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User profile for user: Douglas Urner
Douglas Urner Author
User level: Level 1
16 points

How to install AirPort Utility 5.6.1 on Mountain Lion

Just in case you'd like to use AirPort Utility 5.6.1 on Mountain Lion (and probalby Lion as well), here's how to install it:


  1. Download the disk image (you can find it here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1536).
  2. Mount the disk image and drag the install package (AirPortUtility.pkg) to your desktop.
  3. Fire up Terminal and prepare to show off…
  4. Make a temporary directory and cd into it: mkdir tmp ; cd tmp
  5. Extract the Payload file from the install package with xar, here's the command: xar -x -f ~/Desktop/AirPortUtility.pkg Payload
  6. The result will be a directory named AirPortUtility.pkg (just like the file, but now you can move into it to get the files you want). Inside will be a file called Payload that is a compressed archive of AirPort Utility.app.
  7. So our next move is to extract the app. Here's the command: gzcat AirPortUtility.pkg/Payload | tar -xf -
  8. When it finished there will be three new folders Applications, Library, and System. Your nice new copy of AirPort Utility 5.6.1 will be in the Utilities folder inside of the Applications folder. Use Finder to rename it (assuming you want to keep version 6 as well) then drag it to your Applications/Utilities folder.
  9. The other two folders hold the AirPort Base Station Agent and its supporting files. I'm not sure if you need/want these or not. As best I can figure the agent does two things: it checks for updates for AirPort Utility and it monitors AirPort base stations for problems. You probably already have a version running as it comes with the system and it seems to know how to talk to both versions of AirPort Utility (I got nagged about updating).
  10. The final step is to launch AirPort Utility and confirm that it works. You'll probably want to go into preferences and turn off the option to check for updates. If all is good you can remove the temporary directory: cd .. ; rm -rf tmp (or drag it into the trash with Finder).


That pretty much does it. I hope it helps somebody out there.

MacBook Pro (15-inch 2.4/2.2 GHz), OS X Mountain Lion, 4 GB

Posted on Aug 3, 2012 4:34 AM

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User profile for user: sean.peters
sean.peters
User level: Level 1
32 points

Nov 30, 2012 10:56 AM in response to Douglas Urner

Instructions fail at step 5 (xar). When I run the command, rather than seeing a directory by the name of "AirportUtility.pkg" with a "Payload" file inside it, I'm getting... another copy of an installer file: what looks like the same package I started with, only with a new creation date, and a smaller file size. So there's nothing to extract with tar (or gzcat). Kinda baffled here.


Any thoughts? I'm on a MacBook Pro, OSX 10.8.2.

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User profile for user: sean.peters
sean.peters
User level: Level 1
32 points

Nov 30, 2012 11:16 AM in response to sean.peters

Ok, I was ultimately successful. Neither tar nor gzcat was able to open the newly created package file, failing with an error something like "bad CPU type". But Finder gave me the option to look inside the archive, and I found the Payload file within. Dragged Payload into a new folder... but again, neither tar nor gzcat would open it, failing it with the same error. But it gave me the opportunity open it with an archive utility, which solved the problem... providing the three folders discussed. So I'm up and running.

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How to install AirPort Utility 5.6.1 on Mountain Lion

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