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Also, try the WDS setup without security first. Then add security after you have it going.

Yes to all the questions.

Ah, the chanting...

No go with various security options tried. Have called in the troops, so in a couple of days this will just be an unpleasant nightmare.

i agree, this is ridiculous. You shouldn't have to pay someone to install a perfectly normal setup that should work out of the box. Plus you are inevitably going to have to pay for them to repeat all of our trouble shooting.

Because I am frustrated for you. And because I want to win, I have delved deep into the internet and found this nugget of gold.....
http://mactip.blogspot.com/2007/05/airport-extreme-wds-daisy-chain.html

I think this might be your problem.

What it is suggesting is that the Airport 1 is not doing a good job of passing on the IP address assigned by your modem.

Fortunately you have the option of manually assigning one.

So what you need to do is this,

Plug your PC into Airport no 2 so you can see it in Airport Utility.
Go to the tab Internet

Copy down the values under Router and Subnet Mask

Switch ipV4 from using DHCP to Manual.
Enter the values you wrote down and put in the number in the IP address that was previously already assigned.
Connection sharing stays as off (bridge)

update.

cross everything.

Hey alsta,

You have the tenacity of a terrier! I like it.

Well, I did all that stuff, but got 4 setup warnings that were strangely familiar to me from Utility:

- No DNS server
- No Router address
- Default password
- Unsecured wireless

The last 2 were because I opted to set up without security as suggested somewhere else in this giant post. That was OK.

Then I was able to complete the DNS but not the router address - I've long since forgotten where it lies. Utility didn't worry, but didn't cough up with a link either!

And another 45 mins of my life gone.

Add to those woes, Airport #1 went on the blink for some inexplicable reason probably connected with what I did, and I had to go right through the setup again. It's still not working. Another reset, sigh.

Sure, the fixit guys are going to duplicate our efforts, but at least there is a comprehensive paper trail on this thread that I'll refer them to first.

Hi Kevin,

Look for one last giant possibly money saving post around 8 tonight....

Giant money-saver! You're talking my language.

This whole saga has got me thinking. All the Utility setup options are wrong.

Instead of having dropdown fields with information that has no relation to whatever I'm doing, it could easily be set up to read something like:

- I have 1 Extreme. Make it work -
or
- I have 1 Extreme and I want to add another -

Then it should assume that certain factors are already set, like the kind of network setting required and the machine's internal setting. If Utility can read the IP on both machines for example, why can't it put that where it's needed, instead of asking us to do it?

This current setup is designed to give detailed options for technical staff. It could so easily be plug and play. Must write to Steve at once.

Of course there is the other option... that I should have got someone in after 30 mins when I realised it was not working.

But there's always the niggle that maybe the fix is just after the next reboot...

So, in one final last attempt, if you have the strength left, try this. First bit is copied from earlier.
Do everything in the order I've written. Don't forget sacrificial offerings along the way.....

1. Unplug everything from Airport 1.
2. Hard reset Airport 1 and 2. ( i know...sorry)
3. Restart your router.
4. Plug router into WAN port of Airport no. 1.
5. Plug your PC into LAN port of Airport no. 1.

Get Airport 1 on the internet correctly.

Open AirPort Utility, Start > All Programs > AirPort on a Windows computer.
Click Continue and follow the onscreen instructions to "connect to your local area network (LAN)"

Once you have done this you should have a working internet to your PC and iPhone.
(in the picture the laptop is the equivalent of your iPhone and the iMac is your PC, the "Time Capsule" is Airport no. 1.

IMPORTANT NOTE!!
Have just read your last posting as well. When you first plug your PC into the LAN port of the Airport you will have no internet. THIS IS NORMAL.
You need to follow the instructions above and you will then find you suddenly have the internet working once the Airport settings take. Let the green light come then you may need to unplug PC and plug back into Airport LAN port.

Get IP and router info

Goto Airport Utility again and check the "internet" settings for Airport 1.
Copy down all the numbers that are there,
specifically,
a) Router
b) Subnet Mask
c) IP address
d) DNS (if present)

next...

Get WDS working

First,

Plug power into Airport no. 2.

1. Open AirPort Utility.
2. Select Airport no. 1. and choose Manual Setup from the Base Station menu. Enter the password if necessary.

3. Click the Wireless button, and then choose “Participate in a WDS network” from the Wireless Mode pop-up menu.

4. Click WDS and then choose “WDS main” from the WDS Mode pop-up menu.
5. Select the “Allow wireless clients” checkbox.
6. Click the Add (+) button and enter the MAC address (Airport ID) of the wireless devices you want to connect to this main device.
7. Click Update to send the new settings to the devices in the WDS.

Now at this point you "should" have

1. Router into Airport 1 WAN
2. PC into Airport 2. LAN
3. Green light on Airport 1.
4. PC on the internet.
5. iPhone on the internet

6.....Green light on Airport 2 sitting happily beside airport 1, not connected to anything.

I suspect however that you will not have a green light...

Thats ok.

Without unplugging anything, goto Airport Utility on the PC and rescan and see if Airport 2 has magically turned up..

i.e. Can you see Airport 2 in Airport Utility?

If yes, then goto section below "Manual IP address"
If not then

1. Unplug PC from Airport 1 LAN port
2. Plug PC into Airport 2 LAN port
3. Rescan Airport Utility, you should now see Airport 2. As your PC has no wireless card at this point there is no way Airport Utility can see Airport 1.

If you still can't see Airport 2.....i give up.

Manual IP address

If you got to this point without having to unplug anything then select Airport 2 in Airport Utility. If you've unplugged as just above then you can only currently see Airport 2.

Goto the Internet settings tab.
a) Switch ipV4 from using DHCP to Manual.
b) Enter the values you wrote down from Airport no 1.

**Important point***
c) For the IP address raise the final number by 1. i.e. if it says for example 192.168.0.2 then change it to 192.168.0.3

Connection sharing stays as off (bridge)

Update.

If you had to plug PC into Airport 2, unplug it and put it back into Airport 1.

Now unplug power to Airport 1. Airport 2 and Router.

Turn them on in this order.

1. Router. Wait a minute or so.
2. Airport 1. Wait a minute till you get a green light. Check you can surf the internet on PC
3. Airport 2.....hold breath

Green light? Yay.
Orange and blinking? It may actually work.....take it up a couple of floors and see if your iPhone gets a signal?

If not. Sorry. I'm out....

Wow.

OK, I'm limbering up for the test.

Give up alsta, it isn't worth wasting any more time. I now can't even get Airport 1 green after many attempts. The error (-6753) is: An error occurred while trying to access the Apple device..."

I've now reset Airport 1 some 6-7 times each time it happens, trying different setups, but even the settings I used in the past are not working. Perhaps I've worn it out. Certainly I'm worn out myself.

Take a holiday down in sunny Wellington and let me buy you a beer when you're here - you deserve it!

Kevin.

PS. This must go down in NZMac.com history as the most effort-making topic of all time by a single person. You are remarkable indeed to have persevered this far.