Airport Extreme Issues

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Airport Extreme Issues

Hi:

Apple Airport Extreme [current rev] + ATT SpeedStream 5360 DSL Modem + Oakland California. I replaced my aging Lynksys router with the AAE this weekend and the router cannot get a connection. It generates two error messages:

1. "No DNS Servers." I have manually input he DNS addresses from my old connection but they won't "stick."

2. "PPPoE Server." The Apple router can't find the PPPoE server. I have entered my ATT email and password; the configuration is exactly the same as in the old Linksys setup.

I've reset the router, cycled all the equipment in the network, and set things up from scratch three times now. Same errors.

Any tips for getting this to work? Is it possible that the new Apple router is incompatible with the old SpeedStream 5360 modem?

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks.

Airport Extreme-OTHER, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on May 1, 2012 12:13 AM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

148,453 points

May 1, 2012 11:53 AM in response to behold666

Anytime you change networking hardware, it is always a good idea to perform a complete power recycle of your networking components.

I would recommend that you do the following as a minimum:

Power-down the modem, AirPort base station, and computer(s).
Disconnect the AirPort base station from the Internet broadband modem.
While all of the devices are powered-down, perform a "factory default" reset on the base station. This will get it back to its "out-of-the-box" configuration and make setting it up much easier, especially if you use the "Assist me" process within the AirPort Utility. (ref: Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule)
After the base station resets, go ahead and power it back down.
Reconnect the AirPort base station to the Internet broadband modem. For the Extreme and Time Capsule, be sure to connect the cable to the base station's WAN (circle-of-dots) port.
Power-up the modem; wait at least 10-15 minutes to allow it adequate time to initialize.
Power-up the AirPort base station; wait at least 5-10 minutes. Note: The AirPort's status light may continue to flash amber after it has intialized. That is because, there may be some additional configuration items necessary, like setting up wireless security, before the overall setup is completed to get a green status.
Power-up your computer(s).

In this basic configuration, the AirPort base station will broadcast an unsecured wireless network with a Network Name (SSID) of Apple Network NNNNNN. Network clients, connected to the base station either by wire or wireless, should now be able to access the Internet through the ISP's modem. Once Internet connectivity has been verified, you can use the AirPort Utility to configure the base station for wireless security and any other desired options. Please post back your results.

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Answer 2

behold666 Author

Level 1

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May 5, 2012 6:49 PM in response to Tesserax

Thanks for your reply T. I'll do this over the weekend and report back.

D

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Answer 3

behold666 Author

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May 6, 2012 11:22 AM in response to behold666

So: did the power cycling. As you suggested, I did see the generic router, but I was not able to connect through it. When I setup the new device with the Airport Utility, it generated the same two errors reported in my initial post.

I have setup the AAE router in the same way as my old Linksys router; the old router still provides me with a connection if I plug it in so I know there are no problems with the rest of the equipment.

Which brings me back to my initial questions:

• Is there a possibility that the AAE is incompatible with the SpeedStream modem?

• If not, should I be setting the AAE up differently? Some device in my network must communicate my ATT name and password in order for the connection to function.

Any help you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Answer 4

Tesserax

Level 10

148,453 points

May 6, 2012 11:45 AM in response to behold666

• Is there a possibility that the AAE is incompatible with the SpeedStream modem?

Yes. Unfortunately in the "small print" at the bottom of the Extreme's product page in the Apple Store, it does state that "Some ISPs are currently not compatible with the AirPort Extreme." I would read this as some ISP-provided modem/gateways are not compatible.

The SpeedStream 5360 should just be a DSL modem and not a combination modem & router (or gateway) device.

Most ISPs that provide DSL also require PPPoE for user authentication PRIOR to allowing your computer to gain access to their Internet service. If yours does, then the first network device connected to the modem should be configured for PPPoE. In this case that would be the Extreme. All network clients connected to the Extreme would then be configured as DHCP clients to get their Private IP addresses from the Extreme.

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Answer 5

behold666 Author

Level 1

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May 6, 2012 12:27 PM in response to Tesserax

Thanks for your quick replies. I don't know if you're an Apple employee, but your advice has been very useful.

Sounds like it might be a hardware issue as the network seems to be configured correctly. I have followed up with ATT directly on this. Whatever I find, I'll update the post so that it might be useful to others with the same issues.

Cheers!

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Answer 6

Tesserax

Level 10

148,453 points

May 6, 2012 7:26 PM in response to behold666

Thanks for your quick replies. I don't know if you're an Apple employee, but your advice has been very useful.

I can assure you that I am currenly not or have ever been an Apple employee. Like most folks here, I'm just an Apple product user offering assistance where I can.

Please do post back if you find a solution with AT&T.

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