On July 30, 2018 at 20:18, King of typos said...
Ok, let me explain.
And since I have access to the connected devices. I am seeing on average of 15 to 20 devices connected overall of the 3 AirPort Extremes.
So my original question was to leave the AirPort Extremes in the current bridge mode. Or change the ISP provided modem/router into bridge mode and default the AirPorts into giving IP addresses.
Currently, the set up works great. No one has complained about dropped connections and such. However, the ISP provided AP is from Frontier and it’s DSL. She is really wanting to get cable internet. Thus a change of providers and a change of modem/router. Hopefully the new ISP provided modem/router will allow a plug and play of the AirPort Extreme, which is in bridge mode.
Basically I want to provide my landlady with a simple system for when I leave. I don’t want her to call the cable provider to have them put their modem/router back into bridge mode after a firmware update, if one ever happens.
KOT
Changing the ISP should cause no issues with the rest of the system as long as none of the Airport devices are set up as routers, with NAT and DHCP enabled. It should be completely PNP, other than refreshing everything, in correct order, so the IP addresses can be assigned by the router.
If you're in an area where Spectrum operates, they're offering a minimum speed of up to 200 Mbps and if it's the only service paid for, it's $44.95 (might be different in your area), which is pretty great.
FWIW- Apple network stuff doesn't do PNP, so if XBox or other devices that need it are going to enter the picture and one of the Airport Extremes is used as the router, she'll need to use something else. If she'll only use it for data and streaming, it should work fine.
BTW- if the ISP does update the hardware and it defaults to router mode, which will cause her system to not work properly, it only takes a phone call to the ISP, to have them change it back. Or, maybe the ISP has simple modems- that should eliminate the problem altogether- one of the Apples can be the router. I make the call for some of my clients relatively often and it only takes a few minutes- no service trip, no long calls- she should be able to do that if you give her an instruction sheet with the number to call, who to ask for and what to tell them.
