AirPort Extreme Setup Guide
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AirPort Extreme
Setup Guide
Contents
5 Getting Started
7 Ports on Your AirPort Extreme
8 Plugging In Your AirPort Extreme
9 The AirPort Extreme Status Light
11 Setting Up Your AirPort Extreme
11 Setting Up AirPort Extreme Using a Mac
12 Setting Up AirPort Extreme Using an iOS device
12 Setting Advanced Options
13 Using Time Machine with Your AirPort Extreme
14 Adding a WPS Printer to Your Password-Protected Network
15 Tips and Troubleshooting
15 Best Locations for AirPort Extreme
16 Avoiding Interference
16 If You Can't Connect to the Internet
17 If You Forget Your AirPort Extreme or Network Password
18 If Your AirPort Extreme Isn't Responding
18 If Your AirPort Extreme Status Light Flashes Amber
19 If You Want to Update Your AirPort Extreme Software
20 Learning More, Service, and Support
22 AirPort Extreme Specifications and Safety Guidelines
Getting Started
Congratulations on purchasing your AirPort Extreme Base Station. Read this guide to get started.
AirPort Extreme is a fully featured Wi-Fi base station that provides simultaneous dual-band wireless networking using the 802.11ac specification. When you set up your AirPort Extreme, it creates two high-speed Wi-Fi networks:
• A 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) network for 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n devices, such as iPhone, iPod touch, and older computers
- A 5 GHz network for 802.11n, 802.11a, and 802.11ac devices, such as iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and newer computers
Wi-Fi devices automatically join the network that provides the best performance and compatibility, and AirPort Extreme shares your broadband Internet connection with computers and devices on your network.
Link light
↔ Ethernet LAN
USB
Ethernet WAN
Status light
Power
Reset button
Power cord (Your power cord may look different.)
Ports on Your AirPort Extreme
AirPort Extreme has six ports on the back:
| ◌ | One Gigabit Ethernet Wide Area Network (WAN) port For connecting a DSL or cable modem, or for connecting to an existing Ethernet network |
| ↔ | Three Gigabit Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN) ports For connecting Ethernet devices such as printers or computers, or for connecting to an existing Ethernet network |
| \downarrow | One USB port For connecting a compatible USB printer, hard disk, or hub for connecting several devices |
| ~ | Power port For connecting AirPort Extreme to an AC power source |
Next to the power port is a reset button for troubleshooting your AirPort Extreme. The status light on the front shows its current status.
Plugging In Your AirPort Extreme
Before you plug in your AirPort Extreme, first connect the appropriate cables to the ports you want to use:
• Connect the Ethernet cable that's connected to your DSL or cable modem (if you'll connect to the Internet) to the Ethernet WAN port (⚡).
• Connect a USB cable from the USB port ( $ \psi $) on your AirPort Extreme to a compatible USB printer, a hard disk, or a hub.
• Connect an Ethernet cable from any Ethernet device to any of the Ethernet LAN ports (↔).
After you connect the cables for all the devices you plan to use, connect the power cord to the power port and plug your AirPort Extreme into a power outlet. There is no power switch.
Important: Use only the power cord that came with your AirPort Extreme.
When you plug the AirPort Extreme power cord into a power outlet, the status light glows amber during startup, and then flashes amber during setup. The status light glows green after your AirPort Extreme is set up and connected to the Internet or a network.
When you connect Ethernet cables to the Ethernet ports, the lights above them glow solid green.
The AirPort Extreme Status Light
The following table explains the AirPort Extreme light sequences and what they indicate.
| Light | Status/description |
| Off | Your AirPort Extreme is unplugged. |
| Solid amber | Your AirPort Extreme is starting up. |
| Flashing amber | Your AirPort Extreme can't establish a connection to the network or the Internet, or is encountering a problem. Use AirPort Utility to get information about what might cause the status light to flash amber. See "If Your AirPort Extreme Status Light Flashes Amber" on page 18. |
| Solid green | Your AirPort Extreme is on and working properly. |
| Flashing amber and green | There may be a problem starting up. Your AirPort Extreme will restart and try again. |
With AirPort Extreme, you can:
Create a password-protected Wi-Fi network, and then connect to the Internet and share the connection with other computers and Wi-Fi devices, such as iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV.
Create a guest network, with or without password protection, to give wireless Internet access to friends and visitors. Devices that connect to the guest network have access to the Internet, but not to your local network.
• Connect a Wi-Fi printer to AirPort Extreme. All the supported computers and Wi-Fi devices on the network can print to it.
• Connect a USB hard disk to AirPort Extreme. All the computers on the network can access the disk. Use the Time Machine application in OS X v10.5.7 or later to back
