Need help with adding AirPort Exteme to existing wired router

[fredramsey]

Longer version:

I had an AirPort Extreme wireless router being fed by my DSL modem and working fine (mixture of Macs and Windows machines).

I decided to hardwire my non-laptop machines. I took down the AirPort base station, and hooked a simple Linksys 4-port router to the DSL modem instead, and cabled to the two desktops. Everything works great.

Now I want to hook the AirPort Extreme base station to the Linksys router, to provide wireless off the same Internet connection established with the DSL and the Linksys.

No luck so far - the best I got was the Mac connecting to the Airport base station, but could not resolve DNS - I don't think the Internet connection was recognized by the Airport.

I need to know:

1. Do I hook the Airport base station to just one of the four ports? Or do I hook it to the "Uplink" port?

2. How do I configure the Airport base station as far as DHCP, etc?

I'm pulling my hair out. Any help would be great, even if it is just how to hook ANY wireless router to a wired one.

Thanks! :cry:

[YeOldeStonecat]

My preferred method of connecting a wireless router to another router...is NOT to daisy chain them....you will end up with a "which way do I go George" issue with traffic if both routers have the same IP range on their LAN side. Even if not..you're double NAT'ing..which can cause issues.

What you really want if you already have a router...is to add an access point, not another router. You can bandaid a wireless router into an access point by doing several things...
*Make its LAN IP address in the same range as your main router..but outside the DHCP pool....if your main router is 192.168.1.1 for example, make the LAN IP of the wireless unit something like 192.168.1.245.

*Disable DHCP on the wireless unit

*Uplink the wireless unit to your primary router..using the LAN ports of each...do not use the WAN port of your wireless unit.

You've now effectively converted it to an access point.

[fredramsey]

Yeah, I just found out from other sources about simple telling the AirPort Extreme to not distribute IP address, thus making it a bridge.

Thanks for the concise, and precise answer!

:thumb:

PS: Also learned I could hook the wired router to the AirPort Extreme and have the AirPort handle all the addressing, as well.

[fredramsey]

Well, that worked, but the DNS resolution over the wireless seems dog-slow. It sits on "Looking for.." for a good 20 seconds or so. The site shows up eventually, but wow, it is a lot slower than before.

Ideas, YeOldeStonecat?

Thanks!
:confused: