This article provides troubleshooting steps for an AirPort Base Station that will not dial into an Internet service provider.

Note: The AirPort Base Station does not have an internal modem speaker so you will not hear the modem dialing.

SETTING UP THE AIRPORT BASE STATION

Before proceeding, you should have already followed steps 1-5 in the "Setting up Your AirPort Base Station" section of the setup booklet that came with the AirPort Base Station. If you have not performed these steps, please do so now.

This article assumes throughout that you are connecting to the AirPort Base Station wirelessly.

1. CHECK FOR COMPATIBLE INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER

Verify that your Internet service provider (ISP) is supported by the AirPort Base Station. The Base Station supports dial-up connectivity to the Internet using the industry standard PPP connection method. If your ISP does not use PPP you may wish to use a different ISP.

For more information, refer to article 58501 " AirPort: Supported Internet Service Providers ".

If your ISP uses an X2 modem, refer to article 58546: " AirPort Base Station: X2 Modem Compatibility ".

If you do not have an ISP, you can run the Internet Setup Assistant and it will help in obtaining one. The Internet Setup Assistant is located on your hard drive in the Assistants folder.

Important : Apple Computer Inc. makes no endorsement or recommendation, expressed or implied, of any of the Internet service providers represented in this Assistant. Also, the ISP represented have not been verified to be compatible with AirPort.

2. VERIFY IT IS NOT A TIMEOUT ISSUE

Verify that the Internet spplication hasn't timed out before the Base Station was able to connect to your ISP. Wait a few seconds and try again.

For more information, refer to article 58529 " AirPort Base Station: Internet Application Timeout Error Discussion ".

3. CABLING/POWER

Verify the Base Station has power, indicated by the middle status light glowing green. Verify the telephone cord is plugged into the telephone port on the Base Station and not the Ethernet port. Check that you are using a known good telephone cord plugged into a known good wall jack.

4. IS THE AIRPORT CARD ON

It is possible that the AirPort Card installed in the client computer is turned off. For example, if you are taking an AirPort equipped computer on an airplane, the AirPort Card should be turned off. Refer to article 58548: " AirPort Card: Disable During Air Travel " for additional information.

To tell if the AirPort Card is turned off, go to the AirPort control strip, shown in Figure 1, and see what the first line of text reads. If it reads "AirPort On" in italics then it is on. If so, proceed to Step 5.

Figure 1 AirPort Control Strip Portion

If it reads AirPort Off in italics, then select Turn AirPort On in the AirPort control strip. Once the AirPort Card is on proceed to Step 5.

5. CAN THE COMPUTER SEE THE BASE STATION

It is possible that you are too far away from the Base Station or have interference from a microwave or large metal object nearby.

Check if the computer can see the Base Station. Go to the AirPort control strip and see if the AirPort network is listed and is selected (has a bullet next to the name of the Base Station). Verify that at least one of the frequency strength indicators (green dots) in the AirPort control strip is green. If yes, proceed to Step 6.

If the AirPort Base Station was not selected in the AirPort control strip, do so now and type in the password if asked. Then launch an Internet application to see if the Base Station will connect to your ISP.

If the AirPort network is not listed in the Control Strip, make sure that the AirPort antenna cable inside the computer is securely plugged into the AirPort card and that you are not getting interference.

For more information on Interference refer to article 58543 " AirPort: Potential Sources of Interference ".

6. VERIFY THE COMPUTER CAN CONNECT

It is possible that the ISP is busy or not answering. To verify that the ISP is working and that the current configurations that the AirPort Assistant will use to configure the Base Station, move the telephone cord from the Base Station to the computer and try to dial into your ISP using your computer. Make sure that the TCP/IP, Modem, and Remote Access control panels are properly configured to dial into your ISP and not to connect to the AirPort Base Station.

If you cannot connect to your ISP using your computer, you will need to troubleshoot the computer's settings before troubleshooting the Base Station. Possible problems include an incorrect phone number, incorrect user name or password, an overload condition with your ISP, or a problem with telephone line. Contact your ISP to determine if you have the proper configuration settings, or to verify a possible service outage.

Remote Access Configuration Warning: Make sure that the Remote Access configuration that you use to dial into your ISP has the "Save Password" box checked and "Use DialAssist" unchecked, shown in Figure 2 (Use DialAssist will only be available when in Advanced mode in the Remote Access control panel). The AirPort Setup Assistant will not download any extra settings set in the Dial Assist control panel. Uncheck this setting and manually enter any needed prefixes or suffixes so that they are properly downloaded to the AirPort Base Station.

Figure 2 Remote Access Control Panel

7. DOWNLOAD VERIFIED SETTINGS TO BASE STATION

The AirPort Setup Assistant downloads the active configurations from your TCP/IP, Modem, and Remote Access control panels to the Base Station. It is very important that the configurations:

• allow your computer to connect to your ISP and view a Web page
• are the currently selected configurations

After verifying your computer will connect to your ISP, launch the AirPort Setup Assistant and choose "Set up an AirPort Base Station". Continue through the Assistant until it downloads the proper settings and resets the Base Station.

After it has reset, make sure the Base Station is selected in the AirPort Control Strip and then launch your Web browser. Remember that you will most likely get an error message the first time you try to pull up a Web page, this is normal. See article 58529, " AirPort Base Station: Internet Application Timeout Error Discussion " for additional information.

8. VERIFY DOMAIN NAME SERVER ADDRESS HAS BEEN ENTERED

It is important that the Domain Name Server (DNS) information is properly populated in the TCP/IP control panel. For more information refer to article 58505: " AirPort Base Station: Enter DNS Information During Setup ".

9. POWER CYCLE THE BASE STATION
Remove the power cord from the back of the AirPort Base Station, wait a few seconds, and then reconnect. This will power the Base Station off and back on resetting the internal modem.

10. REINSTALL AIRPORT SOFTWARE
If you suspect that the AirPort software has become corrupted, try reinstalling the AirPort Software.

Note: Wireless internet access requires AirPort Card, AirPort Base Station, and Internet Access (fees may apply). Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort, including America Online. Range may vary with site conditions.