Esoteric Network Setup - Can iMac default route local ethernet over to Wifi internet?

Are you

saying that House Wifi Router in bridge mode will not connect to wifi devices

in the house, and that it will only bridge ethernet packets from the Garbage

Wifi Router to itself to the House wired ethernet?

Remember the part above where I said that WiFi and Ethernet devices are all on the same network? I said the WiFi devices will "see" Ethernet devices and Ethernet devices will "see" WiFi devices. They can all talk to each other.

I do have another Airport ... the lesser smaller model. So, let me further ask are

you saying the Apple Airport wireless routers are different in that they will in

addition to connecting a local wired ethernet network over wifi to the main

Airport router will talk to wireless devices and extend the wireless network to

areas where the main router will not reach?

From my answers above.......I said that ideally you would want to connect the smaller AirPort to your "main" Airport using a wired Ethernet connection. The reason......best performance. The smaller AirPort can probably connect to the "main" Airport using only a WiFi connection if the distance and obstructions are not too numerous.......but even if it can, you will lose at least half of the potential speed on the entire network if you set things up that way.

The smaller AirPort can "extend" the network from the "main" Airport using either a wired Ethernet cable connection or a WiFi connection.

But, if you already have the Ethernet cable running from your "main" router to the other location where the smaller AirPort will reside, why would you not want to use the fastest and most reliable connection.......Ethernet?

Honestly, I'm sorry but it really appears that you are trying to way over think things.

Let us know whether the smaller AirPort will connect to the "main" AirPort using a wired Ethernet connection......or......for some reason you cannot use Ethernet and the smaller AirPort must connect using WiFi to the "main" AirPort.

We'll tell you exactly how to configure the smaller AirPort. You will be amazed at how easy this will be.

I was under the impression that Bridge Mode would act like an h/w ethernet

bridge or switch that extends the network to more devices, either wired or

wifi?

Correct, and a repeat of what I have been saying. The "smaller" AirPort will auto configure itself in Bridge Mode, no matter whether it connects to the "main" AirPort using an Ethernet connection, or it connects to the "main" AirPort using a WiFi connection.......(which I am not recommending, unless there is no way that the AirPorts can connect using Ethernet.)

Option one is a no go.

Your second option with another AirPort router will work. Ideally, it would be the same model as your "main" AirPort. Ebay has refurbished and used AirPorts for sale.

Try to connect the "remote" AirPort to the "main" garage AirPort using a wired Ethernet cable connection. If that is not possible, the remote AirPort might be able to connect back to the main AirPort using WiFi, but you will lose at least half of the potential speed on the network using this type of setup.

If the Roku, TV, and Doorbell all connect using Ethernet, you have 3 Ethernet LAN ports on the "remote" AirPort with which to connect. The iMac would need to connect to the remote AirPort using WiFi.

If you want to also connect the iMac using Ethernet, then you could add a simple 5 port Ethernet switch to the remote AirPort to create additional Ethernet connections and connect all the Ethernet devices to the switch.

Bottom line.....as you know......the more that you can use Ethernet connections, the better the network will operate. But, WiFi on the iMac would probably be OK if it is not located too far from the remote AirPort.

That is pretty much what I have now, except it is not another Airport in the house, just a wired router.

That router needs to be in "Bridge Mode", so any device that connects to the remote router will "see" the same network, just as if they connected directly to the main AirPort router using Ethernet.

Another way to say the same thing.......In Bridge Mode, a router acts like an Ethernet switch. It is simply an Ethernet connection point. In effect, all you have done is add more Ethernet ports to the main AirPort.

If you were using a second AirPort, that AirPort would automatically configure itself in Bridge Mode. But, a 3rd party router will not do this.

Sorry, I'm not following your wireless and wired questions. All devices are on the same network.....no matter whether they connect using Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Think of your network as having two doors that open into the same room. One "door" is WiFi and other "door" is Ethernet.

Ethernet devices can "see" and connect to WiFi devices. WiFi devices can "see" and connect to wired devices. Everything is on the same network.

Then all the ports of the secondary router are just bridged to the network that is managed by the primary router, and for example all wifi or wired devices connected to the secondary router would be managed DHCP-wise by the primary router?

Yep, that is all you need to know.

But, your current "remote" router which may or may not be configured correctly in Bridge Mode.....provides no Wi-Fi service at all.....and you said that you wanted to have a WiFi signal in the "remote" area.

That is why I suggested another AirPort. The product will literally configure itself correctly to work seamlessly with your "main" AirPort router.

If you don't need WiFi in the "remote" area, then make sure that your current "remote" router is configured to operate in Bridge Mode, so you can connect everything to the router using Ethernet.