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I'm trying to do a factory reset of a airport extreme router. It see's that it's there, say's it's joining the network then gives a error message of "unexpected error has occurred. try again". What's causing this error and how do I get past it?
null-OTHER, iOS 10.2, airport extreme
Thanks very much about your advice on using the wifi settings on iPhone to solve an AirPort Extreme setup (extending an existing network) problem. It worked very well for me - in fact, better than Airport Utility on either my iPhone or MacBook. Thanks again.
Please take a look at this Apple support document:
Hi, Bob
I'm currently running Airport Utility 6.3.2 and my OS is 10.9.5 I don't know the name for it.
I've tried the factory reset on the airport extreme, it's the latest greatest model, was told it's 4 months old.
And I tried the IPv6 that you mentioned it didn't work.
Is there anything else I could try or did I get a bad unit?
If you have performed a factory default reset a few times and you continue to see the "unexpected error" message, then the AirPort is most likely defective.
The only other thing that I can think of that would cause this type of error would be an unsupported type of setup.....in other words, you are trying to get the AirPort Extreme to do something that it was not designed to do.
Normally, you would have an AirPort Extreme connected to your modem with a wired Ethernet cable connection. However, if you already have another Apple router that is providing a wireless network, the AirPort Extreme can be set up to "extend" or "repeat" that network using a wireless connection.
I can't tell whether you are getting the error message before you try to set up the AirPort Extreme....or....whether you can go through the setup, and when you try to Update the device to save the setup, the error occurs at that time.
Can you clarify and provide more details on how you are trying to set up the AirPort.....if you can get that far?
If your trying to do a factory reset on the Apple Airport Extreme you can use a paperclip and insert it in the reset button that is on the right side of the power inlet on the back of the device.
Here is Apple's instruction showing how to factory reset your device:
I just bought the router off of E-Bay, the guy said it was only 4 months old.
So I'm trying to do a factory reset so I can set it up for my network.
My MAC book air see's that it's there, it calls it airport extreme and the last 4 of the MAC address. Then it says "gathering info about your network" spins for awhile then the error message comes up.
So I haven't even gotten to the set up part yet.
Although I'm sure the seller said everything was working fine......I'm afraid that you have a defective AirPort Extreme.
You can try a few more resets, but unfortunately, I don't think that it will help.
Well that's the last time I buy used computer equipment.
Thanks for your help.
As a last ditch effort, if you have an iPhone or iPad, try setting up the AirPort Extreme that way.
Go to the Home Screen on the device
Tap Settings
Tap WiFi
Look for a listing of Set Up New Base Station
Tap on AirPort Extreme
The example below shows an AirPort Express, but you will see AirPort Extreme on your display
Factory reset of airport extreme.
