home-Good to know-How to set up an Apple router? Impressions from the AirPort Express Internet router. Why is it needed and why is it good How to connect Airport Express to your existing network

How to set up an Apple router? Impressions from the AirPort Express Internet router. Why is it needed and why is it good How to connect Airport Express to your existing network

In order to get into the router’s web interface, you need to open AirPort - Utility. The utility is located in the Utilities - Applications folder on a Mac, or in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a Windows computer.

  1. Launch AirPort Utility
  2. Select the required device from the list and click the “Manual setup” button.

[Setting up WI-FI on the router]

In AirPort utility you need to select the tab at the top "Airport", in the list that opens, select “ Wireless network" We set the parameters as follows:

  1. Wireless mode: Creating a wireless network.
  2. Wireless Network Name: Enter the name of the wireless network. The value in this field cannot be changed.
  3. Check the box: Allow expansion of this network.
  4. Radio mode:
  5. Radio channel selection: Select the Automatic value.
  6. Wireless Security: Personal WPA/WPA2.
  7. Wireless password: You must enter any set of numbers from 8 to 63. They also need to be remembered so that you can specify them when connecting to the network. It is recommended to use the device serial number as a key (indicated on the box as S/N ########).
  8. Confirm the password: You must re-enter your wireless password.
  9. Check the box: remember the password in the keychain.
  10. Click the button below Update».

Recently, another very interesting device from a company from Cuppertino appeared in my collection - a WiFi router. The company's developers, as always, did not approach the task of creating software for their router in a completely ordinary way, so if you have always used routers from other companies and are trying to set up Airport for the first time, then the slightly non-standard logic may initially confuse you. Well, let's figure out how to set up the Apple Airport Express router, connect it to the Internet and start distributing Wi-Fi - by the way, these instructions are also suitable for the Airport Extreme model.

Installing Apple Airport Utility

First of all, what is surprising is the fact that there is no admin web interface, which we are used to logging into using the router’s IP address. Apparently this was done, again, because of the same notorious security considerations that Apple always bothers so much about. Configuration from a computer is possible in only one way - through a special utility that is downloaded from the official Apple website. Thank God, this time they took care not only of MAC owners, but also of us Windows users. But, unfortunately, there is no Russian version yet.

After downloading, run the installation file and click the “Next” button in the window that opens.


Check the box that you agree with the terms of use


And again “Next”


Select the folder on your computer where the program files will be installed - you can leave it as is


After unpacking is complete, click “Finish”


Connecting cables to an Apple router

Now you need to connect the cables to the router. It’s difficult to get confused here - Airport Express has only two Ethernet connectors - one LAN for the cable, which we insert the other end into the computer’s network card. The other is WAN, where we connect the cable from the Internet provider. And, of course, don’t forget to plug the power cord into an outlet. Look at the diagram to see where everything is located and what icons it indicates.


Setting up an Airport Express router from a computer

After installation, launch the program. True, the built-in Windows security system will try to prevent this from happening, but we “allow access” and the program will open


It is possible to immediately go to the manual settings of Apple Airport (Manual Setup), the step-by-step installer is quite convenient, so click the “Continue” button


The next step is to select

  • completely configure the router from scratch
  • or save previous settings to a configuration file

I choose complete removal to make everything my own



Then select the first item - to create a new WiFi network


Now we set a name for the wireless network itself, which other devices will see when connecting to it. And the password for connection.


After this, we will be asked to choose how AirPort will connect to the Internet

  • Bridge mode - we select this mode if we connect the router to another router or ADSL modem.
  • Share a Single IP address - select this item if AirPort will be the main router on the network connected to the provider’s cable, and it will be the one that will distribute IP addresses to everyone else

99% of the time, you and I need the second option.


After this, we will specify exactly how the router will connect to the provider’s equipment. If all your settings happen automatically, then select “DHCP”. If you need to manually set the IP address and DNS server, then select the “Manually” option. This information needs to be clarified from the agreement on the provision of Internet services with the provider


The final step is to confirm all entered data. To do this, click on the “Update” button


A warning will appear that during the Airport reboot the network will be unavailable - ignore it with the “Continue” button


And wait for the router to reboot


After applying the settings, Apple Airport will announce a final success message. Exit the installer using the “Quit” button. Now a network at a frequency of 2.4 GHz will be available for connection.

How to set up an Apple Airport router via iPhone?

Thanks to Apple for making it possible to set up the Airport router using an iPhone without using a computer. This can be very useful, since when setting up Wi-Fi, you don’t always have a PC or laptop at hand. But the iPhone and iPad are most often carried with them (by those who have them, of course). In this article I will show in detail how to set up Apple Airport from scratch using a mobile phone.

But first, we turn on the router to the network and connect the cable from the Internet provider to the appropriate connector


And activate WiFi on the phone and go to the list of networks to connect to. Below them, in a separate subsection “Set up a new base station”, our Airport Express will be displayed.

After the iPhone collects some information about the network, a window will open to enter settings - here you need

  • Come up with a name for the future wireless network
  • Set a password for it to connect

  • The easiest way is if the router immediately connects to the Internet and starts distributing a Wi-Fi network. This means that the provider is configured to distribute IP addresses automatically and Airport immediately connected to the Internet.
  • An additional window has opened for entering your login and password for authorization on the Internet, if your services are provided through - then you will just need to enter this data provided by the provider.

It is worth noting here that the L2TP protocol on which it works is not supported by the Apple Airport router!

If, after everything has been done correctly, this message appears:

then reconnect the power to the router and check whether the Internet cable is inserted correctly and whether the connection data you entered in the last step is correct.

If the WiFi network appears, but the Internet still does not work, it is possible that the provider has filtering configured by MAC address or is using a static IP. Then you need to go to the admin panel of the router and configure it manually. How? This will be discussed in a separate article.

Thank you! Did not help

Apple has been releasing branded access points since 2004. The devices are called Airport Express (AE). Today, the second generation of such equipment is being produced, which is capable of distributing Wi-Fi to up to 50 “consuming” objects. Multi-frequency operation and high transmission speeds, combined with reliability, provide high efficiency. Let's look at recommendations for setting up Airport Express on a MacBook.

Settings

So, the AE router is installed, the cord is connected to the network, and the optical line is connected to the connector with an icon of dots forming a circle. Everything is ready to figure out how to set up an Apple Airport Express router on a MacBook.

  1. Turn on your MacBook and open Finder.
  2. Go to “Programs”, then to “Utilities” and “Airport Utility”.

  1. An icon will appear in the window that opens, indicating that it is searching for available networks. If the search is unsuccessful, you need to use the “Other base stations” menu, where the existing name of the operating devices is selected.

  1. After your network (and Express, respectively) is found, a window will appear informing you that information about it is being collected.

  1. Next, the program will begin connecting. After completing all the steps, Express is rebooted (the cord is pulled out from the power supply).

  1. Once the connection is complete, a notification will appear informing you that a new network has been created. Here we enter the required configurations. You can configure auxiliary settings.

  1. Next, the window for creating a guest network will pop up. We let him through.

  1. The network creation process begins.
  2. It may be necessary to reboot the DSL modem if the connection is made through it. If it is not there, just click “Next”.

  1. Settings continue.

  1. Once completed, the connection process will begin. The two Network and Express LEDs will turn green.

  1. We check if there is a connection by opening a website in the browser. A window may pop up asking you to enter the previously entered login and password. Enter the data and reboot the device. The setup is complete, the router is now ready to transmit as a base station.

How to connect Airport Express to your existing network

Apple's distribution device has another useful functionality - it can be used to “embed” into an existing network. In this way, you can significantly expand wi-fi coverage, connect acoustic or other equipment.

Step-by-step instruction:

  1. Using a cable, Airport Express connects to another router and turns on. The indicator lights up green.
  2. Let's go to the utility. In “Other base stations” select the displayed device.

  1. In the configuration window that opens, click “Other parameters”.

  1. Fix the point opposite “Add to existing network”.

  1. Next, select the network to which you will connect.

You may need to configure pppoe, as many providers require connection via this protocol. This is done through the settings in the utility.

How to update Airport Express?

Sequencing:

  • check the presence of an Internet connection;
  • open “Utility” on the MacBook;
  • next to the name of the base station, click on the red icon with the number;
  • install new firmware if it is available (click update).

Most users of modern devices prefer to use devices developed by Apple. This kind of preference is most likely due to the quality, performance and style of the products. True, they also have several disadvantages, because of which many amateurs and professionals refuse to purchase the unit. First of all, it should be noted the high cost of gadgets and the unique approach that, for example, the Airport Express router requires.

To configure the device you need to install a proprietary utility

This device is a full-fledged Wi-Fi router, adapted to almost all domestic providers.

Features of the American unit

Today, two versions of the Airport Express router are sold around the world. The new device has an updated body and a more advanced form factor. The latest version of Airport Express can support more than 50 devices connected via Wi-Fi, operate at 5 GHz, and also connect to a USB printer and print documents without the use of cables. The case is not equipped with outputs for direct connection of flash drives and modems. Another difference of the new router is the presence of AirPlay and an additional LAN port.

Apple Airport Express does not have a personal web interface, and user configuration requires the proprietary Airport utility. You can download it from the official website, then install it via the AppStore on your iPhone (iPad). Computers and laptops running MacOS are pre-equipped with this extension.

In today's article we will look at step-by-step instructions that allow even novice users of this American product to easily connect the device.

Setting up a router from Apple

The specialized website apple.ru, although adapted to the Russian consumer, has several significant drawbacks. The fact is that the “simple three steps” described on the web resource, which seem to provide quick and unhindered configuration of the unit, are in fact not enough. The user often faces various difficulties and tasks that cannot always be solved on their own.

Airport Express will be configured within the framework of one of the largest Moscow providers - Speedyline.

At the initial stage, we will take an access point, connect to it a power cord from the network and an Internet cable from the provider serving the user. The last wire must be inserted into the WAN connector (several small circles are drawn above the round hole). If the user is holding a previously connected device rather than a new one, the previous settings should be reset using the reset button.

The following manipulations will help you restore your Apple Airport Express to factory settings:

When disconnecting from the power supply, you need to turn the router over and find a small hole in it into which you can insert the end of a straightened paper clip or a toothpick. After pressing the reset button, you should not let go of your hand for several seconds, and then, while holding reset, turn the unit back on to the power supply so that the indicators indicating the operation of the access point are located in front of the eyes of the connector.

Removing previous settings

Setting up Airport Express is not possible without resetting the previous parameters that were set during the previous connection. The owner of the gadget should wait a few minutes until the router starts “blinking” the status indicator. It is this signal that indicates the need to release the held reset button. This simple manipulation allows you to reset old data and start connecting the device almost from scratch. The access point will glow exclusively yellow until the setup is completed, and only after connection the indicator color will change to green.

Continue setting up the router

Using the Explorer (Finder), in your favorites you should find programs - utilities, among which is the necessary AirPort application. Using this program, further configuration of Airport Express will be carried out, so there is no point in trying to connect the unit via a web interface, which cannot help the user due to its absence.

After opening the application, AirPort base stations will not be instantly found; a specialized notification will notify us about this. Therefore, you need to click on “Other AirPort base stations (1)”, and in the menu that opens, choose AirPort Express aa0406. The selected position opens the settings window.

The router needs to indicate the name of the network and the name of the base station, so in certain lines the user needs to indicate the names that he prefers. It is worth noting that in this section you can leave the default names. The only thing you need to come up with is a password consisting of at least 8 characters (you will have to enter it every time a new gadget tries to connect to a Wi-Fi access point).

So, that's where the simple ends. If the owner of the device, by going to any browser and typing the site address, gets to the desired page, it means that the provider chosen by the user is able to provide settings that allow him to connect AirPort Express “in just three steps.”

If someone is less fortunate, and your Internet provider only issues IP addresses via DHCP, you can resort to a few more simple steps. True, they can only help if the provider does not regularly check all connections by MAC address, that is, by the identification number that each network device receives at the manufacturing plant.

Please note that some units are equipped with addresses that cannot be changed or renamed later. Such devices include Apple Airport Express. American developers assign unique MAC addresses to most of their manufactured products, including network cards, adapters, routers, and phones.

If your Internet provider filters all connections, you will have to contact its operators for services. When you call technical support, you should indicate that you purchased a new router with an unchanged MAC address. Employees of the provider company will need to help with adding a new MAC address to the user’s table of allowed connections. As a result, the user will only have to configure AirPlay and a network printer.

Setting up a router when renting an external IP address

If technical support reported that the user is a tenant of an external IP address, and the router still lights up yellow, you need to configure Airport Express using a static ip.

The previously mentioned Speedyline company disables MAC address protection, so the device owner needs to download (open) the AirPort application again, click on the access point and the “Change” property. In the “Internet” subsection, the first line “Connect via” should be filled with the word “Static”. The fact is that a static address, unlike a dynamic one, is unchanged. Further configuration involves specifying the IP address, subnet mask, router and DNS server in certain columns. The information must be known to every consumer of a particular provider. If this data is missing, you need to contact technical support, where they will tell you everything.

At the moment when you configure the router, you must enter the gateway address in the “Router” section. And then, after entering all the parameters, you need to press the “Update” button and wait for the process to complete.

Once the procedure is complete, you can close AirPort Utility. The Internet access device will light up with several green circles, which will indicate the presence of the Internet.

Conclusion

In principle, the basic configuration of the router from the American manufacturer is now complete and the Airport Express consumer can happily reap the fruits of his labor.

Any good router should work according to the following principle: buy it, configure it and forget about the existence of this box at home. Apple decided to refute this axiom by releasing the apple Airport Express router. It should be noted that there are two more types of routers of the same campaign. This is the so-called “Time Capsule”, which, among other things, is also a network hard drive and Extrime. You can connect the same hard drive to the latter. Extrime is a little more powerful than Express, but overall the difference is not so critical, and both devices work reliably. I would like to note that below is a story about the updated version of Airport Express 2012, which differs only in the power connection. If previously the router could simply be connected to an outlet directly, now this is done using a wire. Whether it is convenient or not, everyone will decide for themselves. It should be said that there is no functional difference between the new and old models.

The updated model combines an eye-catching design and excellent functionality. But will this device be able to provide the proper quality of work? Will it be possible to comfortably use it for your own home wireless network? Let's take a closer look at this device.

Appearance and equipment

In a small white box we find only the power cable and the apple router itself. The device is made of white plastic. The square shape with rounded corners will look nice on your desk. The only LED on the front side lights up only when connected to the Internet. All connectors are located on the rear side. There is a socket for the power cable, WAN, WAN and USB ports. There is a standard 3.5mm jack for headphones or speakers. It should be noted that the power connector is non-standard and, when buying a device in Russia, ask the seller for a plug adapter for a traditional Russian plug.

Functional

This apple wifi router can please its users with an excellent set of functions. The company claims that the device can support the connection of 50 devices. We were able to find only 10 different devices for testing (smartphones, tablets, laptops with different operating systems). The router handled the load perfectly, no bugs or slowdowns were observed.

The router can work as an access point; it supports bridge mode and can work as a second router in an existing wireless network. Devices connected to the device can simultaneously use two bands, 2.4 and 5 GHz, which will automatically work at the best frequency.

To expand your network using Airport Express, the first thing you need to do is reset your router. To do this, press the button on the back of the device and hold it for several seconds. The indicator light on the front panel will blink at this time. Next, you need to open the Airport utility and find our router. Then click “Add to an existing network” and select the network to be expanded (this can be the name of the router that distributes Wi-Fi). You need to wait 5-10 minutes and the utility will do everything on its own. That's all, the network has been expanded.

You can connect a printer to your router using USB. Documents can be received via a wireless network and printed immediately. This function works both on Macs and on the familiar Windows operating system (XP (SP3), Vista (SP1), 7). It should be noted that any other device connected via USB is not recognized.

Setting up an Apple router

Using an apple wifi router, you “doom” yourself to easy setup and almost instantaneous use of the Internet. Having a computer with a Mac, the situation is simplified even more, thanks to the AirPort utility, by launching which you only need to specify the connection name and password. The setup can be done from any Apple device by downloading the utility from the App Store. If you, like most people, have a computer running the Windows operating system, you will not experience any problems with configuration using the same utility.

To provide wireless printing, the router uses Bonjour technology. It was created in order to synchronize work with different operating systems. This may be practical when you have two or more computers. This eliminates the need to connect to the printer from different computers each time. Everything here is extremely simple: connect and use!

While talking about the Apple router, it would be a crime not to mention AirPlay technology. With it you can connect any stereo system directly to the router! No additional wires or adapters are needed. Additionally, you can manage playlists in iTunes using iPhone. A special Remote application will allow you to navigate between songs, adjust the volume and a number of other parameters. All this can be done without going to the speakers, but being, say, in another room.

So, Airport Express is quite an interesting product that is worth paying attention to. In our opinion, it will not gain recognition in Russia among ordinary users. The device costs about five thousand, which is too much for the relatively modest functionality offered. The focus on Apple technology and software is also a big disadvantage. The undoubted quality and branded design will attract mostly only fans of the brand, or those who do not want to tinker with the settings, but want to immediately get stable and high-speed Internet.

Related publications: