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Airport Utility v 6.3 Fails to See Airport Extreme or Express

After updating Airport Utility from 6.2 to 6.3, the utility no longer recognized either Airport Extreme base station or Airport Express. Both of these devices are at firmware level 7.6.3 which is current. The Airport Utility display showed the internet globe with a green indicator. (Wireless internet was indeed working.) Neither Airport device showed and the utility searched endlessly.


Apple support suggested trying a physical connection to the base station. When the Airport Utility was directed to look through the ether hose rather than over the waves (menu, upper left corner of display screen), it found both devices immediately. Apple support person determined my base station was manufactured in 2007 (serial number) and, though we did not check, I believe the Express was probably about a year later. Returning to wireless access caused the devices to become invisible again,


An Apple support case number 454816175 has been opened dealing with the inability of Airport Utility 6.3 to recognize older Extreme and Express devices over the Wi-Fi interface.


I earlier posted by mistake a comment on this problem to a discussion regarding firmware levels.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Jun 11, 2013 3:21 PM

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65 replies

Jun 12, 2013 7:48 AM in response to williamfromames

I have experienced a similar issue immediately after updating Airport Utility to version 6.3. However, I don't really believe this is limited to the "inability of Airport Utility 6.3 to recognize older Extreme and Express devices over the Wi-Fi interface". And I say this because I purchased my Airport Extreme base station in 2012 (that should eliminate the "older devices" theory). Also, it has always been directly connected via ethernet to my Mac (that should eliminate the "over the Wi-Fi interface" theory), since I use the wireless network strictly for my Apple TV and iPad.


I have tried rebooting the Airport Extreme, rebooting the Mac, re-installing the Airport Utility and finally just shutting down and rebooting the entire network. Nothing changed. The only fix I have found is to revert back to version 6.2 of the Airport Utility. Ovbviously that works fine.


My uneducated guess is (since this version was released to support the newly announced Airport base station with 802.11ac) that there may be more widespread compatibility issues with a variety of "pre-802.11ac" Airport devices...

Jun 12, 2013 8:18 AM in response to Hank Sitzman

Even though your Mac is physically connected, is your Airport on the Mac active? The Airport Utility (at least from my limited experimentation) must be told explicitly to use the ethernet using the "Other Airport Base Stations" dropdown menu at the upper left side of the window. When I selected "ethernet" instead of WiFi in that menu, the devices appeared.


If you've already done this, my apologies for nagging and the problem is obviously more complex.

Jun 12, 2013 10:59 AM in response to williamfromames

Been thinking about this a little further. (And I still have to check it when I get home this evening.) Unless the update to version 6.3 changed the settings that you speak of, under the "Other Airport Base Stations" dropdown menu, then I still basically have a situation where version 6.2 sees my Airport without a problem and version 6.3 does not. Isn't that correct? If I have not changed these settings manually, then wouldn't it be safe to assume that it is still exactly as it was with version 6.2? (Why would version 6.3 change this on its own?) In that case, I am guessing that this menu setting has to be set a certain way for 6.3 to see my Airport, and the setting didn't matter with version 6.2? I think I am giving myself a headache. Ha, ha. Does any of this make sense to you?

Jun 12, 2013 11:36 AM in response to Hank Sitzman

Well, I'll throw amother wrench in the gears. Like you, I am at the office. Here my desktop system is wire connected. Airport is turned off. Now, I don't have access to my home system from here, but I do have Airport Utility and it happens to be version 6.2. I fired it up and found that the ethernet vs WiFi choice does not even appear in the drop down menu. I turned on Airport: no difference. It is possible that one of the changes with 6.3 was to add the ability to specify path and that they screwed it up.

Jun 12, 2013 11:45 AM in response to Hank Sitzman

I have the same situation after going from Airport Utility 6.2 to 6.3 with the following:


2 x Airport Extreme 5th Gen with 7.6.1

3 x Airport Express 2nd Gen (plug in with N) with 7.6.1


All of the above are hard wired into my LAN, but the problem is when I am connected with my MacBook Air over Wi-Fi and try to use Airport Utility 6.3.


I have always kept Airport Utility 5.6 around, and use it for certain things, and it still works perfectly.


Side note, I use 7.6.1 because 7.6.3 simply was broken, and I am not the only one.


I have a feeling that Apple boned their QA of this. I am going to check the "Other Airport Base Stations" setting when I get back home, but I am not hopeful.


Good news is that I have 2 of the new AE with 802.11ac on the way, along with the new MacBook Air, so I am not too worried, but still...

Jun 12, 2013 11:59 AM in response to williamfromames

That was going to be my next guess... that this menu choice wasn't even available in 6.2 and, therefore, not an issue. So, it sounds like, as you said, a QC issue that went completely overlooked. I believe, at this point, I will simply stick with 6.2 until such time as 6.3 is fully sorted out. Absolutely not a big deal. Thanks for all the info.

Jun 12, 2013 2:38 PM in response to StagrLee

My connected Airport Extreme also disappeared, but only after a firmware upgrade that showed up when I fired up the new Airport Utility. Until the firmware upgrade, the new Airport Utility DID see the base station, but presented a warning that I needed to make the update.


I CAN "Configure Other" in the Airport Utility (File menu) to see and adjust everything about my base station, using its known IP address and password, but this does not put the base station into the graphical interface as it was prior to the utility and firmware upgrade.


The Finder has no problem seeing my networked hard drives and USB printer, so obviously the base station IS participating in the network. My internet comes independently from a Uverse wireless gateway: the Airport base station cannot "extend" these networks, only "join" them, so it's now relegated to being a server for those wirelessly networked drives and the printer.


And just as I finish typing this, newsflash: My base station just appeared in the graphical interface! It asked for permission to access my Keychain after the Utility idled for easily 15 minutes looking for a device, then boom, there it was. I quit and restarted the Airport Utility and it's still there.

Jun 13, 2013 6:28 AM in response to williamfromames

Same problem here. I have both a 4th and a 5th generation Airport Express. The 4th generation Airport Express is wired to the Internet, while the 5th generation one is in my office as an extention. I am connected to that one via Ethernet. Everything else in the house is wireless. Airport Utility 6.2 saw both. Airport Utility 5.6, which I kept around, does too. I have no trouble accessing the drives attached to either base station. Airport Utility 6.3 sees both of them on WiFi (using that drop-down mentioned above) but can't connect to them. When I select Ethernet in the drop-down the cursor just spins. I also run iNet to monitor my network. It sees activity on both base stations. I just downloaded Airport Utility 6.2 and will install that.

Airport Utility v 6.3 Fails to See Airport Extreme or Express

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