Lowering Ping With Airport Extreme: Tips And Tricks

If you're experiencing high ping times with your Airport Extreme base station, there are a few things you can try to lower it. This guide will take you through the steps to reduce latency and improve your connection.

Try connecting the Airport Extreme to the modem in every room

If you're experiencing high ping times with your Airport Extreme, one possible solution is to connect the Airport Extreme to the modem in every room. This can help to reduce latency and improve your network performance.

To do this, you'll need to set up your Airport Extreme in bridge mode, which allows it to act as a wireless access point for your modem. This can be done by connecting your Airport Extreme to your modem using an Ethernet cable. Once connected, you can configure the settings on your Airport Extreme to extend your network.

By setting up your Airport Extreme in bridge mode and connecting it to your modem, you can improve the stability of your network and reduce ping spikes. This setup can be particularly useful if you're experiencing issues with gaming or streaming services.

It's important to note that while connecting your Airport Extreme to the modem in every room can help improve your network performance, there may be other factors contributing to high ping times. These can include the client device's power save mode or the configuration of your network settings. It's recommended to try multiple troubleshooting steps to identify and resolve the specific issues causing high ping times.

Continuously restart the Airport Extreme

Continuously restarting the Airport Extreme can sometimes work to lower ping. In about one out of five restarts, you may see an improvement in performance.

To restart the Airport Extreme, you will need to power cycle the device. This can be done by unplugging the power cord from the back of the device and then plugging it back in after a few seconds. Once the device has restarted, you can check to see if the ping has improved.

If you are still experiencing high ping after restarting the Airport Extreme, there may be other factors contributing to the issue. It is recommended to try other troubleshooting steps, such as checking your internet connection, updating your device drivers, or adjusting your network settings.

Additionally, it is important to note that restarting the Airport Extreme may only provide a temporary solution. In some cases, the ping may improve for a short period, but then start to increase again after a day or so. This can be frustrating, as it requires frequent restarts to maintain optimal performance.

Overall, while restarting the Airport Extreme may not always be a reliable solution, it is a simple step that can sometimes help to lower ping and improve your network performance.

Set up Airport Express to extend the network

If you are experiencing high ping times with your Airport Extreme, you can try setting up Airport Express to extend your network. This can help to get latency down to 5-8ms and eliminate packet loss.

To set up Airport Express to extend your network, you will need to follow these steps:

• Connect your Airport Express to your modem: Using an Ethernet cable, connect one end to the WAN port on your Airport Express and the other end to an available LAN port on your modem.
• Configure your Airport Express: Open the Airport Utility app on your computer or mobile device. Select your Airport Express from the list of devices and choose "Extend a Wireless Network" as the configuration type. Enter the password for your existing wireless network and select the network you want to extend.
• Set up wireless security: It is important to secure your extended network. In the Airport Utility app, go to the "Wireless" tab and select the security type you want to use (WPA/WPA2). Create a strong password for your extended network to protect it from unauthorised access.
• Optimise settings for low ping: To further optimise your setup for low ping, you may need to adjust some advanced settings. This can include changing the wireless channel to one that is less congested, disabling features like "Wi-Fi Protect Setup" or "Guest Networking", and ensuring your firmware is up to date.
• Test your network: Once you have completed the setup, test your network by connecting your devices to the extended network. Run a speed test and ping test to ensure that your network is performing as expected.

By following these steps, you can effectively set up Airport Express to extend your network and potentially lower your ping times. Remember to refer to the official Apple support documentation or community forums for detailed instructions and troubleshooting steps specific to your hardware and software versions.

Ping more often than once per beacon interval

Ping spikes can be caused by the client device's use of 802.11 power save mode. To get a more accurate measure, you need to ping more often than once per beacon interval. This is because the client isn't constantly putting its radio to sleep between ping attempts. As beacon intervals are typically 0.1 seconds, you need to do something like: sudo ping -i 0.05 192.168.10.115.

If you're experiencing the same issue with an Airport Extreme (NAT and DHCP) and an airport express in roaming mode, you can try the above solution. This issue can cause ping spikes of over 300ms and 4% loss, as well as problems with multiroom audio streaming.

By pinging more frequently, you can reduce the impact of the client device's power save mode and improve the accuracy of your ping measurements. This can help you identify and troubleshoot network issues more effectively.

It's important to note that pinging more frequently may increase network traffic and resource usage, so it's recommended to adjust the ping interval based on your specific requirements and network conditions.

Try pinging the router by domain

If you're experiencing high ping times with your Airport Extreme, there are a few things you can try. Firstly, check your setup. If you're using a modem with your Airport Extreme, try plugging your device directly into the modem to see if the issue persists. If the ping is normal when connected directly to the modem, then the issue is likely with your Airport Extreme.

If the ping to the router by domain fails, it could be due to no local DNS. In this case, you may need to fix the domain settings on your device. Additionally, ensure that your device names are short, without spaces, and use only alphanumeric characters. This can help improve connectivity and reduce ping times.

Another factor to consider is the power save mode of your client device. If your device is using 802.11 power save mode, it may cause variations in ping time. To get a more accurate measure, you need to ping more frequently than once per beacon interval, so your device doesn't put its radio to sleep between ping attempts. Since beacon intervals are typically 0.1 seconds, you can use a command like "sudo ping -i 0.05 192.168.10.115" to ping more often.

Additionally, try restarting your Airport Extreme. In some cases, a simple restart can resolve ping issues. However, keep in mind that this may only provide a temporary solution, as the problem may recur after a day or so.

Frequently asked questions