Airport Express and WRT54G - Strange

I had a tough time setting up the Airport Express with my existing wireless network through Linksys WRT54G. I have setup the network with WPA-PSK. I plan to use it to stream music to my TV speakers.
Now, everything is working but for some strange reason the amber light keeps flashing on the airport express. According to the manual, if it is flashing, there is a problem. Am I missing something? Anyone has had a similar experience?

Similar Messages

Airport Express and WRT54G v8

Airport express firmware: v6.3
WRT54G: v8
I'm unable to get my Airport Express to join my existing wireless network in Client mode. I've been able to get it to join other wireless networks using WPA, but with my new WRT54G v8 I haven't succeeded;
- Has anyone got an Airport Express to join a WRT54G v8 wireless network?
- Does the Airport Express support WPA2 when joining a non-Apple 802.11g network? It just shows WPA on the drop-down box for me.
- Is the channel selection important?
- For WPA, I've previously had to enter a $ before my ASCII-format password. Is that true in general for WPA and WPA2?
Having owned this Airport Express for 4 yrs, I have to say I'm dismayed by the level of frustration I've had with it, but I'm locked into it because I used Itunes.

I have the exact same problem. I purchased the airport express yesterday, and trying to hook it up in client mode, wirelessly to the wrt54g to be a print server. I set it up with the ethernet patch cord attached to the airport express and the wrt54g. It gets set up great and I can print and attach my clients (2 windows and 1 mac) wirelessly to the wrt54g network. If I leave the ethernet connected within 5 minutes my wireless network slows to a crawl and then stops traffic. If I disconnect the ethernet cable instantly the network returns to normal speed. But the airport express is no longer reachable. Granted it doesn't have the same IP and has to re-establish connection. However, it never re-establishes and flashes amber. Seems like it has to be security related as it seems to connect OK when the ethernet cord is attached.
I assume that to set the airport express up in client mode that the first configuration has to be made with the ethernet cord attached. Then when it resets itself to re-read the new configuration that I am supposed to unhook the ethernet cord. As it should be talking to the wrt54g through the wireless connection rather then the hard ethernet connection.
The setup steps I go through are:
- push the hard reset to get to factory settings
- connect ethernet patch cord from airport express to wrt54g
- bring up airport utility on macbook pro
- airport is found and press continue
- create a password - continue
- select I have a network - continue
- select join the network wirelessly - continue
- select my network from wrt54g
- select security
--I have tried the 40bit with the wrt54g 64bit WEP
--I have tried 128bit WEP on both
---neither works...if I try something else I need details on how to set it up
- continue and wait for when it restarts....
- If I leave the ethernet cord in, and switch back to the wrt54g wireless network, the airport express shows up in the airport utility very quickly. and seems to work for a while before taking my wireless network down.
- If I remove the ethernet cord and switch the macbook over to the wrt54g wireless network, the airport express never shows up in the airport utility and the airport express flashes amber. From the manual, this says there is connectivity issues. And through process of elimination, looks like the airport express can't get passed the security with the wrt54g.
So, I too, look for assistance.
PS. I have had the wrt54g for a couple of years and have not upgraded firmware so if that is necessary then I can do that.
PSS. At the very first airport express setup there was a new firmware loaded. Does this have to be re-applied if the airport express is hard reset (ie, paper clip in the reset hole for 10 seconds)?

I have a linksys WRT54G router that we use as a base. I want to use Airplay using Airport Express and hook up my stereo to it. How can i set up my Airport express without a PC/laptop? I just downloaded Airport utility on my iphone and ipad,will that work?

I have a linksys WRT54G router that we use as a base. I want to use Airplay using Airport Express and hook up my stereo to it. How can i set up my Airport express without a PC/laptop? I just downloaded Airport utility on my iphone and ipad,will that work? And one more thing about the setup, the linksys router shich acts as a base is in a different room as the airport express which i wanted to use for airplay. So I'm hoping to hook up the Airport express via wireless signal. If i can set it up, can someone pls help me out by posting detailed instructions. Thanks so much!

The first message that AirPort Utility will display during the auto setup will be that the Express will be confgured to "extend" the network. When AirPort Utility analyzes the network further, and sees that the Express cannot "extend" the 3rd party network, the next message will indicate that the Express is being configured to "join" the wireless network.
Once the Express is configured, if you later go into AirPort Utility to check the settings under the Wireless tab, you will see that the Wireless Mode is indeed "Join a wireless network".

Airport Express and Surround Sound Issue

I recently have lost the ability to play music via Airport Express through my surround sound. It was working one day, I synced my IPhone and the option to play music through my surround sound is gone. Same with the "Remote" application for IPhone.
Note: I am able to chose "Computer" and / or "Apple Tv" but not my surround sound. Any ideas how to correct this and why this was changed?

Hello irk26. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
Although the Linksys WRT54GL, which is Linux-based and running DD-WRT firmware, is WDS-capable, it can be tricky at times for it to be also WDS-compatible with the AirPort base stations ... as you are probably already aware.
Maybe one of the following articles may be of help:
o How to extend your Linksys WRT54G with AE
o Linksys WRT54G and WDS
o Linksys WRT54G, Airport Express, and WDS
o AirTunes, AirPort Express, and the WRT54G
o Using Airport Express as a range extender/repeater for Linksys Cable/DSL router WRT54G
o Extend a Linksys WRT54G network via AirPort Express

Airport Express (and Airport Extreme) shuts down every now and then

So here's the deal,
I'm using an Airport Extreme as my base station (internet, printer, external hardrive). I'm also using an airport express (for airtunes) that is set up to join my existing network that I have created with my Airport Extreme.
Every now and then, the Airport express disconnects becomes non responding and starts to flash yellow. The strange thing is that even though my Airport Extreme is still showing a green light - this does not work either.
To resolve this I must unplug both Airports, restart Airport Extreme and then make my network. After that I can restart my Airport Express and join my existing network and everything works well for a day or 2 and then the same happens again.
What is going on? I mean even though I have found a solution it is timeconsuming and not very elegent. I would rather not have disconnections:-)
Look forward to hearing from you bright guys!
Message was edited by: Skibsted

Skibsted wrote:
I don't think I have a power issue since I have a lot of electronic connected to the same plug and they are working fine.
I have not tried to use the Airport Express alone but I have of course thought about doing that to narrow down the problem.
I don't have inteference.
How do I check if my neighbours are using the same channel?
There are a couple of programs out there. The one I have used is called iStumbler. http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11753. This will show the networks around you and the channels they are using along with other things.
The distance from the AEX to my Airport Express is like 10 inches!
Having an access point close real close to a client will cause some interference itself. Also you had mentioned you had the AEX plugged into the same stip or outlet with other equipment. This can also cause interference and issues.
The firmware is the latest.
I can say that I think I have found a solution though. When I install my Airport Express I hit the "use to extend my network" instead of hitting "join existing wireless network".
It had been working flawlessly ever since (4 days)
I think extending a wireless network is only used if you have 2 AEBS or more. You would use WDS to extend the range when using an AEX but since you are not using it for that you set it right by joining a network.
Thanks

Sound breaking up on Airplay if I stream to Airport Express and Apple TV

I have recently bought an Airport Express and latest Apple TV. Both are running nicely on my network, and I can use Airplay to stream music to either from my iMac, but if I try to stream to both then the sound breaks up? Can anyone advise why and how to fix this? Could it be my wireless network isn't up to it (11g)
Many thanks for any advice!

I am not sure this is entirely relevant but since I found these discussions helpful when I had a similar problem here is my two penn'orth.
We have a complex system with two Airport Extremes and 4 Airport expresses of various vintages. One of these was an old (meaning 'g' only & needs Airport Utility 5.6 to service) one, but this had wireless set to 'off' and only served to stream sound to the house HiFi. This one and all but one of the others were roamed (that is Ethernet cable connected), as is the Mac Mini House server (other machines are WiFi).
Breaking up (& other intermittent network issues) only seemed to start with Maverick. I solved this very persistent problem by replacing the old Express with a new one (in fact replacing one of the others and using that). I could conjecture that this had been the only node on the network not capable of GE (though some devices like webcams are not either), but I do not see why this was important.
I still think this rather strange - even the presence or absence of high-data services like eyeTV Netstream made no difference. But having solved it I should not complain - though it would be nice to understand it. It would also be nice if the Airport Extremes included a sound port...
All the Airport devices had been carefully set up according to Apple's default recommendations - so yes some might use 5GHz, though shutting this down did not help. (they still are).
Hope this helps someone!

Extending network with Airport Express and Airport Extreme (latest models) causes chaos on network

Today I upgraded from my several year old Airport Extreme (3rd gen) and 2nd gen Airport Express to a new (what you'd buy on the shelf today) Airport Extreme and Airport Express. All airports are updated with the latest firmware and I'm using windows 7 for configuration.
The intention is to use the Airport Extreme as the main router, also serving wifi. And extend the network using the express. As such, the following has been done:
The Airport Extreme is configured for automatic channel, and automatic radio mode. I tried to select 802.11n 5 ghz and 802.11 n 2.4 ghz only, but it won't take the changes. Additionally, it wont' accept me using only channel 6. Not sure why, but I digress. The airport extreme is not set to broadcast a separate name for the 5ghz network.
The Airport Express is configured to use bridge mode, use an existing wireless network and is connected to my network on it's WAN port (the circle icon on the back) with ethernet. The password and wireless name used in configuration is the same as created initially on the Airport Extreme.
Initially I did the configuration of both airports on my computer, connected by ethernet to ensure stable connectivity while I inputted settings. During this, they appeared to accept the changes fine. However, when I moved the airport express to it's destination (other side of my house), the entire network went crazy.
Internet became slow, and often wouldn't load pages. This was on wired and wireless connections. When I attempted to administer the Airport in the Utility, they would not load, an error would occur. Also, at one point the Airport Extreme had renamed it self with a (2) at the end. Which was super odd. So far, the only solution has been to unplug the Airport Express and attempt to devise a solution.
Anyone have any ideas? Of course, I will continue to tinker with this, but it seems realllly strange. The previous setup was also extended (granted, using wireless only, not ethernet > wireless) and worked fine, granted it was a smidge slow, but it worked.

I wanted to add this.. I followed the guide here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4260 to extend using ethernet, and the above is the result.
I just tried re configuring in OS X Mavericks and got the same, odd, result.

WDS setup with Airport Express and other(non-Apple) wireless router

Hi,
I am trying to configure a wireless network with one airport express and one Planex Wireless access point. Can anyone please point me to the settings to be made for such a scenario? I can use either of them as the main WDS device, and have a (wired)router provided by the ISP in the network.(so total 3 devices : airport, planex a/p , ISP router)
Thanks.

I'm having the same problem, both with a Linksys WRVS4400Nv2, and a WRT54G. I've not put much effort into the WRT, but the WRVS was such a pain that I don't think I can get it to work at all.
The WRT doesn't have a section on WDS, but I've read that it's supported anyways, and nothing needs to be enabled on it. Is there a good step-by-step available here or elsewhere that uses close to the same router and Airport Express units, on the latest Airport setup software?
Basically, I'm trying to set this up for a guy in an ~8000 sq. foot house so he has wireless throughout it, and he wants itunes streaming from the AX. Has anyone done this?
Message was edited by: manderso

Need help with Airport Express and so on.

Ok so my main problem before getting into what I need help with here is that our MacBooks and now my iPhone 6 plus isn't staying online. Keep getting booted off and then I either have to select the network again or it will eventually go back on. If anyone has a solution or so please feel free to answer that as well. I'm running on Roadrunner with a Netgear 600 wireless router and a motorola modem. Both of which I'll leave the link to below for a better look.
My Main Question: So I'm looking at a new wireless router mainly and possibly a new modem. I know Apple products are trustworthy but how good is the Airport Express and other Airport products. Also what is the Maximum speed and Maximum data speed for the cheapest express station and if anyone knows the speeds of the other devices it would be greatly appreciated.

DSL Router to Netgear 5-port Switch and I used the switch to connect to Airport Extreme, TV, Blue-Ray DVD player and DirecTV Receiver.
The AirPort Extreme base station (AEBS) is a router so it will do what you need.
You need to reconfigure your setup. Connect the WAN port of the AEBS to the DSL router. Then connect the Netgear switch to one of the LAN ports on the AEBS. The AEBS will properly share the connection.

I have an airport express and want to know how to set up two different wireless networks. One with 5GHZ and one with 2.4GHZ so different devices can connect to either.

I have an airport express and want to know how to set up two different wireless networks. One with 5GHZ and one with 2.4GHZ so different devices can connect to either. I have an iphone 4 that will not connect to 5ghz.
thank you!

Your AirPort Express is already providing two separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, but each band is using the same wireless network name.
This is the default setup for the AirPort Express, which is recommended for most users. The theory here is that devices will automatically connect to the best quality signal based on their capabilities and distance in relation to the AirPort Express.
It is possible to assign a different name to the 5 GHz band, and then "point" devices at that network to connect. Some users swear by this option.....(I am not one of them).... but you might want to give it a try to see how it works for you.
Open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click on the AirPort Express
Click Edit in the smaller window that appears
Click the Wireless tab at the top of the next window
Click Wireless Options near the bottom of the next window
Enter a check mark next to 5 GHz Name.....which will automatically add "5 GHz" to the network name....so you can identify it
Click Save, then click Update and wait a full minute for the Express to restart
Now you will need to "point" your 5 GHz capable devices at the 5 GHz network name. 2.4 GHz devices will connect to your "other" network name.

Airport Express and BT Homehub - how can I get it to work?

Hello, can someone help??
I have an Airport Express and a MacBook. My only use for my Airport Express is purely to play ITunes music through my stereo via my MacBook wirelessly. Therefore I only require my Airport Express to join my current network.
I recently changed my phone and broadband network provider from Talk Talk back to BT. My Airport Express worked fine when I was with Talk Talk, I was using a Belkin wireless router for my network connection which worked without any problems. When I got my Airport Express, it was easy to set up - it joined my Talk Talk network without a hitch.
When my connection transferred to BT last week, I tried to connect up my Airport Express to my new BT Homehub. However when I went into Airport Utility my AX wasn't there. So, I read the guide on the Apple Support site and reset it to factory settings. This then seemed to make it 'appear' in Airport Utility, so I went through the process of setting it up as I did when I first bought it. When I got through to the final stage when it is 'Updated successfully and is now re-starting', the AX icon seems to disappear from the left hand side of the box and eventually I get an error message stating 'Airport Utility was unable to find your Apple wireless device after reinstating: The settings for this apple device have been successfully updated but there was a problem re-joining the wireless network or finding the apple wireless device. You may need to select your network from the airport menu and try again' (Incidentally, this last piece of advice doesn't work)... So, I am not sure what to do. I have tried changing the format of the WEP code I need to enter by adding " in front of the code as well as $ as is the suggestion on the Apple Support site...
Is my AX faulty? Is my BT Homehub (The 'next generation of router' as BT call it) preventing my AX from joining my network?? If anyone can help I would appreciate it, I am not very clued up on these things.... :o)
Thanks

I have now managed to get AX working on my BT home hub. I took my second non-working unit back to Apple in Solihull and got them to test it in store. They agreed it wasn't working. They then tested another unit in store and that did work so I brought that home. It would be worth you doing the same as I got a 10% discount off my next purchase of anything at Apple for my troubles.
I set my homehub security to None (from WEP - in homehub manager/advanced/wireless/security), plugged in my AX to homehub using an ethernet cable, then ran Airport utility and after a couple of runs it finally picked it up. I was able to set the configurations I wanted and 24 hours later it is still working. I set my homehub security settings back to WEP as soon as the AX was configured.
I also installed airport utility on my son's windows laptop and that is now able to print wirelessly as well. So, finally a result.
I would suggest you take your unit back to where you bought it from and get them to test it. If they offer you another one ask for a Mac genius
to test it in store for you first. Also ask them to run through the installation procedure with you. Don't forget to ask for something for your troubles:)
Hope that helps,

A Time Capsule, Airport Express and AT&T 2Wire walk into a bar...

Alas, I'm sure this question has been asked before, but my reserach keeps turning up separate answers. So I thought I'd turn to this forum for some advice. Ultimately I'm seeks suggestions on various ways to configure my network to allow easy backups, connection two rooms, and wirelessly print from anywhere.
I have a:
Time Capsule (dual band) - used for Time Machine backups
Airport Express (older)
and new 2Wire 3800HGV-B wireless modem/router from AT&T (for U-verse internet/TV)
My room configuration is:
Living room with TV, internet connected DVD player, and new AT&T 2Wire Wireless U-verse modem
Home office with 2 desktop comptuers (no wireless cards) and a USB printer.
Two roaming laptops which move around the rest of the house
The livingroom and the office can't be connected with a physical wire.
What I was hoping to do was setup my office with the Time Capsule in the office as a wired hub, and then use it as a wirelessly bridge to the 2Wire network. But as I understand it, a Time Capsule can't be used as a bridge to a non-Apple product. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Alternately I could always get wireless cards for the desktop computers, but this leaves the printer.
I've read suggesitons of people who have used their TC as the primary router, disabling wireless on their AT&T 2Wire, and hooking the two together with ethernet. Others who just join the TC to the 2Wireness network. But really what I'm seeking is a way to join the two rooms.
Any thoughts? Am I asking the right questions or providing the right information?
Much thanks,
dana.

So I figured I'd go with an initial suggestion and attached my TC via ethernet to the 2Wire modem/router in my living room, and make the TC my primary wireless router.
Good plan
since both will be in the same room, I assume I need to disable wireless on the 2Wire
Correct
What kind of configuration do I need to do on the TC, or do I just following the wizard and select 'Extend existing network'?
You can follow the guided setup or I can give you a step by step manual setup. In either case, you will configure the TC to "Create a wireless network".
("Extend" is only used if the TC connects using wireless only....you will be using Ethernet from one of the LAN <-> ports on the 2-Wire to the WAN port (world icon) on the TC.
The guided setup will normally sense that the TC is connected to another router and suggest that the TC be configured in Bridge Mode, which is the correct setting. Otherwise, select the Bridge Mode option when it is presented.
Note....If you have a newer dual band TC, the Guest Network option cannot be enabled when the TC is configured in Bridge Mode. So, if you want a "Guest" network, maybe the 2-Wire could provide that service.
Should I attach this (via ethernet) to the TC or the 2Wire?
Pick a LAN <-> port on either one, your choice, whichever is easier
What should the AT&T DVR be connected to?
I'm not familiar with an AT&T DVR, but if it connects via Ethernet, you can connect to a LAN <-> port on either the 2-Wire or the TC
For printing, my plan is to attach the printer through USB to the Airport Express and then connect that wirelessly to the TC network (though my first attempt at this failed to connect).
Suggest that you get the TC up and working smoothly. Then tackle the Express.

My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network?

My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network? Network is administered through an iMac running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2. Ideally, would like for the second Airport Extreme hard drive to appear on the list of devices in the Finder window.

Ok.. gottcha
The problem is network wise.. Yosemite is about equal to tin cans and string.. pathetic.
Here is my usual set of instructions to get anything working on Yosemite.
The best way to fix problems is a full factory reset of all the AE in the network.
Factory reset universal
Power off the AE.. ie pull the power cord or power off at the wall.. wait 10sec.. hold in the reset button.. be gentle.. power on again still holding in reset.. and keep holding it in for another 10sec. You may need some help as it is hard to both hold in reset and apply power. It will show success by rapidly blinking the front led. Release the reset.. and wait a couple of min for the AE to reset and come back with factory settings. If the front LED doesn’t blink rapidly you missed it and simply try again. The reset is fairly fragile in these.. press it so you feel it just click and no more.. I have seen people bend the lever or even break it. I use a toothpick as tool.
Then redo the setup from the computer with Yosemite.
1. Use very short names.. NOT APPLE RECOMMENDED names. No spaces and pure alphanumerics.
eg AEgen5 and AEwifi for basestation and wireless respectively.
Even better if the issue is more wireless use AE24ghz and AE5ghz with fixed channels as this also seems to help stop the nonsense.
2. Use all passwords that also comply but can be a bit longer. ie 8-20 characters mixed case and numbers.. no non-alphanumerics.
3. Ensure the AE always takes the same IP address.. this is not a problem for AE which is router.. it is a problem for AE which is bridged.. you will need to set static IP in the main router by dhcp reservations or use static IP in the AE which is tricky.
4. Check your share name on the computer is not changing.. make sure it also complies with the above.. short no spaces and pure alphanumeric..
5. Make sure IPv6 is set to link-local only in the computer. For example wireless open the network preferences, wireless and advanced / TCP/IP.. and fix the IPv6. to link-local only.
6. Now mount the disk of the second AE in finder... manually.
Use Go, Connect to Server and type in the AE ip address.
SMB://10.0.1.2
Where you will replace that address with the actual address. The network resource should be discovered and then it will request the password.. type that in and make sure you tick to save it in your keychain.
There is a lot more jiggery pokery you can try but the above is a good start.. if you find it still unreliable.. don't be surprised.
Do as much as you want of the above... not all of it is necessary.. only if you want it reliable.. or as reliable as Yosemite in its current incarnation can manage.
The most important thing is point 6.. mount the disk using direct IP address and not names.. dns in Yosemite is fatally flawed.
See http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/01/why-dns-in-os-x-10-10-is-broken-and-what-yo u-can-do-to-fix-it/

HT4587 I was trying to change channels on my airport express and I hit "Forget" on the devices and now my computer can't locate the airport express device. What do I do?

My airport expresses are not showing up in my internet options. I was trying to change channels between the airport utility and the airport expresses and they didn't reset properly. I then hit "forget" on the options...now they are no longer visible. It's a nightmare. How do I get them back?

There are three Airport resets, soft, hard and factory default. It would probably be beneficial if you tried each one in sequence. Actually, you could jump to the factory default reset if you don't mind reconfiguring from scratch.

Itunes freezes when streaming music to airport express and to loewe air speaker at the same time?

Hi,
(first post )
I was recently offered a Loewe Airspeaker. I already had an Airport Express connected to a hi-fi system.
The Airport Express + hi-fi is in the living-room and the Loewe Airspeaker is in our bedroom.
Both are connected to my network via wifi.
I was trying to stream music from my iMac to both the Airport Express and the Loewe Airspeaker.
When doing this, I am able to get the same tune on both devices, but iTunes systematically freezes
=>music continues to be streamed but interface on the iMac gets the endless multicolor wheel !
Has anyone seen anything similar before, for ex. is there a similar issue when streaming music to 2 different Airport Express?
Any idea on where this is coming from?
Any idea on how to prevent this?
Thx in advance
Rodolphe
A few precisions on the configuration:
the iTunes library and corresponding music are located on a Mac Mini configured as a media server.
The iMac connects to the mac mini via wifi (shared folder). Home network is organized via an Airport Extreme.
Both computers run Mac OS 10.7.2 Lion and are up to date.

Well, repying to my own post... Might have found the solution: I tried to do the same with a Macbook Pro 2010 using the very same setup. And it worked perfectly! No freeze, no nothing.
One explanation I see:
my iMac is dating back to May 2007, a Core 2 Duo 2,16Ghz with 2 Go of RAM.
So the computer's characteristics (or the Wifi component or the combination of all of this) might be not robust enough to allow streaming to those 2 devices...
Anyone's got anything to add?

Airport Express and WRT54G - Strange

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