[Si-man]

I'm having a major headache whilst setting up airtunes on my network.

For some reason, I can't view the airport express with WPA set on. I get this message:

"Please make sure your Apple wireless device is plugged in and in range of your computer or connected via Ethernet and try again. (-6753)"

Basically, when I set WPA my airport express becomes invisible and I can only find it by doing a factory reset on the unit and starting again.

Can anybody help me? Do I need to add a $ symbol to the password as I've just read this for WEP? What is the password 'public' about?

Feeling sad

alu imac running tiger. bebox router

[Cold Warrior]

You're using Apple hardware, so you don't need the $ for WEP. Just your normal password. The 'public' is the default password after doing a reset of the unit.

For configuring your airport express, try plugging directly into it via ethernet. Configure it here. Just make sure you have all the latest updates for it and your Mac. Lots of issues are resolved by using the latest software and firmware.

[rcfa]

The problem is, no matter what I do for a factory reset, it doesn't take, and the unit comes back with the old settings. Since not only I get this error trying to alter settings, but a similar (and likely related) error when I try to upgrade the AP Express' unit's firmware from 7.3 to 7.3.1, I'm pretty stuck.

Otherwise, the unit seems to work, iTunes and Airport Utility both see it, and I can stream music to it, but I can't alter settings up upgrade the firmware or do a successful factory reset (e.g. I never get the "Apple XXXXX" network showing that would be the default after a factory reset.

[ghporter]

Are you following Apple's instructions, found here? When you push and hold the reset button, does the red light ever flash?

[rcfa]

The issue turned out to be two-fold: it seems that the new AP software has an issue dealing with the 7.3 firmware.
It also seems that either the 7.3 firmware has issues with timing, is extremely fickle about timing, or simply does not reliably reset the hardware.

I first followed Apple's instructions to a T, but that never worked. I then found a post on Apple's discussion boards where someone got it to reset by holding the button down twice the recommended duration. I tried that, too. Didn't work (and I was referencing the second counter of the MacBook Pro's clock).

So then I ended up alternating between hard and soft resetting the AX base multiple times when eventually I got it to work. The second unit I then got to work the same way, it, too, required at least a couple dozen attempts until the reset finally took.

There also seems to be an issue with the Airport Utility software not properly updating the status when a unit with the old firmware is attached and a variety of other strange behavior.

Now that the AX units have finally (after several dozen reset attempts) the 7.3.1 firmware on it, things work as expected. (Haven't tried if the resetting now works better, but I hope I won't need that anytime soon again).

Conclusion: vary the timing, and keep repeating until you get lucky. Also, you have to wait like what seems an eternity after the reset, until you either see the reset base on the network or you realize that it came back to life with the old settings.

All in all, this was about 5h of tedium. (Note: don't think I don't know what I'm doing, this is an issue/bug with Apple's firmware and/or instructions)

[frdmfghtr]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

Are you following Apple's instructions, found here? When you push and hold the reset button, does the red light ever flash?

Those instructions don't match the 802.11n version of the Express. According to my book, the 10-second reset while plugged in will get you to the factory settings without deleting any profiles set up via the Airport Utility.

If you want a hard reset with profiles wiped out:

(1) Unplug the Express

(2) Hold the reset while plugging it in.

When the light flashes, release the reset button.

[rcfa]

When I wrote "I first followed Apple's instructions to a T" I meant the instructions in the manual that comes with the AirPort Express box, which happen to be what you write above.

Unfortunately, these don't work, either, at least not with the 7.3 firmware, and at least not reliably on a first go.

As I wrote, I played around with variations on the timing, and I'm not sure if the timing was critical or just repeating it over and over again until I got lucky.

So either the trick is to repeat until it works, or the trick is to find some timing that's not what's in the manual and very sensitive. In other words, either the instructions are correct, but it takes up to a couple dozen tries to get it going, or the instructions are incorrect and it took me up to a couple dozen tries to accidentally hit the proper timing.

[ghporter]

How about returning the thing. It sounds like it WON'T reset to factory settings, which would lead me to think the rest of it is very suspect as well.

And Apple should have the most current hardware represented in their knowledge base listings; I didn't slow down to verify that the latest box was included in the instructions because I assumed they'd have everything up to date. I'm disappointed.

[chomputer]

Originally Posted by rcfa 

All in all, this was about 5h of tedium. (Note: don't think I don't know what I'm doing, this is an issue/bug with Apple's firmware and/or instructions)

Same here! After an entire evening s-l-o-w-l-y configuring a new Time Capsule & AX, wrestling from WEP (pre-existing Netgear WAG302 Dual-Band 802.11a/b/g), to WPA, to WPA2 until things starting gelling, my experiences were not unlike yours in the least.

Returning either product to my reseller was NOT an option; deadlines + demand = relentless resolution, period. Apple may not have hung the iMoon *groan*, but I will continually support their company because overall their products require FAR less of my professional time spent configuring/optimizing networks than M$-related anything.

Notes (both TC & AX):

*Factory reset the AX only once (okay, so I got impatient with the Orange blinkin' lights); the TC took the 7.3.1 first try, though I factory reset it more than a few times during testing/implementation.

*Firmware upgrade progress would either sit on 0% (under Manual Setup) or spin the blue/white barber-shop-pole progress indicator...without any progress. (FYI: first attempt to upgrade firmware to the AX via wireless = bad idea). It actually completed while browsing the macnn forums AFTER I plugged in ethernet to local network.

*Time Capsule & Airport Express are currently (& successfully) joined to the Netgear WAG302 in an overlapping single WAP. That is, TC="extend wireless network" via ethernet & AX="join a wireless network" (no ethernet in close proximity to media center).

*Interference Robustness is enabled on both Apple AP's.

Anything else I forgot to add just ask...but later.

[Podolsky]

The advice above - to take a new AE and first configure it for Ethernet THAN restart airport utility and reconfig for wireless. I did this and had it set up in 5 minutes. This was the ONLY way I could get two AE on the network. No amount of going straight to wireless would work for me on two AE - the only way through this for me was first Ethernet and than wireless.

[Simon]

Yes. It's always a good idea to first configure the AP base station over a wired connection and then switch to wifi. A lot of problems people experience with AP Utility could be avoided that way.

[yankel]

I have an iMac that is about 3 months old and an Airport Extreme that connects it to my dsl modem using an ethernet cable. The is also an Airport Express that is connect to my stereo in another room.
I have frequent intermittent dropouts of my internet connection that I experience on my iMac, Macbook and iPod touch in another room. It seems not to be the dsl signal's fault.
Any ideas?
Should I have "Interference Robustness" enabled?
It happens when no cordless phone is operating or microwave at anything at all in the house.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Simon]

Turning interface robustness on is definitely a good start.

[yankel]

Thanks Simon.
Do I do that for both the Airport Extreme and the Express?

[Simon]

Sure.