How can I set up the AirPort Express (1st Generation) with OS X El Capitan (10.11.3) iOS (9.2.1)?

You can aslo run the old Airport Utility that allows configuration of the earliest Airport Express by downloading and following these instructions:

I have 6 of the "non-supported" Airport Express units in my network.

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How can I set up the AirPort Express (1st Generation) with OS X El Capitan (10.11.3) iOS (9.2.1)???

Apple uses confusing names for their products. You likely have an "old" AirPort Express that was produced before Apple began to offer the 802.11n 1st Generation products in 2008. So, it's not really a 1st Generation version of the product as far as Apple is concerned.

Please look on the side of the AirPort Express for the model number. It's hard to see with gray lettering on a white background, so you may need good lighting and reading glasses.

The model number of a 1st Generation AirPort Express is A1264. You are likely seeing a different number.....either A1084 or A1088....which are both much older 802.11b/g wireless versions of the Express that were sold before Apple began to use the Generation naming with 802.11n products in 2008.

If you have the A1084 or A1088 version, you will need to have.....or be able to borrow for 20 minutes or so.....an older Mac running the Leopard (10.5.x) or Snow Leopard (10.6.x) operating systems, or a PC that has AirPort Utility for Windows installed on the device.

The reason for this is that Apple dropped support of the older A1084 and A1088 versions of the Express about 3 years ago.

I tried to install the older version and it said it said it can't be installed. "The version of Mac OS X on this volume is not supported".

Did you have suggestions on getting it to load? It was literally on and playing, the mac crashed and it came back on without working.

If you have an older 802.11g AirPort base station, Bob has already provided the answer. You will need either a Mac running OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard, or a Windows PC to be able to run the version of the AirPort Utility to administer these older base stations.

I'm sorry to be dense - do you mean that I need to use another computer with an old OS to use it? Or procure one (I have one) to install the old utility?

I need a bit more clarity on what he means. "...or be able to borrow for 20 minutes or so.." implies it's something I can make work on 10.11.3.

Am I misunderstanding? Thanks so much for your help!!! I hate to see it go to a landfill when it was working yesterday.

Let me try to explain it a bit more.

Again, this only is relevant if your base station is an 802.11g model. This required a version of the AirPort Utility that DOES NOT run on the newer versions of OS X. It also does not run on iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch)

The version you need will only run on earlier versions of OS X. As mentioned, either Leopard or Snow Leopard. You would need to use a Mac that is running one of these operating systems. Either you have one or you will need to borrow one from a friend or relative.

However, why bother? These base station models are old. Well past their useful lives and potentially problematic. Albeit, at a cost, it would be better to just get a newer 802.11n model.

Make sense now?

Here is what I said above:

......

you will need to have.....or be able to borrow for 20 minutes or so.....an older Mac running the Leopard (10.5.x) or Snow Leopard (10.6.x) operating systems, or a PC that has AirPort Utility for Windows installed on the device.

What this means.......

You would need to have an older Mac that was using the older Leopard (10.5.x) or the older Snow Leopard (10.6.x) operating system, or a PC with AirPort Utility for Windows installed on the device.......to be able to configure and administer the older version of the AirPort router. Newer operating systems like El Capitan (10.11.x), Yosemite (10.10.x), Mavericks (10.9.x) and Mountain Lion (10.8.x) do not have a compatible version of AirPort Utility that could be used to administer the older AirPort Express.

If you did not have an older Mac running Leopard or Snow Leopard, or a PC in your possession......but you could borrow one from a friend for the 15-20 minutes that it might take to set up the older AirPort router.....then that might be an option for you.

Apple has classified the older AirPort Express that you have as officially "obsolete". That means that Apple will not offer any kind of support for the product, even if you are willing to pay them. But, if you have access to a Mac using an older operating system or a PC.......and assuming that the AirPort Express is still functioning correctly........(It should have failed 4-5 years ago)......you might be able to make it go a bit longer.

Got it, the Airport Express needs to be re setup (following the crash yesterday) and if I do it with an old machine it might work again.

I have a newer one at my studio, just hate forced obsolescence. It was a beautiful sunny day with windows open and tunes going and then BOOM 😟

Thank you both for your help!

Good luck!

If the AirPort Express "crashed", that may indicate a hardware failure. Pat yourself on the back for your amazingly good luck with the older AirPort Express. Most of us only got 3-4 years of use, on average, for these AirPorts.

Please do not post links to unsupported hack software on the forum. It is impossible to offer support for things like this.

The forum moderators will likely remove this link soon.