How in the Tech

Airport Express as a Repeater for WRT54G

By Adam Myers ⋅ December 3, 2005 ⋅ Tags: Networking

Apple’s Airport Express is a nifty little piece of equipment whose main function is to enable streaming music from iTunes to your stereo. This type of deployment is simple and straightforward, but what if you could turn the Airport Express into a wireless access point, instead of just a client, and extend your existing wireless network. AE can use WDS (Wireless Distribution System) and it just so happens that the popular Linksys WRT54G can be patched to support this functionality.

Here’s how to work it:

• First, you must upgrade the WRT54G to use the open-source firmware by Sveasoft, Satori v4.0 WRT54G. For reference, I used v2.07.1.7sv.
• Log into the WRT54G admin tool. In the newly accessible Wireless WDS section, enter the MAC Address of the Airport Express and choose its type as LAN. Turn lazy WDS and WDS subnet to off.
• Now, power up the Airport Express module
• Important, you need to setup the Airport Express through the airport admin utility, not through the airport express setup tool. This will prove to be much easier if you have some sort of working knowledge about your existing network.
• From the airport admin, setup the Airport Express on its own temporary wireless network; I named it SSID ‘airport.’ Bonus points if you can be more original. Set it up as an independent wireless station using the same channel that the WRT54G is using. You may use encryption, but only WEP. Might I suggest that you get the entire setup working before adding another layer of debugging (encryption).
• Under Base Station Options, turn off NAT.
• On the WDS tab, setup the Airport Express as a WDS Remote Station, and make it connect to the internet through WDS provided by the WRT54G. Important: you need to use the ethernet address of the wireless side of the WRT54G, Status->Wireless in the Sveasoft web admin panel.
• Using a wireless-device (laptop), test that your wireless network is still up. Repeat the test after selecting the SSID of the Airport Express (airport). Work? If so, you are pretty good at following directions; if not, the biggest stumbling point seems to be using the wrong MAC addresses in the wrong places.
• We’re almost done. The topology thus far has our wireless device connecting to the Airport Express who in turns “repeats” the signal to the WRT54G. Ideally, the wireless device should automagically select either the Airport Express or WRT54G, depending on the signal strength. So, log into the airport admin tool again and change the SSID of the Airport Express to the SSID of the WRT54G.
• Done like dinner!