If your radix station is more than a few age old , though , the performance gap between it and newer routers may tempt you to exchange it . That could leave you in a bit of a quandary : Replace it with a newer but relatively expensive $ 199AirPort Extreme Base Stationor switch to a low - cost ( and potentially higher - performing ) third - party Wi - Fi router . pick out the former , and you replace functionality that still works absolutely well and pass top dollar for what may not be the good operation available . Or take the latter and you lose out on that well-situated configuration and outside access . ( And if the router you ’re thinking of replacing is an AirPort Time Capsule , you would turn a loss convenient web backups via Time Machine . )
You had one job
In our instance , we ’ll be adding adenosine triphosphate - Link Archer C8 Wi - Fi router(currently$128 on Amazon ) to a internet run on a 2nd - generation AirPort Extreme Base Station . The Archer C8 ( about to be replaced by theC9 ) is a highly rated Wi - Fi router that provides squeamish feature film such as a dual - band invitee meshing , “ beamforming ” for safe signal and faster throughput , and Wi - Fi Protected Setup ( WPS ) for easily connecting a wireless pressman . ( Apple ’s novel al-Qaeda stations also have these first two features , but do n’t support the push clit implementation of WPS . )
Location, location, location
Let ’s consider position of our router . In my mansion , my cable modem is connected to the net on a networking shelf in my basement . My current AEBS is connected to the cable television modem and I have several other devices wired to it , let in a VoIP box for my phone system and a line to a cellar office . In other words , the cellar positioning serves me very well there — and , in fact , would be hard to move .
The Archer C8 has squeamish features and is chintzy than a young AirPort Extreme .
What that location isnotgood for is provide a strong Wi - Fi signal to the rest of my business firm . In fact , I had antecedently used an AirPort Express to extend coverage . Because of this , I want my Wi - Fi router to be site on the first storey . ( For simplicity ’s sake , I ’ll proceed to refer to the Wi - Fi gimmick as a router , even though it wo n’t be offer that function . ) This is another welfare of not replacing my AEBS — it cave in me the flexibleness to put my machine where it get to the most sense ( provided , in this case , that I can run an Ethernet cable to it , as I hash out after ) . This imply I can take my aging , tedious AirPort Express off the web , where it could have slow down down all my wireless equipment .
Setting it all up
Now that we ’ve settled on a location for our devices , we ’ll call for to configure them . Let ’s start with the AirPort Extreme Base Station , since we ’re already familiar with it and there ’s not a fate to do here .
Connect your computer to the AEBS via Ethernet . ( commend , we ’ll be turning off the Wi - Fi radio , so , in a very light fourth dimension , that will be the only direction to connect to it . ) Open AirPort Utility , select the icon for your al-Qa’ida station , and clickEdit . Select the Wireless check , click the pop - up tab key next to internet Mode , and chooseOff . Click the Update push button and you ’re done . The only thing you ’ve done is to rick your base place ’s Wi - Fi radio off . Nothing else changes — your AEBS still provide all the functions it did before , only now it can only append them to devices that are connected to it by Ethernet .
An older base station ’s implementation of Wi - Fi can slow up down your whole web . Turn it off here and let your raw Wi - Fi router treat the job .
To configure your Wi - Fi router , likewise connect your computer to it via Ethernet and enter its default option IP address in your WWW web browser app . ( Although , since we ’ll be leaving the Wi - Fi radio on , you’re able to also touch base wirelessly . )
It ’s not quite as defective as pass over the current , but letting two devices act as routers on the same web can pass to bad things . Do n’t do it .
But wait, there’s more
You still have one more very important step . Normally , when you set up any router , you connect it to the cyberspace through the WAN ( Wide Area connection ) port . It tells the equipment that this is the source you should be using to distribute IP addresses to all the devices you ’re serving . But our Wi - Fi machine is n’t “ serving ” anything any longer . It ’s just decease the connexion from the remote devices to the pedestal station . So instead , connect an Ethernet cable from your AirPort Extreme Base Station to the LAN ( Local Area connection ) larboard of your Wi - Fi gimmick . That differentiate your Wi - Fi machine that it ’s nothing special — just another machine on the base place ’s mesh . An ego - deflating message for your Wi - Fi equipment , perhaps , but it will make for a much well-chosen web .
ClickSaveon your Wi - Fi equipment ’s contour page , clickOKto countenance it reboot and voila — you’ve engender a good innovative , super speedy web that still has all the ease of use of your comfy old base post .
There are a couple of thing to mark with this kind of apparatus . Because your Wi - Fi equipment is now just a equal on your net , external drive and printers connected to its USB ports wo n’t be seen by other devices . On the plus side , the twist will represent as a web permutation , so you may arduous wire other gadget to it via its stay on LAN port wine . You ’ll just need to entrust the WAN larboard empty .
Bottom line
If you ’re unforced to do a little more configuring at the showtime , a combo setup like this can give your web extra speed , a few more Ethernet port , and a lot more flexibility . The fact that it can also save you money does n’t hurt either .
