Lois Larson
If you have an old Apple Airport Base Station, you may have noticed that newer versions of the Apple Airport Utility do not support older base stations. An error message may appear, stating that this version of Airport Utility doesn't support this base station. Newer versions of the Apple Airport Utility do not work with older base stations, and older versions of the Base Station Utility won't launch on newer Macs. However, there are workarounds to fix this problem and still use your old base station with a newer Macintosh computer.
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What You'll Learn
How to run old airport utility on macOS 10.15 Catalina
The AirPort Utility is 32-bit software that is not supported on macOS 10.15 Catalina unless it is updated by its developer. However, there are workarounds to this issue.
Firstly, you will need to download an old version of the AirPort Utility software, specifically version 5.6.1. This can be downloaded for free, despite what may be indicated on the download page. Once you have downloaded the file, drag it into your /Applications/Utilities/ folder. You will need to enter your administrator password to do this.
Next, you will need to download the AirPort Utility 5.6.1 Launcher and drag it into the same folder. Again, you may need to enter your administrator password. It is important that these steps are carried out separately, as performing them simultaneously will likely result in an error message when you try to launch the application.
Due to security restrictions on newer macOS versions, you may also need to temporarily disable Gatekeeper using the Terminal before proceeding.
Finally, open the Terminal application and copy and paste the following line: xattr -d com.apple.quarantine. After pasting the line, add a space, then drag the Airport Utility 5.6.1 app into the Terminal window. This will insert the app location and name at the end of the line. Hit return, and the Terminal will run the command. You won't see any response, but you can then run the script again, and the Utility should launch.
Note that the old AirPort Express is not compatible with all security configurations. If you have trouble getting the AirPort Express to join your existing network, try temporarily disabling security on your network to get the AirPort Express to connect. Once you see that it can connect, try different combinations of security settings on your existing network and the AirPort Express until you find a configuration that works.
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How to run old airport utility on macOS 10.12 Sierra
If you want to run the old Airport Utility on macOS 10.12 Sierra, you may encounter some issues as Apple stopped supporting the original Airport Express in the Airport Utility around 7 years ago. However, there are some workarounds that can help you get the old version of the Airport Utility running. Here is a step-by-step guide:
First, reset your Airport Express. To do this, hold down the reset button for about 10-20 seconds while the device is plugged in. The light on the device will switch from flashing slowly to flashing quickly.
Next, download the old version of the Airport Utility 5.6.1. You will also need to download an AppleScript that allows it to launch on macOS Sierra.
Now, drag the Airport Utility 5.6.1 into your /Applications/Utilities/ folder. You will need to enter your administrator password at this point.
After that, drag the Airport Utility 5.6.1 Launcher into the same folder. Again, you may need to enter your administrator password. It is important to do these two steps separately to avoid an error message when launching the utility.
Due to security restrictions on newer macOS versions, you may need to temporarily disable Gatekeeper using the Terminal. To do this, open Terminal and type "sudo spctl --master-disable" and hit enter. Enter your administrator password when prompted.
Once you have finished using the old Airport Utility, you can re-enable Gatekeeper to restore the default security level by entering "sudo spctl --master-enable" in Terminal.
By following these steps, you should be able to run the old Airport Utility on macOS 10.12 Sierra.
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How to run old airport utility on macOS High Sierra
If you want to run the old Airport Utility on macOS High Sierra, you may have noticed that newer versions of the Apple Airport Utility do not support older base stations. You might, therefore, want to use the old Apple Airport Utility, but this has been broken by Apple and won't launch on newer Macs.
There are some workarounds to this problem, however. One solution is to use something like Pacifier to extract the AirPort Utility.app and Apple80211.framework from the installer. You can also download the old version of the Airport Utility 5.6.1 with an AppleScript that allows it to launch on macOS Sierra. Once you've downloaded this, launch the dmg and drag Airport Utility 5.6.1 into your Applications/Utilities folder. You will need to enter your administrator password. Then, drag the Airport Utility 5.6.1 Launcher into your Applications/Utilities folder. Again, you may need to enter your administrator password. It's important to do these two steps separately, otherwise, you may get an error message.
After this, open the Airport Utility 5.6.1 Launcher package and click through Contents and MacOS, where you will see the file "applet". Double-click it. Now that the Airport Utility is open, you should be able to edit everything and connect to your Airport Express wireless.
Another solution is to keep the older framework and older app in the same folder, and save the following AppleScript as an app. Then, just double-click it to launch.
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How to run old airport utility on macOS Big Sur
Apple has discontinued support for older AirPort base stations, and newer versions of the AirPort Utility do not support older base stations. If you are using macOS Big Sur, you may encounter issues when trying to use an older version of the AirPort Utility, such as AirPort Utility 5.6.1 or 6.x.
- Open Terminal.
- Enter the following command: `xattr -d com.apple.quarantine`.
- Drag and drop the AirPort Utility 5.6.1 app into the Terminal window. This will automatically insert the app location and name at the end of the line.
- Press Return. The Terminal will run the command, but you may not see any response.
- Connect your AirPort Express to your computer via an Ethernet cable. It is unclear if this step is necessary, but some users have reported doing this.
- Run the script again by double-clicking on it in Finder. The older AirPort Utility (v 5.6.1) should now launch.
Please note that even with these steps, you may still encounter issues with the older AirPort Utility on macOS Big Sur. Some users have reported unstable WiFi connections or difficulties with certain features.
Additionally, if you are using an older AirPort Express (Gen 1, model A1264), you may be able to get it working by connecting it to your Mac via an Ethernet cable during the setup process. It should then show up in AirPort Utility under "Other Wi-Fi Devices" or "Ethernet," and you can set it up to join an existing network.
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How to run old airport utility on macOS Mavericks
Apple has disabled the older AirPort Utility 5.6.1, which is incompatible with newer OSs. This means that it won't launch on any OS X newer than 'Mavericks', and you will get an error saying "You can't use this version of the application Airport utility 5.6.1 with this version of Mac OS".
However, there are some workarounds to run the old Airport Utility on macOS Mavericks. Firstly, you need to find a copy of AU 5.6.1 and put it on your computer. You may be able to find a site that has a copy for download, or you might have an old disc or backup somewhere.
Once you have the file, you can try the following methods to launch it:
- Use a launcher: A launcher has been created that will trick your computer into thinking you have an older version of OS X when it launches the AirPort Utility. This will allow you to run the older version of the software.
- Modify the script: Open the script in Script Editor and make changes to line 10. Specifically, change line 10 from: …currentDir & “AirPort\\ Utility\\ 5.6.1.app/Contents… to: currentDir & “/AirPort\\ Utility\\ 5.6.1.app/Contents — just add that “/” in front of AirPort.
- Replace the Apple80211 library: On your Mavericks machine, rename /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/A/Apple80211 to something like "Apple80211.mavericks" and back it up. Then, copy the ML version of the Apple80211 library to your Mavericks machine in the same location. Now you can run the old Airport Utility from the terminal.
- Use an older OS: Boot up an older OS, such as Mountain Lion, and run Airport Utility 5.6 from there.
Please note that some of these methods may not be supported by Apple and may involve modifying system files, so proceed with caution and back up your data before attempting any of these fixes.
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Frequently asked questions
You can download an old version of the Airport Utility (5.6.1) with an AppleScript that allows it to launch on newer macOS versions.
After clicking the "Download Now" button, drag the Airport Utility 5.6.1 into your Applications/Utilities folder. Enter your administrator password. Then, drag the Airport Utility 5.6.1 Launcher into the same folder and enter your administrator password again.
You may encounter an error message stating that the version of the Airport Utility is not supported by the base station. Additionally, the older Airport Utility may not be able to launch on newer macOS versions due to compatibility issues.
You can use a launcher created by Mr. Corey J. Mahler, which runs a small script that opens the old Airport Utility. Alternatively, you can try modifying the script by adding a "/" before "AirPort" in the script editor.
Yes, you can try temporarily disabling the security on your network to connect the Airport Express. Additionally, you can use an Ethernet cable to connect your Airport Express to your computer for configuration.
