Airport Express Set-Up

[Castillo Mom]

I just purchased an Airport Express for our upcoming trip but am a bit confused as to the best way to configure it for travel. Do I configure it to connect to my existing network or create a new network?

Thanks!

 

[Donald_Quackers]

You want to configure to connect to an existing network.

 

[Castillo Mom]

Great, thanks so much for your help!

 

[Kidanifan08]

I'm no IT specialist, but wouldn't you want to set it up as a new network? You want to connect the new AE to your ethernet cable at home and then set it up as a new network to broadcast a signal to your wireless devices. That way, when you get to your resort, you can plug in the supplied ethernet cable at the resort and the AE will be broadcasting the signal to your devices. If you set it up at home, then the devices should automatically find the network when you get to your resort and you would not even need to enter the password. It seems to me that if you configure it to connect to your existing network, it would probably serve as a signal booster for your network, but may not work as a router when you travel. I have an AE at home that we use for airtunes, so it does not work as a router unless I reconfigure it.

I am not completely sure of this, and I may be way off base. I set up my travel router as a separate new network at home with it's own password and it worked at OKW.

 

[dmoore22]

If you set it up at home, then the devices should automatically find the network when you get to your resort and you would not even need to enter the password.

You definitely want it password configured, otherwise others within range could detect and access your connection.

 

[Ksp]

We use our airport express when we travel; as I recall I did configure it first at home, but once at WDW you plug the ethernet directly in to the AE and then log in through the WDW online page.
Yes - definitely secure your wifi with a password, or else everyone will be borrowing your signal

 

[Castillo Mom]

Ok I'm confused. So I should set it up as a new network? I believe when I set it up to connect with my existing network I created a password.

 

[drusba]

The above is too complex for me since I cannot tell you the difference between one network and another. AE is wireless router like the wireless router you use at home. To set it up I plugged it into a power socket and with an ethernet cord into my cable modem (not the wireless router) and set it up using my computer like I did for my wireless router giving it its own security and password, which if you want can be the same as your home wireless router. Then for the computers and iphones that we wanted to communicate with it, you just turn them on, find the apple wireless device and put in the password when asked and had the device remeber the password.

 

[Foobus]

For travel purposes you want to set it up to create a new network, giving it a name you will recognize like Travel Express. You also will want to turn off DHCP and NAT services on the AE, putting it into "bridge" mode. In this case it only acts as a wireless bridge from your computer to the socket in the wall, and to Disneys servers you look just like you plugged it in directly with an ethernet cable.

 

[Castillo Mom]

For travel purposes you want to set it up to create a new network, giving it a name you will recognize like Travel Express. You also will want to turn off DHCP and NAT services on the AE, putting it into "bridge" mode. In this case it only acts as a wireless bridge from your computer to the socket in the wall, and to Disneys servers you look just like you plugged it in directly with an ethernet cable.

Gotcha, thanks!