AirPort Utility

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Apple AirPort Utility
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Developer(s) Apple Inc.
Initial release July 21, 1999
Stable release 6.3.6 / June 19, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-06-19)[1]
Development status Active
Operating system iOS, OS X, Windows 7, Windows 8
Type Networking utility
License Proprietary
Website support.apple.com/kb/ht1998

AirPort Utility, formerly known as AirPort Admin Utility, is a program that allows users to configure an AirPort wireless network and manage services associated with and devices connected to AirPort Routers. It comes pre-installed on Mac OS X, and is available to download for Microsoft Windows and iOS.

AirPort Utility is unique in that it offers network configuration in a native application as opposed to a web application. It provides a graphical overview of AirPort devices attached to a network, and provides tools to manage each one individually. It allows users to configure their network preferences, assign Back to My Mac accounts to the network, and configure USB attached Printers and hard drives.[2]

The current versions are 6.3.5 for Mac OS X, 5.6.1 for Microsoft Windows,[3] and 1.3.4 for iOS.[4]

Controversy

On January 30, 2013, Apple released AirPort Utility 6.0 for Mac OS X featuring a redesign of the user interface focused on increasing usability for novice users.[5] Reception was mixed with some media outlets reporting IT professionals and network administrators being frustrated over some removed features.[5] It was reported that most end users, however, wouldn’t notice the feature omissions.[6] Users requiring the removed features can still access the previous version of AirPort Utility using a workaround.[7]

Removed features[6]

  • Ability to see a list of wired DHCP leases
  • Controls to disconnect All Users
  • Logging and statistics
  • Ability to limit access via MAC address
  • Airport Disk Guest Access (this is possible again...)
  • Settings to edit transmission power

Major Mac OS X Versions

Release Date Compatibility Features
1.0 July 21, 1999 Mac OS 8.6 or greater

Initial release of software bundled with AirPort Base Station. This initial version was intended for advanced configuration of an AirPort Base Station only.[8] The most commonly used configuration settings were found in the AirPort Setup Assistant.
1.1 January 31, 2000 Mac OS 8.6 or greater
  • Improved user experience[9]
  • Active Roaming was introduced allowing multiple base stations to be used within a single network
2.0 November 13, 2001 Mac OS 9 or greater Includes support for new AirPort hardware.[10]
  • AOL support
  • 128-bit encryption
  • Cisco LEAP client support
3.0 March 24, 2003 Mac OS 10.1.5 or later Includes support for the new AirPort Extreme Base Station[11]
6.3.1 July 11, 2013 Mac OS X 10.7.5 or Later
  • Fixes a bug where AirPort Base Stations may not appear in AirPort Utility[12]

List of Compatible Devices

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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