Questions & Answers for AirPort Extreme Base Station
1713 Questions from the Community
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How can I print wirelessly if the printer will not be wired to the primary base station? Do I have to buy 2 base stations and hook one to printer?
- Asked by Monica E from Tampa
- 29-Dec-2009
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Answer
Any printer you connect to a network must be a network printer, otherwise it's only meant to work for a single computer and you would connect it directly to that computer. You print wirelessly with it if it is capable of 802.11a, b, g, or n wireless so that it can communicate with the AirPort base station.
If your printer is not wireless and will not be wired to the Extreme or to any computer, you could add a wireless module to the printer, replace the printer with a wireless printer, or buy an AirPort Express or second AirPort Extreme.- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 12-Feb-2010
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Will a Verizon USB wireless modem access the internet if plugged into the USB port of the Airport Extreme?
Cable and fiber optic services are not available at my location in northern Vermont.
- Asked by Douglas P
- 27-Mar-2010
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If I buy the new 21.5 iMac, do I have to buy a separate wireless extreme, or does it come inside the computer?
- Asked by Christopher T from Binbrook
- 21-Nov-2009
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Answer
The new iMac comes with AirPort connectivity built in. You would be able to use it with an existing wireless network if you already have one set up. If you don't have a wireless network, you would need to get a Base Station like this one of an AirPort Express.
- Answered by Eli H from Salt Lake City
- 23-Nov-2009
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Answer
It certainly will be able to connect to the base station's wireless network. However, you'll need at least one computer that meets the above strict "System Requirements for setup and administration."
- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 10-Mar-2010
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can airport be used with satelite internet access
My Internet connection is through Wildblue.net via satellite connection can airport work with this
- Asked by Lorie C from Lakeport
- 23-Jan-2010
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Best Answer
Yes, connect the satellite box's Ethernet cable to this base station's Ethernet WAN port.
- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 23-Jan-2010
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Does anyone know what the Maximium wireless clients that can connect to the Airport Extreme Base Station/
- Asked by Thomas K from Reseda
- 6-Nov-2009
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Do I have to have an Airport Extreme to have a wireless printer work on my Mac?
- Asked by Angela A from Saxonburg
- 11-Oct-2009
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Best Answer
No.
There are several printers in stores that you can buy with built-in Wi-Fi. With these printers, all you must do is tell the printer what network to connect to, and install a software on your computer, then the printer would print wirelessly without any additional hardware needed at all! (I have one of these printers, the Kodak ESP 7 All-In-One, and it works perfectly <With Snow Leopard, this printer is a little trickier to set up, must enter IP address manually.)
The other solution would be to buy the less expensive apple router, the Apple Airport Express, which has a USB port to support wireless printing along with all the basic features most other routers have. (Internet via Ethernet Port, etc.) Keep in mind that it only has one Ethernet port for internet, so computers would need to be connected wirelessly. *The airport express can only support up to 5 wireless devices connected at one time. Also keep in mind the express' USB port does NOT support ext. Hard Drives.- Answered by Bradley D from East China
- 12-Oct-2009
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how can i maximize the effective radius
- Asked by Shaun C from Miami
- 20-Nov-2009
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Answer
To maximise the affective radius of an AirPort you should try to place it in a central place to all the computers that will use it and try to minimise putting it near or on metal objects such as shelving units and fridges. also try not to place it on the other side of brick walls to the computers networking with the airport. if you continue to have problems with extending the range you can get an AirPort express and when configured (the Apple set up software can help you with this) can connect to your current network and extend the range both wirelessly and the through the ethernet port.
- Answered by Storm S from Helensvale
- 23-Feb-2011
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If I would like my son to be able to connect to a wireless network when he visits my home, is this the device that would make that happen?
I don't currently have a wireless connection through my cable provider. What Apple product, if any, would permit wireless connection through my cable modem?
- Asked by Lindy L from New York
- 21-Dec-2009
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Answer
works for me. cable modem (Comcast) connected to the airport extreme via cat-5 cable. airport properly configured to share the internet connection, with wireless security compatible with the wireless capability of my daughter's PC notebook, and compatible with my Mac PowerBook. Airport set to provide DHCP service and the notebooks set as DHCP clients. When either, or both, is (are) turned on and in range of the base station, internet becomes available from anywhere in my home.
- brian- Answered by Brian Y from Reinholds
- 21-Dec-2009
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how many airport extreme base station can I link to extend network
- Asked by Rafael Z from San Ysidro
- 13-May-2010
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Best Answer
1. wireless, three in one direction: base, relay and remote
2. wireless, no practical limit configured in a wheel and spokes pattern
3. wired with Ethernet cable, no practical limit- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 14-May-2010
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What is the length of an airport extreme base station power cord?
I want to purchase an airport extreme base station and mount it on the ceiling for best signal dispersion from my basement home office. I'd like to order all the parts I needs, etc at one time and do the job just once.
I'm curious if anyone knows who long the power cord is; is there a power brick involved; if anyone has found a longer cord substitute?
Thanks in advance for any help.
CR- Asked by Christopher R from Sioux City
- 28-Nov-2010
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Best Answer
(approx.) 75-inch cable from wall plug to adapter plug; 116-inch cable from other side of adapter to plug for Extreme; 4.25-inch length power adapter; plus misc. plugs and connectors
- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 1-Dec-2010
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Answer
AirPort Extreme does not do AirTunes. Only the AirPort Express does that.
- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 26-Oct-2010
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Can I use a second remote ap to hook to my computer?
I want to have an ap in my basement where my Internet enters my house. I want one near my stereo. And I want another in my office by the printer for remote printing. Is this possible?
- Asked by Josh K from Asbury
- 29-Nov-2009
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Answer
I have a very similar setup. I have my first Airport Extreme Dual Band in the basement where the cable comes in. I have my second Airport Extreme Dual Band upstairs in my living room connected to my new HD TV and Blu ray player so I can stream Netflix movies over the internet. This second Airport also gives my wireless network a boost upstairs. Setting this up took a whole 10 minutes. On the one down stairs i check marked a box that said " allow network to be extended". On the second one I set it up to "extend a network". It works like a charm, like apple products always do!! I would think that you could get away with the Express for your stereo connection. the Extreme would be overkill unless you connect a computer or some other device by cat5 cable in that location.
- Answered by Sheryl R from Lincoln
- 7-Dec-2009
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Can I plug in a hard drive and set time machine on my MacBook to backup to it?
So, I'm wondering if I can use this like the Base Station product, but with USB hard drives that I can swap out?
- Asked by Louis R from Mountain View
- 19-Mar-2010
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Best Answer
I do this and it works fine. I have an older MacBook and a new MacBook Pro, both installed with Snow Leopard and use an external USB drive on my Airport Extreme as a backup through Time Machine. You may have to search the web for configuring Time Machine to be able to use network drives. I previously had several computers backing up to this same USB drive when it was connected to a Mac Mini before I got the Airport Extreme and the switch was seamless.
- Answered by Carl L from Charleston
- 30-Sep-2010
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What is the maximum distance from the Base Station before a device (Mac Book, iPhone etc.) will be disconnected?
I want to use a Mac Book about 40 meters away from the house where I planning to install the Station. Will this work?
- Asked by Hardy F from Paynesville
- 20-Sep-2010
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Best Answer
Yes. Figure about 250 meters under ideal conditions.
- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 22-Sep-2010
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Can you connect 2 external hard drives to the Airport Extreme?
Do you need an adapter to connect two USB hard drives or is there another way? Do you need any other software to make them work?
- Asked by Connie L B from Weimar
- 11-Feb-2010
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Best Answer
Yes, use a powered USB hub to connect multiple external hard drives (USB cable, Ethernet cable not included in box). Before connecting any AirPort Base Station, first install to your setup and administration computer the software on the CD which is included.
- Answered by Andrew H from Carmel
- 11-Feb-2010
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2 questions: 1. Can you specify a DNS provider IP such as OpenDNS? 2. Can you use one USB Hard Drive to run TimeMachine backups for 2 MacBook?
I am thinking about upgrading our wireless network to an Airport Extreme Base Station from a Linksys WRT160N (use OpenDNS) to an AirPort Extreme Base Station. I want to continue to use OpenDNS Static IP Addresses for content filtering. I will also potentially be purchasing 2 MacBooks and want to be able to use TimeMachine to back up both computers to the same external drive. I saw that you can connect an external USB hard drive, but was unsure if you can back up 2 MacBooks to 1 drive.
- Asked by Justin A from Guthrie
- 7-Jul-2010
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Answer
2) You can use Time Machine with multiple apple computers on the same external hard disk. Each individual computer/laptop with have its unique sparse disk file, containing the backup files.
1) On the other question, I am less certain. From what I understood from the AppleStore, was that you cannot use HD that connect via USB to an Airport Base/express station for TIme Machine - they told me (after checking with a Genius) that the USB extension on a Time Capsule could only be used as shared network disk, but not as mounted Time Machine Volume. Maybe Airport Extreme/Base are different but would be surptised.
I have 1 TimeCapsule 1TB, and backup frequently 3 laptops and 1 iMac to the same TimeCapsule. When Time Machine came out Aug 08, I was not able to use NAS drives for Time Machine. I could make them visible, using a specific Terminal command, but backups themselves failed. So I bought Time Capsule which served me well for almost 2 yrs now. As the 1TB is getting full, I check whether using the USB ports could be an easy expansion solution, but so it seems not. I am looking into new NAS as they do now offer Time Machine - 1 example is ReadyNAS, where you can have 4 drives in RAID, used by Time Machine (named backup option in system setup). This gives me more security, as if the 1 HD in TimeCapsule fails, all is lost, while with RAID, you hot swap 1 of the 4 drives, and continue as if nothing happened.- Answered by J V
- 13-Aug-2010
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Can I connect my PS3 to it using the wireless feature?
- Asked by Mark W from Georgetown
- 21-Mar-2010
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Best Answer
YES! I use in now with my PS3 slim. I have good connection wired or wireless.
- Answered by Eric S from Newark
- 27-May-2010
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How well does the Airport Extreme work with X-Box 360 and PS3?
Is there any lag or any other problems when using it for multiplayer gaming?
- Asked by Declan O from Woodside
- 6-Oct-2009
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Best Answer
I have a PS3 and it works GREAT!
- Answered by Adam A from Hayward
- 12-Oct-2009
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