Setting Up Airport Extreme (Snow - 2nd Generation) on Lion

Administering an original "round" 802.11b/g AirPort Extreme from a Lion computer will require a bit of effort on your part.

You will need one of two possible versions of AirPort Utility. Here are the links for both:

AirPort Utility 5.6

AirPort Utility 5.5.3

Unfortunately I no longer have your model Extreme so I am not certain if AirPort Utility 5.6 will work, but I am certain that AirPort Utility 5.5.3 will.

First: download AirPort Utility 5.6 and install it. It will be installed in your Utilities folder and will be named "AirPort Utility 5.6" to distinguish itself from 6.1. See if that version will recognize your Extreme.

If it does not, download AirPort Utility 5.5.3 and attempt to install it. I know that will recognize your Extreme, the problem is that I am not certain it runs in Lion. If you determine that AU 5.6 does not recognize your Extreme, and AU 5.5.3 won't run with Lion, then I'll have to think about this problem some more.

AirPort Utility 6.1 will not work with your Extreme so forget that. Leave it on your Mac, you can't delete it, so just ignore it.

... I couldn't find the app after the installation was completed.

Are you quite certain? If it installed it must be somewhere. If it did not, the package installer should have informed you that it "cannot be installed on this disk" or words to that effect.

The default location would be in Utilities.

Do a Spotlight search for it. It is also possible that it over-wrote AirPort Utility 6.1. Find what you think might be AU 6.1 and "get info" or just open it.

This KB article says AirPort Utility 5.6 should be able to administer your Extreme:

AirPort Base Station: How to set up and configure an 802.11g AirPort Extreme Base Station or AirPort Express in OS X Lion

If you are using OS X Lion and wish to set up or configure an older 802.11g AirPort Extreme Base Station, or 802.11g AirPort Express, manually download and install AirPort Utility 5.6. AirPort Utility 5.6 can be used to configure earlier 802.11g AirPort Extreme Base Station, and AirPort Express; it can also be used for 802.11n AirPort base stations.

So something else is wrong.

By the way I booted a Lion system and confirmed that AirPort Utility 5.5.3 will work. However, according to the above so should AU 5.6.

Remember that when you "hard reset" an Extreme, it creates an open network with the name "Apple Network nnnnnn". You must explicitly connect to that network.

If you're still having trouble, try connecting your Extreme directly to the MBP with an Ethernet cable. That usually works when connecting wirelessly does not.

I have this same problem on OS Sierra 10.12.1 can anyone help?

Sierra has added extra security, which will not let you install the software.

Use....or borrow for 10-15 minutes.....a Mac running an older operating system like Leopard (10.5.x) or Snow Leopard (10.6.x). A PC with AirPort Utility 5.6.1 for Windows would likely work as well.