Is my Airport Extreme Time Capsule Dying?

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Level 1

22 points

Is my Airport Extreme Time Capsule Dying?

I have a 3 TB 802.11ac Airport Extreme Time Capsule. It's actually my second (the first succumbed to the Sonoma County October 8, 2017 firestorm, so I know definitively that I purchased it in Oct 2017).

For the past year or so, it occasionally drops its connection to the internet.

I have my LAN extended to an Airport Express (final version). Devices on the WiFi LAN include 2 MacBook Pros, an iMac, two iPhones, 2 iPads, a Brother monochrome laser printer, an Apple TV 4K, a Phillips Hue Bridge, a Nest Guard Hub security module, a Nest Smart thermostat, and a Scansnap iX500 document scanner.

The Airport Extreme sits atop my entertainment credenza cabinet, coupled to my cable modem (DOCSIS 3.0 Arris with no embedded router) by a Cat5e cable. ISP is fiber to home from Spectrum, 100 Mbits/sec download.

Irregularly, Safari stops loading pages, Mail.app shows alert triangles for all my mailboxes, and Airport Utility shows an amber virtual LED below the globe avatar labeled "internet." When this happens, I power cycle the Airport Extreme, and usually the WAN connection is restored. On one occasion, Airport Utility showed NO color for the WAN virtual LED and could not find either my main or extending router, and on that occasion my ISP had to perform a remote reset of the cable modem AND I did the power cycling of the Airport Extreme.

I've used iStumbler to review the status of my network. The first, with my laptop about 10 feet from my Extreme provides the following data, while the network is working, with my laptop getting its signal from JSR Home 5GHz.: The Extreme is NOT 5.9 meters away. The estimate of a 2.4 meter distance for the 2.4 GHz radio is much more accurate. I typically ask my laptop to connect using the 5 GHz radio because I achieve download speeds (as reported by speedtest.net as well as by seat-of-the pants impressions when downloading large files like movies) that match or exceed the 100 Mbits/sec that I'm paying for.

Sometimes I'll work at a desk in an upstairs office, where I have the Express configured in Extender mode. At that distance, the signal from JSRHome 5 GHz is MUCH weaker, but when it's good enough, the Speedtest.net results are similar; i.e., download speeds remain much better with the laptop connected via the Extreme rather than via the extender device:

Because I lose internet connection erratically even when my laptop is PHYSICALLY close to my Extreme router (and because this wasn't a problem in my previous home), I'm wondering if the Extreme is the cause of the problem. One other symptom is stuttering of streamed content via my AppleTV 4K to my OLED 4K smart TV and sometimes inability to receive that content at all, even though my ISP tells me there are no issues with the WAN or content providers at the time I'm not receiving the content uninterrupted.

I've read posts elsewhere that suggest moving the airport devices to non-busy channels (at least 4 other neighborhood SSIDs are on channel 6) but there are also devices on 1 and 11, and I don't think that's relevant anyway when my extreme is on channel 132.

I've also read that I'd be better off using more contemporary networking hardware; e.g., WiFi 6 and/or Mesh Network with 802.11ac where the communications between the two routers can use one channel for backhaul.

As you may see from the way I've described this, I'm at or beyond the limits of my understanding of how all this works, but there are three questions relevant:

Do I have enough information to know that there's a problem with my Airport Extreme?
If nothing I've said incriminates the Extreme, is there anything I could do to make the setup more reliable? If that includes designating specific channels to use, do the Extreme and Express need to be on the same channel?
If replacing the extreme, does anyone have suggestions regarding what equipment I should purchase? (The only WiFi 6 devices I have at the moment are iOS iPhones, but I hate to invest in equipment that's nearing the downslope of its longevity arc).

I'm renting the home we're in and do not have the opportunity to use wired Ethernet when I'm working in my upstairs office. I can do so when I'm in my living room, but that would mean draping the patch cable across the floor, which would not make my wife happy, and MIGHT make my dog hungry. I suppose that if no diagnosis is possible now, I could connect the laptop directly to the Extreme with a patch cable (my laptop is a 2019 16" MacBook Pro, and I have the necessary dongle and patch cable) to see if that restores connectivity without a router power cycling.

Any other suggestions or links to resources would be greatly appreciated.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jun 7, 2020 10:49 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Bob Timmons

Community+ 2024

Level 10

169,664 points

Jun 8, 2020 12:20 PM in response to JimRobertson

I'm assuming that would mean my unreliable internet connection is not likely caused by other devices competing for my router's attention.

Correct

I have not situated the Express half way between my router doing NAT and the computer when I'm upstairs, partly because I have no a/c receptacles situated on my stairwell.

The half way point is a rule of thumb for placement of a wireless extender. If there are fewer obstructions between the main router and the Express, then you can probably get away with the Express at a location that is 60-70% of the distance from the main router to the area where you need more WiFi coverage.

Unfortunately, extending using WiFi always involves a series of compromises in performance. Loss of speed is typically 50-60% using this method. The best way to extend is connect the Express back to the main router using an Ethernet cable. There is no signal loss at all through the cable up to 100 meters or about 325 feet.

If you cannot run the Ethernet cable, then a pair of Ethernet over powerline adapters will likely provide much better performance than wireless......but not as good as an Ethernet cable. EoP adapters send the send over the existing AC powerlines in your home, so the theory with these devices is that you already have the wiring in place, you just need the adapters.

In practice, things don't always work as well as the theory suggests though, since AC wiring is different in different homes. Sometimes one brand will work better than another in one home and vice versa in another.

I'll have to look up "DFS" channel, as well as instructions about how to designate specific channels.

Think radar. You don't choose a DFS channel at all......the router does based on a very complex set of parameters to avoid interference with military and airport/airplane radar bandwidth space. The router might use DFS for a few hours then another normal 5 GHz channel, then switch back, etc.

My Airports use DFS maybe 30-40% of time when I check.

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Answer 2

Jun 7, 2020 2:38 PM in response to JimRobertson

#1 Yes, I think you can put the blame on the Airport/s. They are not working 100%

There are odd reliability issues with Arris modems and AC version airport.

#2 I doubt anything is going to make a big difference. Failure happens even when up close to the TC.

#3 You can keep the TC for backups but you do need another wifi setup.

Since your current setup does not allow ethernet then mesh is worthwhile.

The Netgear RBK50 is still one of the best. WiFi 6 is still problematic in mesh systems.. I would be reluctant to recommend them at this point.

While you make up your mind there are a couple of things you can do.

In the TC put the 5ghz channel up to 149 or even 161. If that gives no improvement put it down to the lower end at 36. At the moment channel 132 is called a DFS channel and is not necessarily a great choice.

The express are generally far from ideal as extenders.. but make sure you have them about half way between the TC and where you are trying to pick up signal. They should not be in the same location.. since they would also then be getting signal just as bad as the client you are trying to use.

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Answer 3

JimRobertson Author

Level 1

22 points

Jun 8, 2020 11:58 AM in response to LaPastenague

Thanks so much for your replies, and for your suggestions. I hope you won't mind a few more.

The screen grabs I've quoted were clipped to show just my own SSIDs. If I look at all the signals detected by iStumbler, there's only two others on 5 GHz, currently estimated at 20 and 21 meters away and broadcasting on Ch 153 and 37 while I'm on 100. I'm assuming that would mean my unreliable internet connection is not likely caused by other devices competing for my router's attention.

I have not situated the Express half way between my router doing NAT and the computer when I'm upstairs, partly because I have no a/c receptacles situated on my stairwell. I get the point about the laptop being just as susceptible to distance-related signal degradation, but I'm assuming that the 2.4 GHz signal's ability to travel farther would mitigate that part of the problem.

I'll have to look up "DFS" channel, as well as instructions about how to designate specific channels.

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Answer 4

Jun 8, 2020 2:25 PM in response to JimRobertson

Don't get too bogged down with the extras.. the point was replacement is needed.

Because I lose internet connection erratically even when my laptop is PHYSICALLY close to my Extreme router (and because this wasn't a problem in my previous home), I'm wondering if the Extreme is the cause of the problem. One other symptom is stuttering of streamed content via my AppleTV 4K to my OLED 4K smart TV and sometimes inability to receive that content at all, even though my ISP tells me there are no issues with the WAN or content providers at the time I'm not receiving the content uninterrupted.

You have failures of devices right next to the Airport.. failures that require replacement of network gear just to track down the source. If you had a spare router I would say plug it in place of the TC and see if that fixes the issue.. or plug a computer directly to the modem by ethernet and make sure everything is working properly. Since Macs lack ethernet these days and you are unlikely to have a spare router.. I think it is easier to just replace it.. it is due.

Also for the layout of your home you need mesh .. so I would definitely be looking at that solution. No doubt a better wireless router could work.. but getting wifi into all the dark corners is better accomplished with mesh.

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Is my Airport Extreme Time Capsule Dying?

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