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Two Routers died on the same day

For the past 5 years I have had two separate networks in my house. The first used a Linksys WRT310N and the second used an AirPort Extreme Base Station and used an Airport Express to extned the range of the Airport's Network.


The Linksys was connected via Ethernet to a Cable Modem supplied by the cable company. An Ethernet cable went from the Linksys to the AEBS which also had a USB printer connected to it. There also is a Wi-Fi printer.


Based on setup advice from this forum, all of the Mac laptops could print from either network to either printer. (The PC laptop can access the Internet but I could never get it to print.)


We've had a few snowstorm this past week and lost power a few times. One morning, the Linksys network was down so I performed the unplug and replug routine on the modem, router and computer. That didn't fix it. The lights on the Linksys were flashing.


The Linksys support site said to install/upgrade the firmware. Using the router's standard address of 192.168.1.1, I could not reach it. I tried resetting it and that didn't help. I connected a MacBook to the Linksys via Ethernet and could not get an Internet connection. Connecting the MacBook directly to the modem worked. Do you think the Linksys died completely?


I then plugged the Ethernet cable into the AEBS. While the MacBooks do connect wirelessly to the AEBS, they cannot access the internet.


Connecting the MacBook via Ethernet to the LAN Port on the AEBS does connect it to the Internet.


So, bottom line, it appears the Linksys is completely dead and while the AEBS connects to the laptops wirelessly and its WAN and LAN ports seem to connect to each other, there is no connection between the WAN port and the wireless transmitter.


This would sound like a voltage surge but none of the other electronics in the house seem to have been damaged. If the surge came via the cable, I would think it would have damaged the modem and/or TV. Agree?


Is there any way to confirm that they are both dead and cannot be fixed via software fixes?


As a replacement, I am considering a Time Capsule unless using a USB drive connected to the new AirPort Extreme is now supported. Any suggestions?

MacBook Pro (17-inch 2.4 GHz), Mac OS X (10.6.8), Acer X221W Display 500GB Hybrid Int

Posted on Dec 11, 2013 7:38 AM

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Posted on Dec 11, 2013 1:39 PM

... If the surge came via the cable, I would think it would have damaged the modem and/or TV. Agree?


Perhaps, or perhaps not. Power surges of sufficient magnitude to cause equipment failure seek a path to ground and can certainly damage everything along the way, but the damage may not be apparent in every device exposed to it. A cynic would point out that the most expensive equipment will fail first, to protect the cheap junk that won't.


Make absolutely certain your cable equipment is properly installed according to applicable local codes. Have a technician show you specifically, if you are in any doubt whatsoever as to its integrity.


In addition to that you may wish to consider an Ethernet surge suppressor to protect the equipment you own. Here is one post describing how that is accomplished: Airport Extreme Bad Ports (WAN and LAN)


The only available option to revive an ailing AEBS is to "hard reset" it, followed by reconfiguring it as if it were new. If that action does not restore its expected functions that's all you can do.


As a replacement, I am considering a Time Capsule unless using a USB drive connected to the new AirPort Extreme is now supported. Any suggestions?


Despite repeated pleas to rectify other information that conflicts with the new 802.11ac Extreme's instructions, your proposed arrangement is allegedly a supported Time Machine configuration. For purposes not specifically related to Time Machine, external USB hard disks have always been supported.

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Question marked as Best reply

Dec 11, 2013 1:39 PM in response to Lauren Hutton

... If the surge came via the cable, I would think it would have damaged the modem and/or TV. Agree?


Perhaps, or perhaps not. Power surges of sufficient magnitude to cause equipment failure seek a path to ground and can certainly damage everything along the way, but the damage may not be apparent in every device exposed to it. A cynic would point out that the most expensive equipment will fail first, to protect the cheap junk that won't.


Make absolutely certain your cable equipment is properly installed according to applicable local codes. Have a technician show you specifically, if you are in any doubt whatsoever as to its integrity.


In addition to that you may wish to consider an Ethernet surge suppressor to protect the equipment you own. Here is one post describing how that is accomplished: Airport Extreme Bad Ports (WAN and LAN)


The only available option to revive an ailing AEBS is to "hard reset" it, followed by reconfiguring it as if it were new. If that action does not restore its expected functions that's all you can do.


As a replacement, I am considering a Time Capsule unless using a USB drive connected to the new AirPort Extreme is now supported. Any suggestions?


Despite repeated pleas to rectify other information that conflicts with the new 802.11ac Extreme's instructions, your proposed arrangement is allegedly a supported Time Machine configuration. For purposes not specifically related to Time Machine, external USB hard disks have always been supported.

Dec 11, 2013 3:52 PM in response to John Galt

John,


Thank you. I was not looking forward to needing to buy a new router soon without first researching which one would best suit our needs.


Hard Reset was not available for my AEBS (b/g) so I did a Factory Default reset. I think part of the problem (that I neglected to state) is I also had an Airport Express used to extend the network. Perhaps the laptops were connecting wirelessly to the Express, which wasn't connecting to the AEBS?


I re-configured the AEBS and can now connect wirelessly to the web. I'm guessing that only the Linksys is toast.

Dec 12, 2013 8:55 AM in response to Lauren Hutton

Lauren Hutton wrote:


... I don't know if that means it won't work at all or they will not provide support for any issues you might have when trying it.


That's a very good question, to which several of us have been seeking an answer for months.


A definitive answer has been elusive. To summarize a discussion from months ago, one answer from Apple was that they will be printing corrected setup instructions, which has not yet come to pass. The document you referenced was published after the new Extreme was released, which would imply that it should supersede earlier documents, but this may not be the case.


As users we have nothing else to work with. Not even Apple's tech support has anything else to work with.


Given the nature of backups, my recommendation has always been to use a strategy that is unequivocally supported by Apple, which means following the most conservative guidance. Despite the 802.11ac's Page 13 instructions, the exhaustive list of supported devices amounts to the three enumerated in the document you referenced:


  • AirPort Time Capsule's built-in hard drive (any model)
  • External USB hard drive connected to AirPort Time Capsule (any model)
  • An external hard drive connected to your Mac


... in light of the following caveat:


Time Machine is not supported with USB hard drives that are connected to an AirPort Express or AirPort Extreme device.


Apple's contradictory instructions notwithstanding, you don't want to find yourself in dire need of a backup only to have Apple say you were never using a "supported" method to begin with.

Two Routers died on the same day

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