Roaming network problem with Airport Extreme Base Station (4th gen)

Keep the AirPort Express powered off.

Make sure that the Ethernet cable connects from one of the Ethernet ports on the modem/router......there are probably 4 of them......to the "O" Ethernet port on the AirPort Extreme

Apple expects you to use WiFi to set up the AirPort Extreme, so we will use that method. For now, disconnect the Ethernet cable from your Mac to the AirPort Extreme and make sure that the WiFi is turned on at your Mac.

Hold in the reset button on the back of the AirPort Extreme for 7-8 seconds and release

Allow a full minute for the AirPort Extreme to restart to a slow blinking amber light status

Open AirPort Utility and click on the Other WiFi Devices button

Click on AirPort Extreme xxxxxx

The AirPort Utility setup wizard will open up to a screen that looks similar to the example below, except that you will see an AirPort Extreme displayed.

Network Name........Type in the name of the wireless network

Base Station Name.......Type in the device name for the AirPort Extreme

Password.......Type in the WiFi password

Verify......Type in the same password again to confirm

Click Next

Wait a minute while the AirPort Extreme is configured

When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done

Should be a green light on the AirPort Extreme and it should appear as an active device in AirPort Utility.......similar to this:

Post back on your progress. Do not connect an Ethernet cable from your Mac to the AirPort Extreme yet. Wait for more instructions.

Please follow the instructions below carefully.

Temporarily, locate the AirPort Express near the AirPort Extreme

Temporarily, connect an Ethernet cable.....any length will do......from one of the 3 LAN <--> Ethernet ports on the AirPort Extreme to the "O" port on the AirPort Express

Power up the AirPort Express and let it run for a minute or two

Hold in the reset button on the AirPort Express and note that the amber light will begin to blink rapidly after a few seconds. Keep holding the reset button in for another 5 seconds or so and then release the reset button

Allow a full minute for the AirPort Express to restart to a slow blinking amber light status

Open AirPort Utility and click on the Other WiFi Devices button

Click on AirPort Express xxxxxx

The first window that appears will look like the example below except that you will see your devices pictured and network name of the AirPort Extreme

Type in a device name that you want to use for the AirPort Express

Click Next

Watch the next window carefully to see that the AirPort Express is being set up to extend using Ethernet. This will confirm that that AirPort Utility has picked up the Ethernet connection between the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express, so the correct configuration settings will be applied to the AirPort Express.

When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done and the setup of the AirPort Express is now complete and correct.

Power off the AirPort Express and disconnect the Ethernet cable that you used for the setup

Move the AirPort Express to the desired location and hook up the Ethernet cable from the powerline adapter to the "O" port on the AirPort Express

Power up the AirPort Express and give it a minute to go through the start up process

You already know that the AirPort Express has been configured correctly, so if the powerline system is working correctly at this time, so too will the AirPort Express be working correctly.

It is another discussion, but previously you tried to perform a Hard Reset on the AirPort Extreme by holding in the reset button on the AirPort Extreme. When you did this, you reported that the indicator light on the AirPort Extreme never changed to blinking amber, which would indicate that the AirPort Extreme was not resetting at all. That would normally indicate a defective AirPort Extreme, so I am confused that the AirPort Extreme now seems to be working correctly.

It is great if it will continue to operate, but please keep in mind that you really are using the AirPort Extreme on borrowed time. Frankly, it should have failed before now, so you have had remarkably good luck with the product. Hopefully, that good luck will continue.

We'll go ahead and provide setup instructions for both a permanent wired Ethernet connection between the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express and a setup that will use only a WiFi connection between the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express. Please follow the steps carefully.

IF.....you plan to connect the AirPort Extreme to the AirPort Express using a permanent wired Ethernet connection........

Power off the AirPort Express if it not already powered down

Connect the Ethernet cable from one of the three LAN <--> Ethernet ports on the AirPort Extreme to the "O" (circle of dots) port on the AirPort Express

Power up the AirPort Express and let it run for a minute or two

Hold in the reset button on the back of the AirPort Express for 7-8 seconds, then release

Allow a full minute for the AirPort Express to restart to a slow blinking amber light status

Open AirPort Utility on your Mac

Click on the Other WiFi Devices button in the upper left corner of the window

If you see an option to connect using Ethernet or WiFi, select Ethernet

Click directly on AirPort Express xxxxxx

When you click on AirPort Express, that will start up the AirPort Utility setup "wizard". The wizard will take a few seconds to analyze the devices and connection and then display a screen that will look similar to the example below

Type in a device name that you want to use for the AirPort Express

Click Next

Watch the next screen that appears very carefully to see that the AirPort Express is being configured to extend using Ethernet. This will confirm that the setup wizard has picked up the wired Ethernet connection between the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express to apply the correct settings to the AirPort Express

When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done......and you are done.

IF.......you plan to connect the AirPort Extreme to the AirPort Express using a WiFi connection......you will not use an Ethernet cable at all during the setup.

Power off the AirPort Express if it is not already off and then temporarily, move the AirPort Express to the same room or close proximity to the AirPort Extreme

Power up the AirPort Express and let it run for a minute or two

Hold in the reset button on the back of the AirPort Express for 7-8 seconds and release

Follow the same instructions as above, but note that he windows displayed will be different than the setup using a wired Ethernet cable connection.

The first window that will appear will look similar to the example below

Enter a device name that you want to use for the AirPort Express

Click Next

Watch the next window that appears to see that the AirPort Express will be set up to wirelessly extend the name of the WiFi network that the AirPort Extreme is providing.

When you see the message of Setup Complete, click Done......and you are done with the setup.

Now power off the AirPort Express and move it to the desired location. The more than you have a line-of-sight relationship between the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express, the better the network will operate.

If you need more WiFi coverage in a remote area, locate the AirPort Express approximately half way between the AirPort Extreme and remote area where more WiFi signal coverage is desired.

Hold in the reset button on the back of the AirPort Extreme for 7-8 seconds and release

Allow a full minute for the AirPort Extreme to restart to a slow blinking amber light status I did this but the light is still green.

Try again please. Hold in the reset button and watch the light on the front of the AirPort Extreme. It should begin to blink amber quickly after a few seconds. Keep holding for another few seconds, then release.

The AirPort Extreme will restart again to a slow blinking amber light status after about a minute.

If the indicator light does not ever change to blinking amber after a few more tries, the AirPort Extreme is unfortunately defective........since it cannot be reset and reconfigured.

The ethernet cable that I disconnected is between the Modem and the Extreme, not the iMac and the Extreme.

Please check above again to see that I asked you to disconnect the Ethernet cable between your Mac and the AirPort Extreme.

I also asked you to check to make sure that there was an Ethernet cable connected from your modem/router to the "O" Ethernet port on the AirPort Extreme. I did not ask you to disconnect this cable. Leave this cable connected at all times.

First things first, and that would be to get the AirPort Extreme working again correctly. So, you will need to power off the AirPort Express for now, and leave it off until we have nice green light on the AirPort Extreme. Then, we'll work on the AirPort Express.

Power off and restart the AirPort Extreme again.

Does the AirPort Extreme appear again when you open AirPort Utility?

Can you connect to the AirPort Extreme now using WiFi?

Is the light on the AirPort Extreme green, or is it slowly flashing amber?

If you click on the yellow triangle, you will see a message that indicates that the AirPort Extreme was part of your network at one time. The only option presented is to "Forget" the device. If you do this, it will totally disappear from AriPort Utility.

We are stuck unless you want to try to reconfigure the AirPort Extreme again so that it will appear like this when you open AirPort Utility:

At that point, then you can set up the AirPort Express.

If the AirPort Extreme still will not appear correctly in AirPort Utility after it has been reset and then set up again......this would indicate that the AirPort Extreme is defective. This would not be surprising on a 10+ year old product.

The Airport Extreme is connected to the modem with ethernet cable. Should I disconnect this and use WiFi instead? Isn't ethernet better?

An Ethernet connection is fine. Most users are using WiFi these days, so we assumed that this might be the case on your network.

The light is green. Nice and steady.

That is a good sign. I assume that you are able to get an Internet connection on your Mac that things are "back to normal", correct? If that is the case, we will now start over and set up the AirPort Express again correctly.

Will you be connecting the AirPort Express to the AirPort Extreme using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection, or will the AirPort Express connect using only wireless?

We ask this because the configuration and set up is different depending on how the Express will connect. For example, if you originally had the AirPort Express connecting to the AirPort Extreme using WiFi.....and you then connected an Ethernet cable between the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express, that would create a huge feedback loop that would in effect crash the network, which you may have likely encountered, based on the information in your original post.

So it is very important to understand how you will be permanently connecting the AirPort Express to the AirPort Extreme on your network in order for us to provide the correct setup instructions for the AirPort Express.

I clicked on this; it was AirPort Express eca6f2. Why does it not say AirPort Extreme eca6f2 ?

Because the AirPort Express is a new device that has not yet been set up. The AirPort Extreme was set up previously......so it is not a "new" device.

For now, your task is to get the AirPort Extreme to appear normally when you open AirPort Utility. It will look like the screenshot above, except that you will see your "flat" version of the AirPort Extreme. The "ghost" appearance of the AirPort Extreme means that your Mac cannot communicate with it correctly.

We've got to make the yellow triangle disappear and get the AirPort Extreme to appear normally before we can do anything else.

Do not attempt to set up the AirPort Express until things return to normal with the AirPort Extreme.

So, you are saying that if you power off the AirPort Express, that you can now connect your Mac to the AirPort Extreme WiFi network and get a good Internet connection that way?

And other devices can connect to the AirPort Extreme network as well?

If yes, you are ready to reconfigure the AirPort Express at this time. Let's make sure that we have a clear understanding of how the AirPort Express will connect to the AirPort Extreme......before......we proceed further.

Will the AirPort Express connect back to the AirPort Extreme using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection?......or......will the AirPort Express connect to the AirPort Extreme using only a WiFi connection?

We understand that your Mac is now connecting to the AirPort Extreme network using a WiFi connection, correct?

Open AirPort Utility

Click on the AirPort Express

Click Edit in the smaller window that appears

Click the Base Station tab at the top of the next window

Edit the name of the Base Station

Click Update at the lower right of the window and give the AirPort Express a minute to restart

I'm confused. You told us that........

The light is green. Nice and steady.

If you have a green light on the AirPort Extreme..........it should appear normally in AirPort Utility. Should look something like this.

The yellow triangle that you see means that your Mac cannot detect the AirPort Extreme. We cannot proceed with the setup of the AirPort Express until the AirPort Extreme appears normally in AirPort Utility.

Try restarting your Mac to see if it will appear.