# Airport Extreme adding a switch to add 2 wired desktops



## dogma420 (Oct 31, 2008)

Hello, first post, thank you in advance for any help.

I have a customer, that has a cable modem going into an Airport Extreme, that has multiple wireless Mac notebooks attaching to it, and 1 Windows XP desktop, connected to the single output cat5 network port that comes out of the Airport.

The customer wants to add another desktop, and the solution would look to be to add an 8 port switch and have a cat5 cable go from the Airport into port 1 on the switch, and then have each desktop plug into the switch, ports 2 and 3.

When I did this, I don't get IP addresses for each computer through the switch. When only one computer is attached, it can get an IP address.

I have not cycled power on the Airport--when I go back there (after double checking sources, such as this...) should I cycle power? Does the Airport require this when changing from a single computer wired through that port, versus having multiple computers wired to it?

-The switch is a simple D-Link DES-1108, that is automatic for standard or crossover cables detection, automatic on 10/100 speed. No uplink or 1 port for router needed...I'm going to try different ports when i go back if needed.

-Customer has an Airport utility installed on his Mac Portable...I was able to look at settings for it, DHCP is enabled, and the desktop's IP address is in that range of the Airport's scope of DHCP, so it appears to be given ip's through the cable output (the single wire)...

What is the correct procedure to get this setup to operate? Is it as easy as cycling the power when the switch is on, and 2 desktops are attached and the Airport is attached to it as well?

Any help is appreciated,

Dawg


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

If I remember correctly, I powered EVERYTHING down before adding my D-Link switch to my Airport network. Once powered up, all was as expected.


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## TrevX (May 10, 2005)

Umm, Do you mean Airport EXPRESS and not Airport Extreme? Airport Extreme Base Stations have 4 wired ports (in addition to the WAN port). A switch would not be necessary here.


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## Mississauga (Oct 27, 2001)

TrevX said:


> Umm, Do you mean Airport EXPRESS and not Airport Extreme? Airport Extreme Base Stations have 4 wired ports (in addition to the WAN port).


Older models differ.


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## TrevX (May 10, 2005)

Mississauga said:


> Older models differ.


Doh, thanks for the clarification!


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## dogma420 (Oct 31, 2008)

Thanks all, I am going back there today...I will repost to close this thread for future inquiries afterwards.

I will try the recycling power and see if that fixes it.


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## Billionairess (Jul 15, 2003)

I would put the switch before the Airport Extreme Base Station. I used to have my configuration like that and it worked fine until I didn't need the switch anymore and took it out.


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## dogma420 (Oct 31, 2008)

Yes, recycling the power on the Airport Extreme fixed this problem, and afterwards, it was able to handle giving out multiple IPs to the 2 windows machines attached to the d-link switch...This was usng standard cat5 cables all around.

I guess I need to 'think different'...

Thanks all, and in the future, I will definitely be back for my Apple questions.

Thanks everyone!!!!

;-)

Dave


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