I’m pretty clever about most computer things at the user level, but networking drives me crazy.
First, I am on a Mac. Lion. Using two Airport Extremes (one older, one newer) and an Airport Express. (Not actually using the express, I just happen to have it available)
Networking would be a tasty piece of cake except for one thing which remains important to me right now: I want my older Tivo 2, which works with a wireless adapter and has limited password ability (it has to be WEP) to be part of the network and available to the Tivo Premiere which has to be and is connected to the network via ethernet) and my Mac itself, primarily because I dump it out to my computer all the time as MPGs and I dont’ want to have to do anything to add it or un-add it, I just want it THERE.
I do have everything working as I want it to right now, which is:
<-----> represents ethernet cable, •••••• represents wireless
Time Warner router <----> Airport Extreme One (newer version)
Airport Extreme One (newer version) is in Bridge Mode, creates a wireless network which can ONLY have WPA passwords and that wireless network is therefore unusable by the old Tivo so:
Airport Extreme One (newer version) <----> Airport Extreme Two (older version)
Also in Bridge Mode, also creates a wireless network, and I guess because it’s older it permits a WEP password, usable by Tivo.
Airport Extreme Two (older version) •••••• Old Tivo
Airport Extreme Two (older version) <----> Tivo Premiere
And everything sees everything else, all is well.
Except I wanna go and mess things up because I want to use Back to My Mac, and the first thing I learn is that this requires me to change the settings on the Airport Extreme One (newer version).
Here’s what Apple says:
Well, there is no “internet Connection” pane to start with. There’s Base Station, Internet, Wireless and Network.
In the “internet” pane, there is nothing which gives any options regarding NAT, it’s simply where one chooses DHCP vs. static vs. PPPoE.
However, in the “Network” pane, the menu where Off (Bridge Mode) is selected offers two other choices: DHCP and NAT or DHCP and NAT.
BItter and frustrating experience tells me that messing with my modes is going to lead to the gnashing of teeth and the rending of garments.
So without even going into the trouble I’m having trying to do this just to see if it will work at all, forget if whether I can make it work and continue to have the setup I need to keep my old Tivo involved, can someone explain, VERY simply, how Bridge Mode is supposed to work, and how that relates to my options under the Wireless tab, for either “extending” or “joining” a wireless network?
Because the problem I’ve always had is that what I want is to EXTEND the network, not create a separate one, but every attempt to do that results in hellfire and damnation. And the term “Bridge Mode” makes my English language freak brain jump to the conclusion that this should somehow ease my desire to have the whole thing just smoothly bouncing big fat signals all over my house for any device to grab from anywhere and be able to communicate with each other.
So… as I go and try to figure out the troubleshooting of the NAT issue (Apples’ help doc predicts a "double NAT issue and my changing from Bridge to DHCP + NAT has indeed resulted in same… and so far what I’m reading is that Apple is suggesting a return to Bridge and a configuring of the TW router…which I am pretty certain I can actually do, I just don’t wanna because that adds a whole other layer of confusion and complexity I really don’t want to have to mess with.) any SUPER EASY FOR STUPID PEOPLE explanations would be appreciated.
(Mods: ghosts in the machine posted this OP half-finished hours ago, VERY wierdly. Please make it go away…)