setup airport express with non apple router

Setup airport express with non apple router for mac#

What’s more, it should now appear on your existing network as an AirPlay receiver.Re: Help With Mating The Apple Airport Extreme To My X-32. Once it’s restarted and connected via Ethernet, you should notice that it is no longer broadcasting a wireless network.

The remaining LAN port can be used as a passthrough for any other device you might need to connect via Ethernet. It doesn’t matter which port to use as Bridge Mode turns the WAN port, usually reserved for connecting to a cable modem, into a LAN port. Whilst the AirPort Express reboots, connect it to your existing network via Ethernet. The AirPort Express is now configured as an AirPlay receiver, so go ahead and click Update.

Saving Changes and Connecting via Ethernet AirPlayįinally, make sure to configure the AirPlay options and and specify a suitable Speaker Name and, if necessary, password. Head to the Wireless tab and disable the AirPort Express base station’s wireless capabilities by change its option to Off. Instead of routing network traffic and distributing IP addresses, the AirPort Express will simply get all its information from your existing router. Instead, disable it completely by selecting Off (Bridge Mode). By default, it will try and act as a network router which is something you don’t want it to do as there’s already one in place. The next step is to disable the AirPort Express base station’s Router Mode which is located under the Network tab. Enter whatever information you wish into AirPort Utility as you’ll be creating a wireless network for all of five minutes before it’s disabled. If you’re configuring an AirPort Express from scratch, select the first option to Create a new network. Unfortunately, this is the fault of AirPort Utility as one of these options must be chosen before we can get into the more advanced options and configure it more appropriately. If You’re Setting up a New AirPort Expressįrom these examples, you’d be forgiven for thinking that an AirPort Express must use some sort of wireless connectivity, whether it’s creating a new network or joining one. It will still attempt to create a new wireless network.

Replace an existing deviceĬopy the settings off a current Apple base station that you might be upgrading or a non-Apple one. If you were going to use an AirPort Express as an AirPlay receiver for a Hi-Fi that isn’t within reach of an Ethernet cable, this would be the option you choose. Add to an existing networkĮither extend an existing wireless network or have the AirPort base station join an existing one. Set up the Airport base station to create a new wireless network.

Setup airport express with non apple router for mac#

Instead of offering the complete setup to begin with, AirPort Utility provides three basic scenarios of using the AirPort base station.ĪirPort Utility for Mac and iOS are near-identical and both can be used. This is due to the initial setup it runs through when configuring a new (or recently restored) AirPort base station for the first time. AirPort UtilityĪpple’s current incarnation of AirPort Utility is a shadow of its former self and, whilst it doesn’t necessarily remove any functionality, it has made it much harder to configure. This is to ensure that if lose any wireless connectivity, you can easily restore it by connecting directly to your network rather than restoring anything to factory settings. I’d recommend having an ethernet cable and, if necessary, a USB or Thunderbolt Ethernet adapter. It’s assumed that you have an existing network router and Ethernet available in any of the locations you’re wanting to set up an AirPort Express, whether it’s via Ethernet outlets or Powerline network adapters which provide a cheap and efficient way of putting in Ethernet anywhere at home without needing to run any cabling. This isn’t the case and by delving into the AirPort Utility app we can configure an AirPort Express to suit our needs. Unfortunately, the terribly counterintuitive AirPort Utility app doesn’t make this obvious and, if you bought one with the sole purpose of adding AirPlay functionality to a Hi-Fi via Ethernet, it gives the impression that it isn’t possible as it must do something related to Wi-Fi. Many people (myself included) have taken to using a few of these devices solely as AirPlay receivers that have their wireless functions disabled and connect to an existing network over Ethernet - effectively they’re dumb AirPlay receivers. You can connect it to an existing Hi-Fi or set of speakers and stream audio from any Apple device on your network without having to buy a whole new sound system. The AirPort Express is Apple’s pocket-sized 802.11n wireless router that features AirPlay connectivity via its 3.5mm Analog / Digital audio jack.