I have a wireless router supplied by Verizon for our FiOS TV/Internet package. I also have an old 802.11g Airport Extreme Base Station (the "flying saucer" model from 2005) connected to it via an Ethernet cable and configured as a bridge so I can run an Apple network. I also have an 802.11g Airport Express from 2005 in another area of the house to extend wireless coverage, and to stream Airtunes to our home theater system. There are two Macs on the network, both running OS 10.6.7.
Every so often over the past year, I'd notice that the light on the AE would be orange. I'd unplug and replug the AE, and the light would go back to green. I don't know what if any effect this had on our wireless network. Our Macs, iPhones, and iPads worked fine. Airtunes was spotty, sometimes working well, and sometimes dropping out. We also have a Sony wireless Blu-Ray player that streams Pandora, and it's been more reliable than Airplay, but it occasionally drops out, requiring reconnecting to the network.
Last week, the Apple network starting dropping out on a daily basis. Our Macs automatically default to the Verizon wireless router, but our iPhones and iPads don't. Sometimes I can reconnect to the Apple network, but sometimes the devices won't recognize the network password. When the latter happens, unplugging and re-plugging the AEBS restores the network.
Today, while troubleshooting, I noticed that the AE didn't appear in Airport Utility, even though the light was solid green. I connected it to my Mac via an Ethernet cable, and it appeared in Airport Utility. When I tried to check the settings, it asked for the password, but the password I remembered didn't work. So I did a hard reset on the AE to reconfigure it. I configured it to join my existing network, and to extend network coverage. I got a message saying that it was updated successfully, and to wait for it to restart. It never restarted; the orange light remained flashing, and Airport Utility gave an error message saying the AE didn't restart. I've tried the hard reset several times. When the AE first appears in Airport Utility, it says it's configured as a base station on its own network. When I go through the reconfiguration routine, it says that the update was successful, but the AE never restarts, and the light stays in flashing orange mode.
I don't know if I have multiple problems. Could I have a defective AE? If so, could it have been causing the Apple network to drop out? Now that I've unplugged it, signal strength is lower in the rest of the house, just as it was before I bought the AE in 2005. The network hasn't dropped out, but it's only been a few hours.
Could I have a defective AEBS? My MacBook Pro is right next to my AEBS, and it has full bars. However, I'm holding my iPhone 4 right next to my AEBS, and wireless strength is only 2 bars. If I move 5 feet away, bars go to full. Once I get to the other side of the house, it drops back to 2 bars. Airport Utility says that the AEBS is fine, though.
To my knowledge, I don't have any other devices that could be interfering with airport, but my next-door neighbor might. I'm going to try switching to a different wireless channel, but interference wouldn't explain why my AE won't restart.
Finally, if I do determine that my AE is bad, is it worth upgrading my AEBS to the current version? In other words, is 80211n (which our newer Macs support) less subject to dropouts than 802.11g, or does it just offer faster throughput?
Every so often over the past year, I'd notice that the light on the AE would be orange. I'd unplug and replug the AE, and the light would go back to green. I don't know what if any effect this had on our wireless network. Our Macs, iPhones, and iPads worked fine. Airtunes was spotty, sometimes working well, and sometimes dropping out. We also have a Sony wireless Blu-Ray player that streams Pandora, and it's been more reliable than Airplay, but it occasionally drops out, requiring reconnecting to the network.
Last week, the Apple network starting dropping out on a daily basis. Our Macs automatically default to the Verizon wireless router, but our iPhones and iPads don't. Sometimes I can reconnect to the Apple network, but sometimes the devices won't recognize the network password. When the latter happens, unplugging and re-plugging the AEBS restores the network.
Today, while troubleshooting, I noticed that the AE didn't appear in Airport Utility, even though the light was solid green. I connected it to my Mac via an Ethernet cable, and it appeared in Airport Utility. When I tried to check the settings, it asked for the password, but the password I remembered didn't work. So I did a hard reset on the AE to reconfigure it. I configured it to join my existing network, and to extend network coverage. I got a message saying that it was updated successfully, and to wait for it to restart. It never restarted; the orange light remained flashing, and Airport Utility gave an error message saying the AE didn't restart. I've tried the hard reset several times. When the AE first appears in Airport Utility, it says it's configured as a base station on its own network. When I go through the reconfiguration routine, it says that the update was successful, but the AE never restarts, and the light stays in flashing orange mode.
I don't know if I have multiple problems. Could I have a defective AE? If so, could it have been causing the Apple network to drop out? Now that I've unplugged it, signal strength is lower in the rest of the house, just as it was before I bought the AE in 2005. The network hasn't dropped out, but it's only been a few hours.
Could I have a defective AEBS? My MacBook Pro is right next to my AEBS, and it has full bars. However, I'm holding my iPhone 4 right next to my AEBS, and wireless strength is only 2 bars. If I move 5 feet away, bars go to full. Once I get to the other side of the house, it drops back to 2 bars. Airport Utility says that the AEBS is fine, though.
To my knowledge, I don't have any other devices that could be interfering with airport, but my next-door neighbor might. I'm going to try switching to a different wireless channel, but interference wouldn't explain why my AE won't restart.
Finally, if I do determine that my AE is bad, is it worth upgrading my AEBS to the current version? In other words, is 80211n (which our newer Macs support) less subject to dropouts than 802.11g, or does it just offer faster throughput?