I have an Airport Extreme which was working fine - now it is blinking orange and Airport Utility is saying it can't find a configured Airport Base. Why is this and how can I fix it? On my iPhone it can see the Wifi network but it doesn't work… Any ideas on how this can be fixed? Need simpleton step-by-step instructions if you are able to help!! Thanks in advance...
Hello Icg97,
It sounds like your Airport Extreme has a blinking orange light and you cannot connect to the interner through it. I have this article for you to try the troubleshooting from named:
Wi-Fi base station: Understanding and resolving a blinking amber status light
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1589
How to resolve a blinking amber status light alert
Launch AirPort Utility to determine why your Wi-Fi base station status light is blinking amber. Apple recommends that you use AirPort Utility 5.5.2 for Mac, AirPort Utility 5.5.2 for Windows, or a newer version of AirPort Utility if one is available.
- AirPort Utility 5.2 or later opens automatically if your Wi-Fi base station requires your attention. You may also choose to launch AirPort Utility at any time. Do not use any version of AirPort Utility earlier than 5.0.
In Mac OS X, AirPort Utility is located in the Applications > Utilities folder.
In Microsoft Windows, AirPort Utility can be located by clicking Start > All Programs > AirPort.
Note: You may also locate and download the latest Wi-Fi base station firmware and software by clicking here.- In the AirPort Utility window, locate your Wi-Fi base station and double-click on it to open the Summary window. Note: If you have more than one Wi-Fi base station, double-click on the icon for the Wi-Fi base station that has the amber circle next to it.
- When the Summary window appears, double-click the amber circle to the right of Wi-Fi base station Status to open the Status window.
- The Status window lists any conditions that require your attention. Respond to each item until there are no more items listed. Important: You must reset the Wi-Fi base station using the reset switch to re-enable checking for the conditions you ignored.
- Eliminating the blinking, amber status light may require making changes to a specific setting, or putting a checkmark in the "Ignore" checkbox beside any option you don't wish to change. A checkmark simply tells the AirPort that you are aware of the issue and you have chosen to ignore it. For example, you may wish to leave your AirPort open without a password so that anyone can join your wireless network.
- Click Update to apply your changes (the Wi-Fi base station will restart).
- After the Wi-Fi base station has restarted, the status light should be green and not blinking. If the status light stays amber in color and blinks after the Wi-Fi base station restarts, you may repeat the steps above.
Additional Information
For more information about your Wi-Fi base station, refer to the AirPort Setup Guide that was supplied with the base station. You can also find more information and support by visiting http://www.apple.com/support/airport.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Take care,
Sterling
Hi Sterling,
Many thanks for taking the time to reply to me. Unfortunately I am still struggling to get this working.
When i open Airport Utility, it says 'No configured AirPort base stations have been found. Airport Utility will continue searching'. Therefore I am not able to do the actions you propose above.
So I then decided to click the reset button on the back of the unit. Once I have done this then it does find the Extreme.
So then I follow the steps to reconnect by entering my password, I skip the next part where it is requesting 'Provide the PPPoE connection information you received from your ISP: Account Name / Password / Service Name / Connection' as I have no idea what this is talking about (is this where I am going wrong?).
Then after a lot of wheel spinning it comes up with the message 'An unexpected error occured. Try again.' But there is no help telling me what that error was... It then loses the connection and is no longer visible in Airport Utility and I need to click the reset button on the back of the unit for it to find it again. I've done this several times this evening with the same result each time.
Any ideas?
Thanks for your patience!
Thank you for the update!
It sounds like you also tried a soft reset but now you are getting an error in the Airport Utility. The next step to troubleshoot the device would be to perform a hard reset and then set up the device as though it were new:
Resetting an AirPort base station FAQ
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3728
- Press and hold the reset button with a pen, pencil, or straightened paperclip until you see the status light (LED) start to flash amber rapidly, which should occur after about five seconds.
- Release the button and the device will reset.
- Wait about a minute for the base station to finish restarting, then open AirPort Utility from Applications > Utilities.
- Select the base station from Other Wi-Fi Devices, then click Edit.
- Select the Other Options button.
- Select "Restore previous settings" and click Next until you get to the final window.
- AirPort Utility will indicate that Setup is complete. Click Done.
- Quit AirPort Utility.
Hi Sterling,
OK - So I have tried that and the message which comes up on the last window is 'An unexpected error occured. Try again.' Trying again didn't help...
Next plan?!
Thanks
I would next try disconnecting all cables from all devices altogether. Then try hard the hard reset process again. This includes all power, and ethernet cables. If the issue persists, then thank you for using the Apple Support Community. Due to the nature of your issue you may find more information by using another one of Apple's support resources - https://getsupport.apple.com/GetproductgroupList.action.
If all else fails, Disconnect ethernet cable from Airport to modem during setup and just ignore the "ethernet unplugged" message. once you are setup reconect ethernet.
Airport Extreme suddenly not working - blinking orange and can't be found - any ideas?
