Connecting Mac Pro, AirPort Extreme, and (optionally) Airport Expresses to Xfinity

[flyingninja]

I was at a client's house, trying to set up wifi and Airport Expresses with xfinity.

After unplugging and resetting the modem several times, ensuring I had restarted devices in order and seeing 2 green lights in the Airport Utility, I found out it was only set up for wired, not wireless.

Then, I saw options: "Create a wireless network" or "Extend a wireless network". Another 1/2 hour goes by. Couldn't get either to work.

Having trouble getting online wirelessly through the AirPort Extreme by itself. Could not get the Airport Expresses to work either. This is his setup:

Xfinity internet
Motorola SURFboard SB6120 router
(What looks like) an Apple Mac Pro ‑ Xeon (has 2 ethernet ports in the back - one plugged directly into the AirPort Extreme)
AirPort Extreme Base Station A1521
2 Apple Airport Expresses A1264
[ an older Time Capsule (1 or 2 TB), not being used ]

It's a 2 story house. He has network wiring in the walls and outlets upstairs.

Mac is running Yosemite, all updates ran, he was advised by a local shop not to upgrade to El Capitan just yet.

As mentioned above, I was able to get online with the modem directly and through the AirPort Extreme, that's about it.

If I recall correctly, I found the modem IP to be 67.180.200.1, however, after entering in the address bar of a browser, as I've done before, it did not resolve. I could ping it, but did not get the login screen.

I followed https://customer.xfinity.com/help-and-support/internet/set-up-xfinity-internet-on-mac-os-x/. I don't recall a Show menu. I recall "Configure IPv4 menu, select Using DHCP.". I think I did do that. Pretty sure PPPoE was not selected.

Called Comcast around 7 times. Always got a busy.

He is using a neighbor's wifi, and his network is not showing, so 'wifi connected' isn't really true. It's not connecting to his own network. Here are images of the screens and the Mac.

http://postimg.org/gallery/16rmy1c5e/

I go back tomorrow to revisit. Can someone advise what to do?

 

[HDFan]

I'm not totally sure I understand what your configuration is or what you want to do.

1. What is your hardware and wired configuration? An example would be you have MacPro > Airport Extreme > SB6120 > Internet; all hard wired.

2. "He has network wiring in the walls and outlets upstairs". So if he has a wired network available, why are you setting up wireless? Wired generally is better.

3. What other devices are going to be connected?

4. Is the airport express and extreme g,n or AC?

5. Are you setting up with fixed IP addresses or are you using DNS?

6. "I found out it was only set up for wired, not wireless." You mean in the Airport Utility, Wireless tab, the Network Mode was set to "Off" rather than to "Create a Wireless Network"?

7. I'd get the airport extreme working first. Then worry about the express.

9. "Couldn't get either to work". So do the devices see the network? I.E. can you select it from the wireless networks list from one of the devices? If you see it when you select the network does it connect? If not, does it give you an error? Have you set up a wireless password? Simplest thing to do is to turn off wireless security and see if you can connect. When you can connect turn it back on and set a password.

10. Under the network tab in airport utility what is the router mode? If you are delivering DHCP addresses from the SB65120 then this should be set to OFF (Bridge Mode).

11. Is timed access control enabled? Again the easiest thing to do is turn it off to make sure you can connect. Then when you have verified connectivity turn it back on if you want it. But that means entering in the mac address of every device that will connect to the network unless you set the default to everyday, in which case there's no point in having Timed access control.

12. "I found the modem IP to be 67.180.200.1, however, after entering in the address bar of a browser, as I've done before, it did not resolve.". I briefly looked at the modem manual but didn't see any mention of it supporting a browser.

13. In the network preferences panel which interfaces have the green button next to them (I.E.,, ethernet 1, Wi-Fi, etc.). Their order in the list determines connection priority. You can make them inactive or reorder them by using the gear option at the bottom. So for my system it tells me I have two interfaces active: Ethernet 2 set to using DHCP with IP address 10.0.1.5 subnet mask 255.255.255.0 router 10.0.1.1 and WiFi connected to TC 09ed 5 GHz with the IP address 10.0.1.83.

Looking at your images I see:

"Connect using static." I would use DHCP to get things working, then go to static. DHCP will then tell you the address that the system actually sees. The IPv4 address you have set (192.168.100.12) is not on the same network as the router (10.0.1.1) and DNS server (10.0.1.4) so that is a problem.

Same thing for the airport express. 67.160.238.1 needs to be on the same network as the router and dhcp server. Let DHCP guide you here. Once you get the extreme setup, you then connect to it via the express and the express should pick on the correct settings if set to "extend wireless network".

The yellow on the ethernet 1 interface obviously shows a problem. It does seem to be set up for DHCP, but since the router and DNS server aren't showing so something is wrong. I would inactivate the service and reactivate using the gear at the bottom. If that doesn't work try either rebooting or connecting via the ethernet 2 port.

Once you have the extreme setup then move on to the express. It should be setup as "extend a wireless network". A lot of the settings, such as the timed access controls, will then be copied from the airport extreme.

 

[flyingninja]

I'm not totally sure I understand what your configuration is or what you want to do.

OK, thank you for writing back. Here are the answers, to the best that I know:

1. What is your hardware and wired configuration? An example would be you have MacPro > Airport Extreme > SB6120 > Internet; all hard wired.

ok MacPro > Airport Extreme > SB6120 > Internet; MacPro hard wired, MBP wifi, Sony TV upstairs, picks up wifi for streaming, like NetFlix

2. "He has network wiring in the walls and outlets upstairs". So if he has a wired network available, why are you setting up wireless? Wired generally is better.

OK, so upstairs he has a Sony TV that picks up wifi to stream Netflix. He used to plug in 2 Airport Expresses into wall outlets, and plug the ethernet into it from a nearby wall jack to boost the wifi. Used to work, now it's not.

3. What other devices are going to be connected? Just the laptop and Sony TV, both via wifi

4. Is the airport express and extreme g,n or AC? I don't know. The model #s don't help?

5. Are you setting up with fixed IP addresses or are you using DNS? There were DNS settings on in the AirPort Utility: 75.75.75.75/75.75.76.76

6. "I found out it was only set up for wired, not wireless." You mean in the Airport Utility, Wireless tab, the Network Mode was set to "Off" rather than to "Create a Wireless Network"? Yes

7. I'd get the airport extreme working first. Then worry about the express. That's what I was trying to do.

9. "Couldn't get either to work". So do the devices see the network? I.E. can you select it from the wireless networks list from one of the devices? is that what you mean? his wifi network does not show in wifi list.
If you see it when you select the network does it connect?
If not, does it give you an error? no errors
Have you set up a wireless password? yes, it all used to work. It was set up before. something had changed, like a time capsule, was plugged in upstairs, and he said wifi stopped working.

Simplest thing to do is to turn off wireless security and see if you can connect. When you can connect turn it back on and set a password.

10. Under the network tab in airport utility what is the router mode? If you are delivering DHCP addresses from the SB65120 then this should be set to OFF (Bridge Mode). it is in bridge mode

11. Is timed access control enabled? i think it is. i see it's checked in one of the images.

Again the easiest thing to do is turn it off to make sure you can connect. Then when you have verified connectivity turn it back on if you want it. But that means entering in the mac address of every device that will connect to the network unless you set the default to everyday, in which case there's no point in having Timed access control.

12. "I found the modem IP to be 67.180.200.1, however, after entering in the address bar of a browser, as I've done before, it did not resolve.". I briefly looked at the modem manual but didn't see any mention of it supporting a browser. - then how do you get to the log in page?

13. In the network preferences panel which interfaces have the green button next to them (I.E.,, ethernet 1, Wi-Fi, etc.). Their order in the list determines connection priority. You can make them inactive or reorder them by using the gear option at the bottom. So for my system it tells me I have two interfaces active: Ethernet 2 set to using DHCP with IP address 10.0.1.5 subnet mask 255.255.255.0 router 10.0.1.1 and WiFi connected to TC 09ed 5 GHz with the IP address 10.0.1.83.

Looking at your images I see:

"Connect using static." I would use DHCP to get things working, then go to static. DHCP will then tell you the address that the system actually sees. The IPv4 address you have set (192.168.100.12) is not on the same network as the router (10.0.1.1) and DNS server (10.0.1.4) so that is a problem.

Same thing for the airport express. 67.160.238.1 needs to be on the same network as the router and dhcp server. Let DHCP guide you here. Once you get the extreme setup, you then connect to it via the express and the express should pick on the correct settings if set to "extend wireless network".

The yellow on the ethernet 1 interface obviously shows a problem. It does seem to be set up for DHCP, but since the router and DNS server aren't showing so something is wrong. I would inactivate the service and reactivate using the gear at the bottom. If that doesn't work try either rebooting or connecting via the ethernet 2 port.

Once you have the extreme setup then move on to the express. It should be setup as "extend a wireless network". A lot of the settings, such as the timed access controls, will then be copied from the airport extreme.

 

[flyingninja]

well, I'm off the hook. The client called Apple and they walked him through a solution before I got there.