Setting up Wifi with Airport Extreme (A1143) running iMac (El Capitan). Need some direction.

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Setting up Wifi with Airport Extreme (A1143) running iMac (El Capitan). Need some direction.

I recently moved to a college town and living in a housing facility ran by the university. It's got broadband by Comcast free with the room. I plugged all the required equipment (modem and cables) to the iMac and the internet is running fine for a week now.

Now I want Wifi for the apartment. I decided to dust off my old 1st or 2nd Gen Airport Extreme Base Station. I read it can still work with El Capitan so I went on and tried to install it. First I updated the firmware and connected the appropriate cables. Everything seemed to be going toward the direction of working, but I've hit a bump in the road. The Wifi works for the iMac. I unplugged the ethernet cable and it's receiving internet, but I tried to get Wifi from my iPad and smart phone and it doesn't seem to work. I used the right passwords etc. Nothing.

I found it odd that I'm getting Wifi to my iMac even though the Airport Extreme light is amber. Normally it should be green. Of course I haven't used this thing in forever and actually didn't think it would work, but so far the iMac is getting Wifi, but the other devices aren't and the auburn light is on. So here's a screen shot of what I'm seeing from the Airport Utility.

Can anyone help or point me to the right direction? Also does it have to do with the campus internet I'm getting?

The attached picture shows it's getting internet via wifi (not plugged in to the modem) yet it doesn't seem to get wifi to my other devices in the apartment. The Airport Base Station us plugged in directly to the Modem. I also followed the steps my iMac had initially provided to make it work and it did, but only for the iMac. I expected the device to turn green afterward, but it did not. What gives?

Posted on Aug 18, 2016 8:55 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

John Galt

Level 10

155,822 points

Aug 18, 2016 11:07 PM in response to rabidart

Whatever method you are using to connect to the Internet, it's not through that Extreme. It has no Internet connection.

Power down your Comcast modem, and connect the Extreme to it. "Hard reset" the Extreme (see below). Power up the modem and allow a moment or two for it to restart. Then, proceed to configure your Extreme using AirPort Utility.

When you are finished configuring the Extreme, it will restart and create a wireless network. Connect to the wireless network it created.

To "hard reset" an AirPort Base Station: make sure it's powered up, then gently press and hold its tiny reset button. Don't apply any more force than required to feel a tactile click. Keep it depressed for five to ten seconds, long enough for its LED to flash amber rapidly. Release the reset button. Then, the LED will glow amber steadily for about a minute. Then, it will flash amber, slowly, about once every second or two, waiting for you to configure it with AirPort Utility.

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Answer 2

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,120 points

Aug 19, 2016 9:08 AM in response to rabidart

Please follow these instructions carefully.

Power off the modem completely by pulling the power cable from the back of the device or disconnecting the power supply from the wall AC jack

Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the back of the modem

Leave the modem powered off for at least 30 minutes. Please do not shortcut this.

While the modem is powered off, power up the AirPort Extreme....if it not already powered on....and let it run a few minutes

Then, hold in the reset button on the back of the AirPort Extreme for 7 to 8 seconds and release

Allow a full minute for the AirPort Extreme to restart to a slow, blinking amber light status

Then, power off the AirPort Extreme

After the 30 minute modem power down....longer will not hurt....connect the Ethernet cable from the modem to the WAN "O" port on the back of the AirPort Extreme......(In the illustration that you provided above, the Ethernet cable is plugged into one of the three LAN <--> ports. This is not correct).

Power up the modem only, and let it run for at least 5 minutes by itself. Please do not shortcut this

Then, power up the AirPort Extreme and let it run a few minutes

Set up the AirPort Extreme again and report back on your results

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Answer 3

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,120 points

Aug 19, 2016 5:42 PM in response to rabidart

My mistake for assuming that you were trying to set up the AirPort Extreme using wireless, as Apple recommends. The revised instructions would look like this:

Power off the modem completely by pulling the power cable from the back of the device or disconnecting the power supply from the wall AC jack

Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the back of the modem

Leave the modem powered off for at least 30 minutes. Please do not shortcut this.

While the modem is powered off, power up the AirPort Extreme....if it not already powered on....and let it run a few minutes

Then, hold in the reset button on the back of the AirPort Extreme for 7 to 8 seconds and release

Allow a full minute for the AirPort Extreme to restart to a slow, blinking amber light status

Then, power off the AirPort Extreme

After the 30 minute modem power down....longer will not hurt....connect the Ethernet cable from the modem to the WAN "O" port on the back of the AirPort Extreme......(In the illustration that you provided above, the Ethernet cable is plugged into one of the three LAN <--> ports. This is not correct).

Power up the modem only, and let it run for at least 5 minutes by itself. Please do not shortcut this

Then, power up the AirPort Extreme and let it run a few minutes

The only Ethernet connection at this time should be between the modem and WAN "O" port on the AirPort Extreme

Click the WiFi menu at the top of the Mac's screen

Look for a listing of New AirPort Base Station

Click on AirPort Extreme

When you click on Airport Extreme, that will get the setup "wizard" up and running.

Follow the prompts to set up the AirPort Extreme.

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Answer 4

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,120 points

Aug 19, 2016 5:07 PM in response to rabidart

Once you restart the AirPort Extreme again after it has been reset......in order to set up the AirPort Extreme, you need to click the WiFi icon at the top of the Mac's screen and then click on AirPort Extreme.

That will get the setup "wizard" up and running....and a screen that looks similar to this will appear....except that you will see your AirPort Extreme model pictured.

If you are saying that AirPort Extreme does not show up under the heading of New Airport Base Station.....then there is likely a wireless problem with the AirPort Extreme.

In other words, you should not have to use an Ethernet connection at all between the Mac and Airport Extreme to get the setup wizard up and running to configure the AirPort Extreme. Another way to say the same thing is that Apple expects you to use wireless to set up the AirPort Extreme.

Ethernet can be used, but it gets tricky and the AirPort may not be set up correctly. Best to keep things simple.

Once you have the AirPort Extreme set up and working correctly......then.....you can turn off the WiFi on your Mac and connect it using it Ethernet if you wish.

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Answer 5

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,120 points

Aug 18, 2016 10:25 PM in response to rabidart

The A1143 was introduced in January 2007 and discontinued in March 2009, so the model that you have is at least 7+ years old and as much as 9+ depending on when the product was placed into service.

The average useful life of a wireless router designed for home use is about 5 years, so we are not sure how much time and effort that you want to invest in the AirPort Extreme that you have there.

Frankly, it is remarkable that the product is working for the iMac, since the Status messages indicate that you have no Internet connection. We can't explain that one.

We are also not sure whether the amber light on the AirPort is blinking, or it remains solid amber. Can you clarify on that, please?

If you want to try to start over again and set up the AirPort Extreme, the first bit of information that we will need is the make and model number of your modem. We don't need a serial number, just the manufacturer name and model number of the modem.

We'll try to help, but can offer no assurance that we will be able to get things working for you.

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Answer 6

rabidart Author

Level 1

25 points

Aug 19, 2016 6:36 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Yes the amber light is blinking amber in it's usual pace.

Here is a picture of the info you requested. Somehow the iMac is getting Wifi from the network I established. I went through the Airport Utility steps and it seemed to go until the very end of it without a problem, but jut didn't end up changing the light to green on the router.

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Answer 7

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,120 points

Aug 19, 2016 6:39 AM in response to rabidart

Please read my post again to see that I asked for the make and model number of the modem......not the AirPort Extreme.

If you do not have a modem, then how will the AirPort Extreme obtain an Internet connection?

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Answer 8

rabidart Author

Level 1

25 points

Aug 19, 2016 7:36 AM in response to Bob Timmons

Sorry about that. I got confused with the router and modem. I have a 6 month old that doesn't let me sleep. 😉

Okay so it's:

Cisco

Model DPC3008

DOCSIS 3.0

Cable Modem

Just writing what it says on the bottom of the modem.

So after I attempted to do the same thing I did last night this morning...now the wifi doesn't work at all for the iMac. No big deal because the purpose is to get all the other gadgets to work and maybe my wifi printer. It may have been some kind of fluke.

Here is what it said a few minutes ago when I attempted to run the steps John Galt (Who is...? 😉) suggested. I think it's the same I did last night. Picture attached are screenshots of the second and several other attempts which resulted in the same thing more or less. Other times it would recognize my iPad or that "Setup over WAN" wasn't there (see earlier attachment).

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Answer 9

rabidart Author

Level 1

25 points

Aug 19, 2016 4:51 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Hi Bob.

I followed the steps you provided exactly with long pauses in-between like you said. The Airport Utility still could not find the apple router...unless I add another ethernet cable between the iMac and the router which is why you saw that other cable on the previous pictures. After I manually connected the other ethernet cable on one of the Ethernet Ports to the iMac the apple router is detected in the Airport Utility by which then I would be able to follow the step-by-step.

Let me know if I did something wrong or should I proceed.

Thank you.

(P.S. The blue cable is connected to the modem while the yellow is connected to the iMac.)

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Answer 10

rabidart Author

Level 1

25 points

Aug 19, 2016 7:49 PM in response to Bob Timmons

Bob! The first suggestion worked like a charm. I took the ethernet cable out and did as you said schooling down the wifi tab and everything was smooth sailing.

Thank you so much!! 🙂

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