Chapter 4. Light Reading

The light on the front of any Apple Wi-Fi base station indicates what the base station is up to: handling data correctly, hitting an error, or in a special mode. The guide below helps you decipher the meaning.

Off: There's no power! Plug in the base station. If it is plugged in, check the outlet or power strip, and the places where the cord plugs into other cords or into the base station. If juice is flowing and the cord looks correct, you have a defunct base station.

Blinking green: The base station light blinks or flashes green in three cases:

• Startup: The light flashes green on and off for 1 second.

• Reset: This happens after you press the recessed reset button for long enough to trigger a reset.

• Network activity: You can set the light to show network activity, with green flashes that approximate the amount of activity. In AirPort Utility, on the AirPort pane, in the Base Station view, click Options and then change the Status Light pop-up menu. (See Base Station Settings, p. 245.)

Solid green: The base station is configured correctly, has no updates available, and is connected to the Internet.

Solid amber: The base station is still powering up and hasn't loaded all its settings and connected to the network.

Blinking amber: The a base station has a configuration problem, has lost its network connection, or is suffering from another problem. Use AirPort Utility to troubleshoot.

Solid blue: If you've used AirPort Utility to allow a client to connect via Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), the light remains blue until a client connects or you cancel the mode in AirPort Utility. (See Use WPS, p. 219.)