My AirPort Extreme has suddenly died.

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Level 1

9 points

My AirPort Extreme has suddenly died.

I thought I was having a problem with my Magic Jack as I had no dial tone and no ability to send or receive calls. When I went to check it out I noticed the status light on my AirPort Extreme was suddenly not lit. My AirPort utility was also saying no base station found. I tried the reset button, nada. I tried unplugging it for 10 minutes then plugging it back in, nada. It's been plugged into a surge protected power station and everything else plugged into the same unit is fine. It appears to have just spontaneously died. I purchased it new in 2010. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Is there anything else I can try? It's a very expensive unit to replace, almost $200 when I bought it new back in 2010. 😢

AirPort Extreme 802.11n (4th Gen), iOS 8.3

Posted on May 19, 2015 4:57 PM

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Answer 1

May 19, 2015 5:25 PM in response to Pelinaca1

It's a longshot, but have you thought about the possibility that the outboard power supply has failed? For $25, with luck, you might be able to get things going again.

The downside.....you may have to risk $25 to find out if the power supply is the problem. If the seller will offer a return privilege, it is worth a try to see if that might get things going again.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-OEM-APPLE-AIRPORT-EXTREME-BASE-STATION-POWER-SU PPLY-AC-ADAPTER-A1202-/370810566512

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Answer 2

Dec 1, 2016 6:08 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Old post. Mine died too. Generation 4. A voltmeter says the power supply puts out close to 12v. so it's OK. I have a wireless the cable company gave me. But I have 2 Airport Expresses I cannot use to extend my wifi.

Current model is $200.00 and has been out a few years. For that price I can get very powerful Cisco unit but they run hot. Cable company may have a range extender.

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Answer 3

Dec 1, 2016 9:17 PM in response to Barrels41

A voltmeter says the power supply puts out close to 12v.

Unfortunately with switch mode power supplies you must test under load.. because the output can crash when it seems perfectly fine without a load.

Generation 4.

This is now old enough that it is past the usable life of a domestic router anyway.

Just buy a new one.. all the new routers will run fairly hot.. assuming it is AC and gigabit.. but that is not really a problem if they are designed correctly. The latest Apple uses a continuously running fan.. so it is open to issues of dust clogging and just bearing wear.. most new routers are going to struggle to make the 3 year mark.

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Answer 4

Dec 2, 2016 9:25 AM in response to LaPastenague

Thanks. That is very helpful. I saw an iFixit video to replace the Airport battery. Would that revive it? I may have another Airport power supply from the flying saucer model. I will check the voltage. The Optimum supplied router is good except in my den. I may look into a powerline extender setup. Extending with the Airport Express works but the download speed is much less. Still my Roku worked OK.

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Answer 5

Dec 2, 2016 11:41 AM in response to Barrels41

The battery does not prevent boot.. It hold some of the settings in memory.. date and stuff like that.. so replacing a battery is not a help.

Old model airport used 5v so that is not useful either.

12v supplies are readily available now... LED lighting has seen a huge number of DC supplies enter the market at excellent prices.. you want 2A min but anywhere up to 5A should be available for less than $20.

You can even tap out 12v from an old computer or just its power supply or xbox power supply or wii power supply or just about anything.. heck a car battery.

12v is nominal .. it will take up to 16v so a laptop power supply can also work.

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