Airport Express Won't Join Actiontec Router LAN

The devices are a new Actiontec MI424WR router and a five year old Airport Express.
I've had no trouble getting other devices (802.11g and 802.11n) to join the router's LAN, and I have no trouble configuring the Express via Airport Utility. The Express worked perfectly with my old router, and the Express is able to create its own LAN (802.11g, WPA2), which my Mac can join. All software and firmware is up to date.
Any suggestions on getting the Express to connect with the router?

When you mentioned LAN and configuring the AirPort Express to create its own wireless network, I was thinking that you were talking about connecting the Express to one of the Ethernet or LAN ports on the Actiontec router.
It sounds like you really mean WLAN (Wireless local area network), correct?
See if the Actiontec router has a setting like WPA-PSK-TKIP and then try WPA/WPA2 Personal on the Express.

Similar Messages

Airport Express won't join my existing wireless network...

I have Broadband in my house. I have a wireless modem also. I have spent hours trying to have Airport Express join the network so I can use the music streaming feature, but I have so far not been successful. I have seen a lot of references to it being very easy and straightforward to set up with it doing most of the work itself. As in, plug in AE to a power socket, open Airport Utility and follow the instructions... It doesn't appear to be that simple, not by a long shot. Can anyone outline how this can be done in simple steps? All of the online steps I have tried do not work, with many of them referencing aspects of the Airport Utility GUI that don't seem to exist...
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
For the record, I DO NOT want to replace my existing wireless router, i just want AE to join the network...
Thanks...
Ronan

I have the same problem - the AE wont join my Draytek 2600 wireless network. I can stream music wired, but it refuses to join the wireless network. I have tried WEP, WPA, WPA 2 etc. Always get amber flashing light. Ive spent about 5 hours solid on it so far, and I'm a networking expert.
No other device on the planet has problems connecting to my wireless. currently I have:
1) Belkin wireless Skype phon (no problems)
2) SOHO wireless IP camera (no problems)
3) Intel Macbook pro (no problems)
4) G4 Macbook (no problems)
5) Dell D600 XP notebook (no problems)
Try to connect the AE? No chance. Its just broken.
I have tried every conceiveable manual setting on the device also.
If I manually set the ip (outside the DHCP range, but within the subnet), subnet, DNS sever, domain etc, I get a GREEN light, but nothing can communicate with it. The utility cant see it, and itunes cant see it.
The real problem is there is no way to know if the problem is with DHCP or the wireless. Does green light mean it has a wireless connection, or it has a valid IP?
Interestingly, if I start it with a wired connection, get a green light, then stream music to it, then pull out the wire, the green light stays, and music players for about another minute (presumably wirelessly, but who knows?) before the music stops and the device (replete with green light), becomes dead to the network.
APPLE desperately needs to sort this out. Its junk.

Airport Express won't join via ethernet, only wirelessly

I have a Time Capsule, two AEs wired and another AE operating wirelessly in my home network. Problem is I can't get the wired ones to join as wired ones. They'll only connect to the network wirelessly. So I can have a network completely wireless but I'd prefer the speed of the two AEs wired. I've been through many attempts, set-ups and versions with the AEs trying to resolve this. A potential big wrinkle is that the router is connected to two different switches that handle the various ethernet cables serving many rooms in the house so I'm thinking that may be the problem. Is that likely or am I missing something?

Well, the way to do this would be to go ahead and setup both AirPort Express devices one at a time near the Time Capsule...and connect them directly to the Time Capsule using Ethernet.
Get them working correctly that way first.
Then, move them to the backside of the Ethernet backbone for the network. If the Express devices don't work there....then you have an Ethernet switch problem, an Ethernet cabling problem, or possibly both. Tedious troubleshooting will be required.
In situations like you describe, 90% of the time the issue boils down to an improperly installed Ethernet plug, a broken wire somewhere, or a bad port on a switch. That is not to say that this is the issue, but it is the area to place your bets.
We did not get any details about what generation model the Express devices might be, or what type of operating system you are using on the Mac or PC to configure the Express devices. We'll need basic information like that if you desire additional help.

Airport Express won't extend network over LAN when plugged into a switch

I have several airport expresses (newest model) and an airport extreme.
Every room in my house is wired for ethernet. Those terminate in a closet and plug into a single switch. That switch then has a single cable that plugs into the airport extreme.
In different areas of the house, I've placed a few expresses to extended the wireless network. After several attempts, the express "hotspots" would only extend the extreme via wifi (offering no real advantage) even though they were plugged into the wall via ethernet.
For grins and giggles, I tried connecting the port directly into the airport extreme (bypassing the switch) and it started to send the traffic over the wired LAN.
Question is - why? I'd much rather everything go through the switch as the extreme has a limited amount of ports and I'd rather use for other things. Anyone had this experience before?
Thanks!

Sorry, the older version of the Express does not have the option to "extend a wireless network", which is the setting on the new Express that provides more wireless coverage and also enables the Ethernet port.
What you want to do can be done with a different setting..."participate in a WDS network" on both the Time Capsule and Express, but I am not recommending that you do this because WDS operates only in "g" wireless mode. Your Time Capsule would lose most of its performance in this setting and the network would slow down tremendously...defintely not what you want for gaming.
You'll have the best performance if you connect the PS3 directly to one of the Ethernet ports on the Time Capsule using an Ethernet cable. If it is not possible to run the cable, the next best performance option would be to use a pair of Ethernet powerline adapters to send the Ethernet signal over the existing AC wiring in your home.

Airport Express won't join network and disappears from view once configured

Hi. I am having trouble getting my brand new Airport Express to connect to my network. I would appreciate any help you can provide. Here are the details:
Computer: iMac, G5 running OS X Tiger.
Network: Cable modem hooked to a netgear wireless b/g router. The router is configured to use WEP 128 bit encryption. I have connectivity on the router throughout the house on several computers and handheld devices (iPhone, etc).
Airport Express Version: 5.3.1
My goal is to add the AE to my current network in order to stream music from iTunes to my receiver.
When I initially opened up the airtunes utility to set up the AE the setup program was able to find the AE and walk through the configuration process. I followed the steps, entered the correct network name, encryption algorithm, password, etc. When I completed setup and hit the update AE button the AE disappeared from the setup application and the device began to flash yellow. While troubleshooting I have reset the AE dozens of times over the past couple of days. I have done both the reset with power on (press reset for 10 seconds waiting for the quickflash) and the hard reset (plugging the AE in with the reset button depressed until the quickflash starts). In either case, the AE is rarely detected by the setup utility (about 1 in 10 times). When it is detected, I walk through the set up and get the same results. I have attempted configuration using both the manual configuration option and the automatic "wizard-like" method.
I have tried to configure the AE wirelessly with it plugged in next to the computer and using a direct hookup via ethernet cable. Both methods produce the same results - flashing yellow light with AE undetectable by any Airport applications.
I have also tried to load an older version of the firmware (5.3) on the AE. When I hit the update AE button after configuring the update to go from the current version to version 5.3 I get an error message stating that "an error occured while attempting to update."
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Hi guys,
I think I'm having the same problem as you all, and its driving me crazzzzy!. I added an AX to my existing network with a AEX all thru gigabyte switch, including the new AX. I set the brand new AX up with all the settings, hit update, all settings were configured and its working fine (i can see it in iTunes, stream music to it, all works fine) EXCEPT when i go to AU and try to go into the manual setting of the AX it just hangs, and after about 2 min, i get an error message:
"An error occurred while reading the configuration. Please make sure your Apple wireless device is plugged in and in range of your computer or connected via Ethernet and try again. (-6722)"
I have tried resetting it hard/soft/default but not sure if it really does reset it, still keeps same password, and network settings. Tried connecting it next to my existing AEX incase the AX is trying to communicate via WIFI instead of the hard wired ethernet. I'll try hard wiring it directly to my mac as some have had success.
I have tried using OX 10.5.3, but still misbehaves as b4 with OSX.4.11. So its not my mac setup.
I'll try to find the old firmwares as some have described, that might work....????
This seems a common problem to many, I hope that Steve & the Apple engineers have got these messages and are fixing the problem as we speak.
marc

Airport Express Won't Join Network Anymore

I had my Airport Express set up in my house as a range extender for my Airport Extreme. It was working fine until I recently updated the Airport software (or firmware, I don't remember). Now the AP Express is blinking amber. I went through all the trouble shooting steps, including hard and factory reset. My Airport utulity (6.0) sees the AP Express, and it takes me through all the steps setting it up as a range extender for my basestation on my wireless network, but at the very last step it says there's an error connecting. When I connect via ethernet only it's yellow on the utility, with status saying there no valid IP address. Tried the same IP settings as my basestation, but no luck. It also says the wireless network can't be found.
Is this a software problem, or a hardware issue? I feel like I'm missing something simple. I would appreciate any help anyone can offer. Thanks!

Download and use Airport Utility 5.6
This was release the same day as 6.0 but 6.0 is quirky and exhibits strange behavior at times.
http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
Do a Factory reset again and set it up using 5.6

Airport express won't join network

I use an airport express to extend my network. It is the last model in the old style - if that makes sense - (It supports 5Ghz networks) - bought about a year ago. It's been working fine but suddenly stopped connecting to my network. I suspect a hardware problem - but how can I know for sure? It's in range of my Time Capsule - I've tried resetting it - occasionally it works but then drops the connection. Any thoughts would be welcomed.

Hi Nicholas Pritchard,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
The articles below may be able to help you with this.
Click on the links to see more details and screenshots.
Wi-Fi base stations: Setting up and configuring an extended wireless network (802.11n)
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4259
Resetting an AirPort Base Station or AirPort Time Capsule FAQ
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3728
Cheers,
- Judy

I am at a total loss. I received am airport express to replace a netgear router. I need a step by step list of how to get it working. I am not very technical

I am trying to get an airport express to work, it is replacing a netgear router. Tried following the directions that came with it plus suggestions sent to me but so far I am not able to get things going. Can anyone send me a step by step list from start to finish and also explain what numbers, passwords etc that I would have to install. I am the stupid in the KISS method of doing things

Hi doctorshane
Your router is the heart of your network. Replacing one changes everything.
Please follow Philly_Phan's instructions here:
My airport express won't stop flashing amber and I can't figure out how to hock it up.ihad a router which worked fine
To which I would add: disconnect your modem from power and let it rest a moment while you configure your Express. Make it a habit to do this whenever you change the device connected to a cable or DSL modem. Most modems will refuse to communicate with anything new, until its memory has been reset with a power cycle.
If you still have difficulty please explain where you are getting stuck. If you reply in that thread, not this one, it would help others with your problem. Don't begin a new question unless the recommendations you receive are getting nowhere or your question doesn't get any replies after a day or so. Philly_Phan's instructions are correct so follow them.
Otherwise, you are likely to repeatedly receive the same advice and will fail to achieve any progress.

AirPort Express won't work with 7.0.2

Everything was fine til I bought a new Shuffle. It made me upgrade to 7.0.2, now my Airport Express won't work. I have firmware 6.2 and just uploaded all of the newest updates from apple.com for it (AX). The security is off on my network and the AX is connected with a green light. Still no option to choose my home stereo which is hooked up to the AX. HELP! I have spent all day trying to get this to work!!!!

My Airport Express when it is setup to extend my network while plugged into Ethernet will Create a network under settings
This is the correct setting to "extend" the network using an Ethernet connection. Technically, this is called a "roaming" network.
If I change this to Extend A Network it doesn't work properly.
This is because "Extend a wireless network" is used only when AirPort devices communicate with each other using wireless only......not Ethernet.
It would help if Apple used settings like "Extend a network using Ethernet" and "Extend a network using wireless only".....but they don't.
The AirPort Extreme will need to be configured as the main router if you want it to provide a Guest Network. It cannot do this if it is configured in Bridge Mode.

Airport Express won't connect to internet...all is green

My Airport express won't connect to established Network in my office. I am connecting to a 10/100 base T in the building (as the modem, I assume) and want to broadcast the network for wifi. Express sets up ok, but than cannot find the internet....any suggestions? The port is live as I can directly connect it to my Mac Book and find the internet without issues.

It is possible to have a green light on the Express if some network errors are overlooked, so it may be necessary to reset the Express back to factory default settings and start over again.
Keep in mind that some networks will not allow a router to be added to the network, so a computer might work, but a router may not.
What model number of AirPort Express do you have?
What operating system are you using on the MacBook?
Do yo know if the Express has been configured to operate in Bridge Mode?

I have recently changed my bt home hub and now my airport express won't connect to it? Any suggestions?

I have recently changed my bt home hub and now my airport express won't connect to it? Any suggestions?

Anytime you change out a modem or modem router like the HomeHub, the AirPort Express needs to be reset back to factory default settings and then set up again.
The reason for this is that the Express is retaining some or all of the settings to connect to your "old" modem or hub, so it will not work correctly with a new device unless you start over again from factory default settings on the Express.
Power up the Express for a few minutes
Hold in the reset button on the side of the Exprsss for 8-10 seconds, then release and allow a full minute for the Express to restart to a slow, blinking amber light
Now, set up the Express again, like you did originally with the "old" modem or hub that you had previously.

Older Airport express won't see the signal from the cable modem.

Older Airport express won't see the signal from the cable modem.
My macbook sees the AP express and I can stream music to it but no internet. If I plug the ethernet cable directly into the macbook I can see the internet

Anytime you change networking hardware, it is always a good idea to perform a complete power recycle of your networking components.
I would recommend that you do the following as a minimum:
Power-down the modem, AirPort base station, and computer(s).
Disconnect the AirPort base station from the Internet broadband modem.
While all of the devices are powered-down, perform a "factory default" reset on the base station. This will get it back to its "out-of-the-box" configuration and make setting it up much easier, especially if you use the "Assist me" process within the AirPort Utility. (ref: Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule)
After the base station resets, go ahead and power it back down.
Reconnect the AirPort base station to the Internet broadband modem. For the Extreme and Time Capsule, be sure to connect the cable to the base station's WAN (circle-of-dots) port.
Power-up the modem; wait at least 10-15 minutes to allow it adequate time to initialize.
Power-up the AirPort base station; wait at least 5-10 minutes. Note: The AirPort's status light may continue to flash amber after it has intialized. That is because, there may be some additional configuration items necessary, like setting up wireless security, before the overall setup is completed to get a green status.
Power-up your computer(s).
In this basic configuration, the AirPort base station will broadcast an unsecured wireless network with a Network Name (SSID) of Apple Network NNNNNN. Network clients, connected to the base station either by wire or wireless, should now be able to access the Internet through the ISP's modem. Once Internet connectivity has been verified, you can use the AirPort Utility to configure the base station for wireless security and any other desired options. Please post back your results.

Can I use airport express without connecting to a router?

I hate trailing a long wire across my room just to listen to music through my (old but still fantastic) stereo system. I share a house with friends and our router is in the living room.. does the airport express need the router to work? sorry if this is a dumb question, there just doesn't seem to be an answer anywhere!

You do not need the AirPort Express to connect to a router in order to stream iTunes. In its default mode, the AX provides a standalone wireless network. You would just need to connect to this network to stream. The drawback, of course, is if your are getting your Internet access via another wireless network, you would have to switch networks to perform either.

AirPort Express won't do DHCP, won't update

I have been happily using AirPort Express to support a single wireless connection for some time. My configuration is cable modem -> Linksys router -> AirPort -> Dell laptop (Windows XP). This stopped working when I recently got some upgraded VPN software on the laptop, but all the problems seem to be with the AirPort. The PC reports "unable to contact your DHCP server", which I presume should be the AirPort. It still shows a radio connection, even using WEP. From my desktop Mac I can run AirPort Admin Utility and access the AirPort, by going in the back door via the router, using its upstream IP address. (My desktop does not have wireless.) Everything looks fine. However, whenever I make changes and say to "Update", it says "The AirPort Admin Utility was unable to update the settings of the selected base station." But it does make the changes regardless. Whenever I try to upload new software (firmware?) it says "The AirPort Admin Utility was unable to upload the software to the selected base station." It offers me a version 4.0.6; I don't know what it is currently running. I have been successfully able to do a factory reset, but that didn't make any difference.
So I have two problems: I can get the radios in my laptop and the AX to talk, but I can't go further than that via DHCP; and I can't seem to command a change to any settings, or upload software to the AX.

Several suggestions:
1. all network firewalls must be disabled on a computer you are using to configure the Airport Express. This includes the firewall built into Windows XP or the MacOS, and the firewall that is often installed (without informing you) by VPN client software. Cisco's VPN client software is one of many such culprits.
2. make sure you are running at least the Airport 4.1 update on your PC - install this update if necessary:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/airport41forwindows.html
3. if you are cabling an Airport Express to an existing cabled router, the router built into the Airport Express should be disabled. This is done by running the Airport Admin Utility, unchecking the setting to "Distribute IP addresses" found under the Network tab, then updating settings to the Airport Express. After making this change, all computers connecting wirelessly to the Airport Express should be restarted, to force them to renew their IP address.
4. The optimal firmware version to run on an Airport Express is 6.1.1 (check this with the Airport Admin Utility). The latest version 6.2 is unstable. If your Airport Express is running 6.2, downgrade it per:
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/airportexpressfirmware611forwindows.html

About My New Apple Airport Express 802.11n Wi-Fi Router

Yesterday on Saturday after i finshed work I Went out & Bought a New Apple Airport Express 802.11n Wi-Fi Router for My Apple iMac Computer & for My Apple iPhone 5 & Apple TV & I Set it up & everything & everything worked out well so i had a question about it, that Green Solid New Light on Apple Airport Express is it suppose to always stay on even if my Apple iMac Computer is Sleeping like other Wi-Fi Routers??? cause i'm wondering cause it looks Very Nice & White & Shiny & New & i don't really want it to Fail on me cause i do like it & it does not take up a lot of space witch is a good thing so just had to ask???
how many years will My Apple Airport Express Wi-Fi Router will last for since it's as Big an an Apple TV, just was wondering if this thing is really strong & stuff to like hold out for years time maybe???
will My Apple Airport Express Wi-Fi Router Software ever get Outdated like my other Wi-Fi Router??? & they stopped making that Belkin Wireless n Router that i had & they stopped Updating it's Software & then The Software became not usable at all so I Had to go out & buy an Apple Airport Express 802.11n Wi-Fi Router.

Hi Byron,
on the first question: take a look at your manual; I have a different router, and on it the light stays on all the time, but I don't know if the Airport works the same way. On mine, it simply means that it is on and ready in case you need it. You should worry when there is no light, LOL.
Second question: with electronics, can't tell at all how long they will be good for. They are made to be compatible with a certain range of devices and software - and will be updated for a while when those devices and softwares are updated. After a while, too many new routers are available with too many new features that are compatible with new devices and softwares, so it's not worth updating the old ones. It's a question of money - they don't want to give you free updates forever, they want you to buy a new piece of equipment.
Third: yes, it will at some point. Everything technology/electronics related is outdated - some very quickly: you buy a new one and the next week you see an ad for a "new, improved" one. Same principle: they want you to buy again.

Airport Express Won't Join Actiontec Router LAN

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