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Hello... had a lightning strike take out a cable modem, as well as fry the WAN port on an Airport Extreme. Is there any way to configure one of the LAN ports to function as the WAN port? If not, any suggestion besides buying another Airport Extreme - it still seems to function fine as a router...? Thanks!
No way to make a LAN port a WAN port.....but....if your AirPort Extreme happens to be configured to operate in Bridge Mode at this time.....then all ports are behaving as LAN ports, so you can try any other port that you wish.
If you do not know whether your AirPort Extreme is currently set up to operate in Bridge Mode......
Open up AirPort Utility on your Mac (Finder > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility)
Click on the picture of the AirPort Extreme, then click Edit in the smaller window that appears
Click the Network tab at the top of the next window
Check the current setting for Router Mode
If the AirPort is set up in Bridge Mode.....(Apple calls this "Off Bridge Mode").....and none of the other LAN ports work either.....then the entire Ethernet switch was taken out by the lightning strike.
If the AirPort is set up in a Router Mode of DHCP and NAT, then it is time for another router. If you add another Apple router then the old AirPort Extreme can likely be set up to wirelessly extend the network if you need more wireless coverage.
What model is your airport extreme?
Sometimes a port that is damaged will still work at slow speed.. this can be set in older AE.. Gen1-5 (not 6) using the 5.6 utility.
How old is it.. still in AppleCare or warranty? It should still be covered if you have AppleCare. Your house & contents insurance also covers electrical spikes although most people will have an excess that is too high to bother claiming.
For a strike to take out the cable modem is very unusual.. they are designed for spikes and tend to survive more often than routers along the chain.
You can ask your ISP for a new cable router instead of modem.. that will then allow the AE to still function as WAP.
Thanks for the replies; not set up in bridge mode, being used as a router. Good suggestion to repurpose as an extender!
Re: which model; it's the most current model. The WAN port is definitely dead, no green light next to port when plugged in.
Ended up getting a replacement; if nothing else, the good news is how easy it was to save the configuration from the old, import into the new... restoring the setup was effortless... this was for a small office, so I had a bit of custom set up in there I didn't want to have to replicate bit by bit.
If the LAN ports were not damaged, you also might be able to set up the old Airport to extend the network using a wired Ethernet cable connection, since the AirPort will be setup in Bridge Mode, and you can use any LAN port that you want.
Thanks for the reply; not set up in bridge mode, being used as a router. Good suggestion to repurpose as an extender!
Use LAN port as WAN port in Airport Extreme?
