router rather than picking up wifi and working with that.

The WAN socket is where you would plug in such Ethernet. The Qb goes to any of the others.

You really don't want to get into adding DNS manually because it should get the DNS from the network you are connecting to and if it doesn't then it won't work anyway.

best

David

Thanks, David.

The AE will remain at g/f's house.

Cannot connect physically via ethernet to router.

Thanks for port advice.

Nick

nickpeacock posted:

1. I need to set the AE to "join" (rather than "extend") an existing network, right? Any other manual settings I need to make in the AE during setup?

 

Set the Airport Express to "extend". Under 'Internet' select "Connect using DHCP". Tick the 'Enable Airplay' box if you intend to use it, although with a Muso, that has its own Airplay capability, so you may not need this.

nickpeacock posted:

2. I feel very stupid for asking this, but which socket do I use on the back of the AE for the ethernet cable connecting AE and Qb - WAN or ethernet?

 

Don't use the WAN port, use the other one - LAN, or whatever else Apple call it.

Set the Time Capsule/Airport Extreme to "Create a wireless network", Router mode to "Off (Bridge Mode)" and again, 'Connect using DHCP.'  Turn off WiFi on the ISP router and let the AE handle it.

This is how it works for me, but note that I have a wired connection from ISP supplied router to Airport Extreme, rather than using it to extend the range of the router's WiFi. Note also that you cannot 'daisy chain' one Airport device to the next, each one has to connect back to the main router.

Restart everything after you make these changes. Good luck!

[@mention:36201736949470193] - So far so good - adopting your method, it was the final step (turn everything off then on again) which clicked everything into place. So at least the AE is working. Thanks! I’ll report back on whether this has reduced dropouts.

Glad you got it sorted, Nick. Fingers crossed!

Sorry, folks, I'd missed the fact that my post had caused such a stream of further replies. Sounds like Nick's now sorted. I configured mine using an iPad - I suspect an iPhone would have done it too. It's also since notified me that the firmware needed updating (flashing light on the AE), and that was straightforward to update.

In my set up the AE is simply connected to the Qb by an ethernet cable, so it does the wifi stuff and not the Qb.

My router is a Netgear, and the AE connected to that without much problem.

I'm wondering whether I can use the same trick to 'connect' a desktop PC in an upstairs bedroom - I guess I'll get another AE and give it a go!

Gavin B posted:.

My router is a Netgear, and the AE connected to that without much problem.

I'm wondering whether I can use the same trick to 'connect' a desktop PC in an upstairs bedroom - I guess I'll get another AE and give it a go!

Running multiple WiFi range extenders like the AE can slow down the entire network, so if the PC can manage with its own WiFi connecting to your base station, I would stick with that. Not much to lose by trying, though, and you can pick up a used AE very cheaply these days. 

Thanks, Chris. I don't think the PC has it's own wireless capability. I suppose I might be better off with some sort of 'wireless dongle' (or is that effectively just the same thing?)

Gavin B posted:

Thanks, Chris. I don't think the PC has it's own wireless capability. I suppose I might be better off with some sort of 'wireless dongle' (or is that effectively just the same thing?)

I guess for your purposes, you could see the AE as a ‘dongle’! I find running two of them off an Airport Extreme wired to the router is fine, but I guess it will depend on how much traffic your network has to handle. 

nickpeacock posted:

...

Questions:

1. I need to set the AE to "join" (rather than "extend") an existing network, right? Any other manual settings I need to make in the AE during setup?

...

Hi Nick.

I believe JOIN focuses the Wi-Fi on connecting to your Wi-Fi network wirelessly.  EXTEND is for wiring the Express back to the network from the WAN port and making the Express a wireless access point, and/or splitting the Wi-Fi duties of the Express to both make it connect wirelessly to the LAN, and act as a second wireless access point.  

I think JOIN is the better choice for you, as you did not say that increasing your Wi-Fi coverage, such that phones etc can use the Express to get on the LAN, was a goal.  

Nick

JOIN or EXTEND?

That is now the question...

it really depends what you wanting to do... if you want to extend your Wifi range then you use the Extend mode... the apple terms which are slightly non standard (surprise surprise) are here

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202056

If you create an extended network using Apple devices, although quite primitive, they can work reasonably well with some manual care. Ensure you manually set the same SSID and passwords on the extended Wifi access points to be identical, and connect each access point via Ethernet back to your router switchports or switch. Definitely don’t connect to the WAN port as suggested above...if you connect a Wifi access point via wireless, which you can do as a last resort, expect a sizeable performance penalty on your WLAN.

nickpeacock posted:

JOIN or EXTEND?

That is now the question...

I’ve always had mine set to extend, since I started using them which must have been about 10 years ago. That was always with a wireless connection back to the base station, which I maybe should have changed to wired, it it worked so I never bothered to change it. 

Easy enough for you to try both, though, and see what works best fot you. 

The time capsule which provides the wireless network to the house is hard-wired to the router in the basement (which I think is very similar to your setup [@mention:36201736949470193]). If using the airport express to extend, rather than join, does this mean that any device nearby - phones, laptops, etc - will be sharing the express with the Muso? I might try joining instead and see if there’s any stability difference in the Muso.

Simon - many thanks, as ever. I saw that Apple page before and I had to concede defeat. To adapt a phrase from ‘Darkest Hour’, Apple mangled the English language and took it into battle...????

In ‘extend’ the AE is working as a wireless access point, so yes, other devices can use it to connect to your LAN, but maybe that’s a good thing if you’re using the Naim app in the same room?

Nick, indeed, and quite an enjoyable film that was too

JOIN seems to me the best choice as it allows rhe AE to simply connect to your network wirelessly, without asking it to also be a Wi-Fi access point at the same time.  EXTEND will do both, perhaps at some cost to throughput-speed, which may or may not matter. 

Turning off features you do not need is “best-practice”.  BTW, be sure to turn off Wi-Fi on your MuSo, if it doesn’t do it automatically when you attach the Ethernet cable to it.

Nick

If it’s the same as other Naim streamers, the Muso will turn off its WiFi when it detects an Ethernet connection. 

ChrisSU posted:

If it’s the same as other Naim streamers, the Muso will turn off its WiFi when it detects an Ethernet connection. 

Yes that is right. It does.

best

David