04-07-2008, 12:29 PM

I have a MacBook Pro 2.2GHz 4GB RAM running OS X 10.4.11.

I connect to the internet wirelessly using a Linksys WRT54G wireless router. I do not have -- nor have I ever had -- a problem connecting to the internet on my MacBook.

Today I bought an Airport Express 802.11n for the sole purpose of playing my iTunes music on my home stereo wirelessly from my MacBook.

I do not wish to replace my Linksys router; I want to use the Airport Express on my existing wireless network to stream my music.

However, no matter what I seem to do, I cannot get this set-up to work (and I am about to toss the Airport Express off my balcony). Perhaps some kind soul can lend me a hand...

When I plug in the Airport Express to the power and connect it to my stereo (using the Line Out port) the Airport Express flashes green once, then turns solid amber for 2+ minutes, then flashes amber continuously.

Then when I run the Airport Utility (that I installed from the CD that came with the Airport Express) it says "Discovering Apple Wireless Devices" and then after a few moments says "Airport Utility was unable to find any Apple wireless devices. Please make sure the Apple Wireless device you want to set up is plugged in and in range of your computer, and then click rescan to try again." I have clicked "Rescan" over and over and over again, but to no avail.

My laptop is right beside the Airport Express and the Linksys router, so that cannot be the problem.

I've tried repeatedly to reset the Airport Express (with a paperclip, both plugged-in and unplugged per the manual) but that does not seem to help at all.

Does anyone have any ideas how I can get my MacBook to recognize the device and then configure it for use in my home?

Thank you very much, Scott

P.S. I have also upgraded the firmware on my Linksys router to the most up-to-date thinking that might have something to do with it, but apparently not.

04-08-2008, 10:21 AM

Not sure if anyone cares, but after more hours spent trying to get this working this morning -- plus an hour on the phone to Apple Assistance in Sydney -- it was determined that my AX was faulty. I took it back to Apple today, they replaced it, and when I plugged the new one in it was immediately recognized, easily configured and I am now streaming iTunes wirelessly to my stereo. I realize this doesn't really help anyone else's (similar) problems, but I thought I'd update you on mine...

04-08-2008, 11:05 AM

Thanks for the update. I was wondering myself what was going on.
Glad to hear it's working for you.

07-16-2008, 07:21 PM

I had that exact same problem, word for word. I thought about taking it back but I tried the factory reset - depress reset button while plugging it in, hold reset until the light starts flashing fast, release reset button then press reset button again and hold for 30 seconds. After that my router was able to see the AX and then all was good!

12-13-2008, 05:05 PM

I had the same problem as described. I returned one Airport express, but continued to have the same problem. After a while, i figured the problem. My wireless network is secured. I thought that i was using WPA, but i was actually using 40-64 bits. By selecting the wrong security level or code or options, it still said that the changes were sucessful, but the wireless network did not reconize the airport express at restart.... So, I log directly to my router to make sure i had the right security setting... It turned out that my wireless security was actually 40-64 bit.. .Once I entered the right wireless security settings in the airport utility, it fixed for good..... So the moral of the story, if you have that problem and are using a secured wireless network, you might want to make sure that you are selecting the right security setting in the airport utility...

09-20-2009, 12:43 PM

I am having the exact same problem. I tried calling apple, they told me what to do and that didn't work, the airport express wouldn't rescan even though it said you have successfully updated. I took the airport express to the mac store at the grove, la, and it worked there, by double clicking the icon when we restored the default setting, doubled clicked the ax window, double clicked wireless, then entered their network, but they did not have a WPA (modem passwor), I have tried all my WPAs and continued to the end, it said I was updated successfully, but when it tried to scan and connect it did not rescan again!!! Extremely frustrating and hours of trying to solve the problem. I had it all connected before so I could print wirelessly, but my modem broke and replaced it, now this.

07-11-2011, 03:52 AM

Righto, appreciate this is an old thread, but it was top of Google for my search so, this is how I eventually fixed the problem:

Symptoms:
Use the Airport Utility to add an Airport Express (AExp) to my existing network.
Every time is applies the change successfully and waits for the AExp to restart.
Every time is times out waiting on the restart and then says:
"AirPort Utility was unable to find your AirPort wireless device after restarting."

Diagnosis:
My 'chief' router (the one connected to the outside) is the AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS)

It has dual mode wireless (n/g)

The tool I think is automatically giving the AExp the MAC address of the AEBS that is for wireless 'n' mode. The (my) AExp is only b/g.

So?

Solution:

Don't use the tool! Do it by hand

Note down:

MAC address of the AEBS 'g' (2.4 GHz) (it's printed on the back of it, and shows up in the utility)
MAC address of the AExp
Network name
Security setup (WPA or WPA2 or WEP etc..)
Password...
Channel (2.4 GHz channel)

Now in the utility, use "Manual Setup" mode on:


On the AEBS:
Make sure the wireless mode is "Participate in a WDS network" (Aiport>Wireless)
Tick the box "allow this network to be extended" (Airport>Wireless)
Under the WDS tab (Airport>WDS) tick to allow wireless clients, then press the + and add the MAC address of the AIRPORT EXPRESS
Make sure you've noted the channel under (Airport>Wireless) it's next to "Radio Channel Selection"
Click Update
Let it restart

On the AExp:
Make sure the wireless mode is "Participate in a WDS network" (Aiport>Wireless)
Set the channel to whatever the AEBS was (Airport>Wireless)
Set the security up to the same type and password as the AEBS (Airport>Wireless)
On the WDS tab, set the WDS as WDS remote (if you want to do relay, do so, but I'm not writing the instructions for that - they are very similiar to these, just as a chain!) [Airport>WDS]
Tick to allow wireless clients (Airport>WDS)
Then click the '+' and add the MAC address of the BASE STATION, THE AIRPORT EXTREME

Click update,
Let is restart.

Boom!

07-25-2011, 03:56 PM

Hey @RichB, thanks for your post.

I was actually trying to figure out the exact same problem and I have possibly found an easier solution that has worked for me...

What I did was removing the WEP-password of my wifi-network temporarily... I then used Airport Utility to let the Airport Express join the current network and it work seamlessly ( I got the green light after a little while)...
Obviously, I didn't want to leave my wifi-network unprotected. So, I configured the Airport Express via Airport Utility and told the AE that my network has a password... (I made sure the type of password encryption is the same on both the AE as the Airport Extreme, and I typed in the 10-digit password). Of course, now the AE starts acting weird because I told it there's a password, but there isn't one (yet).
Then (and only then) I applied a password (the one I typed in Airport Utiliy of course ) to my wifi-network and after the Airport Extreme and AE both restarted I got the green light again, but now with a password protected wifi-network.

Hope this helps!

07-27-2011, 09:01 PM

or you could go here.... AirPort Express: How to join an existing wireless network in client mode

09-19-2011, 02:29 AM

Originally Posted by cbloks2010

...

What I did was removing the WEP-password of my wifi-network temporarily...

AWESOME. After many hours of frustration, THIS was the only thing that worked for me. I have a DLINK DIR-655 Revision B router and wanted to use the Airport Express to stream iTunes. It was all working with an old DIR-655 that had died. After setting up the new router, could not get AE to connect to wireless network.

Did EXACTLY these steps as @cbloks2010 says:

1. (hard) reset AE and let it reboot
2. remove WiFi security (also removed auto channel scan for now), on DIR-655 and let it reboot
3. connect to AE using either Win or OSX Airport Utility
4. configure AE to connect to wireless network, no security; reboot
5. confirm solid green light on Airport Express; should be able to re-connect with Airport Utility
6. add WPA/WPA2 Personal security and WiFi password to Airport Express; reboot
7. AE blinks amber
8. added security back to DLINK DIR-655 (WPA-Personal, WPA or WPA2 mode, TKIP and AES cipher) - reboot
9. confirm solid green comes back to AE
10. confirm iTunes client can see the AE
11. perform happy dance

I have not yet added back the auto channel scan to the DLINK, but may do so in the future if my microwave interferes too much!

Thanks again to @cbloks2010!

10-15-2011, 05:56 PM

I was following the tips from SPSherm, got as far as things working when the security was turned off but as soon as I turned it on again I was back to the flashing amber light. I've got it working now and wanted to add my findings in case it helps...

I've got an old 802.11g airport express and my router is an O2 branded Thomson TG587n v2.

It turns out that if I have my router set to mixed mode (WPA/WPA2) then the airport express will only connect if I set it to WPA (not MPA/WPA2 or WPA2). If I want to get the airport express to connect over WPA2 then I have to set the router to WPA2 only mode (not mixed) in which case the airport will connect in either WPA/WPA2 mode or WPA2 mode.

Hope that info is useful for someone else turning up here after a google search...

Cheers

10-19-2011, 01:13 AM

I too have a similar problem, where no matter what I do, the Airport Utility on my computer cannot find the Airport Express device on my WiFi Network.

My PC has a solid ethernet connect to an Airport Extreme base station that is the main Wifi router.

So after visiting my local Perth store, the tech expert gave me very simply instructions as follows:

1) Unplug the ethernet cable to the Airport extreme and plug it into each airport express device.
2) Run Airport Utility that will now show the device since it is directly plugged into the PC.
3) Config the device to "join existing network" etc and update.
4) Now reconnect the ethernet back to the Airport Extreme router and this time when you run the airport utility it should also list those Airport Express devices you have just configured.

Hope this helps

10-20-2011, 09:49 AM

1. (hard) reset AE and let it reboot
2. remove WiFi security (also removed auto channel scan for now), on DIR-655 and let it reboot
3. connect to AE using either Win or OSX Airport Utility
4. configure AE to connect to wireless network, no security; reboot
5. confirm solid green light on Airport Express; should be able to re-connect with Airport Utility
6. add WPA/WPA2 Personal security and WiFi password to Airport Express; reboot
7. AE blinks amber
8. added security back to DLINK DIR-655 (WPA-Personal, WPA or WPA2 mode, TKIP and AES cipher) - reboot
9. confirm solid green comes back to AE
10. confirm iTunes client can see the AE
11. perform happy dance

[/QUOTE]

I think you've done all the right things......plus a couple of EXTRAS.

I would think the sequence should be 2, 1, 4, 5....etc.

3 is sort of redundant once you've done 1. But, doing 1 first is rather pointless, isn't it, if you're booting into the presence of a still-secured by WPA router? I say kill the security on your network before you even fire up the A/E for the first time.

Any other opinions?

Just my 2cents.

mike

10-24-2011, 11:02 AM

Running iTunes on Win XP with a DIR-655 router. I used to run a linksys router but replaced it after it died. My AE sees the wireless router, connects with no issues (solid green light on AE), but iTunes doesn't see the AE as a speaker option. Funny thing is, my iPhone does see the AE as a speaker option. I have no clue what's happening.

Anyone?

10-26-2011, 09:27 PM

We had power outage today that reset my Linksys wireless router. I reprogrammed it and set a new name and WPA password. I have two Airport Express running in my house. I plugged the first one in and connected via Ethernet and it worked just fine but no matter what I do(including everything in this thread), I can't get the second one to be found doing the exact same thing. I have tried the hard reset but still get a blinking amber and it doesn't show up in the Airport Utility. Any ideas? It was working fine before the power outage.