Airport utility and Monterey

Ok.. I dragged out an ancient Express.. plugged it into the network.. and I think you have got the wireless setting wrong..

You cannot have the express plugged into ethernet AND set to join or extend wireless at the same time.

Here is mine set to join a wireless network..

And this is with ethernet.. and wireless turned off.. it must not be turned on.

Notice the dotted line when connected via wireless becomes solid with ethernet.

So go into the setup by clicking the Edit button..

And turn off wireless.

Airplay should then work fine.

If you wish to switch over you must go to edit and fix the wireless configuration.

Click on update at the bottom and continue..

Wait until the LED on the Express starts flashing and remove the ethernet plug.

I did leave ethernet in to see if I got the same effect as you.. and got stupid results..

It does not show an error but the Express was flashing Amber and was clearly having issues..

Once I removed ethernet and restarted the Airport Utility it settled back again.

If you still have trouble start over with a reset.. press and hold the reset button on the express with a pin for about 10sec .. then start from scratch.

STRONGLY recommend NOT using Apple recommended names. All names should be short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric. Passwords same rules but can be longer.

Mine has airplay working.

Where does your wireless name, Time Capsule Wi-Fi Network come from??

No TC is showing up in the Airport Utility.. if that is from old setup.. reset and start over.

BTW.. Thanks for the screenshot.. I did not know there was a firmware upgrade for the A1264 Express.. so that is helpful.

My issues are more complex. Sometime at or after the update to Monterey 12.2 or 12.2.1, my MBP is no longer able to use Airplay or connect to a Time Capsule. Up until then, I had no problems.

We have the following Airport devices:

• Airport Extreme - wireless off, bridge mode, used to connect Mac Mini via Ethernet and other devices (via Ethernet over Power) and to our Google Fiber Mesh satellite Router
• Airport Time Capsule - wireless off, bridge mode, connected via Ethernet over Power, used for redundant backup
• 3 Airport Express (all have updated firmware) - joined to network wirelessly, used only for Airplay to stereo systems

My wife and I have identical MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports). Both are fully updated to Monterey 12.2.1.

We also have a Mac Mini running High Sierra (for legacy apps).

From her MBP she can see and configure all of our Apple Airport devices and can Airplay to all of them. In Airport Utiltiy she can see and configure all of the Airport Devices. The same is the situation with our Mac Mini.

On my MBP, I can only see the Airport Extreme, the Time Capsule, and one of the Airport Express. I am unable to configure them from my MBP. On the Airport Express, it completes the configuration and joins the network, but while waiting for the AExpress to restart, it gives me an error message. I am able to reset and configure the Time Capsule.

I have tried everything I can think of to resolve the issues on my MBP. I have reset all of the Airport devices (multiple times). I have cleared NVRAM, caches, and even done clean installs of Monterey 12.2.1 and Big Sur. None have had any effect on my ability to use the airport devices from my MBP.

have brought out my old Airport Express devices

We are not sure how old "old" might be, so let's start by trying to find out which model of the AirPort Express(es) you might have.

Do the Express(es) have only one Ethernet port on the device? If yes, look on the side of the Express for the model number. It's hard to see......gray lettering on a white background.......so you may need good lighting and or reading glasses to see the number clearly. The model number starts with an "A" followed by 4 numbers.

You will either see A1084, A1088, or A1264. Post back to let us know.

Do the Express(es) have two Ethernet ports on the device? If yes, you have model A1392. Post back to let us know.

If you last used the AirPort Expresses about 3 years ago and are trying to get them going again, you likely already have the most recent version of firmware installed on the Express(es), since it has been about 3 years since Apple last provided an update for the AirPorts, which were discontinued almost 4 years ago.

If the Express(es) do appear in AirPort Utility normally, and you do not see an option to update the devices, you already have the most recent version of firmware installed.

If an update were available, you would see an Update button similar to the example below:

Do I throw my Airport Express devices away?

No, unless they are very very old. We'll know more about how "old" your Expresses might be if you can tell us what model numbers you have.

You need to give us some context.

What model Express and how many are you hoping to use.

Assuming your Express are Gen2 .. ie the ones with 2 ethernet ports.. A1392.. there is no need to update them.. 7.8.1 was the last firmware that came out a few years ago and since Apple stopped production in 2018.. unlikely to be any more.. ever.

Note 7.8.1 added airplay2 compatibility but it often doesn't work. Many people need to downgrade to last of the 7.6.9 or earlier firmware going back to airplay1 to get them working.

They maybe, should, be vaguely usable just as airplay devices. Strongly recommend using ethernet.. but client mode is available with wifi.. don't expect wonders from N wireless gear.

However earlier model Gen1.. A1264 are now really obsolete.. and even earlier ones again like A1088 are antiques.

You can possibly use them but don't expect great things from products that came out in 2008 or earlier. Plus no software support in airport utility.

What do I use instead to use my dynamic speakers remotely, without spending $$$ on fancy alternatives?

Bluetooth is only cheap alternative. But range is limited. Still you can buy Tx and Rx units cheap enough to experiment.

Ethernet of course should work if your house is already wired.. but very expensive if not.

It is still difficult to find alternatives that don't cost a bomb.. or actually are cheap and nasty Chinese stuff that may or may not work.

How can you downgrade from 7.8.1?

I doubt if this will help, but worth a try.

Open AirPort Utility

Click on the AirPort and a smaller window will appear

Hold down the option key on your Mac while you click on the current version number

A drop down list of available firmware will appear

Select the earlier version that you want to use

Please try the following from a Mac that can "see" the AirPort Express devices.

Open AirPort Utility, select an AirPort Express and click Edit in the smaller window that appears

Click the Internet tab at the top of the AirPort Utility window

Click the Internet Options button at the bottom of the AirPort Utility window

Make sure that the setting for Configure IPv6 is set to Link Local Only

Click Save

Click Update

Do the same for other AirPort Expresses

Regarding the Mac laptop that cannot "see" all of the Expresses in AirPort Utility.......there are "automatic" IPV6 settings on your Mac that may not be working automatic.ally, if the Mac cannot "see" all of the Expresses. Post back for instructions on how to manually set the laptop for Link Local Only for IPv6.

How can you downgrade from 7.8.1? When I click on the version, I don't see earlier versions, only 7.8.1.

Doh! Thanks.

All Airport devices are set to Link Local Only. MBP is set to Link Local Only.

Bob,

Between setting IPv6 to Link Local Only and/or downgrading the firmware versions, then clearing NVRAM and restarting my issues appear to be resolved.

Thank you!