Apple AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n - MB321LL/A. How to set it up to my new iMac

Make sure you have the computer (or iphone ipad) close to the express.

It is much easier now using the airport utility on iOS v6 or greater.. just download it.

If you are stuck using the Mac.

1. Ensure you have ipv6 in the wireless client of the computer set to link local.. this is now essential.

2. Reset the airport express to factory settings.

It will then show up in the airport utility as a new device to be setup. You then simply run through the utility and setup as your network requires.

Hi LaPastenague

1. Ensure you have ipv6 in the wireless client of the computer set to link local.. this is now essential.

I'm curious why you believe this is essential. None of my devices are configured that way, using any network, anywhere in the US or elsewhere. They're all set to Configure IPv6 "automatically" and everything works exactly I expect it should.

Apple did say it was important.

If the units do not show up in the airport utility then you must set it correctly to link-local.

Steps for OS X Lion or Mountain Lion

This can happen if IPv6 has been disabled. To enable IPv6 for your network interface:

1. Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, and then click Network.
2. If a lock icon appears in the lower-left corner, click it and enter your admin name and password to unlock the pane.
3. Click your network service (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) in the list, and then click Advanced.
4. Click the TCP/IP tab.
5. Choose Link-local only from the Configure IPv6 pop-up menu.
6. Click OK.
7. Click Apply.

AirPort base station not seen or "An unexpected error occurred" appears in AirPort Utility 6.3

Apple rep says the same.

Re: Unexpected error when connecting Airport Express A1264 to Airport Utility 6.3.1

I am searching as I saw it in a thread today where a person had issues. (No contribution from me in the thread but found that was the issue).

It is kind of a fail safe.. since auto can end up with any setting.. and it will depend on the setting of ipv6 in the Airport Router if it works properly in the computer.. setting it to the correct value is one step in sorting out problems when people get in a mess.

Here was the thread I remembered.. Only as my mind turns to mush with age it was setting IPv6 in the router that was important.

my airport express won't stay connected

See the last post. (for the life of me I cannot figure out how to ref particular post.)

I had a longstanding dialog with Apple regarding BTMM and setting IPv6 to "Link-local only" was the very first suggestion they made. Unfortunately that didn't help, neither did anything else they recommended, until finally an OS X point update fixed it. You can find that sordid tale elsewhere in ASC (this link should work).

As I recall the problem existed in each early release of ML and Mavericks and it took a couple of updates to fix it each time.

Over the course of troubleshooting Apple instructed me to hard reset the Extremes / TCs and make no other configuration changes, which left it at "automatic" and that's where it remains.

OS X 10.9.2 or 3 fixed it, so the KB article may no longer be applicable. I'm sure that Apple would still make "Link-local only" their first suggestion again though 😝

Sorry to thread-jack. Thanks for the explanation.

In the for what it is worth department - I got one of the first Apple a/c routers and since I had to do a manual install on a business T1 line, in a PC environment, I used the 5.6.1 Windows 7 version - I set the ipv6 to link only local and everything was fine - however when I bought one for home, I used my iPad to set it up automatically - so it set the ipv6 to auto - and it basically made iTunes unusable - I had to update iTunes and change ipv6 to link only local and everything worked - it looked like air-play did not like Ipv6 in auto mode - don't have a clue as to why - if any one has an idea - let us know - and in the beginning I was told that you can't use the old Airport Utilities for the new a/c routers but I do it all the time - you just have to figure out that some of the new choices are worded differently but do the same functions.

Regards,

Charlie M

I think we are hijacking the thread.

But you will find the windows version of the airport utility seems to still semi function.. the apple one does not.. also corresponds that Apple have never bothered with a further windows airport utility.. of the v6 type.

I think you will find airplay and bonjour are also tied up with ipv6 in latest setups.. Doing a search on link-local I see there are complexities all over the place.