Changed radio mode to 5 ghz using AirPort Utility, but download/upload speeds are unchanged.

I'm using both a Macbook that is 5 ghz compatible as well as an Airport Extreme that is able to transmit 5 ghz. When I switched my radio mode from 2.4 ghz to 5 ghz and ran speed tests, the download speed was at 2.7 mbps each time...in other words, switching to 5 ghz made no increase in my download/upload on the speedtest. Is there a reason for this?
Does the speed of my internet have an effect on how fast my wireless can transmit?
Thanks!

People have been talking about how their internet speeds have increased dramatically with the use of the 5GHz option.
Unfortunately, they don't have the correct facts that they need. As John says, your Internet connection speed is limited by your ISP. Even the slower 2.4 GHz "g" speed on your router is likely much faster than your Internet connection will allow, so having even higher speed capability with 5 GHz on your network buys you nothing as far as the Internet connection speed is concerned.
Simply stated, a router cannot "speed up" the Internet connection. That is controlled by your ISP. If you need faster Internet connection speeds, you need to check with your ISP about a faster....and more expensive....plan.
Where 5 GHz can help is on a local network between devices. Say, you want to copy a file from one computer to another, or from a computer to a hard drive over the wireless. In this case, 5 GHz will allow the data to transfer at a higher, faster rate than a 2.4 GHz connection.
The result is that it will take less time for the file transfer to occur using 5 GHz on your local network.

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HT5022 I'm trying to add a "new client" to my wireless network using Airport Utility, but I can't find that option in the new version. I've downloaded all available updates of the OS and the utility.. Help!

I'm trying to add my HP wireless printer as a "new client" to my wireless network using Airport Utility, but I can't find that option in the new version. I've downloaded all available updates of the OS and the utility.. Help!

Why would you need to ADD a new Client. Unless the APE sytem is completely different then any other Wireless router the printer should get an IP address from the router. That is IF the printer is setup to get an IP from the LAN DHCP server.
Now you may want to make that IP it does get a Staticly assign IP address so it never changes, which will screw up printing if it does change. But i don't know if you can do that with APE routers.

Changing Radio Mode on an Airport Extreme (ac)

I have a 1st Generation Airport Extreme (802.11ac) the tower.
Using Airport Utility 6.3.1 there is no option available for changing the radio mode.
I have tried using the option key allowed me to open a summary window when clicking on the Edit Button, but not under any other circumstances.
(As an aside, when the summary window is open, you have a better way of tracking the AP clients)
I also have an Airport Express (802.11n 1st generation) Airport Utility 6.3.1 shows some additional radio modes and more with the option key pressed (see figure below)
If I use the Applescript kludge to open Airport Utility 5.6.1, I can get the options below, but there are some severe warnings that using this version of Airport Utility has a good chance of ruining your AirPort configuration.
Question 1: will using 5.6.1 really harm things?
Question 1a: is there someway of getting these to be available on Airport Utility 6.3.1
Question 2: is there any advantage to using any of these modes available using 5.6.1?
Question 3: Since I've shown that my Macbook will NOT switch to a different AP even though the signal strength from that AP is much weaker than another AP until I toggle my wireless on the Macbook on and off --- would any of these modes below help to solve that problem?
Question 4: Since the Airport Express (n) can use only one frequency, and the default option of 802.11a/n-802.1b/g uses the 2.4GHz wireless, is there an advantage to changing it's radio mode to use the 5GHz frequency? Consider that the Airport Express (n) is primarily servicing an Apple TV.
Thanks
Options on an Airport Express (n) using Airport Utility 6.3.1 with the option key pressed.

Using Airport Utility 6.3.1 there is no option available for changing the radio mode.
Apple has decided for you that you no longer need to change the Radio Mode from the Automatic setting if you have an 802.11ac router.
Question 1: will using 5.6.1 really harm things?
If you are referring to the 802.11ac products, probably not, but it won't help either, and 5.6.1 is not supported with the 802.11ac AirPorts, so results may be unpredictable. If you try to use a setting that is not present in the 6.x version of AirPort Utility, the settings will not "stick" on the 802.11ac product when try to update it.
Question 1a: is there someway of getting these to be available on Airport Utility 6.3.1
No, not if you are using an 802.11ac Apple router.
Question 3: Since I've shown that my Macbook will NOT switch to a different AP even though the signal strength from that AP is much weaker than another AP until I toggle my wireless on the Macbook on and off --- would any of these modes below help to solve that problem?
No
Question 4: Since the Airport Express (n) can use only one frequency, and the default option of 802.11a/n-802.1b/g uses the 2.4GHz wireless, is there an advantage to changing it's radio mode to use the 5GHz frequency? Consider that the Airport Express (n) is primarily servicing an Apple TV.
The AirPort Expess A1264 is a single band router. The Airport Express A1392 is a simultaneous dual band router. The default wireless setting of the A1264 Express is 802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)......not 802.11a/n -- 802.11b/g which is one of the settings available for the A1392 Express.
802.11n only 5 GHz is capable of faster speeds than the 2.4 GHz band, so in theory your connection might be faster.....but it will also be weaker, so you would want to have close to a line-of-sight relationship between the Express and Apple TV for 5 GHz to work well. Unless you have an extremely fast Internet connection....higher than 150 Mbps.....5 GHz offers no advantage in that regard since your connection speed will be limited by your Internet connection plan.
If there are a number of other 2.4 GHz networks around you that might be interfering with your network, the 5 GHz option might be good choice since there are very few networks using that radio band....for now. That will all change very quickly in the next few years.
It could not hurt to try the 5 GHz option to see if you think it works better than 2.4 GHz. There are never any guarantees with wireless, so it is not possible to predict what the results might be until you actually try things out in your own home.

Erasing TM using Airport Utility erases printing/internet settings, too?

If I use Airport Utility and under Disks choose Erase, will this erase all my internet and wireless printer settings too? (My fingers are crossed that this isn't the case...)
Also, I have my iMac connected via ethernet and wirelessly. When I turn off Airport then the ethernet connection kicks in automatically. Am I correct in assuming that if I were to erase everything and start new, I should just keep Airport off (= is there anything in Airport Utility that I should do)?
On a slightly different note, Safari doesn't work when I connect via ethernet (only FIrefox does). Is there anything that comes to anyone's mind that would cause this? I have turned off TCP/IP - Configure IPv6 but that makes no difference.
Thank you so much.

Lisa Vogt wrote:
I really appreciate your responses.
In response to:
So the TC is not the devise generating your network? You have another wireless router? Then ethernet only is fine. In Airport Utility change Wireless to "OFF" and Internet to "OFF (Bridge Mode)".
TC is the device that I use for my wireless network (I do not have another wireless router, only an AirExpress in the living room hooked up to speakers). Should I change Wireless to OFF in Airport Utility only during the initial re-backing up of my data? When finished with the re-backing up of my data, should I change the settings? Will this interfere with my printer and AirExpress in the other room?
I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was only connected temporarily for the initial full backup. Then don't change any setting other than, turning OFF Airport Preferences (NOT Airport Utility) while connected to ethernet. Then, yes, turn it back ON once the backup is complete and you are no longer connected via ethernet. The idea here is that by turning OFF Airport Prefs while connected via ethernet, you are assured of the fastest connection speed to the TC. Otherwise, wireless may still take precedence and slow down the transfer.
In response to:
What do you mean by "Safari doesn't work?" Please be precise and as informative about the issue as possible.
It's strange... When connected by ethernet, Safari does not load. It just hangs. Firefox works without any problem. Since my iMac is right next to Time Capsule there is no need really for this computer to be connected wirelessly. I use wireless only because I prefer to use Safari. Any ideas at all?
Now, I'm a little confused. Do you intend on keeping the Mac connected to the TC via ethernet permanently since you say "no need really for this computer to be connected wirelessly."? If that's the case, then In Airport Utility set Wireless to "Create a wireless network" and Internet to "Share a public IP address".
Cheers!

'An unexpected error occurred' using AirPort Utility to configure an Extreme

Hi all, I've been fighting with this problem for a while. I have a 2011 Mac Mini running OS X 10.7.5 and AirPort Ulility 6.2. I also have a new-ish AirPort Extreme A1408. They've never really seemed to work properly together. The only way to configure the device is to manually launch the AirPort Utility, go "file > configure other" and enter the password "public" to log in and manually change the settings.
If I hard-reset (which I've been doing to troubleshoot another issue) and simply choose "Other AirPort Base Stations (1)" I can see my router in the drop-down. It goes through the process of gathering information and joining the default wireless network (I'm using the unsecured default right now as a matter of fact), but then the process ends with 'An unexpected error occurred'. Even with that message displayed, the default wi-fi connection stays up (clicking cancel kills the wi-fi connection immediately).
I can always go back through the "file > configure other" process and set it up manually, but then it never appears in the AirPort Utility as a connected base station - all I see is a green light for Internet and a "No configured base stations have been found" message.
Here's what I'm seeing in the Console:
13-05-25 11:12:27.000 PM kernel: MacAuthEvent en1 Auth result for: 20:c9:d0:20:4c:10 MAC AUTH succeeded
13-05-25 11:12:27.000 PM kernel: wlEvent: en1 en1 Link UP virtIf = 0
13-05-25 11:12:27.000 PM kernel: AirPort: Link Up on en1
13-05-25 11:12:27.000 PM kernel: en1: BSSID changed to 20:c9:d0:20:4c:10
13-05-25 11:12:27.889 PM configd: network configuration changed.
13-05-25 11:12:27.914 PM UserEventAgent: CaptiveNetworkSupport:CaptivePublishState:1211 en1 - Probe
13-05-25 11:12:27.914 PM UserEventAgent: CaptiveNetworkSupport:CaptiveStartDetect:2322 Bypassing probe on Apple Network 204c0f because signature is in the known good cache
13-05-25 11:12:27.915 PM UserEventAgent: CaptiveNetworkSupport:CaptivePublishState:1211 en1 - Unknown
13-05-25 11:12:27.923 PM configd: network configuration changed.
13-05-25 11:20:29.000 PM kernel: wlEvent: en1 en1 Link DOWN virtIf = 0
13-05-25 11:20:29.000 PM kernel: AirPort: Link Down on en1. Reason 8 (Disassociated because station leaving).
13-05-25 11:20:29.795 PM UserEventAgent: CaptiveNetworkSupport:CaptivePublishState:1211 en1 - PreProbe
13-05-25 11:20:29.806 PM configd: network configuration changed.
Looks like after I open AirPort Utility, the connection to the default wireless network is established, the system goes to probe the base station, says "nope I know this guy already", then the process spits out the 'An unexpected error occurred' message, I click "cancel", and the link is dropped.
Does anyone know why my AirPort does this? Is it a network configuration setting somewhere in the Mac? I've had this thing for a while and of course decided to dive into the Apple ecosystem entirely dropping to a single Windows gaming rig, only to find that the special magic doesn't work for me

Read this please, before assuming your AirPort Extreme is broken. The links at the end will likely resolve your issues. First try to rollback your AirPort's firmware to 6.1.1, which should restore your Internet connectivity. If it does, but you'd rather have the most recent upgrade available, follow the steps given in the following links, 6.1.3 should work fine for you then.
After numerous attempts by apple IT reps to persuade me that my modem was somehow the cause of my AirPort Extreme broadcasted WiFi network suddenly losing connectivity after the 6.1.3update, I found the truth that helped me to correct my own problem, and successfully use 6.1.3 rather than the rolled back version 6.1 i had been forced to resort to.
If rolling back your Airport's firmware fixes your connectivity issue, or your dns server has been erased by the update to 6.1.3, I speculate that these links will help you out greatly.
It turned out, that this was A KNOWN ISSUE to Apple! With an actual fix Published by Apple themselves! They've just got it hidden away because they must have wanted to drive me to the brink of insanity. . Luckily for Apple I worked with an amazing rep *(Thelma) who at least acted as if she didn't think I was a crazy person. I found the fix on my own after 16 grueling, redundant and fruitless, hours of troubleshooting (time wasting) with "senior" Apple techs.
Let me tell you, 'I told you so' has never sounded so sweet. (Thelma) was ****** that no one in the company bothered to fill her in on this issue or solution and had her support send me a new AirPort just before I discovered the fix. After the discovery, she told me not to bother sending either back, and apologized for the run around that took up weeks of my life.
With out further ado and with thanks to Softpedia for posting the info-
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Airport-Time-Capsule-7-6-3-Affects-IPv6-Tunneling -328680.shtml
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Apple-Releases-Fix-for-IPv6-Tunnel-Error-Under-Ai rPort-7-6-3-331186.shtml
*name(s) changed to protect the competent
AirPort Extreme 802.11n (5th Gen), iOS 6.1.3
I have this question too (1) Reply Categories: Airport Extreme Tags: airport_extreme, firmware, airport, ipad, wifi, 4, router, extreme, multiple_devices, internet_access, update_error, dns_error, amber_light, no_dns, 6.1.1, roll_back, 6.1.3

Using AirPort Utility 5.3.1 or later to make a copy of the Time Capsule disk

Can I use AirPort Utility 5.3.1 or later to make a copies of specific folders within the Time Capsule disk?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1281
I see this link that explains how you can make an archive of TC files directly to an external USB (greatly increasing the speed), but I would like to:
1) Chose only specific folders and
2) If possible, have it do this daily.
I am trying to avoid dragging files directly through my Mac. I want specific files (instead of entire drive) to go from the TC > External USB

The archive ability which is available in all versions of the airport utility except the early v6, where it was dropped for a time, is designed to do a full backup of the TC. It cannot do what you want.
It cannot incrementally backup. Each time you press archive it will do the whole disk.
you cannot select folders to be included or excluded. The airport utility is an extremely limited functionality tool.
I am trying to avoid dragging files directly through my Mac. I want specific files (instead of entire drive) to go from the TC > External USB
A TC is a dumb as a board hard disk in a router. It has no controls like a real NAS would have, like backup with a auto controls and ability to deselect items or do incrementals.
So you have no choice whatsoever on a TC except for the files to be processed via the Mac.
Carbon Copy Cloner is one backup utility that can do the job. But it will be extremely slow if the material it is backing up has to be copied to the USB on the TC. Still if your changes are not great, it can be set to automatically do incremental backups on a daily basis.
It is much faster btw to have the USB plugged into the computer, so files do not have to be transferred back to the USB.. and this is x10 if you are using wireless.

Strange download/upload speeds using the airport express as a repeater

HI,
i am having strange speed issues. Let me start off by stating my AirPort Extreme is on the middle floor of a 3 story condo. The condo has 2ft concrete slabs between floors. I have a repeater for the first floor as my signal strength was poor. I get great speeds on the same floor as the AirPort Extreme 45/15. On the 1st floor with the airport express, I get 4 down/12 up. My upload speed is always faster by a wide margin. On the 3rd floor (no repeater) I get similar results. I don't understand how my upload speeds are preserved, yet my download speeds via the repeater or 3rd are awful.
HElp! I'm using 2.4gHz for better penetration and I have changed the channels to help with congestion. Any ideas ?

Having the upload speed not change is odd indeed, but the loss of download speeds can almost invariably be attributed to the concrete walls in your condo. These do a poor job of allowing Wi-Fi signals to pass through them. Your actual Internet speeds are not affected by them, but the overall bandwidth speeds between the Internet server and your computer will be.
The best solution, albeit maybe not practical, would be to interconnect each of these base stations with an Ethernet connection and reconfigure the entire network for roaming.

How do you upload firmware to Airport extreme with the following message: This version of AirPort Utility requires this AirPort Extreme use firmware version 7.3.1 or later. Use AirPort Utility 5.6 to update this base station. I'm using airport utility 6.0

The airport extreme at my parent's house has not had its firmware update in some time and it keeps dropping the internet connection and needing to be reset.
I went to update firmware and opened up airport utilities (I'm running airport 6.0 on Mountain Lion, 10.7.4). Everytime I open the airport utility I get the following message: "
This version of AirPort Utility requires this AirPort Extreme use firmware version 7.3.1 or later. Use AirPort Utility 5.6 to update this base station. AirPort Utility 5.6 is available at AirPort Service and Support.
I've followed the link and tried to update firmwares but none are available and the print says that airport utility will look to see if firmware are available and load them as necessary when prompted by user.
One link said the only way to solve this problem is open up Airport Utility 5.6. I tried to do this, but 5.6 is not supported on Mountain Lion and couldn't be opened up.
I'm getting the exact same message on my other computer, a Mac Air.
So basically, can't download new firmware and am stuck with a ****** airport extreme that needs to keep being reset, a factory reset, in order to use the internet, but then continues to give me the same message.
Thanks!

See this article for instructions on how to install AirPort Utility 5.6 for Lion on Mountain Lion:
http://www.macworld.com/article/1167965/mountain_lion_and_the_ancient_airport_ba se_station.html

Why cant i print from my ipad using airport express but i can print from my mac using the express

why cant i print from my ipad using airport express but i can print from my mac using the express

Because your printer has to be Airprint compatible and connected to WiFi. There are applications, such as Printopia, that will allow you to print through your computer.

HT201250 Will using AirPort Utility to "restore to original settings" make you have to re-back up your computer's files on a Time Capsule?

Will using AirPort Utility to "restore to original settings" make you have to re-back up your computer's files on a Time Capsule?

The advantage is CCC has built in routines that "bless" (see the Terminal.app command "bless") the
os x installation so it will boot properly on the new volume it is being installed on.
Disk Utility simply copies (restores) files from one volume to another. Many times this works just fine.
Sometimes it won't boot afterwards. Most of the time (as long as there are no system files missing
or corrupted) a person may "bless" the drive and restore it to working condition.
CCC is not a "magical" application, it is in fact a front end to applications that already exist separately
in OS X (asr, hdiutil, diskutil, bless, etc.).
It doesn't matter to me how you do it. It's your time not mine. Everyone should spend some time
behind the command line in terminal. I do many tasks using the command line, including and not
limited to complete system restores, backing up data, disk partitioning, installing software, disk
repair, permissions repair, ACL management, restoring data, managing disk images, network
management, user management, file management, etc. Many people are fearful of the command
line. I feel just the opposite, I'm fearful without it.
Say Hello to my little friend.
http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/Command_Line_Adminv10.5.pdf
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/unixopensource/clix.html
http://www.macobserver.com/tips/macosxcl101/index.html
http://www.matisse.net/OSX/darwin_commands.html
Kj

HT3486 My Airport 6.1 can't manage my base station. I need to use AirPort Utility 5.6 but i can't find the right. I've download several but it always give me the same message: Airport uti....can't be installed... The version of OS X on this version is not

My Airport 6.1 can't manage my base station. I need to use AirPort Utility 5.6 but i can't find the right download. I've been downloading several but it always after havingf instal the first 3 steps the same message: Airport utility....can't be installed... The version of OS X on this version
doesn't support this base station...
I need help please to find the correcte download so i can my wii-fii work as soon as possible (because my wife is making me crazy, she can't go on Facebook!!!! )
Thank's for your help,
Mike

Use AirPort Utility 5.6 which contains the features you need. It is compatible with Lion as well as Mountain Lion, however, the installer app will refuse to install it on Mountain Lion.
This dilemma is easily solved though. You simply need to extract the app from the installer package using a package extractor like Pacifist.
Download Pacifist here: http://www.charlessoft.com/
Download AirPort Utility 5.6 here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482
If you happen to have an archived copy of the AU 5.6 app somewhere, such as a Time Machine backup or equivalent, you can simply restore it or drag the app to your Mountain Lion system's Utilities folder. It will run without complaint. It is only the package installer that is the problem.
Mountain Lion will not allow you to delete its existing version of AirPort Utility. Just ignore it. It and the older version (which will bear the unique name "AirPort Utility 5.6") can peacefully coexist.
Note: For those with Leopard or Snow Leopard systems you need AirPort Utility 5.6.1 (this is confusing - a later AirPort Utility version for an earlier OS X version - but it is correct).
Download AirPort Utility 5.6.1 here: http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1536

I am unable to view ATV settings from iMac using AirPort utility

I am unable to view ATV settings from iMac using AirPort utility. Having problems with ATV quitting Airplay since recently updating.

I was interested to know if I could configure, or at least view the settings of my ATV from a Mac computer. This is because I have it connected to a projector rather than a HD TV and so it is not always convenient to view settings directly from the ATV display.
Anyway I tried finding it using Airport Utility and it does not show up (Mavericks running Airport Utility 6.3.2 on one iMac and Snow Leopard running 5.6.1 on another).
When I click on File>Connect Other it asks for an IP address and password. I doubt if knowing these would allow me to connect.
The ability view settings and configure ATV from Airport Utility would be a useful feature. We should suggest this to Apple via feedback:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/appletv.html

I'm trying to activate my Airport Express to a wireless network powered by an Airport Extreme. I get an error message that says I need to Use Airport Utility 5.6. My system is currently running Airport Utility 6.1

'm trying to activate my Airport Express to a wireless network powered by an Airport Extreme. I get an error message that says I need to Use Airport Utility 5.6. My system is currently running Airport Utility 6.1

Is your AirPort Express an older 802.11g model? If so, you will need to install v5.6 if you are running OS X Lion or 5.6.1 if running OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard. Unfortunately, the iOS version of the AirPort Utility cannot administer these older base stations.

Using Airport Utility, OS X Yosemite sometimes does not find my airport extreme and my iphone 6 with 8.1 does find it. Is anyone else experience this glitch? Also I couldn't log on to Apple Support... Thanks

Using Airport Utility, OS X Yosemite sometimes does not find my airport extreme and my iphone 6 with 8.1 does find it. Is anyone else experience this glitch? Also I couldn't log on to Apple Support... Thanks

*Feedback*
"Use the form below to send us your comments. We read all feedback carefully, but please note that we cannot respond to the comments you submit."
http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html
We can complain about Apple's business decisions, but these discussions are user to user talk about possible solutions.
Here are the places to report bugs:
Get an account at
http://developer.apple.com/ then submit a bug report to http://bugreporter.apple.com/
Once on the bugreporter page,
   -- click on New icon
   -- See if you need to attach a log file or log files, clicking on Show instructions for gathering logs. Scroll down to find the area or application that matches the problem.
   -- etc.

TS2220 the following message applies to my airport Utility: This version of AirPort Utility doesn't support this base station. Use AirPort Utility 5.6 to configure or manage this base station. AirPort Utility 5.6 is available at AirPort Service and Suppor

This version of AirPort Utility doesn't support this base station. Use AirPort Utility 5.6 to configure or manage this base station. AirPort Utility 5.6 is available at AirPort Service and Support.
This is the message I have recieved in installing my AirPort Utility... Can anyone help me?

Old AirPort base stations and Time Capsules aren't compatible with AirPort Utility 6.2, so you have to use AirPort Utility 5.6. As you have already updated, you can't install AirPort Utility 5.6 by the normal way.
To install AirPort Utility 5.6 on your MacBook Pro, follow these steps > http://frank.is/mountain-lion-and-the-old-airport-utility/

Changed radio mode to 5 ghz using AirPort Utility, but download/upload speeds are unchanged.

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