Buzzing noise during wireless data transfers from new (model 1408) AirPort Extreme.

re: your first two points, they are self-evident and clearly unassailable.

It's also obvious that Apple is doing nothing (as far as we know) about the problem. It's a bizarre design.

Third, since my post on 8/12, I put small holes in the mailer envelope and simply placed the unit in the envelope, leaving the envelope flap open. It still muffles the noise.

My solution is inelegant, very un-Apple and primitive.

My question to you is, given Apple's intransigence, do you have a a better idea? What exactly do you propose to fix the problem?

I have changed to the new AE 5th and it DOES buzz. Same like the old one. I am wondering whether they came from a bad batch or its a design problem.

NextByte people said it should be completely silent.

Any idea guys?

It's definitely NOT a bad batch, but a design problem.

I've tried various models of this 5th Gen from the first manufactured-shipment batch to the latest fresh-out-of-oven shipment ones - THEY ALL BUZZ!!!

Thanks Zander64.

Sad to hear that as I have never seen a normal router that make noise before.

My Airport Extreme 5th Generation makes also a noise when downloading (hissing noise). After a while it goes away, but it keeps coming back.

Just confirming that I have now had 2 x 5th Gen Airport Extreme base stations and they emit the noise. This needs to be addressed APPLE!

I have so far swapped 3 AEBS 5th gen from the store where I bought it. They all buzzes during network activity, louder when download big files. I have sent the AEBS to nextbyte iConcierge. They sent the old one back to Apple, after 4 days, swapped for me the new one and it does BUZZ again. The nextbyte service manager confirmed its a design problem and asked me to go to apple store. Its very inconvenient for me to go to apple store so I just ignore this problem and continued using it. Both the AEBS I have tested emit identical sounds. The AE unit and its adapter emits the same sound. I think its the power problem.

Same problem here. I bought my AEBS in switzerland and this sound makes my crazy.... High frequent noise, I think it came from the braodcom chipset.... they generate the noise under heavy network traffic.

Maybe.....

I was at a friend's house yesterday, and he has the 5th gen AEBS. His does emit a very slight noise during wireless data transmission, but nowhere near as loud as the two that I've had at my house.

Here's the difference: He has a 15-20 MB internet connection, whereas I have a 50 MB wideband connection. I believe the amount of noise you hear is directly related to the throughput of your internet connection. When I ramp up several high speed downloads at once on the N band with my MacBook Pro, the sound increases. If I use my iPhone to browse to a webpage on the G band, I get a very slight noise.

If everyone can report the speeds of their internet connections, I bet we can begin to narrow down the cause of the issue to high internet throughput demands on the router.

Hmmm... I have the same thing with my Lenovo T500... Heavy traffic = High frequent noise... As I said before in my post... I think it`s the broadcom chipset which makes the noises under full performance...

Maybe all 5GHz WLAN systems wiht the broadcom chipset have the problem.

@Pro Mod I have a 50Mbit connection 50 down and 2Mbit up..

Thanks for the info, Kefrens.

I actually decided to take mine to the Apple Store today and explain the situation. They gladly exchanged it for a brand new unit, which is now my third one.

I just got home and plugged in the new one. No more noise when doing MOST tasks, such as web browsing. However, the noise still ramps up under the heaviest loads, such as a speed test, but it is nowhere near as loud as the previous two I had.

My conclusion is that they all make some noise, and that some are just louder than others or are in quieter environments. High bandwidth throughput seems to also escalate the noise. I'd keep returning them until I got one with a tolerable noise level, as I finally have.

I just bought a new (2011) Base Station extreme and noticed a loud buzzing/hard drisk like/electrical sound. I replaced the power brick with the power brick from my older (2007) base station extreme and, no noise. Perhaps the problem's not with the unit but with the power adapter?

Good luck!

- P

I am having the same issue. It only happens while data is being transfered.

I'm plagued by the same issue. I'm now on my fourth 5th generation Airport Extreme, and it buzzes just like the others do, especially during moderate or higher wifi activity.

(Two of the four power supplies they've given me have buzzed as well, which they do regardless of wifi access.)

I haven't been able to reliably reproduce the noise in the Apple store, although the good folks at the Genius bar are willing to replace each unit and reset the warranty every time. They say it's not a "known problem" at Apple, though it's clearly one that's affecting many customers . . . and many pieces of hardware!

This seems to be an issue of bad design or, given the buzzing power supply, quality control. I guess I'll keep trading the routers in one after another till I get a silent one, but it's a very irritating problem! (And each trip to the store seems like a real waste of time.)

If I knew how to reliably produce the buzz in the store, I'd ask to test it before taking it home with me. Any suggestions on how to make it happen every time?