Resolved Help: buying used AirPort Extreme and Express...

[PAK325]

Hi guys, I'm a longtime lurker here, but my first post will have to be for a little advice.

Later today I'm slated to make the jump from my netgear setup to complete my apple ecosystem with the purchase an AirPort Extreme (5th gen) and an airport express (2nd gen) which were "lightly used" for $130 total.

Of course used sales will always be a caveat emptor situation, but I'm curious to know what I should look out for. I planned to plug both in amd at least make sure I can access the routers via my iPhone, but are there any bad indicators that I should be aware of and on the lookout for?

Thanks for any amd all help,
Patrick

 

[PAK325]

Turns out I won't be meeting with the seller in order to buy them until tomorrow. That said, I'd still love to hear what to look out for otherwise! Thanks, Patrick

 

[Weaselboy]

Given that neither really has any moving parts, I don't see much you can do beyond starting them up to make sure they work.

 

[PAK325]

Given that neither really has any moving parts, I don't see much you can do beyond starting them up to make sure they work.

I figured that would be the case, but I'd rather hear it from other people too.

 

[cxc273]

I'd say just the usual stuff -- check for any damage on the exterior. Make sure it powers up. Make sure the seller resets both units to original factory settings.

Also, once you've made the purchase, make sure to update the firmware on all units.

 

[OmegaRed1723]

I bought an Extreme off eBay once and one of the Ethernet ports was dead. If you're going to see it in person, make sure it gets powered up and connect something the WAN and LAN connections. A little green light will come on next to each port that is active.

 

[davidoloan]

Install airport utility on your iPhone, then do the factory reset on the express when you get there and attempt to configure it.

Try the same on the extreme as you can now update them from iOS so you may be able to configure it from your phone if it has the latest firmware from last weeks update.

 

[PAK325]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Picked up both units amd am enjoying gigabit speeds and rock solid wifi coverage throughout the home.

Install airport utility on your iPhone, then do the factory reset on the express when you get there and attempt to configure it.

Try the same on the extreme as you can now update them from iOS so you may be able to configure it from your phone if it has the latest firmware from last weeks update.

Did exactly this. Seller was great and when the McD's we met at didn't have outlets, he actually offered to let me use his phone amd DSL modem to make sure everything was in working order. Great to see some decent, non-axe murdering people these days.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I really appreciate it.