Apple Releases AirPort Base Station Firmware Update 7.8.1

[MagnusVonMagnum]

So the real question is do the 2nd Gen 802.11n Airport Express units now have Airplay2 support? The previous news article listed the 3rd Gen 802.11n units that got Airplay2 as using firmware 7.8. This one is 7.8.1 and loads onto the 2nd Gen units, but do they just get security updates or are they Airplay2 now as well? Is there an easy way to check?

Edit: The only thing I could think of here (since I don't have an iPhone) is to test with my ATV 4K. Apparently, Airplay 2 devices get circles by their name (e.g. My Marantz 7012 had one and I know it's been updated to Airplay 2).

The bottom line is the 7.8.1 update did NOT add Airplay 2 support to the 2008 model Airport Express units. Apple probably should have used a different firmware numbering system as 7.8 implied Airplay 2. They should have called it 7.6.10 or something instead on older units, IMO if it's just a security update.

 

[dvhoosier]

Airplay is working way better on my 2nd from last express
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It's also for the older "wall wart" style single band Airport Express. The one we have is the last generation of that style (802.11n, which Apple sold until mid-2012), so I'm not sure whether this also applies to the earlier 802.11g models (Apple's docs only mention 802.11n, though).

I updated My older Express and Extreme as well as my most recent Express and Extreme and they are all working better IMHO. Airplay 1 has less drop outs haven't done much with Airplay 2.

 

[Crazy Badger]

So I updated my Airport Extreme a couple of weeks ago without issue, and then noticed the Express update this morning. Tried a couple of times to update, and it downloads the firmware and then gets stuck on Preparing update.

I'm another who wishes Apple had continued to develop this, and at some point will need to update to a Ubiquity type solution, but I wanted to WiFi6 stuff to play out a little further before making the switch.

 

[zeppo2]

I have an airport extreme A1354, which wikipedia says is 802.11a/b/g/n . I was surprised to see there was an update available because my impression was that Apple had announced they were no longer supporting the Extremes. But, lo and behold... Currently mine has version 7.6.9. According to apple's instructions I restarted the Extreme by unplugging for about 15 seconds and then plugging back in (the option to restart via the menu item "Base Station " was greyed out, so I unplugged per Apple). Then I entered my password and clicked on Update. A progress bar titled "Downloading Firmware... " appeared, and it looked like all was well. But then I got a pop up saying "An error occurred while downloading the firmware." The progress bar was only a quarter of the way through, and it still remains frozen on my screen. Has anyone else dealt with this?

I have Airport Utility 6.3.8 and am running High Sierra 10.13.6 on a macbook pro mid-2014

 

[loby]

I have an airport extreme A1354, which wikipedia says is 802.11a/b/g/n . I was surprised to see there was an update available because my impression was that Apple had announced they were no longer supporting the Extremes. But, lo and behold... Currently mine has version 7.6.9. According to apple's instructions I restarted the Extreme by unplugging for about 15 seconds and then plugging back in (the option to restart via the menu item "Base Station " was greyed out, so I unplugged per Apple). Then I entered my password and clicked on Update. A progress bar titled "Downloading Firmware... " appeared, and it looked like all was well. But then I got a pop up saying "An error occurred while downloading the firmware." The progress bar was only a quarter of the way through, and it still remains frozen on my screen. Has anyone else dealt with this?

I have Airport Utility 6.3.8 and am running High Sierra 10.13.6 on a macbook pro mid-2014

Had the same issue as it showed the message. I closed out the airport app and when I opened it, I reinstalled it again and it was ok.

I also noticed the same error when updating another airport, but when I closed out the airport app after a few minutes and opened it again, it said it installed.

so you might want to retry and check again to see if it installed.

 

[Crazy Badger]

So I updated my Airport Extreme a couple of weeks ago without issue, and then noticed the Express update this morning. Tried a couple of times to update, and it downloads the firmware and then gets stuck on Preparing update.

I'm another who wishes Apple had continued to develop this, and at some point will need to update to a Ubiquity type solution, but I wanted to WiFi6 stuff to play out a little further before making the switch.

I fixed this by rebooting the Airport Express. Updated without issue after a restart.

 

[zeppo2]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give it a shot.

 

[zeppo2]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give it a shot.

This time it worked. Unplugged both the modem and the Extreme to reboot each. Then installed. Thanks.

 

[MacClueless]

They are really nice pieces of equipment, and pretty simple to work with. It's too bad Apple decided to drop them, some of the features like Back to your Mac were just stellar (and that's being dropped too, sigh). At least they will keep up with the security updates, maybe one day they will find a reason to make them again.

I'm with you, I'd really love to have an Apple mesh solution like Google Wi-fi but from Apple.

 

[dfs]

Maybe Apple's solution should be to make a mesh system, but include it with HomePod - so you buy the mesh and get HomePod, or conversely, you buy HomePod and get mesh.

Either way it wouldn't be a lot of extra electronics or design to go in there.

Gread idea, as long as there's room left over for the Bluetooth circuitry HomePod so desperately lacks.

 

[akselsoft]

I just threw it onto one of my little guys and AirPlay 2 is working fine. I forgot totally about AirPlay2 and was surprised when my iPad was streaming to two destinations at once...just likes iTunes does.

Phew! That was my biggest worry. I have two airports and I was pleasantly surprised when my Express supported AirPlay 2

 

[V_Man]

Maybe Apple's solution should be to make a mesh system, but include it with HomePod - so you buy the mesh and get HomePod, or conversely, you buy HomePod and get mesh.

Either way it wouldn't be a lot of extra electronics or design to go in there.

That would be amazing.

 

[darkcompass]

I have a wifi network I set on a Time Capsule. and a number of old "wall wart" expresses extending it to extend the existing wifi in places that have poor signal.
Only wire is between my router and Time Capsule.

Isnt that what a mesh system is?

 

[cmaier]

I have a wifi network I set on a Time Capsule. and a number of old "wall wart" expresses extending it to extend the existing wifi in places that have poor signal.
Only wire is between my router and Time Capsule.

Isnt that what a mesh system is?

Not exactly. The airports are essentially creating little independent wifi networks and your devices will stay on one unless they totally lose the signal and only then look for another. With mesh, your devices can switch on-the-fly to whatever is the strongest signal. Mesh can also use more complicated technologies, where each access point connects to the strongest signal instead of the base router. And mesh uses multiple radios to avoid cutting your bandwidth in half for the backhaul, etc.

 

[kohlson]

^^^Good explanation. It's my understanding that mesh systems also are "aware" of their surroundings, tuning wireless connections around obstacles (HVAC systems, hard walls), load-balancing, and being nicer to other access points such that radio interference is minimized. Current mesh systems deliver a better experience.
I ilke to think of Apple's Airports as first-get mesh. The idea that a series of these things would easily share a common SSID, and hand off clients (sort of) was ground breaking at the time. But now...oh well.