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"No base stations found"

Trying to set up airport expresses around the house as clients behind an eero mesh network to stream airplay music to some "dumb" stereos. Here's my scenario:

  1. did a hard restart on airport express (unplug > hold reset button > plug in > continue holding reset button until yellow light blinks rapidly)
  2. hardwired it to eero router (via a switch port)
  3. hardwired it to my MacBook pro
  4. turned off wifi on my MacBook pro
  5. selected the airport express from "Other Devices" within the airport utility
  6. selected Add to existing network under Other Options and clicked next
  7. received error.


Not sure what to do. Any thoughts?

Posted on Mar 7, 2020 7:16 AM

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Posted on Mar 7, 2020 1:38 PM

You are starting it in a way that will lead to the wrong result.


It is possible to get the right result with manual setup which we can layout for you but I think it is much easier and faster to do this by wifi.


Reset the Airport. No ethernet at all.

With the airport near the computer or iOS device version airport utility sometimes works a lot better. I don't have time to explain much but here goes.



Wrong setup is chosen by default



Need Other Options



Pick the right wifi network. This is asus router



Put in new AE name and password



Worked.. yeah!! Took a long long time.




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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 7, 2020 1:38 PM in response to peddlerpgm

You are starting it in a way that will lead to the wrong result.


It is possible to get the right result with manual setup which we can layout for you but I think it is much easier and faster to do this by wifi.


Reset the Airport. No ethernet at all.

With the airport near the computer or iOS device version airport utility sometimes works a lot better. I don't have time to explain much but here goes.



Wrong setup is chosen by default



Need Other Options



Pick the right wifi network. This is asus router



Put in new AE name and password



Worked.. yeah!! Took a long long time.




Mar 7, 2020 3:30 PM in response to peddlerpgm

Not sure what to do.


Suggest that you think about how the AirPort Express will connect to your network. If it will connect using a wireless connection.....then that is the way that you would want to set things up.....with a wireless connection.....not Ethernet.


Why? If you set up the Express using an Ethernet connection, then it will assume that this is the way that it will connect to the network, which is not the way that it will actually connect to the network, so even if it appears that the setup might work initially, the Express still won't be able to connect to the network correctly.


So, we'll need for you to clarify "how" the Express(es) will connect to your Eero network. Will they connect using wireless....or will they connect using a permanent wired Ethernet connection? The setup for wireless and wired is completely different, so trying to choose to "Add" the Express with an Ethernet connection won't work.


In other words, you need to go with the setup that the AirPort Utility setup "helper" or "wizard" suggests, not try to change settings and set things up manually.


Next item.......the IPv6 setting on your Mac may not be set to the correct Link Local Only setting for IPv6.....and the AirPorts use IPv6 for their communication on the network......so that might have a lot to do with the error(s) that you are seeing.


Finally, when all else fails when you are trying to use a Mac for the setup of the Express, sometimes an iPhone or iPad will do the trick. Why? The iOS version of AirPort Utility has fewer bugs than the Mac version.......which often surprises users.





"No base stations found"

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