What happens during a hard reset?
The light flashes green a few times, then AirPort Express restarts. For a short time, AirPort Express will not be visible in the AirPort menu or AirPort Admin Utility. The whole process takes approximately 45 seconds to complete. You may then use AirPort Express in its default state, reload a saved profile, or reconfigure it using either the AirPort Express Assistant or AirPort Admin Utility. During reset, AirPort Express loads the following default settings:
* Set to request IP address by DHCP.
* Base station password is "public".
* Base station name reverts to "Base Station XXXXXX", where XXXXXX is the last six digits of the wireless MAC address.
* Network name is "Apple Network XXXXXX", where XXXXXX is the last six digits of the wireless MAC address.
A MAC (media access control) address is a unique hardware identification number for a network port. AirPort Express has two MAC addresses: one for the wired Ethernet port and one for the wireless Ethernet port. The wireless MAC address is also known as the AirPort ID.