Apple A1301 Users Manual

Simultaneous Dual-Band

AirPort Extreme

Setup Guide

Contents

4 Chapter 1: Getting Started

5 About AirPort Extreme

About the AirPort Software

What You Need to Get Started

AirPort Extreme Status Light

12 Chapter 2: AirPort Extreme Networks

13 Using AirPort Extreme with Your Broadband Internet Service

Using AirPort Extreme to Share a USB Printer

Using AirPort Extreme to Share USB Hard Disks

19 Chapter 3: Setting Up AirPort Extreme

19 Using AirPort Utility

Creating a New Wireless Network

Configuring and Sharing Internet Access

Setting Advanced Options

Allowing Wireless Clients Access to Your Network

25 Chapter 4: Tips and Troubleshooting

25 You Can’t Connect to the Internet

You Forgot Your Network or Base Station Password

Your AirPort Extreme Isn’t Responding

Your AirPort Extreme Status Light Flashes Amber

Your Printer Isn’t Responding

Updating AirPort Software

AirPort Extreme Placement Considerations

Items That Can Cause Interference with AirPort

31 Chapter 5: Learning More, Service, and Support

33 Appendix: AirPort Extreme Specifications and Safety Guidelines

Contents 3

Getting Started

Congratulations on purchasing AirPort Extreme. Read this guide to get started.

The new AirPort Extreme provides simultaneous dual-band wireless 802.11n networking. When you set up your Time Capsule, it creates two high-speed Wi-Fi networks:

Â A 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) network for 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n devices, such as

iPhone, iPod touch, and older computers

Â A 5 GHz network for 802.11n and 802.11a devices, such as newer computers and Apple

Wireless devices join the network that provides them the best performance and compatibility, and the AirPort Extreme shares your broadband Internet connection with computers and devices on your network.

With AirPort Extreme, you can:

Â Create a password-protected wireless home network, and then connect to the

Internet and share the connection with other computers and Wi-Fi devices, such as iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV. You can also share files among computers connected to the network.

Create a guest network with or without password protection, to provide Internetonly access to wireless devices, such as computers, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV.

Â Connect AirPort Extreme to your Ethernet network. Wireless-equipped Macintosh

computers, Windows XP, or Windows Vista computers can then have access to an entire network without being connected by a cable.

Connect a supported USB printer to your AirPort Extreme. All of the compatible computers on the AirPort network, both wireless and wired, can print to it.

Connect a USB hard disk to your AirPort Extreme. All of the compatible computers on the AirPort network, both wireless and wired, can access the information on the hard disk.

Connect a USB hub to your AirPort Extreme, and then connect multiple USB devices, such as printers or hard disks. All of the computers on the network have access to those devices.

Important:

Dual-Band AirPort Extreme Base Station, or download it using Software Update, and use it to set up your base station. Previous versions of the AirPort Setup Assistant and AirPort Admin Utility are not compatible with this base station.

Install AirPort Utility 5.4 from the CD that came with your Simultaneous

About AirPort Extreme

AirPort Extreme has five ports, located on the back:

Â One 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet Wide Area Network (WAN) port (< ) for

connecting a DSL or cable modem, or for connecting to an existing Ethernet network

Chapter 1 Getting Started 5

Three 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet Local Area Network (LAN) ports (G connecting Ethernet devices, such as printers or computers, or for connecting to an existing Ethernet network

Â One USB port (d ) for connecting a compatible USB printer, hard disk, or hub for

connecting several devices

Status light Internet WAN port

Ethernet ports Reset button

) for

Power port USB port

AC adapter

Next to the ports is a reset button, which is used for troubleshooting your AirPort Extreme. The status light on the front of AirPort Extreme shows the current status.

6 Chapter 1 Getting Started

Security slot

About the AirPort Software

AirPort Extreme works with the AirPort software included on the AirPort Extreme CD.

Install the AirPort Utility software that came on the CD and follow the instructions on the following pages to set up your AirPort Extreme and your AirPort wireless network.

Note: You must use AirPort Utility to set up this base station. The Simultaneous Dual-

Band AirPort Extreme Base Station is not compatible with previous versions of AirPort software.

AirPort Utility

Use AirPort Utility to set up your AirPort Extreme to create a wireless network, connect to the Internet, and share compatible USB printers and hard disks. You can also connect your AirPort Extreme to an existing AirPort Extreme wireless network.

AirPort Utility is also an advanced tool for setting up and managing the AirPort Extreme, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Express Base Stations. Use it to manually adjust network, routing, and security settings and other advanced options.

AirPort status menu in the menu bar

Use the AirPort status menu to switch quickly between AirPort networks, monitor the signal quality of the current network, create a computer-to-computer network, and turn AirPort on and off. The status menu is available on computers using Mac OS X.

What You Need to Get Started

To use AirPort Extreme you need a wireless-enabled computer that is compliant with the IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11g standards, or with an IEEE 802.11n draft specification. To set up AirPort Extreme, your computer must meet the requirements listed below.

Chapter 1 Getting Started 7

To set up AirPort Extreme using a Macintosh, you need the following:

Â A Macintosh computer with an AirPort or AirPort Extreme Card installed to set it up

wirelessly, or a Macintosh computer connected to AirPort Extreme with an Ethernet cable to set it up using Ethernet

Â Mac OS X v10.4 or later Â AirPort Utility 5.4 or later

To set up AirPort Extreme using a Windows PC, you need the following:

Â A Windows PC with 300 MHz or higher processor speed and a compatible 802.11a,

802.11b, or 802.11g wireless card, or a wireless card that complies with an IEEE 802.11n draft specification

Â Windows XP Home or Professional (with Service Pack 2 installed) or Windows Vista Â AirPort Utility v5.4 or later

Plugging In AirPort Extreme

Before you plug in your AirPort Extreme, first connect the appropriate cables to the ports you want to use, including:

Â Connect the Ethernet cable that is connected to your DSL or cable modem (if you will

connect to the Internet) to the Ethernet (WAN) port (< ).

Â Connect a USB cable connected from the USB port (d ) on AirPort Extreme to a

compatible USB printer (if you will print to a USB printer), a hard disk, or a hub.

Â Connect an Ethernet cable from any Ethernet device to the Ethernet LAN ports (G ).

8 Chapter 1 Getting Started

After you have connected the cables for all the devices you plan to use, connect the AC plug adapter to the power port, and plug AirPort Extreme into the wall. There is no power switch.

Power port Ethernet activity light

AC adapter

Important: Use only the AC adapter that came with your AirPort Extreme.

When you plug the AirPort Extreme AC adapter into the wall, the status light flashes green for one second, and then glows amber while it starts up. After it has started up completely, the status light flashes amber until your AirPort Extreme has been updated with the correct settings. The status light glows solid green after AirPort Extreme is properly set up and connected to the Internet or a network.

Chapter 1 Getting Started 9

When you connect Ethernet cables to the Ethernet ports, the lights above them glow solid green.

AirPort Extreme Status Light

The following table explains AirPort Extreme light sequences and what they indicate.

Light

Off

Flashing green

Solid green

Flashing amber

Solid amber

Flashing amber and green

Solid blue

10 Chapter 1 Getting Started

Status/description

AirPort Extreme is unplugged.

AirPort Extreme is starting up. The light flashes for one second.

AirPort Extreme is on and working properly. If you choose Flash On Activity from the Status Light pop-up menu (on the Base Station pane of AirPort settings in AirPort Utility), the status light may flash green to indicate normal activity.

AirPort Extreme cannot establish a connection to the network or the Internet, or is encountering a problem. Make sure you have installed AirPort Utility and use it to get information about what might cause the status light to flash amber. See “Your AirPort Extreme Status Light Flashes Amber” on page 27.

AirPort Extreme is completing its startup sequence.

There may be a problem starting up. AirPort Extreme will restart and try again.

The base station is ready to allow a wireless client access to the network. See “Allowing Wireless Clients Access to Your Network” on page 24.

What’s Next

After you plug in AirPort Extreme, use AirPort Utility to set it up to work with your Internet connection, USB printer or hard disk, or an existing network. AirPort Utility is located in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder on a computer using Mac OS X, and in Start > All Programs > AirPort on a computer using Windows XP or Windows Vista.

Chapter 1 Getting Started 11

AirPort Extreme Networks

In this chapter you’ll find explanations of the different ways you can use AirPort Extreme.

This chapter provides some examples of the different kinds of networks you can set up using AirPort Extreme. It provides diagrams and explanations of what you need to do to get your AirPort Extreme network up and running quickly.

See Chapter 3, “Setting Up AirPort Extreme,” on page 19 to find out more about using AirPort Utility to help set up your network.

See the document “Designing AirPort Networks Using AirPort Utility” for detailed information about AirPort networks and AirPort Extreme. The document is located on the AirPort CD and at www.apple.com/support/manuals/airport.

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