Airport Base Station intermittently drops signal
I've had this Airport Base Station since I got my Powerbook G4-800 about 5 years ago, and it's worked fine.
I just returned from a 2 week vacation, during which the Base Station was shut off. Since returning, it has been dropping the signal every half-minute or so. I go from four bars to nothing and then back to four bars.
I am currently borrowing my neighbor's wireless signal (I found a random Linkys signal in my apartment) and it's not a strong signal, but it hasn't cut out. Hence, my conclusion that it's the Base Station and not my Powerbook. Also, the internet connection is fine, evidence by the fact that my Vonage phone works even when the Base Station drops the signal.
I have tried:
1) Unplugging the Base Station, waiting 30 seconds and turning it back on.
2) Using Airport Admin utility and Airport Setup Assistant. Neither app finds the base station, even when I have a 4-bar signal. (?)
3) Using iStumbler to find the base station. It finds the BS except when I have no signal (zero bars).
3) Smacking it a couple of times.
No luck with any of these solutions.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Peter
Update: Problem solved. I finally was able to find the base station using the Airport Admin Utility. The app notified me that there was software that needed to be uploaded to the Base Station. After it uploaded, the BS disappeared for a few seconds and then came back up. Since then (5-10 mins ago) it hasn't gone away again.
What's interesting is that the Software Update program doesn't upload software to the BS. As far as I know, I haven't opened Airport Admin in a number of years, so I never would have known that anything needed to be updated.
I just returned from a 2 week vacation, during which the Base Station was shut off. Since returning, it has been dropping the signal every half-minute or so. I go from four bars to nothing and then back to four bars.
I am currently borrowing my neighbor's wireless signal (I found a random Linkys signal in my apartment) and it's not a strong signal, but it hasn't cut out. Hence, my conclusion that it's the Base Station and not my Powerbook. Also, the internet connection is fine, evidence by the fact that my Vonage phone works even when the Base Station drops the signal.
I have tried:
1) Unplugging the Base Station, waiting 30 seconds and turning it back on.
2) Using Airport Admin utility and Airport Setup Assistant. Neither app finds the base station, even when I have a 4-bar signal. (?)
3) Using iStumbler to find the base station. It finds the BS except when I have no signal (zero bars).
3) Smacking it a couple of times.
No luck with any of these solutions.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Peter
Update: Problem solved. I finally was able to find the base station using the Airport Admin Utility. The app notified me that there was software that needed to be uploaded to the Base Station. After it uploaded, the BS disappeared for a few seconds and then came back up. Since then (5-10 mins ago) it hasn't gone away again.
What's interesting is that the Software Update program doesn't upload software to the BS. As far as I know, I haven't opened Airport Admin in a number of years, so I never would have known that anything needed to be updated.