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mrmythFlag for United States of America

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Aiport Extreme Network Printer Problems

I set up a network for someone using the latest Airport Extreme N model. I have an airport express upstairs and one in a back office.

In the back office I have an HP printer network printer as well as a power mac.
 connected via ethernet and a switch to the airport express.

This is not my favorite thing to do. I'd rather have these items wired, but their house doesn't permit it. I even tried to network over the electrical system, but their electrical system prevents it for some reason unknown to me.

They keep telling me that their default printer keeps losing connection to the wireless computers.

Any ideas how I can keep the network printer connected so they don't have to keep adding it?
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Eoin OSullivan
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To clarify ..
They have 1 Airport Extreme .. 2 Airport Express Base Stations (are these repeaters? or have their own DHCP?)
Does the HP printer have  fixed IP address?

Are they configured
                  ________  Express
Extreme ---|
                  -------------  Express

or

Extreme --- Express --- Express
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ASKER

great questions.

they have one airport extreme and three repeaters (airport express)

The hp printer has a dynamic ip address.
                  ------------------- Express (upstairs) ) ) ) laptop (keeps losing printer)
extreme ---|
                   -------------------Express 1st floor ----------Express 1st floor (office)--ethernet cable-------switch |------------- power mac
                                          --------------multifunction printer


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ASKER

my diagram did come out great.

but basically the switch has the power mac and the multifunction printer hard-wired to it and it is hard-wired to the airport express repeater.
From Apple about this problem;

AirPort Extreme base station: How to enable Cisco VPN connections
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306256
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ASKER

This above answer seems to be in the wrong place.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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Eoin OSullivan
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ASKER

I checked what you said and you were correct. The ip address of the upstairs express was conflicting with the downstairs one. I set static ip addresses on all the airport expresses and then used a netgear electrical router to bridge the gap from one of the airport expresses to the difficult office. It seems to be fixed.

Thank you for your help.