Airport Extreme Losing Internet Connection, Help!

Hi tesserax. Zoom 5341J. As for AE base station...I cannot tell. It's version 7.6.4. Maybe A1143? There's nothing on the back that expressly says what model number tho there's serial, ethernet id, airport id, FCC, anatel, etc etc. Voip adaptor (Grandstream HT502) is connected via ethernet to airport ethernet port and the port on airport with a circle comprised of dots connected to Zoom modem via another ethernet cable. My understanding is that the phone adaptor gets its signal via the ethernet port in airport which is why i lost phone use when the network cannot be found. I hope I've answered your questions.....properly.

The AirPort model number is on the bottom of the device.......might be embedded in the foam pad base. Starts with an "A" followed by four numbers.

Thanks. AE A1143

Unfortunately, you are not going to like this answer, but it is the first thing that comes to mind. You will want to wait for other posts with other opinions.

The A1143 is at least 7 years old and as much as 9 years old, depending on when it was purchased.

The useful life of router designed for home use is......on average.....about 5 years.

The first indication that a router is heading downhill is that it will not hold its connection consistently. Might hold a day or two, then drop. As it slides rather downhill, the connection might only hold for a few hours, then drop. Eventually, the connection won't hold for more than 30-60 minutes before it drops....or...the AirPort simply fails and won't power on.

Time for a new router.

At this point, Bob, there are no bad answers. A good answer is one that resolves the problem. I certainly considered this in our disposable society where everything seems to be programmed to crap out anywhere from 2-5 years. That's why I took it to the apple store where they had it plugged in for 2 hours and it held. Now, true, I've 2 hour successes at home also only to find it fail and fail. For some reason when the kid at the apple store said with such confidence that the router was fine and began searching for other kinds of solutions having to do with setting deeper down in the mac than I could follow, I believed him even tho I cannot implement his advice. But, as you say, I'll see if others chime in and if a new router is the consensus, that's it! Thanks so much for sharing your time and expertise.

So, if i were to replace it, what am i looking for. i dont' really understand the difference between express and extreme at this point. just watch an abt video and still don't get it. I've got 2 laptops, 2 smartphones, 1 ipad, 1 tivo using the network. I think that's it so it's not like I'm hosting a giant pool of users. Advice?

I'm glad I asked. I would second Bob's input about the age of your AirPort Extreme. It's quite possible that this just may be the culprit. Apple has even noted that the support level for this model is now in the "Vintage" stage ... basically one stage above Obsolete.

So, if i were to replace it, what am i looking for. i dont' really understand the difference between express and extreme at this point. just watch an abt video and still don't get it. I've got 2 laptops, 2 smartphones, 1 ipad, 1 tivo using the network. I think that's it so it's not like I'm hosting a giant pool of users. Advice?

I would recommend the AirPort Extreme over the Express for several reasons:

• The Ethernet ports on the Extreme support 1 Gbps whereas those on the Express only handle 100 Mbps.
• The Extreme support the latest (fastest) Wi-Fi radio mode: 802.11ac. It is also backwards compatible with the earlier modes. The Express is a "generation" behind supporting up to 802.11n.
• The Extreme's USB port can share both USB hard drives and printer. The Express port can only support a single printer.
• The only advantage of the Express is that it has an audio port so that you can stream iTunes to it. In turn, the Express can be connected to a stereo receiver or a set of powered-speakers for audio playback. The Extreme does NOT have an audio port.

You guys!! So generous!! Ok, now, let's pretend I'm in kindergarden and you're talking to a 5 year old who wasn't born with a device in her hands...please explain in english, if possible, what "extreme's USB port can share both USB hard drives and printer" means. I know what a USB port is. So does this mean I can connect, for example, a printer to the extreme via a USB cord (assuming my printer has a UsB port--I'm not gonna tell you how old my laptop and printer are!!) and have a wireless printer? Please offer me real life examples of what I gain with the extreme. Generally, sounds like speed and power but what do i know?

Try an AirPort Extreme.

Buy from Apple. You have 14 days to return the product for a full refund if it does not do what you want.

Features won't really matter very much if the connection will not hold.

After a week, you will know if the connection will hold.

Then, we can discuss some of the other things that you might be able to do on the AirPort Extreme......which you could do on your A1143 version as well.....if it worked.

please explain in english, if possible, what "extreme's USB port can share both USB hard drives and printer" means.

There are currently three methods on how you can connect a printer:

1. By wire (USB or Firewire)
2. By wire (Ethernet)
3. By wireless

How you would connect a printer will be based on which of these it supports. Methods 2 & 3 would make the printer "network-capable." With the AirPort Extreme or Express, method 1 would also be made "network-capable." "Network-capable" means that the printer can be connected to a network so that network clients can access it. This would be more economical than connecting a printer to each computer ... especially in a business environment or even in a home one where you have multiple clients located in different rooms.

So back to your question ... What this means is if you have a printer that connects to a computer using a USB cable, this printer can be attached to the Extreme's USB port instead. In this configuration, the Extreme can share out this printer over both the wired or wireless network for other network clients to use. This is the same for a USB hard drive. To be able to use both you would simply attach a USB hub to the Extreme, and then, attach the printer(s) & hard drive(s) to the hub.

Again the purpose of doing this is to be able to share them with other network clients. The Extreme had the advantage over the Express by being able to share BOTH printers and drives, whereas the Express can only share a single printer. If you don't have any of these or never intend to then this would be a mute feature. Just letting you know that it exists.

Ok, my friends. Just returned from the store and followed the tiny instruction booklet to get my shiny new AE set up and connected. It's been about 4 minutes and so far, so good. As recommended, I will keep my fingers crossed and wait to see if it holds as it should. If this doesn't do the trick (new modem, new router), it'll be time to burrow into the bowels of my settings or get comcast back into the action. I'll try to be optimistic and look forward to reading Tesserax's last missive describing all the fun I'll have with my new router. But I won't read it until then. I don't want to get too excited. As always, thanks loads.

you guys aren't gonna believe this. So all is installed and plugged in and I just sat down at my laptop and the airport utility is open and looks like this

Yet, the actual airport extreme tower has a solid green light and my connection is actually working. ???

I am having a smaller but similar problem after doing a firmware update on my AirPort Extreme.

Ilove done what I thought was a hard factory reset by unplugging both from the power source and AirPort Extreme and then plugging both back in at the same time.

ould you please clarify if this is correct, or if I should unplug ONLY from the power source?!

thanks.