My airport express has stopped working as an extender.

Hi Dan,

You unplugged the AirPort Express, pushed the reset button and held it in for 8-10 seconds while you simultaneously plugged the Express back in to power, then released the reset button and allowed 40-45 seconds for the Express to restart to a slow blinking amber light.

What did you do next?

I too cannot get my Airport Express to work. Everytime my phone service, which carries internet goes out, I have to reset my wireless HP printer and my AirEx. I've found ten suggestions in the last 3 hours, all very similar and have tried them all. Still, it flashes or stays amber. It will flash green slowly about 5 times & I think "GREAT, it's finally working" and then it goes back to amber. When I go to Airport Utility my only option to click is "RESCAN" as the other options are grey(Manual sSetup, Go Back and Continue). I've tried factory reset and hard reset. I've done each and left it for up to 20 minutes while I do other things and come back to see it flash or stay solid amber with the occassional green light. I remember when it was first being set up we had tons of problems, and for a long time, every time the microwave came on, it quit. Since we got Frontier phone service with internet, it runs thru the router and at least it doesn't stop each time we use the microwave, but our Frontier service goes out twice a week, so it has become a pain. Normally I do a reset of one type or another & keeps on going, but NOT tonight. I'm worn out with this thing but want my iTunes to play through my house. ANYONE? Please help!

When you performed the reset, you returned the Express back to its original new, out of box settings. So, you have to reconfigure it again to with settings for your network. You will not see a green light until you complete this process.

Temporarily, connect a spare Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme to the AirPort Express

Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility

Click Manual Setup

Click the Base Station tab below the row of icons and assign a name to the Express, a device password and adjust Time Zone settings

Click the Wireless tab and adjust settings to look like this:

Wireless Mode = Extend a wireless network

Wireless Network Name = Same name as the AirPort Extreme wireless network

Enter a check mark next to "Allow wireless clients"

Wireless Security = WPA/WPA2 Personal

Wireless Password = Same password as the AirPort Extreme wirelesss network

Confirm Password

Click Update at the lower right

As soon as you see the message that the settings have been stored successfully, close AirPort Utility and disconnect the Ethernet cable

Wait 40-45 seconds for a green light. Now you can move the Express back to the desired location and plug it back in

Mr. T, When I try your suggestion to Dan, I don't have the option to select "Manual". I see it there, but it is grey (inactive). RESCAN is the only option it will allow me to select. Also after the reset, the AE never goes to green totally. It always keeps blinking back to amber. I left it overnight, something 12 hours since I last checked it and still it alternates green and amber. Thanks, Lisa

Lisa,

You need to try a Factory Default Reset on your AirPort Express.

Power it off for a few minutes

Hold in the reset button and keep holding it in for another 8-10 seconds while you simultaneosly plug the Express back in to power

Release the reset button after the hold period and allow 40-45 seconds for the Expres to restart to a slow, blinking amber light

Temporarily, connect a spare Ethernet cable that you know is working from your computer to the Express.

Open AirPort Utility to see if it will now locate the AirPort Express.

If you try this a few times and it still will not work, it is time to let a genius at an Apple store take a look at the Express.

Thanks, Mr. T, I tried that very thing last night about 6 times, this morning, this afternoon and repeated this evening after is was unplugged for 4 hours. Waited 20 minutes and repeated it again. I have my Apple appointment for this week-end. Maybe my poor ol' AE has just had enough & I have to invest in a newer version. Missing my 'Tunes and wanting to get it fixed! Not sure what the connection is, but every time our frontier phone/internet service goes out, the AE and my HP wireless printer refuse to work wirelessly. On the HP, I have to go in to Set Up Wizard & re-input the password that is protecting my modem (router), and usually I just go to Airport utility and re-set it. This time it just won't let me have any option other than "RESCAN". Giving it up for tonight. Thanks. I'll let you know what I learn. Blessings, Lisa

Sorry that this did not work for you when it has worked for others, including me when I need to reconfigure things. Keep us posted on what you find out at the Apple store.

Make sure to take your computer along as well to try to duplicate the setup as much as possible.

Bob & Dan -

Thanks for posting and providing an answer. I let my in home Airport Express languish for not knowing how to get the blinking amber light turned off. Your answer got me back up and running, with music now back to streaming throughout my house. Many thanks for your assistance!

Tyto