Extending AirPort's range with multiple base stations

Feb 14, '03 12:10:19AM

Contributed by: reinmund

I used a second AirPort base station (version 1, grey) to extend the range of my first base station (or any other access point) for sharing my internet connection. With that, I'm able to access the internet with a remote computer that has no direct access to the first AirPort base station. Please don't tear me appart for the use of the word "repeater / bridge". I know, it's technically not correct, but I think it describes somehow what I was doing here. Here is how I set it up:

Base station 1 -> Computer 1 + Base station 2 -> Computer 2

The computer 1 is in range of base station 1. I connected base station 2 (ethernet port) with a crossed-ethernet cable to computer 1's ethernet port. The following settings were necessary:

Configuration of Base station 1:
Standard settings, using DHCP.
Shared IP range that I used: 192.168.1.x
with Basestation 1 being the router @ 192.168.1.1.

Configuration of Basestation 2:
Internet tab
Connect using: Ethernet
Configure: Using DHCP
IP address: leave empty
Subnet mask: leave empty
Router address: leave empty
DNS servers: leave empty
Domain name: leave empty
DHCP client ID: leave empty

Network tab
Distribute IP address: CHECKED
Share a single IP address (using DHCP and NAT): CHECKED
DHCP lease: 60 min (default)
Enable AirPort to Ethernet bridging: CHECKED
all others: leave empty / unchecked

At the beginning, it should show 10.0.1.2; at the end, it should show 10.0.1.50, but not editable. I don't know exactly why that range was shown, maybe because I used it some time before?

System Preferences - Network:
Airport - TCP/IP Tab
Configure: Using DHCP
all others: leave empty
IP address, subnet mask and router should be filled in automatically from base station 1 with DHCP active. If you used the IP range 192.168.1.x, IP address should be 192.168.1.2, subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and router 192.168.1.1.

Built-in Ethernet - TCP/IP Tab:
Configure: Using DHCP
all others: leave empty
No other information is automatically entered, so don't worry...

System Preferences - Sharing - Internet Tab:
Click "Start" for sharing your Airport connection. You should see in small letters: "You are connected to the Internet over AirPort. This connection will be shared with computers connected to Built-In Ethernet." That's it.

If you go back in the base station admin utility, checking on base station 2, you should find under the Internet tab that IP address, subnet mask, router and DNS servers have been entered. Now try to connect any computer out of distance of Base station1 to Base station 2. It should be able to connect to the Internet through the Base station 2 and Computer 1.

[Editor's note: I have but one base station, so this one's untested...]

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