AirPort 4.2 Update

[Applespider]

My Powerbook really doesn't like this update. Soon as I installed the firmware update on my Extreme/Express, I lost my internet connection. I couldn't get the admin utility to let me leave it at WPA personal - it kept trying to do a hybrid mixture of WPA2 which is when everything stopped working. I could have internet and no Airtunes or Airtunes and no internet (and yes, the Express was still a client on the network so no clue why!)

I gave up in the end and reverted them both back to the earlier firmware. Problem solved...

 

[ggbrown]

My Powerbook really doesn't like this update. Soon as I installed the firmware update on my Extreme/Express, I lost my internet connection. I couldn't get the admin utility to let me leave it at WPA personal - it kept trying to do a hybrid mixture of WPA2 which is when everything stopped working. I could have internet and no Airtunes or Airtunes and no internet (and yes, the Express was still a client on the network so no clue why!)

I gave up in the end and reverted them both back to the earlier firmware. Problem solved...

There is a known problem with Firmware 5.6 and PPPoE. After updating to firmware Firmware 5.6, many DSL users are losing their connection to their ISP, and reverting 5.5.1 is the solution. I just went though this last night/this morning.

G

 

[Diatribe]

Weird. I have DSL and everything is working fine for me.

 

[dolphin842]

After I installed 10.4.2, my wireless connection became really spotty. When checking mail or accessing websites, it would take 30 to 60 seconds to connect, if it did at all. Did anyone else experience this? With the airport 4.2 and the subsequent firmware updates to 5.6 (extreme) and 6.2 (express), things are WAY better.

10.4.2 messed up my previously solid AirPort connection on my 12" PB (using a Linksys .11b router). Many times during the day it will drop the connection for ~10 seconds, then recover. Sometimes it'll just drop completely (I'm not too far away from the router so it always has 15 bars). Un/replugging the cable modem and router seems to work most of the time. My 10.4.1 backup drive holds a connection without a hitch. Any idea what could be up?

The AirPort update didn't help, but I'm assuming that was for the base station and not the card itself?

 

[eva01]

My powerbook seems to love this update for some weird reason :/ oh well i enjoy it ^^

 

[maddav]

Well I know that my signal strength has increased, not just the number of bars, I recently started using my iBook (with Airport Extreme) with my new LCD TV, and with a bit of jiggery pokery got a wonderful true 1360 x 768 resolution. I noticed however that my download speeds (via a speed test) were about a third of what they were before, after updating i'm getting speeds that make it seem like my laptop is right next to my brother's base station (which is btw, a d-link router)

 

[droolboy]

When I applied the update to my AEBS and Express, I could suddenly no longer get online. Printing and Airtunes worked but I couldn't connect to the modem any longer.

Repairing permissions (yes, there was one in there to do) and then switching off the Mac, Airport and modem before turning them all back on again in reverse order seemed to work.

I have a similar problem, but that didn't work for me. I can connect to my wireless network, the green light is on the AExpress (showing that it's connected to the ethernet modem & the internet), but I can't get online via Airport since the firmware update.

I gave up in the end and reverted them both back to the earlier firmware. Problem solved...

How d'you do that then?

 

[glooo]

Linksys router

How exactly is your network configured? It sounds like you have the Linksys thing plugged into your broadband modem, and it's responsible for creating the network, and then you're just using the AirPort Express (not "AirTunes"--that's the music-streaming feature, not the hardware product) to stream music to your stereo or whatever.

So, I assume you have the AirPort Express in client mode?


Yes, you can download the 6.1.1 firmware for the AP Express here. However, I suspect that we can find a way to get things working with the new 6.2 firmware...

I have the exact same problem. (PB G4, Linksys router, OS 10.3.9) I just did a software update to Airport 4.2 and Airport does not work anymore. Airport Admin Utility found my Airport Express (which is set up as a client on the Linksys router network) and updated its firmware, but Internet Connect says "No Airport Hardware Found." Help!

 

[ibook30]

Woo Hoo The update fixed my Airport Express bug!!!!

 

[Applespider]

How d'you do that then?

Find the .dmg for the old firmware (5.5.1 for Extreme and 6.1 for Express) on either Apple's support site or softpedia's mirrors etc.

Then turn off any security you currently have one and make your networks visible (the security bit is important if you were running WPA beforehand). Double click the firmware dmg and it should come up with a list of base stations that you can use it on. Select the base station you want to downgrade and follow the instructions. Occasionally, you might not see any base stations in the list. In that case, hook up your Mac and the base stations with an ethernet cable and try again.

 

[droolboy]

Find the .dmg for the old firmware (5.5.1 for Extreme and 6.1 for Express) on either Apple's support site or softpedia's mirrors etc.

Then turn off any security you currently have one and make your networks visible (the security bit is important if you were running WPA beforehand). Double click the firmware dmg and it should come up with a list of base stations that you can use it on. Select the base station you want to downgrade and follow the instructions. Occasionally, you might not see any base stations in the list. In that case, hook up your Mac and the base stations with an ethernet cable and try again.

YES! All back to normal - thanks very much for the advice.

 

[hansen]

I just today installed Airport Express for AirTunes (in client mode).

I have periodic outage when I stream music and sometimes the time in the iTunes song progress displays goes really fast - but no music is playing. At one time iTunes lost connection to Airport Express.

I have a new PB 12" that I'm using to stream.

I updated with the new firmware right away, so I don't know if that has anything to do with this.

Anybody else has this kind of problem?

 

[XNine]

My signal is now running like a sex-starved chicken! It's even faster than a wired connection! WOOT!

 

[pubwvj]

I upgraded but haven't noticed any difference good or bad.

 

[EricNau]

Signal

Those of you that report your signal strength improved...I'm jealous. My bars went way up, but my speed is exactly the same. Why would Apple change the way they measure signal strength? (I really doubt that the signal actually got better (I could be wrong though).)
I did notice that now it grabs the right network that I listed. (Before it would grab my neighbors Linksys, but now it grabs my Adhoc network between my printer and my computer.)

 

[TiBookG4/5]

This update is an utter disaster. WPA Personal passwords now cause computers using the AirPort (not Extreme) card to be unable join WAP protected networks. WEP protected networks seem to be unaffected. This has been documented throughout Apple Support discussions. Its yet another sloppy update from Apple--even the K-Base tech document on update refers to AirPort Extreme cards as "AirPort Express cards".

 

[hansen]

Find the .dmg for the old firmware (5.5.1 for Extreme and 6.1 for Express) on either Apple's support site or softpedia's mirrors etc.

Then turn off any security you currently have one and make your networks visible (the security bit is important if you were running WPA beforehand). Double click the firmware dmg and it should come up with a list of base stations that you can use it on. Select the base station you want to downgrade and follow the instructions. Occasionally, you might not see any base stations in the list. In that case, hook up your Mac and the base stations with an ethernet cable and try again.

I just tried this and though I had no problems installing the previous version it didn't solve my problem. When I've played a few tunes over AirTunes suddenly there starts to be longer and longer period of abrubt silence in the songs - very annoying! It gets worse and worse and at the end iTunes looses connection to Airport Express and stops playing. I can then press play again but with the same result. Sometimes iTunes stops responding and has to be terminated. grrrrrr

 

[hansen]

I just tried this and though I had no problems installing the previous version it didn't solve my problem. When I've played a few tunes over AirTunes suddenly there starts to be longer and longer period of abrubt silence in the songs - very annoying! It gets worse and worse and at the end iTunes looses connection to Airport Express and stops playing. I can then press play again but with the same result. Sometimes iTunes stops responding and has to be terminated. grrrrrr

After a few hours I think I have to revise the above. It might have improved the situation, but it is definitely not gone.

 

[vaprof]

Constant audio output

Is it just me, or does this software update force the Airport Express to put out a constant signal rather than turning off when there is no audio input??? My DSP shows a constant timing lock now -- the Airport Express used to turn off when it had no input.