Apple's Snow Base Station, part of the 802.11b wireless networking system, is generating complaints from our readers and on the Apple forums. Users are reporting that the Snow, like the Graphite and Extreme, stops functioning randomly or in some cases ceases to function at all (i.e. signal loss).

Andrew Phang, a user having problems with his ABS, contacted me to see if we could offer help. Phang lives in Singapore, so we decided that it would be best if we talked him through the process of researching the problem. He contacted me after his ABS started acting weirdly. At first, Andrew thought it could be the capacitors (not knowing that the Snow is different from the Graphite), but after we got him to open the case, he found that the board suffered some damage.

He provided me with these pictures.


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His station would power up, but would not connect to the Internet or network. After we talked again, we did not think that the board could be repaired easily or at all, so we had him call Apple. His computer was no longer covered by Apple Care and the Snow warranty also expired. Needless to say, Apple offered no replacement after he called. Had Phang's coverage still been valid, Apple would have covered the replacement. If you have heard differently about Apple's replacement policy, let us know. If any readers out there have had similar experiences, please provide feedback.

Here are a few pictures of the inside of a Snow ABS. Notice the white residue around two sides of the ABS. It appears that heat off the motherboard caused this.


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Notice that the white marks are under the AirPort LAN card and housing. Since Phang's problem, we have received at least a dozen Snow AirPorts with white residue on the motherboard. However, not all the Snow's that are malfunctioning have this problem. Other problems could be a broken LAN card or a malfuntioning BIOS. Generally in those cases, the station can be repaired or reset.

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After talking with several engineers, we got mixed results about the white residue. Some of them believe that the board can be repaired by cleaning off the residue. We tried this on a few boards. It worked on maybe one board out of five. Several of our readers reported good results after cleaning off the residue, but others reported that the ABS went back to malfunctioning in time.

The white residue may be a symptom of severe damage. Interestingly, readers in more humid areas of the world report the problem more often. One suggestion to prevent damage is to drill several holes in the bottom of the shell casing and several in the inner metal casing. The holes allow more airflow and may help combat any damage caused by heat or humidity. It is never a good idea to keep the base station some where hot, so monitor the ABS area and watch for climate changes. Move the station to a cooler spot if it appears too warm.

If you decide to clean the board, a cotton swab with household rubbing alcohol or flux remover will work. The Q-tip brand cotton swabs seem to work the best and hold up longer without breaking apart. Be careful, dry the board, and use the alcohol sparingly. We are not responsible for what you do to your AirPort, so use this information at your own risk.

Contact us if you have comments

We are not tied to Apple, Inc. in any way, and the repair that we perform on your ABS will most likely void your warranty, which could be out of date anyway.