Airport Express drop-out - useless device

If you're reading this and you haven't purchased an Airport Express yet.... Don't.
I've been one of the most loyal Apple devotees for the last 15 years but have had enough. There was a time when Apple products were faultless - they always did what they were supposed to do.
Airport Express is the latest shambles to damage Apples brand even further. What is the point of making a device to stream my myriad of other Apple devices if it continually drops out? And seems there is no remedy which is evidenced by others frustrations on various blogs. TOTAL waste of money.
Apple would do well to make less products and make sure that they actually worked rather than an increasing number of products that don't eg iphone5, Airport Express.

I have purchased several of them. Unlike the cheaper routers I've tried, none have ever failed. Countless thousands of them have been working flawlessly for others all over the world for years.
Wireless networking is subject to a number of environmental variables that can preclude success no matter what product you use.
If you believe yours is faulty return it. You have 14 days from the purchase date for a complete refund.
Everyone I know with an iPhone 5 loves it too. I can only guess those who didn't returned theirs for a complete refund.

Similar Messages

Airport Express dropping out constantly so I can't print wirelessly

I have an iMacG5 running OSX 10.3.9. I have a DLink wireless router which creates my wireless network that the iMac connects to. Also, as my printer as at the other end of the room, I have an airport express connected via USB to the printer so I can print wirelessly. Everything worked like a dream for about 12 months. Until recently I had no security on this network and although I was aware this was risky, I was reluctant to change anything because it all worked so well. But my paranoia got the better of me and I changed the DLink to WPA security. Ever since then, the airport express has acted very strangely. The connection dropped and I was required to do a hard reset. I did that and everything worked. I felt so smug that I had worked out a computer issue! Little did I know that as soon as I shut down the system the airport express dropped out again. I have since discovered that I don't actually need to shut down for the thing to drop out. It just does it of its own accord.
I have contacted AppleCare 3 times and spent a total of about 4 hours on this to date. No luck. They suggested interference. However my airport icon usually shows either 3 or 4 bars and there is no difference when the thing drops out.
The only thing I have learned is that Airport Express does not have to be reset all the time. In my situation, it is best to just unplug it, let it rest for about 30 seconds and then you should be able to see the thing in the airport admin utility. It does take a while and several rescans in the utility, but eventually it does show up. This at least means I don't have to constantly set it up to join the network.
In fact, really it is a doddle to print! I don't know why people like to just go File-Print when you can go through the delight of getting out of your chair, unplugging Airport Express, waiting 30 seconds, looking at the dust under the cupboard thinking I really must get that, plugging the airport express back in, watching the light change from green to amber, to flashing amber, wait for it...wait for it...it's not happening....waiting...finally - green!. Back to the computer, go to Finder - Applications - Utilities - Airport Admin Utility, not showing up, rescan, not there, rescan, rescan, rescan, still not there, rescan, oh good, airport express is showing up. Now, go to Printer setup utility, delete the printer that is there, then add printer, select rendezvous, add my hp, OK......now I can hit File - Print.
Has anyone got any ideas on how I can join the boring legions of people who are oblivious to the joys of printing my way?

Hi,
I am currently replying to this as it shows in the iChat Community.
I have asked the Hosts to move it to Snow Leopard (you should not lose contact with it through any email links you get)
I also don't do Wirelss printing so I can't actaully help either.
10:01 PM Friday; July 29, 2011
Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

New topic, old problem: Airport Express dropping out

I'm aware of the many threads on Airport Express issues on here but since no solution has emerged I feel I must rake over it again in the hope that someone at Apple will pick up the ball and create a fix for AEX BDS or Bizarre Dropout Syndrome as I call it.
Playing my iTunes music, via my 2T Time Machine>MacBook>AEX (extending my network to the basement) used to work seamlessly until...approximately... I upgraded to Leopard>Snow Leopard although if I'm honest I can't swear to this coincidence. Anyhow the symptoms are the similar as other ppl report elsewhere on this forum: ie Connecting prompts a microburst of a tune then randomly more bursts of varying length, never longer then 15secs, then after an hour or so it suddenly decides to play continuously for 4 or 5mins at a time but always dropping out again ad nauseam.
I called Apple tech support who could only offer it was interference from neighbour's WiFi networks at work, I checked but my neighbours are all on different channels to me. I have tediously checked, rechecked, rebooted, reconfigured, reinstalled iTunes and OS, moved the unit even tried a brand new 11n AEX but to no avail, always the same problem (so at least I can rule out a hardware issue with the AEX unit itself). I'm hoping there is a fix out there.......otherwise the AEX units are just very expensive paperweights.

I do not know if this answer will help much, but it is based on solid experience.
I tried using wi-fi and it kept dropping out. I went through 3 routers! A local salesperson told me enough with the new routers, it's your d*mn ISP.
Well, I started using speedtest.net to monitor my ISP's performance/signal strength. I discovered that my signal FREQUENTLY dropped to very low levels.
My theory is that whenever the signal dropped, which was very, very often, I lost wi-fi connectivity.
I went to ethernet and never looked back, but with all these wireless devices, I'm wondering if I need to take a look at wifi again. My ISP has cleaned up its act, so I might do better.
Unfortunately, I haven't tried it yet, so I can't announce the results. But I thought it might possibly relate to your situation.

Airport Express drop out

Hi. First post here and I'm in need of help. I've connected my Airport Express to stream iTunes from my PC (Vista OS) to my stereo and while I can wirelessly connect to my network, after approximately 30 minutes of play, the signal drops out and the Airport Express is no longer recognized by either the utility, my iTouch remote app or iTunes.
I then tried a reset, disabled the wireless function and configured the device to stream via ethernet but now have the same problem.
I have changed my Firewall settings to allow all network and program rules access to the Utility and iTunes and have even disabled the Firewall with no luck.
Help!!

have you checked for _*wireless interference*_ ?
perhaps your neighbor's wireless networks interfere with yours. you could download iStumbler (free) or AirRadar (it has a trial period) and note the channels other networks in your vicinity are broadcasting on. change the channel of your network as far away as possible from those.
JGG

AirPort Express drop-out / skips -- Windows XPSP2 w/ Linksys WRT54GS router

Hello,
I'm having some skipping / drop-out issues when streaming music from a Windows XPSP2 fileserver, which runs iTunes 7.3.2.6, to my AirPort Express. I've long suspected my LinkSys WRT54GS router. Here are some things I've tried:
* tried enabling logging on my AirPort Express unit, (I actually installed a Windows SysLog client and ensured it was working) but it reveals no useful information after a skip -- just debug logging. No change.
* changed the wireless channel from 6 to 11. No change.
* Do not have wireless security enabled (just don't broadcast ESS ID). No change.
* Latest firmware on router, AirPort Express, and iTunes. No change.
* All other wireless devices in the house turned off. No change.
I'm seriously considering buying a new wireless DSL router to see if it makes the problem go away (any suggestions to makes or models appreciated). Unfortunately my WRT54GS is not one of the routers that supports reflashing with a third-party firmware, or I would have done this eons ago.
Another thing I am not sure how to test is the signal strength that the Airport Express gets from my LinkSys WRT54GS router. I've not been able to figure out how to get this information, and I also do not know what are considered good / not-good strengths. Any help here would be great.
Here are some details.
AirPort Express with Firmware 6.3, communicating wirelessly over Channel 11 to my LinkSys WRT54GS router with firmware 1.52.0, into which my Windows XPSP2 fileserver is physically connected with CAT5 cable. The music files are served up on a Maxtor DiamondMax 10 7200 rpm 300GB Serial ATA-150 Hard Drive.
I've really tried everything I can think of, and I still get skipping.
Specifically, music will play fine for 45 minutes, or 5 minutes, or an hour; then, the music will suddenly stop. The AirPort Express will continue to have its green LED on, though. The music will resume 1-10 seconds later. This skipping will happen periodically for a 1-2 minute period, usually 2-3 times per minute, go away for an indeterminate amount of time; or, it might persist until I get tired and turn off my stereo. There is no pattern as to time of day so I don't suspect neighborly interference.
Other things in the house are an older 802.11b laptop, 5.8GHz phone, brand new microwave, and a few dozen Palm and Windows PDAs that all have their WiFis disabled, where appropriate.
Any suggestions or ideas would be fantastic. This has been a problem for a couple of years now which I have systematically (though unsuccessfully) tried to solve.
Thanks,
-Jeff

I haven't yet budgeted to buy a different router, but I'll respond when I do as to whether this was the fix or not.
Just an observation ... in your case, the music streams wirelessly from your laptop to your router, and then wirelessly again from the router to your Airport. That's 2 wireless paths it must go. In my case, music streams directly to my router with a LAN cable; then, wirelessly from my router to the airport. So that's only 1 wireless path, and even still I am experiencing problems.

Airport Express dropping out

I am using an airport express to join my network and have connected a network printer to it using and ethernet cable. I have previously used this airport express to connect a windows PC and never had a problem. I recently purchased an iMac to replace the windows PC and no longer need the Airport for the windows PC, so I am now using it for my network printer. The problem is that the Airport now keeps dropping the network. The Yellow light flashes momentarily and then re-connects, and while this is happening my printer is not on-line. The funny thing is that it only happens when the iMac (which is only several feet from the Airport express) is on. If I put the iMac to sleep it works fine. If I reboot the iMac it works again for a while but eventually starts dropping out again. I have tried power-cycling the Airport and printer but to no avail. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
P.S. all software and firmware are up to date for both the iMac, the Airport Express, and my Airport Extreme.

Welcome to the discussions!
By close the laptop, do you mean it goes into standby or a sleep mode? Or, are you using a larger monitor, closing the laptop and not using the laptop screen?
If it's the former, you need to check on the HP to see if there is a "remember this network setting", "stay alive" or something similar so the connection is not lost.
When you close the lid on the HP, it is probably blocking access to the internal antenna within the laptop. If the top is closed, the only way the radio waves can be seen would through the sides of the laptop.
Unless you are seeing intermittent drops in the wireless connection when the laptop is open, it sounds like the Express is delivering a constant wireless signal. Download www.istumbler.net to get a good look at the signal strength and noise on your network. The strength indicators on most laptops are not very accurate.

Apple Airport Express dropping out after song finishes.

I need some help finding out why my Airport Express sometimes drops out after a song has finished? Itunes has moved onto playing the next song but the sound is no longer playing through airtunes. If I pause and play the song it will come though the speakers again. This does not happen every time I use air turns but everynow and again.. Can anyone help me with this? I do have my Airport express set to get updates every week so Im sure I should have the latest updates.

Welcome to the discussions!
Tesserax discussed the reasons for this and possible improvement for this problem in a recent post. See the link below:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11542774&#11542774

HT4587 I downloaded Airport Express Utility 5.6 to get my Airport Express to work with the latest Mac OSX 10.7.4, but when I install and run it, it still says my Airport Express is out-of-date and needs the 5.6 utility.

I downloaded and installed Airport Express Utility 5.6 to get my old Airport Express to work with the latest Mac OSX 10.7.4, but when I install and run it, it still says my Airport Express is out-of-date and needs the 5.6 utility. What's up?

It is likely that you downloaded AirPort Utility 5.6.1. If you checked the requirements, this only runs on Leopard or Snow Leopard Macs.
You have Lion, so you need AirPort Utility 5.6 for Mac OS X Lion

Airport Extreme Drop Outs - Best Firmware/set-up options for mixed Airport Devices

I have an Airport Extreme (4th Gen) that I have connected to a Comcast modem. I use this devise as a primary base station for my wireless network, and route an Ethernet cable from this Extreme to a D-Link 24 port switch. The D-link is then connected to the various ports around my house via Cat5.
Recently, I have been having trouble with my Internet connection dropping out periodically (not just wireless, but the Internet as well). Had comcast out and all look good with the lines, signal, etc. When I connect a computer directly to the Comcast modem (i.e. bypassing the Extreme), no drop outs. So, I figured it was the Extreme (or potentially the D-Link, but feels more like the Extreme) so I bough a new Extreme (but have not installed yet).
I have read in some of the forums that the firmware update on the Airport Extreme may be the culprit, but after downgrading, the issue still remains. I have a couple of Airpirt Expresses as well, of mixed Generations.
2 questions:
1 - My buddy seemed to recall a site or page that showed the best Airport firmware options for a mixed generation Airport network. I can't find it anywhere. Anyone know if this exists or where I might find something like this.
2 - I am currently extending the network wirelessly, but also have that extender plugged in via Ethernet for faster speed when I want to connect via Ethernet. Could this be causing issue. I am now thinking I should have set the express up as a bridge (i.e. roaming network) rather than extender, and will do that when I install the new Extreme. Could having the Express set up the way I currently do (wirelessly extending network AND connected via Ethernet) causing the issue (it has worked fine for the longest time, but maybe the new firmware doesn't like that). I am not really that good with network stuff, so may be that's just a snipe hunt.
FWIW - I also just bought a brand new IMAC with Mavericks that is now on the network (via Ethernet). I mention this only because I feel like people have also mentioned connectivity issues with Mavericks.
Any help would be appreicated.

First just install the new extreme to see if dropouts go away
For the express, it should be setup to extend via wired (not wirelessly); power it off for now and just make sure the new extreme isn't suffering from dropouts
Then factory reset the express so that it can be a wired extender, don't worry, it will also provide a wifi signal with the same credentials as your main extreme

Express drops out w/ change of computer. Why?

I moved my itunes library from an imac to my pro mac, and once on the pro mac airtunes drops out every 5 to 30 seconds. Why would this be? The firmware for the express is up to date. Why would wifi interference be any worse for the promac than for the imac. They're in the exact same location. This whole thing is driving me insane. Any ideas on what I should try?
Thanks,
Peter

I am having the same type of problem. I've had my Airport express for several years and it has worked perfectly. This morning it would not connect to the internet. It's impossible because every minute or so, the internet connection just freezes and I just sit there for about 10 seconds until it reconnects or gets the connection back.
I can connect to the internet via my laptop using a ethernet cable via the cable modem so my internet connection is just fine.
Thanks to Duanne, he wrote the answer...
It sounds like an interference issue.
AirPort: Potential sources of interference
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58543
Duanne wrote the solution in this post:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=496971&threadrate=1&messageid= 2410808#2410808
The problem with Radio Frec. (RF) interference is that your ability to control it is severely limited. An active device outside of your home could be providing enough interference to drastically hinder your wireless network. Hence your network could have worked for years but suddenly your neighbor gets a new baby monitor and wham! your network goes in the dumpster.
The immediate solution to an active source of interference is to remove that source. But if that is not possible, you can change the channel used by your base station to hopefully locate a channel that is operating better.
I will add ...one more thing... I plugged a new sound system next to the Airport Express, and I think that also was interferencing with the signal. I've plugged the sound system a few feet away and now the problem is solved.
That worked for me!... Good Luck.
---->>>You can change the channel used by your base station to hopefully locate a channel that is operating better.<<<-----

Airport Express drops connections

I recently bought an airport express to use for streaming music. I set it up to join my existing wireless network using DHCP to get an IP address. It works fine for a few minutes to a few hours. Then it drops the connection to the existing wireless network. Streaming doesn't work and I can't ping it. The status light remains green and I am unable to connect to it using airport utility. If I unplug it and plug it back in, it reboots and then works ok for a while. If I connect to the Airport Express using the ethernet port it reboots and then works fine for a while. The behavior has been consistent for 3 days.
My existing wireless network consists of two access points. One is part of the router that Verizon provided with my fios connection and is an Actiontec and is running in mixed b and g modes uing WPA. The other access point is a Linksys WAP54G with a wired ethernet connection to the router. Both access points use the same SSID. (I have two access points to provide adequate signal strenght throughout the entire house.)
Any suggestions?
Tom

Hi, I recently swapped an old N 450 Router to Apple Extreme (5Gen). Initially the signal was very strong and even in first floor Smart TV Netflix loading was almost instantaneous. I have a 50mbps Xfinity Blast. All nice and felt that it was such a good move and justified the cost of the router too. After 2 days, started noticing connection drop outs, IP address conflicts, unable to connect, wifi was connected but no internet. Power recycled it and things seemed okay. again after 2 days, the internet was very slow, dog slow infact to load up regular websites and pages. This time through it was something with the Xfinity modem (Motorola SB6121) which never in 2 years had given me any issues, but recycled it, seems to be marginally better, but the speed ( not the wifi signal) remained very slow. I am a IT person, not specifically Networking, but quite good with systems, configurations etc. Finally eating up my pride called the Apple Support. The guy who responded seemed knowledgeable. He asked me to walk through the set up process, which I said, I have already done it.He asked me how did I set the router up. I had used an iPad with the Apple Utility and since there about 15 devices connected through out the house, I had used the same SSIDs one for 5Ghz and another for 2.4 Ghz. Apparently using the same SSID leads to deterioration in both connectivity and signal strength. I have never heard of this as I have swapped out routers in past 12 years using same SSIDs without any issues. The Support guy told me that this is only with Apple Routers and not with other brands. I have never heard any such thing and trying to google did not get me much information on this. I reached this forum as result. I need answers desperately so that I can decide to return or keep the router. Thanks

Airport Express dropping link

Why does my airport express keep dropping the link to the modem so that we lose our wi-fi? The green light is on for both the modem link and the airport even though the connection is down. When I pull the plug on the airport and leave it for a minute it resets the connection but this does not happen if I pull the plug on the modem.

I do not know if this answer will help much, but it is based on solid experience.
I tried using wi-fi and it kept dropping out. I went through 3 routers! A local salesperson told me enough with the new routers, it's your d*mn ISP.
Well, I started using speedtest.net to monitor my ISP's performance/signal strength. I discovered that my signal FREQUENTLY dropped to very low levels.
My theory is that whenever the signal dropped, which was very, very often, I lost wi-fi connectivity.
I went to ethernet and never looked back, but with all these wireless devices, I'm wondering if I need to take a look at wifi again. My ISP has cleaned up its act, so I might do better.
Unfortunately, I haven't tried it yet, so I can't announce the results. But I thought it might possibly relate to your situation.

AirPort Express Dropping Connection to AirTunes via Ethernet Connection

I connect to my AirPort Express via ethernet using iTunes and AirTunes. I am using Windows Vista. The device works great for roughly 15 or so minutes, and then seems to loose its connection with iTunes. iTunes continues to play the music, but there is no sound coming out of the audio device connected to the AEx. If I toggle the Computer Speaker/AirPort Express output selection in iTunes it reconnects successfully with my AEx and will work as expected for a period of time, and then will eventually drop the connection (or at least the audio stops) again. I've used my AEx successfully for a couple years now - something over the last few months changed as this behavior is new. I am using the latest firmware and the latest version of iTunes.
Anybody have any ideas? Are there known software/firmware compatibility issues?

See http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1949393&start=0&tstart=0
This might be the same problem you are having. There is no fix as of yet.

Verizon Fios - Airport Extreme AND Airport Express drop IP Address

Hi everyone,
I am absolutely BEGGING for help here! I am so frustrated with Verizon Fios that I can hardly take it. The scenario - the crummy Actiontec router that Verizon provided us when we got service 10 months ago shot craps recently. So, I got out my Airport Extreme to see if that would work. After 30 minutes of tech support I got it working, only to have all kinds of trouble with what they told me after FURTHER hours of tech support, was that my router was dropping the IP address.
So, knowing that I can't possibly be the only Verizon customer using an Apple router, I thought it was the Airport Extreme unit itself. I went out and got an Airport Express, and again, I am resetting my router or calling Verizon tech support at least once a day, if not more, to break the lease and get a new IP address. It's killing me. I can't live life like this.
Can ANYONE help me figure out how to get this scenario to work without having to purchase another crappy, ugly Actiontec router? I don't have FIOS TV, just internet. I can't tell you how much I would appreciate the help. It's driving me insane!!
Thanks so much in advance.

It appears that I am in same boat. I got FIOS last October and it worked seamlessly with my Airport Extreme/Express network for months. All of a sudden, we couldn't get to the internet after returning from vacation in late August. Reset, reconfigured, and tinkered with the Airport extreme and our computers, but could not get out to internet even though we could still print and see each other over the airport network. Contacted Verizon and they told me that they do not support the airport and that we have to use their Actiontec router for Internet access. Told them that we had been using our Airport, connected to their Actiontec, to access the Internet for months seamlessly and they said that that was not something they would recommend/support and that we had to go directly through their wireless router to get Internet support. I asked if they changed something in the last week that would prevent access and they would not confirm.
We also found that my son's older desktop with 802.11b wireless USB connection and MS OS can't even get out using the Actiontec router directly. Verizon site talks to 802.11b not necessarily being supported, but we had no issues when we were routing everything through the Airport. I just don't want to invest in all kinds of new network devices when we were fine until something happened over a weekend.
I am playing around with buying the latest Airport extreme (ours is a 802.11g model) to see if that works, but Verizon refuses to acknowledge that it's a viable solution and apologized to us that we have to switch between their network router and our Airport router to do routine printing, play music, etc., but they were not open to helping us prevent running multiple networks, either.
Obviously, this is unacceptable customer service, but Verizon techs that I spoke to do not feel that they have any obligation to support us with re-establishment of connectivity that we got with our original service. It sounds from this thread that other folks were getting disconnected or can't establish connectivity over the summer. Am wondering what Verizon is doing that is causing this and who else is getting impacted. Also wondering if upgrading to the latest Airport will help.

How do I get device names to show on my airport express rather than the device ID?

When I look at devices that are running on my AirPort Extreme and airport express (running as a range extender) I only see their ID numbers. How do I get it so that I can see the device name? In other words instead of it showing 00:11:D9:38:3C:DA it would show Nest Thermostat. ive seen this on other peoples networks and cant seem to figure it out on mine

Things are hit and miss as far as client names being displayed in AirPort Utility. You might see a device name displayed at times and not at other times.
Unfortunately, Apple provides no settings or controls in AirPort Utility for this. Things will not look like the nice Apple advertisements if that is what you might be hoping for.
You might want to let Apple know that you would like more control for this "feature". If so, please use the link provided below.
Apple - AirPort Extreme - Feedback

Airport Express drop-out - useless device

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