Followed the manual (hold down reset button while plugging device back in several times) - no dice.
I've restored from within AirPort Utility - old names of device keep showing up which manual tells me that a factory reset has not occurred.
Am I doing something wrong?
tx,
gc
MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS Sierra (10.12.1)
You might want to save yourself a lot of reading and experimenting, and try the software method....in case the reset button is simply not working.
On your Mac.....
Open AirPort Utility (Finder > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility)
Click on the picture of the AirPort Extreme
Click Edit in the smaller window that appears
Click the Base Station menu.....located up at the uppermost top of the Mac's screen where you see other menus like File, Window, Help, etc
Click Restore Default Settings
Thanks Bob, appreciate it - I've done that several times - shouldn't it finish that with no "old" associated names still in place?
I see the "restoring" message at the top (attempting again now) but when it finishes restoring, it shows up in "other wifi devices" but when i select it, it's still got my name and network in the first 2 cells...this is after the "Restore Default Settings" attempt is done.
See here: 
The screenshot indicates that you are setting up the AirPort Extreme again from scratch.....which could not occur unless it has been previously reset back to factory default settings.
If your name is Geoff, then Apple will always suggest by default that you name the network.....Geoff's Wi-Fi Network and name the device Geoff's AirPort Extreme. You might have used those names on your previous setup of the AirPort Extreme.
Use different names if you want. Edit the WiFi network name and base station name as you wish and continue to follow the prompts to finish the setup.
Ah. So you think it's been reset, just keeps putting that back in in case I want to reuse it.
I'm trying to factory reset just for selling.
It's confusing b/c this is at the bottom of the "Resetting AirPort" page:
Verifying a factory default reset
Check the base station's name. If the name is the same as the user defined it, then the device went into a soft reset instead of a factory default reset.
Close AirPort Utility.....no settings will be saved.....since the AirPort Extreme has factory default settings.
Do not open AirPort Utility again with that AirPort Extreme unless you want to set up the AirPort Extreme again with your own settings.
When the person who buys the AirPort Extreme opens AirPort Utility to set it up, they will see their own name appear as a suggestion for the WiFi network name and base station name.
Aware of that article - followed it to get to this point, thanks.
Trying to do a factory reset -
The AE doesn't need ethernet connected to do a factory restore, right?
Airport Extreme won't factory reset.
