Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

AirPort Extreme - blinking and was working until unplugged

I have had my first issue with my Apple AirPort Extreme, and I am hoping someone can provide some assistance. My router was working perfectly throughout the day as it has since I first purchased it a couple of years ago. I came home from dinner, and I found the light rapidly blinking amber. The router itself, though, was still working with zero issues. Checking the app on my Mac, it showed no issues or updates pending, etc. I disconnected it, plugged it back in, and it continued to blink, but now I had no internet, and it was not being detected at all. I went so far as to attempt a factory reset, and it still only continues to rapidly blink amber. My Mac does not detect it or see it in order to set it up again, and I am at a loss for what to do from this point going forward. Again, it was working perfectly earlier in the day and continued to work even while blinking up until I unplugged it and plugged it back in. I have done some research on this, and I have come up empty. If it’s dead, then I have to say it’s unacceptable for a router that cost this much, but there is not much I can do if that’s the case minus buying a different one. Thank you for any input that anyone can provide! It is appreciated.


Posted on Aug 6, 2020 4:15 AM

Reply

Similar questions

1 reply

Aug 6, 2020 5:30 AM in response to Pikaroth

The only time that an AirPort Extreme, or any other Apple router should rapidly blink amber is when you are manually holding in the reset button on the AirPort to reset the device back to its default settings.


Otherwise, if there is an update available for the AirPort, or some other change has occurred, the amber light will blink slowly, about once a second.


If the indicator light really was blinking rapidly, this would indicate a major power supply issue with the AirPort Extreme. I'm puzzled though, when you say that the AirPort continued to work normally because this would usually not be the case in situations like this.


At this point, the only thing that you can do is continue to try Factory Default Resets a few more times to see if the AirPort will return to normal.


Remember that you will need to use the WiFi menu to reconfigure the AirPort after a Factory Default Reset, as it will not appear if you simply open AirPort Utility. Click on the WiFi menu and look for a listing of New AirPort Base Station. Just under that listing, click directly on AirPort Extreme to get the set up process underway.





If the AirPort still won't appear after a few tries, it has failed and will need to be replaced......unless......you are a really good do-it-yourself type of person and you want to try to replace the power supply inside the AirPort Extreme. Unfortunately, Apple never designed the AirPort to be serviced, so this is not an easy task......and there are no guarantees that a power supply replacement will fix the issue.


Post back if you want to attempt this and we'll provide a few more tips.



AirPort Extreme - blinking and was working until unplugged

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.