One of the features Apple announced as part of iOS 5 is the ability to configure an AirPort Express or Extreme from your device. This is in answer to all the people who bought an iPad and then found out they needed not only a wireless router to use it but also a computer to configure the router. If you downloaded iOS 5 and went looking for the AirPort Utility app, you’ve discovered it’s not automatically downloaded to your device during the update.
It turns out that Apple decided at the last minute to keep it as a separate app. The easiest way to get it is to go to Settings on your device, select Wi-Fi, then tap the blue arrow next to your wireless network. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap Manage this Network. You will get a pop-up window offering to download it from the App Store. Select OK and you will be taken right to it in the App Store. Tap the button marked Free, then tap Install.
Running the AirPort Utility app will bring up a network chart showing any AirPort devices along with an indicator to show a valid connection to the Internet. Tap the device, and if you have already configured it you will be prompted for the password. From here you can view the device’s settings: IP addresses, serial number, firmware version (including the ability to update the firmware if needed), network name and what clients are currently on the network. (Mine showed the iPod I was using, an Apple TV, a wireless printer, an XBOX and two laptops.)
Clicking the Edit button at the top gives you access to things like the name of the Base Station, network name, whether you have a Guest network configured and advanced features like DHCP, Disk Sharing and wireless security. You can make any changes you like, then save the settings to the device and restart it if needed.
There are some limitations to this app. First, it only works with recent wireless-n devices, so if you have an older 802.11g model, it may not work with this app. Also, and this is a big one, you have to already be on a wireless network to download the app. So if you bring home your iPad and a new AirPort Express, you can’t configure it until you download the app, but you can’t download the app until you configure the AirPort Express. Maybe I am missing something obvious here, but I think they call that a “Catch-22.” One workaround would be to download the app in the store when you buy your iPad, or maybe do it from a friend’s wireless network.