Airport Express 1st Gen dropping Time Capsule 4th Gen when being used to extend signal

I have an older Airport Express 1st Gen and recently purchased a Time Capsule 4th Gen. The firmware for both products is updated to the latest version. When I set up the Airport Express to extend the signal for the Time Capsule, it works great at first, connects and the status light turns green. But after a while, the AE drops the "extension" and the light goes amber. I have also heard this is a problem from a Macintosh expert at the Genius Bar. Has anyone solved this problem?

Try using a wireless name that is short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric on the TC.. I would even set different names for 2.4ghz and 5ghz..
So for example.. TC24ghz and TC5ghz meet our requirement.
Use WPA2 Personal security not wpa-wpa2 as that leads to issues.
Use password that is 10-20 characters pure alphanumeric.. can be mixed upper and lower case plus numerials.
Fix the wireless channel of the TC..
Now see if it makes a stable extend..
Always remember the Express must not be so far away the signal is poor.. it should get good signal itself so it can repeat to the other clients.

Similar Messages

Time Capsule 4th Gen with 2 AE's to extend wireless has no consistent connection

I have a Time Capsule 4th Gen & 2 Airport Express (A1264) devices used for extending the wireless range - all on v7.6.4. The network setup is a u-verse modem that goes to a Cisco 8 port router, that has one ethernet line to the Time Capsule, one ethernet line goes to one of the AE's, another ethernet line to another 5 port router and an AE connected to it, and the remaining ethernet lines are to hardwire different rooms in the house.
The goal is to have the most robust wireless network I can create for the house that has, 4 iphones, 5 ipad's, 4 mac's, 2 pc's and a few other wirelesss devices. I also have an AT&T wireless Microcell (not sure if relevant). The issue revolves mostly around really poor wireless performance on iphones and iPad's they just take foreever to load pages and in many cases I need to do things like turn off wireless, forget the network, restart, airplane mode and such to get it connected. I've tried multiple configurations, and the performance is not consistent.
My understanding is that the AE's connected to ethernet on the home network can extend the TC's range and make the movement of mobile wireless devices throughout the house seemless. Is this setup doable or am I just not going to get this with the current configs.
TC setup, DHCP to u-verse gateway, Network Mode set to Create... ., WPA2 Personal, 2.4 channel 9, off bridge mode, timed access control enabled
AE1 setup, DHCP to u-verse gateway, Network Mode set to Create... ., WPA2 Personal, 2.4 channel 5, off bridge mode, timed access control enabled
AE2 setup, DHCP to u-verse gateway, Network Mode set to Create... ., WPA2 Personal, 2.4 channel 7, off bridge mode, timed access control enabled
Really appreciate any advice or tips on improving this setup. Thanks!

My understanding is that the AE's connected to ethernet on the home network can extend the TC's range and make the movement of mobile wireless devices throughout the house seemless.
This is generally true if you are using Mac laptops, but PCs and mobile devices using the iOS systems like the iPhone and iPad will not usually automatically "switch" from one wireless access point to another as the device moves from one area to another.
That's a nature of the beast of the iOS system, I am afraid.
Usually, if you move the iOS device from one area to another, you willl need to turn off the WiFi on the device, then turn it back it on. Then, it will usually pick up the stronger signal from the closest wireless access point.
Sometimes, if I move an iPhone or iPad from one area to another in a multiple access point network, the iOS device will switch over to the stronger signal after a few minutes.
I haven't installed iOS 7 yet, so can't comment on whether it might be better in this regard, but I would be surprised if it was.

TS3972 How can I access the files(movies,music,etc) in my Apple Time Capsule(4th Gen) from my Apple TV(3rd Gen). This is very frustrating Apple has not provided a basic feature, and me buying the Time Capsule and Apple TV is an complete waste of bucks.

I have an Apple TV (3rd Gen) and Apple Time Capsule (4th Gen). How can I access Movies and Music stored in the Time Capsule from Apple TV. This is very n't give frustrating that Apple doesn't give their customers with an straight forward access to their customers in between their own products. Iam repenting that buying these products is completely waste of bucks. Appreciate your help...

Welcome to Apple Support Communities
The Time Capsule is clearly announced as a router with a hard drive to make backups, not to store anything and share it with your Apple TV.
To access to movies and music from the Time Capsule, note that the Apple TV can only access to them if they are stored in your iTunes library, so you will have to put your movies and music into iTunes to access to them, and then, put your iTunes library on the Time Capsule in order to access to your data from there

Time capsule 4th gen firmware 7.6.1 and Windows 7 Home Premium

Hi I have a Time capsule 4th gen firmware 7.6.1 and Windows 7 Home Premium and every time I try to copy a large file from the TC to my Windows 7 laptop the TC crashes. The time capsule disk dissapears from the network and the wireless is still on but with limited connectivity for everyone including the macs connected to the same network. On the contrary, I can copy any files to the TC. No problem. I've tried all the suggestions. Lmcompatibilitylevel 1, disable 128-bit encryption, and disabled windows search. No luck! Any other suggestions?

My previous reply: red herring. The problem didn't occur again right away, but eventually it did. Completely repeatable: start copying a 100GB file off the Time Capsue to the ThinkPad, and the entire wi-fi network goes down; nothing to do but pull the plug on the TC and restart it.
I have tried several different versions of the Intel wi-fi driver under Windows 7 and 8 -- same problem in all cases.
At least one other thread describing these same symptoms points to the firmware as the culprit (https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3582780?start=0&tstart=0). I have just downgraded the TC firmware from 7.6.1 to 7.5.2 as suggested; so far so good.

Pls help my time capsule (4th gen) lost it files..I think it have a virus pls help me to fix it tnx..

Pls help my time capsule (4th gen) lost it files..I think it have a virus pls help me to fix it tnx..

1. Ethernet .. are you using ethernet?
2. Change the name of the TC to short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
3. In the file sharing page change the workgroup to WORKGROUP.
4. In the same area, change the guest access to on read and write.
5. If you setup homegroup on the PC get rid of it.. TC is not compatible with homegroup.
6. Turn off ipv6 in the network settings for ethernet. (since you are going to be using ethernet).
From Mac version utility it looks like this.
Go to the admin tools and ensure that bonjour for windows is on.
Manually type the IP directly into windows explorer.. do not open via MyComputer.
\\10.0.1.1
Because the error message is important.

Airport Express Model A1088 with Time Capsule Model A1254 configuration problems.

I have a Time Capsule Model A1254 and an Airport Express Model A1264. I run OSX 10.7.4. When I try to configure an older Airport Express Model A1088 the Time capsule does not recognise the older Airport Express after I configure it using Airport Utility version 5.6.
Can anyone help please.

What do you mean "the Time Capsule does not recognize the older AirPort Express"?
Sounds like the AirPort Express needs to be reset and reconfigured.

Airport Express extension connection from Time Capsule failing

I have an Airport Express extending my wifi network from a Time Capsule. The connection between them appears to fail frequently. That is, a device connected wirelessly to the Airport Express will lose internet access but will regain it when I power down the Airport Express forcing the device to connect directly to the Time Capsule. Then when I power up the Express again the device connects there and has internet access. Cycling the Express seems to re-establish a working connection between it and the Time Capsule. Is there a solution to this in the settings of either device?

Once you have WiFi Explorer installed on your Mac, temporarily power off the AirPort Express and locate your laptop as close as possible to the location of the AirPort Express
Open WiFi Explorer and look for the SNR heading.
SNR is signal-to-noise ratio, which is a good way to analyze connection quality. The 'bars" at the top of the Macs screen are there pretty much for show...and they tell you nothing about the noise that may be present in the signal.
Use the following SNR guide to analyze the quality of your connection at the location of the Express:
40+          Superior
35            Excellent
30            Very Good
25            Good
20            Fair
15            Low
10            Very Low
5              Not useable
A reading somewhere between 25-30 should provide a reliable connection for the Express to "extend". Things fall off quickly below 25 though, so if you see anything below that value, that indicates either too low of a signal or too much noise on the connection.
The Express can only "extend" the quality of signal that it receives, so a good SNR is critical to reliable performance.

HT2426 how do i access my external hard drive connected to my time capsule 4th gen

how do i acess my external hard drive (wd) that is connected to my time capsule using a macbook pro?

Make sure that the drive has been formatted correctly to work with the Time Capsule.
That means a format of Mac OS Extended (Journaled)....highly recommended.....or FAT32.
Once this is checked, open Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click on the Time Capsule icon, then click Edit
Click the Disks tab at the top of the screen
If the USB port on the Time Capsule can supply enough power to the hard drive, you will see the name of the drive displayed in the window, per the example below:
If you have the correct format on the drive, and it does not appear, this is an indication that the USB port on the Time Capsule (which is under powered), does not have enough power to work with your hard drive.......even if the hard drive has its own power supply.
In this case, you will need to use a powered USB hub with the Time Capsule to provide enough current for the hard drive.
Now you should be able to access the drive using the Finder to mount it on the desktop.

Streaming video on Time Capsule 4th Gen?

I'd to store all of my video files on an external hard drive to be shared across my gigabit Ethernet. I was considering simply connecting a 2 GB external hard drive to the USB 2.0 port of a Time Capsule, but why not simply use the TC's internal SATA 2 drive instead? I think USB 2 has a maximum throughput of 480 Mbits/sec, whereas an SATA 2 has a transfer rate of 3 Gbits/sec.
Will that work?

It will stream much better from the TC internal .. that is for sure.. although internally the TC is no where near SATA 2.. indeed they still use a SATA 1 drive I think. So speed is around 50MByte/s max.. USB on the TC is extremely slow.. so good to avoid that.
Just as long as the streaming is being done by another device.. there is no media server in the TC.. it is a dumb hard disk in a router.. a file store.. it has zero smarts.

Time Capsule not visible when connecting via range extender

Hi,
I have configured a TP-Link WA750RE to expand the range of my Time Capsule's wireless network. The range extender works fine for surfing the web etc., but the Time Capsule doesn't show up as my Time Machine backup device and the Time Capsule is not visible in my Airport Utility. What's even stranger is that when I click on "Configure other" (shift + command + o) in Airport Utility and type in my Time Capsule's IP-address and password, I can still access the devices' configuration menu.
When I move my Macbook very close to my Time Machine to connect directly to the wireless network, leaving out the range extender, none of the above mentioned problems occur. The TP-Link range extender has no NAT or port configuration that could possibly cause this problem, so I'm out of ideas for a way to solve this problem.
Thank you in advance for your help.

A non-apple range extender is not passing the protocols that apple uses.. eg bonjour.. This is a standard problem and why you stick with using Apple's own routers for extensions.

Issues with Time Capsule (4th gen).. or Airport Utility?

I have som abstract issues with my Time Capsule. After some recent downtime with my ISP I thought I'd start digging around in the Time Capsules settings using the Airport Utility. Thing is though, when/if the TC shows up in the utility and I click it, it spins around at reading my settings for awhile, then I lose the connection to it entirely, it disappears from Airport Utility and I lose WiFi AND ethernet connection for a good five-or-so minutes. The unit still shows a green light.
I have a tiny bit more luck if I use Airport Utility in Windows 8.1 running through Bootcamp. I can click the Time Capsule without it "shutting down" on me and I can restart the unit through the software, but as soon as I try to change any settings or even enter my password to do so, the same thing happens.
This has happened to me in the past around 2012/2013. My first Time Capsule broke down and I had it replaced, the replacement unit did this to me as well, with the addition of WiFi not working at all so I had that replaced for a unit with the same issue... I kept this cycle replacing up and after about four or five Time Capsules I got the one I have right now which I ONCE managed to install and set up properly, but only through Windows and not OSX.
I just don't know what to do. I can't update the firmware because the airport utility can't read the settings properly as mentioned above, so I don't know if this issue is fixed through an update. Is this a common issue with the 4th gen Time Capsule? As I had it (or something like it) happen to four of the four or five units I've had I could guess it is..?
Any tips or hints, some obvious setting in OS X I could have accidentally

That is quite a story.
The Gen4 up to recently I would say was clearly the best TC they made.. finally got out most of the bugs and it ran cool enough to survive at least the 3years they should. (You cannot hope for too much more in domestic grade routers now).
But there has now come up a heap of strange issues. Mostly the units just die.. but the use of Mavericks is also causing some problems.
It is possible to do this manually even in Mavericks and even using v6 utility.. although IMHO the v5 utility is a lot better.
I hope you have already got a replacement for your TC in terms of network. Anything you do here might remove the settings that work and you will be unable to put them back.. so don't start until you can know that a bypass is possible.
Also I would like you to do this a special way. And we have a problem immediately..
MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013)
You must have ethernet. Do you have another computer with ethernet.. ?? Or can you get a friend to help with a laptop, PC or Mac that still has ethernet. Otherwise you need to buy a Thunderbolt to ethernet adapter which are not too expensive. And well worth having.
You need to factory reset the TC and do this in full network isolation.
So one ethernet LAN port of the TC to the computer. Computer has no internet connection and no wireless on.
1. Do the factory reset.
The Factory Reset universal
Unplug your TC/AE. Hold in reset. and power the TC/AE back on.. all without releasing reset and keep holding in for about 10sec. The time is not important.. it is the front LED rapid flashing that indicates you are in factory mode.
Release reset.
If it doesn’t flash rapidly you have released reset at some point and try again.
Be Gentle! Feel the switch click on. It has a positive feel.. add no more pressure after that.
TC/AE will reboot after a couple of minutes with default factory settings and will wipe out previous configurations.
No files are deleted on the hard disk.. No reset of the TC deletes files.. to do that you use erase from the airport utility.
2. Manually setup the TC by ethernet.
I have done this setup with screenshots in this thread. If you would please follow that.. anything you don't follow just ask.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5800974?tstart=0

Connecting Airport Express via Ethernet to Time Capsule - Lose Internet

I have a number of Airport Express units throughout my house that are all connected to speakers. There are 2 Airport Expresses that I want to hardwire (via eithernet) as they are too far away and I tend to get audio dropouts. I wired the one with no problem. When I plugged the other in - my internet went out completely. I confirmed its not an internet or provider issue - its something to do with the Time Capsule. I will check my Airport Utility and it will show everything out. When I unplug the second airport, reset the time capsule - all goes back to normal.
Any ideas on what the issue is? How I can fix? I need to hardwire this second airport to avoid the audio drops. Thanks in advance.

your best connection is going to be wired, hands down, so long as you have a Cat5e or Cat6 spec'd cable.
now the N is pretty fast, but if you have the original version TC, running in N only mode will be the best option because running in multi-mode actually slows the N speed down, not making it worth the upgrade to N.
If you have one of the "Dual Band" models then the issue mentioned above doesn't apply.

How can i connect my existing airport express to my new time capsule network?

I have an older airport express for wirelessly extending my network in my apartment. I bought a new Time Capsule and my airport express flashes amber and cannot find the time capsule to connect. How do I get them connected?

You can use the USB3 connections for USB2. That's downward compatible. Just runs at USB2 speed.
Just this week apple announced a couple of TB adapters, TB-to-ethernet and TB-to-firewire. But the FW adapter is not at the apple store as yet (at least at the time I am posting this).

Airport Express not working with Time Capsule

I replaced a NetGear wireless router with a new Time Capsule. After some trial and error I got everything that was hanging off the NetGear - 2 x TiVo machines, printer, extra ports for business laptops - working except my "old" Airport Express unit that I had been using to send my iTunes to my stereo tuner. I just cannot get this to connect to the Time Capsule wirelessly no matter what I do. It works just fine when connected wirelessly direct to my iMac but just will not connect to the Time Capsule as a client. Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.

I would suggest, reconnecting the Express to the TC again. Use the AirPort Utility to make ALL configuration changes including the network extending settings. Then restart both base stations and check that the settings are still good. Then disconnect the Express and give it a few minutes to initialize. It should connect. If not, then the issue may be either the distance or obstructions (like walls, ceilings, floors, etc.) that is preventing the Express from getting a signal from the TC that is adequate enough to extend.

Older Airport Express (circa 2006) and Time Capsule

Inexperienced user who did not find query related exactly to my question in the forum.
Present set up = New time Capsule (2TB) linked to modem (speed download 8mbps). WiFi working well for mixture of aged Apple iMacs, a MacBook, a MacBook Pro, a new IPad Air2 and a HP Windows laptop. Presently I have two printers - one new wireless Epson (working okay remotely) and an old HP Colour Laser 2600n wired directly by ethernet to the Time Capsule as it is not wireless. The latter printer is my workhorse and used the most.
Query = I need to move the HP LaserJet to a different location away from the Time Capsule. Therefore I wish to create wireless connectivity for it. I have an older Airport Express (circa 2006 or earlier) which I have not used for many years.
(A) Can this be configured to work with the current WiFi technology? Or is it preferable to buy the newer Airport Express?
(B) Any advice on installing the AE on the relocated printer would be welcome. Thank you.

Here you go....
Power off the AirPort Extreme if it is is on...and wait a minute
Then,, hold in the reset button first on the back of the AirPort Extreme, and keep holding it in for an additional 10 seconds while you simultaneously plug the power back into the AirPort Extreme
Release the reset button after the hold period, and allow a full minute for the AirPort Extreme to restart to a slow, blinking amber light status
On your iPad home screen....
Tap Settings
Tap WiFi
Tap on AirPort Extreme under the heading of Set Up a New AirPort Base Station
The utility will take a minute to analyze things, then suggest that the AirPort Extreme be configured to extend the Time Capsule network
Enter a name for the AirPort Extreme
Tap Next
The utility will set up everything for you. When you see the message of Setup Complete, tap Done. That's it.
Connect the printer to one of the three LAN <--> ports. You may need to restart both the printer and the AirPort Extreme to get things going.

Airport Express 1st Gen dropping Time Capsule 4th Gen when being used to extend signal

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