Sporadic Airport Outtages

[RedMacMan]

I Airport extreme setup in my apt to keep my new powerbook G4 happy, but I frequently experience sporadic outtages. I'm using a DSL line, and that always stays connected, but the Airport just craps out, only to return a few minutes later just as mysteriously as it dropped. Sometimes this requires restarting the Airport base station, other times it just comes back.

Does anyone have any ideas why this might be happening and/or how to keep the connection stable?

Thanks.

 

[mactastic]

Re: Sporadic Airport Outtages

Originally posted by RedMacMan
I Airport extreme setup in my apt to keep my new powerbook G4 happy, but I frequently experience sporadic outtages. I'm using a DSL line, and that always stays connected, but the Airport just craps out, only to return a few minutes later just as mysteriously as it dropped. Sometimes this requires restarting the Airport base station, other times it just comes back.

Does anyone have any ideas why this might be happening and/or how to keep the connection stable?

Thanks.

Have you got the most recent firmware for your Base Station? If you launch your Airport Admin Utility (Applications -> Utilities -> Airport Admin Utility) you should see Apple Base Station V5.3 in the window. This used to happen to me quite a bit with some of the older versions of the Base Station firmware, but has settled down with the two most recent updates. Every couple months the base station will have to be restarted still though, but that I can live with.

 

[BaDBoY]

one simple answer

Since you DO happen to live in an apartment, i beleive you are having outtages due to the use of 2.4 ghz products around you. this includes microwaves, phones, and other such things. living in an apartment doesnt give you the benefit of being able to tell the people around you to stop using their phones or telling them to buy a different frequency phone (like 900 mhz or 5.8 ghz). Its just a problem youre gonna have to deal with as long as there is a 2.4 ghz appliance around the area.

Try using the Interference Robustness to help it out and try staying in an area where your base station is close to you.

Other than that there is nothing you can do.

EDIT: I noticed you say that when you restart yoru base station sometimes it comes back right? well thats the way it should be... because every time you power cycle your airport base station it changes the "channel" on which frequency it will operate. having the base station set as "automatic channel choice" will change the base station channel each power cycle. you can have the base station set to a specific channel, but its still going to be a pain in the ass because the 2.4ghz appliances still have a chance of interfering with the line. i did explain this in an earlier thread, in the airport extreme software update thread.

If you didnt know, all wireless networks run on 2.4ghz frequency, so theres no "other frequency" stations, until someone wants to invent a newer one.

 

[RedMacMan]

Wow, thanks for the detailed reply. I live with my brother and he thought it had something to do with 2.4Ghz appliances. I did update my firmware though, so we'll see if that helps at all. I still think airport+my powerbook is just about the coolest thing in the world.