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User profile for user: jcavalie
jcavalie Author
User level: Level 1
25 points

iOS14 Wi-Fi calling crashing Wi-Fi on 5th gen Airport Extremes

Hello - I’ve noticed over the last 2 days that iOS 14 is crashing Wi-Fi on my 5th generation Airport Extremes.


Here is my setup:

  • 3x AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Generation) with version 7.8.1.
  • all are running in bridge mode (access point only) and are hardwired via gigE back to my main switch which connects to my dedicated router.
  • All have worked fine for many years
  • I have both an iPhone 11 and an iPhone 11Pro. Both upgraded to iOS14.
  • both have AT&T Wi-Fi calling enabled
  • if either makes a call or receives a call, it is only a matter of a few minutes before Wi-Fi becomes completely unavailable. The call drops and the Wi-Fi network does not appear in Settings->Wi-Fi and the phone reverts to cellular only (and we don’t get a cell signal here so there is a safety issue not having this working anymore).
  • only a power cycle of the 3 access points (unplugging them) brings the network back online.
  • If you only power cycle one of them, and then join the network, Airport Utility will show the green dot for the one to which you are connected and the yellow triangle for the others, until they are each power cycled.


Any suggestions? This is a critical issue introduced by iOS14.


thanks in advance!

iPhone 11 Pro

Posted on Sep 21, 2020 12:32 PM

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User profile for user: LaPastenague
LaPastenague
User level: Level 9
67,226 points

Posted on Sep 23, 2020 5:49 PM

The 4th Gen works like a champ


That is helpful info.

The Gen4 Extreme used a Marvel wifi chipset.


The Gen5 Extreme used a Broadcom wifi chipset.

Gen6 Extreme is also broadcom but AC version is totally different to N wireless version.

The equivalent Time Capsule are the same..


They have a driver issue in the broadcom wifi me thinks.

Has anyone tried using firmware going back to 7.6.8 say or even earlier.


It is easy to do.. hold the option key while you click the firmware number in summary shown in airport utility. Select the firmware you want and it will download and flash the firmware to the Extreme (screenshot is from Gen4 TC same as Gen5 AE)



I don't have any new devices with iOS 14 to test.. but I do run earlier firmware sometimes as I find stability better. You will get error but it can be ignored.. simply turn off checking firmware in airport utility preferences.




As a test it would also be interesting to turn off wireless security for a brief period and see if the problem is security.


Just go to the wireless tab.. select security and none.


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User profile for user: LaPastenague
LaPastenague
User level: Level 9
67,226 points

Sep 23, 2020 5:49 PM in response to ep2002

The 4th Gen works like a champ


That is helpful info.

The Gen4 Extreme used a Marvel wifi chipset.


The Gen5 Extreme used a Broadcom wifi chipset.

Gen6 Extreme is also broadcom but AC version is totally different to N wireless version.

The equivalent Time Capsule are the same..


They have a driver issue in the broadcom wifi me thinks.

Has anyone tried using firmware going back to 7.6.8 say or even earlier.


It is easy to do.. hold the option key while you click the firmware number in summary shown in airport utility. Select the firmware you want and it will download and flash the firmware to the Extreme (screenshot is from Gen4 TC same as Gen5 AE)



I don't have any new devices with iOS 14 to test.. but I do run earlier firmware sometimes as I find stability better. You will get error but it can be ignored.. simply turn off checking firmware in airport utility preferences.




As a test it would also be interesting to turn off wireless security for a brief period and see if the problem is security.


Just go to the wireless tab.. select security and none.


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User profile for user: Bob Timmons
Bob Timmons
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
159,758 points

Sep 21, 2020 1:58 PM in response to jcavalie

I don't have a 5th Gen AirPort Extreme here to test, but I can report that using 2 of the 802.11ac AirPort Extremes here......informally known as the 6th Gen......there are no issues at all with WiFi Calling.


If you have not already done so, try turning off WiFi Calling and power off the iPhone /iPad. Then, power the device back up and enable WiFi calling again to see if that helps.


As you know, there are no settings on the AirPort routers regarding WiFi calling, so if the problems continue, you have an iOS issue, not an AirPort issue. Try posting over in the support forums for the iPhone and iPad.

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User profile for user: jcavalie
jcavalie Author
User level: Level 1
25 points

Sep 21, 2020 2:05 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Thank you. I have 6 of the 6th gen Airport Extremes at another location and I have not noticed the issue yet there, but I’m also not sure anyone has made any Wi-Fi calls from iOS14 devices as there are land lines and cell service at that location. I’ll be back there next week and can test.


I have turned Wi-Fi calling off and on with iPhone reboots in between. And I’ve rebooted the airports multiple times. Problem keeps recurring. I’ve also linked this post to a similar discussion occurring here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios14-wifi-calling-on-iphone-xs-max-crashing-airport-extreme-base-station.2254905/?post=28926565#post-28926565


As this issue did not occur in any variant of iOS13 with these same access points, I’m sure it is related to iOS14.


Not sure how to cross post - when I created this post I marked the device with the issue as an iPhone and the related device as the AirPort Extreme.


thanks!



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User profile for user: jcavalie
jcavalie Author
User level: Level 1
25 points

Sep 21, 2020 7:10 PM in response to matipizarro

Opened a case with Apple Support this evening. We spent almost 2 hours troubleshooting. They had me restart my cable modem, router, and access points, then reboot phone and re-enable Wi-Fi calling (it was off), to get a new and clean connection all the way through. I then was instructed to make a call. Less than 5 minutes in the Wi-Fi started glitching (wouldn’t pass data as I was monitoring from other devices on the Wi-Fi), the call then failed, and 2 access points disappeared from my network. Their hardwired Ethernet ports kept working, but they wouldn’t restart a Wi-Fi network until I unplugged them and plugged them back in.


Apple has screen shots of what I’m seeing on my iPhone and in the Airport Utility, and of the lights on the Airport Extremes. The tech has now set me up for a call with their escalations team tomorrow morning. Will report back after the call.

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User profile for user: Melissa McGuire
Melissa McGuire
User level: Level 1
27 points

Sep 21, 2020 7:46 PM in response to jcavalie

We are having similar issues. Have an AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Generation) that has been rock solid. Upgraded one iPhone 11 to iOS 14 and the Apple watch associated with it to iOS 7, and now the Airport wifi point randomly crashes. All of the wired connections still work but this airport base station goes offline. A reboot clears the issue until it fails again. We made the iPhone forget the network, and reconnected it. We turned off the new private address on both the iPhone and associated watch once we reconnected them. Wi-fi calling is not enabled. We have been planning to upgrade the Airport for a while, but haven't yet decided on the path. Up until this iOS and Watch OS upgrade, we have had no issues at all.

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User profile for user: jcavalie
jcavalie Author
User level: Level 1
25 points

Sep 21, 2020 8:46 PM in response to matipizarro

Our 3 5th gen worked fine till the iPhones were upgraded to iOS14 and tried Wi-Fi calling. Hard to believe they could be considered incompatible with iOS14. Guess I’ll know more tomorrow. I’ve been considering upgrading also, but can’t decide what the best option is - and Wi-Fi 6 devices are looming. So I’d like these to wait till the gear refreshed to Wi-Fi 6.


Mine are not running as router and repeater. All 3 are in bridge mode and serve as access points only. My router is a small office caliber SonicWall router and firewall.

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User profile for user: DeeRun
DeeRun
User level: Level 1
23 points

Sep 22, 2020 6:19 AM in response to jcavalie

Same issue here. If my Airports connect to either my iPad Pro or iPhone (both iOS14) and I use WhatsApp for a call, the Airport suddenly disappears from the network but shows a green light. Airport does not show up in Airport Utility. Reboot the Airport (Extremes and Time Capsules, both 7.8.1) and back to normal until it happens again...


Many forums discussing this and I have turned off the 'Private Address' feature to see if that helps.

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User profile for user: Sorodoros
Sorodoros
User level: Level 1
4 points

Sep 22, 2020 7:43 AM in response to DeeRun

Since Apple no longer manufactures or supports their airport devices, an iOS14 update to fix this is anyone's guess. The only workaround (for me) is turn off Wi-Fi Calling, which is a problem given poor cellular reception at my location. The best "fix" is to replace the network router and access points, which I am doing. At some point in the near future, that will be necessary anyway.

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User profile for user: PharCyder
PharCyder
User level: Level 1
4 points

Sep 22, 2020 1:23 PM in response to Sorodoros

Same problem here. WiFi Calling on XS Max with 5th Generation AirPort Extreme locking up when making / receiving a call. I’ve logged a case with Apple Support who has escalated to Engineering for comment. I was promised a call back within 3 days with an update.


I would suggest it’s extremely knee jerk to write off a 5th Gen AirPort Extreme just yet.

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User profile for user: Bob Timmons
Bob Timmons
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
159,758 points

Sep 22, 2020 1:37 PM in response to PharCyder

For what it's worth, things work just fine here with the 802.11ac version of the AirPort Extreme running firmware 7.9.1, frequently called the 6th Generation.


I don't have a 5th Generation AirPort Extreme here to test, but when I substituted a 4th Generation AirPort Extreme running firmware 7.8.1, the WiFi crashed with WiFi Calling enabled. 5th Gen AirPorts use the same 7.8.1 firmware.


Just a guess, but there may be a compatibility issue with 7.8.1 and earlier versions of firmware on the AirPorts.



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User profile for user: jcavalie
jcavalie Author
User level: Level 1
25 points

Sep 22, 2020 2:10 PM in response to jcavalie

I spoke to a senior tech this morning for about 30 minutes. They are now going to have me schedule another call with support and an engineer (maybe later today but probably tomorrow) and while I'm on the phone with them, they want to wait until I experience the issue. Then, after I restart the network, they can then send an on-demand log request to my iPhone to capture the logs and try to identify the problem. They could have had me do this while on today's call, but I can't keep crashing our wifi while my son is taking online classes. <sigh>


Since this doesn't feel like it is going to be a quick fix, and since I need reliable internet and wifi calling, I've gone ahead and ordered a 3 node mesh system, just in case I have to make a quick switch.

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iOS14 Wi-Fi calling crashing Wi-Fi on 5th gen Airport Extremes

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