Airport Extreme (802.11n) - Connection drops (no auto-reset)

You can only switch firmware version in Leopard's new AirPort Utility. However, since I have old 2003 AEBS I can only see firmware version in 5.6, 5.7. not 7.2, 7.2.1.

I have experience the same "drop-down" problem since I upgraded from Tiger to Leopard. I also have an bootable back in external HD that uses Tiger. In Leopard my AirPort signal never goes higher than 3 bars (Full is 4 bars), and it keeps jumping between 2 to 3 bars. But uses the same WiFi signal from the same AEBS, on Tiger the AirPort bar always go full. I really think the whole issue has to do with Leopard's setting.

Did the same as you tonight and the network is running great. I'll update this post over time to see if it stays up. So far no drops that I can tell. I have 2 Extremes in WDS mode. 1 main and 1 remote.

I've got the same problem. I've noticed it on Thursday when I was doing a large BitTorrent download. I can't remember if I upgraded with the Leopard upgrade before or after the problem started but it is annoying and feels like it is accelerating.

I've been down to 51kb/s download on a 100 Mbit connection and sometimes the speed test program report that I am connected to cable/DSL modem when I'm connected to fiber.

If it doesn't get better I've to switch back to my DLink Gaming Router.

No problem when using the Ethernet ports.

--jarl

Another "Me Too" -
problems first started under OS X 10.4 after upgrading my AExtremeBS to version 7.2.1 .
After downgrading to the previous version things worked fine except an inconsistent signal strength appearing occasionally.
Now that 10.5.1 is running well I gave 7.2.1 a second chance to resolve the signal strength problem.
Since then I have had multiple issues like interrupted connections, AirPort assistant opens when I start my MBP after sleep or shutdown, logging into my airport network takes "ages" , AEBS is not found occasionally by the assistant, when trying to manually connect I get constant timeout errors, etc. as described in other postings here. Sometimes it helps to disconnect anything from DSL router to to AEBS... very annoying.
This is a serious matter and I hope Apple is solving this problem soon !

ok... another "Me too". My connection on the AEBS goes from green to yellow... and then after 30 secs reverting back to green.... firmware is 7.2.1. I think that downgrading to older firmware may be the only option...

COME on Apple!

I am not completely convinced yet but... I did an additional 10.5.1 upgrade with the combo upgrade available at Apple download pages instead of the one offered through software update and...

the system behaves much better and I've gotten all-time-high speeds with my WLAN.

Adding another me too post.
My connection lasts anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days but never anymore than that. It doesn't seem to matter how much usage there is. In a desperate attempt to fix this I exchanged the modem with Comcast (thinking they were the problem) but that didn't do anything.

Well, i've just changed our IPv6, and am now using fixed channels 10 and 11.

We shall see.

Thanks SO much!! I thought I was going crazy, till I found this forum (new to Mac stuff) and applied this fix. I plugged in, restarted the router, then did the manual setup and was able to revert to 7.2. So far, things are going great!

I have a slingbox hooked up to watch my DirecTV-HD DVR while on the road (away alot...pilot) and would be lost with this thing crashing/freezing all the time. Hopefully, Apple will release a fix to the fix! Upgrading to 10.5.1 right now.....hope that doesn't crash anything else 😉

Thanks Again!!

I'm wondering is there is a hardware problem wit the Airport Extreme N.

I picked up a refurbished unit from the Apple store and it dropped connections to the printer and 4 computers on a very regular basis. The base station light would go solid yellow and them back to green in 30 sec.

After hard resets on it and all the Express stations and every thing else I could think of, Apple support was called and they said I did everything they would suggest. They directed me with a case number to the local Apple store. The Genius there looked up my assigned case number and told me he was going to give me a brand new Airport Extreme. After a trip to the back and a look out on the shelf there was a problem; there were NO Airport Extremes in the store! He said it would be a "couple of weeks" before they were in.

I wonder if a hardware bug has been identified and the supply is down while new units are being manufactured?

Thanks alot... I tried this and it worked perfectly. You're right, you have to hardwire the device to make this work.
I wasn't able to revert from my iMac 24-inch. For some reason, I no longer had the 7.2 firmware (7.2.basebinary) in my iMac 24-inch, just the 7.2.1.basebinary firmware was available.
So after resetting the AEBS with the 7.2 firmware from my LAPTOP, I grabbed the 7.2.basebinary file from my laptop and put it in the same location on my iMac... and now I can revert to 7.2 from my iMac.
I guess when we do the latest airport update, it removes the old 7.2.basebinary file.
Curious that Apple does not supply this 4.6 MB file so that people who want to revert back to 7.2 can do so. Your post helped alot... you're the man!!!

I have a G5 with Airport Card in it, and airport extreme, I also have a MacbookPro connected to the same Airport Extreme network. I loaded Leopard on the MacBook Pro, and both were working fine, then I downloaded, 10.4.11 for my G5, and 10.5.1 for the MacBook Pro and Airport, all of the sudden is acting like there is a Ice Storm on the runway. I always can connect with my MacBook Pro, although it asked me for a new password, and sometimes I can access the network on the G5, and sometimes not.

It seems that it crashes after I have used the MacBook Pro, then some how (I am too new to know) I can connect to internet and Airport starts working on a whim. Thanks for reading

Is anyone running two different operating systems, on two different computers, G5 4 x 2.5 with 10.4.11 and Macbook Pro with Leopard 10.5.1 on one Airport Extreme, with any luck.

Just an update - after all that work above, within 24 hours the first Express I configured had disconnected again. Network scans with Airport Utility would show the AEBS and nothing else - which was completely bizarre, since one of the Expresses continued to work.

I returned the Express that didn't work - it was 17 days for the most recent, but when I told the Apple Sales Tech my story, he let me return one. I still have the AEBS and one Extreme - I moved the Extreme back to the living room.

Please please please tell me there's a firmware update somewhere in the near future.

Yep, same problem here, strange thing is, I see there are a number of people, like me, have had their AEBS working ok for like 5 days after purchase.

Having the same issue here.

I'm using firmware 7.2.1 (tried 7.1 didn't change anything)
I've tried forcing 5ghz only.

Basically I've tried everything.
I have 2 macbooks and one iMac (all intel) and after about 1min the wireless disconnects, but the wired clients stay untouched.

This is a REALLY annoying problem and it is hampering my productivity.

Please apple... FIX THIS ASAP!