AirPort
Controlling AirPort Network Access with Time Limits
Matt Cone April 9, 2013
If you own an AirPort base station, you can use the Timed Access feature to control the days and times when users access the internet. This could come in handy in a variety of situations. For example, if you own a cafe and provide free wi-fi access, you can configure the AirPort to block all access to the internet when your business is closed. And if you have children, you can set time limits for specific devices in your home.
Setting DHCP Reservations on Your AirPort
Matt Cone March 22, 2013
In a previous tutorial, you learned how to set a static IP address in Mac OS X to create a permanent, private IP address for your Mac that doesn’t change from one day to the next. But if you own an AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, or Time Capsule base station, you can use something called DHCP reservations to do essentially the same thing. What’s the difference between a static IP address and a DHCP reservation?
Creating a Dedicated 5GHz AirPort Network
Matt Cone March 13, 2013
AirPort base stations released after 2009 are capable of operating over both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands simultaneously. That means that when you connect a Mac, iPhone, or iPad to an AirPort’s wireless network, it will automatically select and use one of the bands for the best speed, consistency, and range. That should be fine under normal circumstances. The choice is made for you automatically, and you’ll probably never notice the difference.
How to Password Protect an AirPort's Settings
Matt Cone February 27, 2013
Whether you operate a guest network on your AirPort or simply use it to provide wireless access to the people in your home or workplace, you should ensure that your AirPort base station’s settings are protected with a strong password. Doing so will prevent users connected to the AirPort network from modifying the base station’s settings with the AirPort Utility application. The base station’s password is usually specified when setting up the AirPort, but it can be changed at any time.
How to Create a Guest Network with an AirPort
Matt Cone February 20, 2013
Did you know that your AirPort base station is capable of creating two separate wi-fi networks? By enabling the guest network feature, you can create a second network specifically for guests or - since guest wi-fi networks can be open or protected with a password - authorized users. Creating a guest wi-fi network with your AirPort is easy and takes only a few minutes. This tutorial shows you how to do it.
How to Password Protect Your AirPort's Wireless Network
Matt Cone January 14, 2013
If you own an AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, or Time Capsule, you should consider protecting your wireless network with a password to prevent other individuals from accessing it. Enabling password protection is easy and can provide peace of mind. You probably don’t want others stealing your bandwidth or, in a worst-case scenario, using your network to do something illegal. Here’s how to password protect your AirPort’s wireless network: Open the AirPort Utility application.
How to Enable SNMP on an AirPort Base Station
Matt Cone December 31, 2012
The AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule are excellent wireless base stations, but it can be difficult to know exactly what they’re doing. For instance, you might be interested in knowing how many devices are connected to your base station, or how much bandwidth has been used by all of the connected devices over a certain period of time. To monitor statistics like these, you’ll need to enable something called SNMP, which stands for simple network management protocol.
Install the Old AirPort Utility in Mountain Lion
Matt Cone December 19, 2012
Earlier this year, Apple released a new version of AirPort Utility, the application that allows users to set up and maintain the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Express base stations. The updated version, AirPort Utility 6.0, was supposed to streamline the interface and make it easier to set up networks. The only problem was that a number of advanced features went missing. If you’ve been missing the features in the old AirPort Utility application, we have good news: There’s a way to install it in OS X 10.
Import Your AirPort Extreme Configuration
Matt Cone June 4, 2012
So you own an AirPort Extreme and the unthinkable happened: You had to reset the base station to the default settings. All of your network settings have been lost. Now what? If you thought to export your AirPort Extreme configuration before you reset the base station, you can import that configuration file and instantly restore all of your network settings. (If you didn’t export the configuration before the reset, you’ll have to start over and set up the AirPort Extreme again.
Export Your AirPort Extreme Configuration
Matt Cone June 4, 2012
Setting up an AirPort Extreme is a painstaking process that can take hours or even days. But your work isn’t finished when you get the AirPort Extreme working the way you want it. The last step is exporting your AirPort Extreme’s configuration file to save all of those configuration settings and back them up. If you ever need to reset your AirPort Extreme to the default settings, or if it ever resets accidentally, you can restore your configuration settings by importing the configuration file with the AirPort Utility application.