Administer old Snow Airport Base Station

I have an old "Snow" airport base station. I use it to connect to DSL (the DSL modem is in bridge mode) and to provide WiFi access for my laptop. It always just works. I have a dim recollection of configuring it with a utility. Haven't done it for a long time. I still have the passwords.
As I recall, the administration utility is called "AirPort Setup Assistant for Graphite or Snow." The version number is 3.4.3. It won't launch. I get a dialog box that says it won't work this version of my OS (10.6.6)
I looked around, thought I found the current version of this utility, downloaded it. It's called "AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow". Version is 4.2.5. This won't launch either. Similar error message.
Do I have the right utility? Do I need to download a different version?
Is my Airport Base Station hopelessly obsolete? (It still works, but I can't change the configuration.)
Thanks in advance
Tim

Thanks for your reply, Barney.
I get a bit confused, because one utility administers the base station, and another one administers the WiFi. I forget which is which.
My MacMini has built in WiFi, I think, but it's turned off and I don't need it. I'm connected to the internet by the Ethernet cable that comes from the Airport base station. I just want to configure the Airport base station (Snow).
I have "AirPort Utility" version 5.5.2. It will launch. I get a notification: "Airport Utility was unable to find any AirPort wireless devices. Make sure the AirPort wireless devices you want to set up is plugged in and in range of your computer, then click rescan to try again."
Hope that's clear.
I'm stumped. Not sure where to go from here.
Best regards,
Tim

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Snow Airport Base Station

I have a Snow Airport Base Station model M8440, Part # M8209LL/A serial # UV145392M2C
I have repeatedly attempted a factory default reset on it with a MacBook Pro 15" running 10.5.8 without success following the directions at: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3728?viewlocale=en_US
During a soft reset, when attempting to connect to the base station with the *AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow* Version 4.2.5 (425.1) I get the following error message:
--- Begin Error Sheet ---
AirPort Admin Utility does not support this base station.
Use AirPort Utility, located in the Utilities folder inside the Applications folder, or install it from the CD that came with your base station.
Check www.apple.com/airport for the latest version of AirPort Utility.
--- End Error Sheet ---
It seems to be reading the base station data, as the title bar of the window has the base stations name in it.
When attempting to connect to the base station using the *AirPort Utility* Version 5.4.2 (542.22) I get an error -6753.
I do not know what version of the base station software the base station is running. It has not been used in at least 4 years. As far as I can tell it seems to be operating correctly by attempting to dial out to connect to the internet when it is in soft-reset mode.
I do not remember the WEP password for the base station which is the reason I want to reset it.

But isn't the wired ip address different from the wireless ip addresses?
They are on the same subnet (for example all will start with something like 192.168.1).
It also asks for a Gateway address (DEF. Gateway: 0.0.0.0 - is that the airport ip address?) and the BOOTP/DHCP Server: 0.0.0.0. (is that the dsl service provider address?)
Those both should be set to the LAN side IP address of the ABS (for example 192.168.1.1 if your ABS is providing 192.168.1.x addresses).

HT3486 I have a old 2005 airport base station

Will it still be compatible with my newer devices?

Almost certainly, but some features are unavailable with a circa 2005 AirPort Base Station. It is capable of 2.4 GHz only, while newer ones support both 2.4 and 5 GHz. However, I know of no wireless device that requires 5 GHz so yours will work. The 2.4 GHz spectrum is crowded and thus more susceptible to interference from competing wireless networks.
Newer base stations also use the faster 802.11n protocol. Yours is capable of 802.11b/g only. Also, you will eventually need a newer base station to comply with IPv6 requirements. This is not a major problem today, but it will become one in the future.
If you want to stream video or use AirPlay then you may not be satisfied with its performance.

Restoring old Graphite Airport Base Station

So, I picked up an old graphite base station second hand. I brought it home, plugged it in and eventually got it fired up and broadcasting a network. Turns out the previous owners used it for unsecured wi-fi, so it didn't need a password to get on to the internet. However, I wanted to go and configure it and tweak it to my liking, so I decided to go and wipe it clean and set it up myself.
I downloaded the neccesary utility here http://support.apple.com/downloads/AirPortAdmin_Utility_for_Graphite_and_Snow_4_25 , and found the instructions for a hard reset here http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2439 .
I set my ethernet settings on my macbook according to step 2, connected a CROSSOVER cable between my macbook and the ABS, and reset the power and held down the reset button when the three lights flashed amber. I waited about thirty seconds after the middle light stayed amber. I opened up the Airport Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow and hit "Configure". Because I had never done this before, I picked the "Automatic" option. The utility asked me for my system password, which I entered. It showed a message about writing some kind of configuration which stayed for about 15 seconds before ending in an error message which read "An error occurred while updating configuration".
This is as far as I have got. I have repeated this sequence at least 15 times, and each time it ends in the same way, at the same spot. I have a sneaking suspicion that a hard reset has NOT occurred, as if I unplug and plug back in the ABS, it resumes it's wifi network settings (I'm using it right now!).
I have trawled the internet, looking for help on this matter. While I have found many articles, none have offered an actual solution to this particular problem. People explain parts in great detail, but everything kinda tapers off when it gets to answering the tough questions.
That's about it, I hope someone can offer me some assistance on what else I should try.

Hello
I am curious to know if you have succeeded at all since your last post. Do the lights (L and R) blink green intermittently now?
Once you are inside the Utility, (if you got this far) something that might need to be checked out is the connection method for internet access in the Network Pane for configuration. That is, de-select 'Connect using PPoE', instead choose 'Built-In Internet, configure using DHCP'. I am too much of a rookie to understand all the terminology. The above made not too much sense but it worked while I had an iBook running Tiger.
I came across this as I can't access the internet via my same base station from my Acer netbook, although others can using their own machines, so looking around.
Good luck otherwise and sorry if it didn't help,
"I want to be a Mac"

Adjusting the NAT settings on a snow airport base station

Hello,
Is it possible to adjust the NAT settings on the snow base station to lower them from strict? I'am trying to use xbox live and it wont allow online gaming or audio chatting because the NAT settings are set to strict. Thanks again for any help. It is much appreciated!!
Vinny

Adding to what Duane has already said...
It is extremely important that you manually assign your XBox a static IP address outside the range of IP addresses used by the Base Station's DHCP server. I suggest 10.0.1.201. The XBox will also need you to specify a subnet mask (255.255.255.0), router/gateway address (10.0.1.1), and probably the DNS server addresses of your ISP (get these from one of your Macs already connected to the internet). If you don't do this - and simply use the IP address your XBox has already been automatically assigned - port mapping may work unreliably if it works at all.

Airport base station m8440?

i recently bought a second hand airport base station and would like to use it to extend the range of my current wireless internet. I dont seem to see any options for relaying or wds in my configuration options. Is this base station to old?

damonhyland, Welcome to the discussion area!
That is an older 802.11b Dual Ethernet [aka "Snow"] AirPort base station (ABS). KB 107908, Identifying AirPort hardware
It does not support WDS. You can see the features of that ABS in iFelix's table.

LaCie external drive plugged to airport base station?

Hi everyone!
Is it possible to do that? I have an LaCie external hard drive and I'm thinking that it would be very use full if i could plug it strait to the base station. So that way i could be anywhere in my house an would be able to access my storage all the time. Anyone as got an idea on that matter? I would use a USB connection for that because there is no FW port on the base station.
Is it possible?
thank you
Alx

No you can't do that. The graphite and snow AirPort base station (ABS) only have Ethernet ports.
The AirPort Extreme base station (AEBS) and AirPort Express do have USB ports but that is only for a single compatible printer. (There are a few exceptions, see What kind of USB devices...?.)
The only way to connect a drive to a base station is if that drive is a network drive that is designed to connect to an Ethernet network.

Trying to connect an XBOX 360 to my airport base station via ethernet cabl

Hello,
I have the older snow airport base station and was trying to connect my xbox 360 to it via an ethernet port. There are only 2 ethernet ports on the snow base station. one is being used by the cable coming from my dsl modem. the other free port i tried plugging into my xbox 360 to no avail. the xbox cant get an ip address. the open ethernet port on the base station is labeled with the circle logo. the one being used by my dsl modem has the two outer pointing arrows. I turned off the airport to my macbook and tried to connect my macbook to that port my xbox was in and it would not connect to the net either. Is it possible, i have the ports backwards. my wireless internet for all 3 mac computers works fine. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Thanks!!!
Vinny

Yes, you have the ports connected backwards.
The WAN port is labelled with the "circle of dots" icon, and must be connected to your DSL modem.
The LAN port is labelled with the "double-headed arrow" icon, and that is where you connect ethernet cabled devices on your LAN.
See Apple's article AirPort Base Station: About the WAN and LAN Ports
What is surprising is that you haven't previously run into all sorts of problems with your existing setup. Once you cable things properly, you will likely have to power down your DSL modem and Base Station for a while (sometimes just an instant, sometimes overnight). After waiting, plug the modem into power and wait a minute. Then plug the base station into power and wait for it to restart.

Adding password to old Airport Base Station.

I need to password protect the old Airport Base Station (dual ethernet). I have tried the support documents but it did not work. I have an express plugged in and my Airport Utility only sees that one. I have tried plugging the old base station into the iMac with an ethernet cable but then got stuck.
I'm using an iMac with OSX 10.5.4.
Any help?
Thanks.

Ok, the version you just downloaded should be compatible with both Tiger and Leopard. It's primary purpose is for administrating the old 802.11b AirPort Base Stations, both the Snow and the Graphite. The new AirPort Utility replaces both the AirPort Admin Utility and the AirPort Setup Assistant. So between the AirPort Utility and AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow, you should be able to administer any of the AirPorts.
Do you still happen to have the old AirPort Admin Utility or AirPort Setup Assistant installed on your Mac? If so, this might be the reason for the error message.

How to configure old AirPort Base Stations with current Mac

Hi everyone,
I noticed that you can't use the current AirPort Utility to configure old AirPort Base Stations. I'm talking about the pre-Extreme models that only had 802.11b (Graphite and Snow). It won't find them and even entering their IP manually won't let you enter the configuration.
Copying over the older AirPort Admin Utility from a 10.3 system won't let you configure them either, the app itself runs fine though. You need to use an older PPC Mac with OS 9 or max OS X 10.3 if I recall correctly.
Is there a way to do it directly from a current Intel Mac running Leopard?
Thanks
Björn

*Airport Admin Utility* for Graphite and Snow
<http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/apple/application_updates/airportadminuti lityforgraphiteandsnow425.html>

If i purchase a new airport base station can I use my old airport extreme 802.11n (3rd Gen) as both an extender of my wife for multiple iphones and as a router?

I operate an old airport extreme base station 802.11n (3rd gen).
There are 4 iphone5's and 1 iphone4 on my network along with 2 laptops running 10.6.8 and 10.7 respectively as well as two desktops with the same configurations as the laptops.
I get a sense that the iphones may/will be useless the new airport.
Can I use the old base station (operating as an extender/bridge/router) so that older equipment will operate in the short term until they are upgraded?
Thank you.

I get a sense that the iphones may/will be useless the new airport
They will work fine with a new AirPort base station. You can use an iPhone or iPad to set up and configure the new base station. If you want to use a Mac to set up and configure the new AirPort, it will need to have at least Lion 10.7.5 installed. Mountain Lion 10.8 or Mavericks 10.9 could be used as well.
Can I use the old base station (operating as an extender/bridge/router) so that older equipment will operate in the short term until they are upgraded?
You can use the older AirPort base station to extend the wireless network. No updates will be needed to your iPhones or Macs.

Old airport base station quits working several times and week and won't let

me change the password.
I changed the password on my ibook and reset the airport base station but it still will not change the wpa2 password to the new one. I'm changing the password to rule out anyone having hacked into the network. Several times a week the whole network goes down and I have to turn off power to the base station to get it working again.
I have plugged it into a battery backup ups but that has not prevented it from crashing.

Pick, a quick Google search for "Airport Firmware 5.5.1" yielded the following link:
http://mac.sofotex.com/download-122643.html
I sense you're getting frustrated - I have a gift for such perceptiveness. Anyway, I wish I could explain your problems but I have no magic bullet for what you're experiencing. All I can offer is to suggest you download and install the above firmware. Hopefully the link works; I haven't tried it. There may be other ways of obtaining 5.5.1 but none was immediately apparent from Apple. Once installed, stick with firmware 5.5.1. As I noted I suffered major problems with 5.6 and have heard anecdotal reports of similar problems with 5.7 though apparently they're much rarer. My Extremes run literally forever without problems so I hope yours can too.
Next, disable all the encryption on your network for the duration of your troubleshooting. Simplify things as much as possible - remove all but one wireless client from your network. Perform a "hard reset" of your Extreme and reconfigure it from new. Run things like that for a while and see if anything changes.
Is it possible you're suffering from poor power quality e.g. dropouts, surges, sags, etc? Have you tried a UPS or at least a surge suppressor? I had a spell last summer when the utility would shut off power for a half second a day, literally, a half second, once a day, every day, for weeks. It drove me nuts. They immediately stopped this nonsense the moment I started running my Airport off a battery.

Old AirPort Base Station

I am trying to set a password on my AirPort Base Station, but Airport Utilities doesn't recognize it. How can I fix this?

Hi - which password are you trying to change? - and did you attach a computer that has the Airport Utility on it directly to the Extreme with an ethernet cable and try see it that way?

AirPort Utility 6.3.2 doesn't see older AirPort Base Station

I have an old AirPort Base Station (2001 model, Dual Ethernet, "Snow", actually not "Graphite", though apparently that's the correct category here), which was previously configured with my MacBook Pro running MAC OS X 10.6.8. I've just started it up, with the DSL modem connected to it, and I'm able to connect to it (and get Internet) from my new MacBook Pro running 10.9.4 just fine. However, the latest AirPort Utility v.6.3.2 doesn't see it, says "No configured AirPort base stations have been found. AirPort Utility will continue searching." – although its window does show a green button next to the word Internet, showing (I assume) that there's an Internet connection. Does anybody know how to configure an old APBS like this from 10.9.4? AirPort Utility v.5.6.1 apparently can't be used with 10.9; is there a version that can, and will see this older AirPort Base Station?

Does anybody know how to configure an old APBS like this from 10.9.4?
Not in any way that Apple would support, or that we could discuss on this forum.
Not recommending that you try a solution from the Internet using an "unknown" author to "override" security settings on your Mac, but that would be the only way to possibly get AirPort Utility 5.6.1 to run on 10.9.4.

Airport Base Station No Longer Found in Network

Since applying the 10.5.2 upgrade yesterday my home network, routed via a cable modem and a formerly dependable original Airport Base Station, is no longer recognized by Airport Utility... and the Airport icon in the finder is continually scanning. I have found, however, that my network shows up as an available option in Network System Preferences...with a Connected status and an IP address (10.0.1.3).
I can connect to the internet and read email from my main iMac because I am also connected directly via ethernet, but my laptop can't find the Airport base station, either. I have reset, unplugged, restarted, check connections and cables, etc. Both Macs easily find my Airport Express, however. I'm concerned the new update no longer supports the original base station...
On another (unrelated?) note, my external backup HD (250GB Seagate), connected by Firewire, is now recognized as "Read Only," whereas it has always had read/write permission (confirmed in Get Info). So now my backup is failing, too. Sorry to introduce a new topic, but I'm frustrated!

Firmware is uploaded onto the base station itself and is different from AirPort Utility. Although you probably cannot confirm it without connecting to the base station, I think it highly unlikely that you use a firmware version earlier than 6.1.1 (which came out in 2004). If newer firmware is contained in software on your computer, AirPort Admin Utility and/or AirPort Utility should have prompted you to upload it to the base station, whereas if it is not on your computer, Software Update (assuming you use it) should have prompted you to obtain it. Even if your firmware is older than version 6.1.1, the reset procedure is virtually the same--in that case, you won't see the AX's status LED flashing rapidly a few seconds after you start holding the reset button, and you will just need to hold the reset button for 10 full seconds.
Once you connect to the base station, you should be able to see the firmware version (e.g., "Base Station Vx.x" where x.x is the firmware version) on the opening screen of AirPort Admin Utility for Graphite and Snow, when the base station is highlighted. I imagine that AirPort Utility shows similar information. I believe that in AirPort Utility, you can also check to see if newer firmware is available from Apple (choose "Check for Updates" in the AirPort Utility menu). To the best of my knowledge, the most current firmware version for AirPort Express is 6.3.

Administer old Snow Airport Base Station

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