This article provides troubleshooting tips for when the AirPort Admin Utility cannot locate any AirPort Base Station(s), and gives suggestions for accessing the AirPort Base Station if an error message is displayed.

Before You Begin

Ensure you have power to the AirPort Base Station. If no lights come on when power is applied to the Base Station, verify the power adapter is plugged into a known good outlet. Try a different power adapter if available.

Part 1

1. After plugging in power and waiting one minute, verify the middle light on the Base Station is green.

2. In the AppleTalk control panel, set Connect via to AirPort.

3. Select the AirPort Base Station network in the AirPort portion of the Control Strip. (If only one Base Station is present its name appears below the Computer to Computer option.)

4. In the TCP/IP control panel, set Connect via to AirPort and Configure to Using DHCP Server.

5. Open the AirPort Admin Utility (in the AirPort folder inside the Apple Extras folder). You should see the AirPort Base Station name after scanning; if no Base Station appears and this computer has not been seeing wireless devices, make sure that the antenna is connected properly to the AirPort card. If you still do not see any Base Stations listed, continue on to part 2, step 5.

Part 2

1. Figure 1 shows the Select Base Station window in the AirPort Admin Utility. It lists any available AirPort Base Stations and the IP address associated with that Base Station. The screen shots and procedures that follow are helpful if you do not see a particular Base Station in the Select Base Station window.

Figure 1 Select Base Station Window in AirPort Admin Utility

2. Select the AirPort Base Station name and click Configure.

3. If the dialog box shown in Figure 2 appears, this indicates the AirPort Base Station was reset, or was never set up. You can bypass this dialog box by waiting 5 minutes after pressing the reset button on the AirPort Base Station itself, or by holding down the Option key when clicking the Configure button shown in Figure 1.

Figure 2 Set IP Address and Password Dialog Box

The Enter Password dialog box, shown in Figure 3, appears when you click Configure with the Option key held down, or when the Base Station has already been set up and you click Configure in the Select Base Station window.




Figure 3 Enter Password Dialog Box

4. Enter the password. If, after you select the base station and enter the password, you get the error message shown in Figure 4, verify the IP settings in the TCP/IP control panel. The settings should be as follows:

TCP/IP address - If you have an IP address, enter it here. Otherwise, use 192.42.249.13 .

Subnet mask - must be set to the same as the AirPort Base Station's subnet mask. If you do not know or did not change the AirPort Base Station subnet leave it blank. If blank does not work set it to 255.255.255.0

Password - The default password is " public ", and is case sensitive.




Figure 4 Error Message Window

5. Connecting to a Base Station through a wired connection.

If no Base Stations appear, as shown in Figure 5, you must have a direct connection to the Base Station from your Macintosh to perform a forced reload procedure. A direct connection is either an Ethernet crossover cable between the base station and Macintosh, or an Ethernet hub to which both devices are connected.

When using an Ethernet connection, change the TCP/IP control panel settings to:

Connect Via - Ethernet

Configure - Manually

IP address - 192.42.249.14

Subnet mask - 255.255.255.0

Figure 5 Select Base Station Window

Finally, perform a forced reload and your AirPort Base Station should be ready to be configured for use with the AirPort Admin Utility.

Note: A forced reload requires an Ethernet connection between the Base Station and the computer initiating the reload.

Note: Wireless internet access requires AirPort Card, AirPort Base Station, and Internet Access (fees may apply). Some ISPs are not currently compatible with AirPort, including America Online. Range may vary with site conditions.