Better to create or extend my existing network? (Time Capsule, Express, AppleTV with wireless modem internet)

We have Optus ADSL broadband (Australia) running wireless via a 'Sagemcom F@ST 3864 Optus' modem. We have an Airport Time Capsule (for backup) and an Airport Express (for music connection) and Apple TV.
I currently have the Time Capsule (Express & TV) set up as their own network, sharing the internet from the Optus wireless network. Is creating a new network like this the best scenario? Or is it better to extend the existing Optus wireless network? Besides extension for range/reception, does either option have particular benefits over the other?
Other than internet, we just stream music/movies from laptops & phones to speakers/TV, so the thinking behind creating a new network rather than extending, was based on the assumption that the Time Capsule may be better at data transfer than the modem?
Any thoughts would be great!

Is creating a new network like this the best scenario? Or is it better to extend the existing Optus wireless network? Besides extension for range/reception, does either option have particular benefits over the other?
I would say it is about 50-50.. 6 of one .. half a dozen of the other.
Any scenario you dream up has a set of good points and bad points.
So some factors.
1. I presume you have the TC plugged by ethernet into the Sagem modem.. bridged and creating its own network.. using two different network names keeps the local connection load contained which is good thing.
Wireless is fundamentally poor. It has limits on being only able to handle a single client at a time.. so time slicing between all the clients. plus it is half duplex.. which is simply it can either transmit or receive not both.
In comparison, Ethernet via modern switches.. can have multiple computers talking to each other at once and can both tx and rx, ie full duplex. So using extend wireless is very bad. It means wireless is much slower as each packet is double handled.
Using multiple APs connected back by ethernet to a main router is definitely the right way to go. They can be in roaming or setup with completely different names.. that is almost irrelevant. It is easier though to manage when you do the naming and setup so you specifically allocate load.
For example.. if the TC is doing backups from TM on the computers and you start having streaming issues with the Apple TV, split the load, by naming the 2.4ghz and 5ghz differently in the TC.. and force backups to 5ghz and streaming to 2.4ghz (or visa versa depending on range issues etc.).
2. Network wise different AP should all live happily together in one happy family. The reality is that more equipment leads to more issues. I have been hitting a few issues lately with wireless routers exactly in your setup being unavailable to the network, if a computer happens to be connected to the wrong router.
For example a computer connected to the Sagem, whether by wireless or ethernet, may have issues backing up to the TC. It shouldn't but it does. I am seeing Mavericks in particular giving strife this way.
Someone recently posted a very helpful article on why this is happening.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5863043?tstart=0
For most people in a home network you do not want the hassle of running a server. But you can see that sometimes things start getting complicated.
Best principle is hope for the best.. set it up as per what you have done.. if it bombs or is unstable.. work back through the issues.. there are some alternative configurations which are more complicated.. eg running the TC with static IP, that seems to alleviate some of the bugs.
3. What works is best. Whatever the theory.. try a few setups.. what you setup that works well for you is the best even if the theory says no.. that is bad.
eg One post a person used roaming network with all AP's fixed to the same channel, so the idevices would roam properly. This is wrong.. but works.. normal roaming network laptops seem to be able to roam well but idevices do not. Pick what works.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/25138680?ac_cid=tw123456#25138680

Similar Messages

310N extending an existing network

I am trying to extend my existing network. I currently have the cable modem plugged into an older Linksys wireless router which works fine, from there I have wires going out to other parts of the house and a Linksys switch providing extra ports.One of the wires goes to the office upstairs, where I am trying to install a 310N to extend the reach of my wireless. I am willing to set it up as a separate wireless network.
I plugged the 310 into the switch and I got an IP address for a second, but I couldn't ping down to the first router from the computer. I reconfigured the 310 putting it on a different subnet, connecting the cable from the downstairs router to the WAN, to a normal port. I could not get it to work. I am fine using the 310 as a switch or a hub, I just need the extra wireless coverage.
Any suggestions?

Follow this link

Extend a existing network.....Help

I have a 500GB Apple Time Capsule and connected this to my Telstra Negear Wireless Router, all signals are green and ready to go, this allows me to back up, so connection is correct. I then hooked up the Airport Express and that now has a green light when connected to my existing wireless network.
When I choose the option on either the Time Capsule or Airport Express to extend the existing network which is why I bought the Airport Express...it all starts flashing orange...are there any particular things I need to change in any of the settings, as I have tried everything and no luck

Lele273 wrote:
Yes TC is plugged into Telstra Modem by ethernet but as join a wireless network not create a wireless network
That's what you need to fix. If your Time Capsule is creating your wireless network, an Express can "extend" it - not the wireless network created by your Telstra wireless router.
It has to look like this
Guest network, security, and the wireless options do not matter. The Time Capsule must be configured to "Create a wireless network".

How many Airport devices do I need to extend an existing network?

Hello all,
I hope one of you might be able to help me with a problem.
I recently just moved to a different apartment, and my router (from my local internet provider) does not reach to all the rooms in the apartment.
Since I also wanted to stream wireless music in my home office I read that the Airport express would be a great solution to both extend the existing network and stream wireless from my Apple products.
I went to buy the Airport express, and asked the guy in the local authorized reseller of Apple products, if I could use this without connecting it via cables to my router (hence using it via wifi only). And he said yes, which I believed. However, after trying to set it up, and failed. I started searching for questions about my issue.
So:
Do I need two airport devices if I want to extend my existing network, when the router is in the living room, and the speakers that I want to stream from are located in my home office in the other end of the apartment? The area that I want to extend the existing network to is the bed room, next to the office.
So I thought that I could set the Airport express up in my office and connect it to the mini-jack from the speakers, and voila it would just do as I wanted to. But since I'm not a technical expert, I might have misunderstood, and I really do not want long ethernet cables running all over the place.
Is the only solution then to buy two devices? (Oh and for your information, I am not able to move the router to the office since there is no outlet for the internet, the only place it can be set up is in the living room).
Hope someone can help enlighten me on this issue. Thank you :-)

You need two AirPorts if you want to wirelessly "extend" the network, which will provide more wireless coverage....since both AirPorts will be broadcasting a wireless network.
You only need one AirPort Express if all that you want to do is use it for AirPlay to pick up the wireless signal and "join" your existing wireless network. In order to do this, the Express must be able to receive a good wireless signal from your router.
To test if you have a good signal, take a laptop or mobile device to the area where you want to install the AirPort Express and check to make sure that you can get a good wireless connection at that location. If you can, then the AirPort Express should work well at the same point.

Extending an existing network

Hello,
Which setting should I used to extend my existing network?
Should I set the Airport Express to JOIN AN EXISTING WIRELESS NETWORK (CLIENT)?
Anything else I need to do to extend the range of my network?
Thank you,
Juha

No problem.
Try the following ...
Set up a Wireless Distribution System (WDS)
(Note: To facilitate the WDS set up, place the base stations in near proximity of each other during the initial configuration phase. Be sure to jot down the AirPort ID MAC addresses for each of the base station that will be used in the WDS.)
Main Base Station Setup - AEBS
Either connect to the AirPort Extreme Base Station's (AEBS) wireless network, or, temporarily, connect directly (using an Ethernet cable) to the LAN port of the AEBS, and then, use the AirPort Admin Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities), in manual mode, to make the following settings.
WDS Tab
o Enable this base station as a WDS: main base station (checked)
o Allow wireless clients on this base station (optional)
o Click "+" to add a Remote base station.
o Select the base station that you want as the WDS Remote. This should be your AirPort Express Base Station (AX).
o AirPort ID: <verify that this is the correct wireless MAC address for the AX>
o Auto configure as a WDS remote base station (checked)
o Click "OK."
o Verify that the AX has been added to the list.
o Click "Update," and then verify the settings for the Remote.
o Allow wireless clients on this base station (checked)
o New network name: <verify that this is the same as the network name for the AEBS>
o TCP/IP: Configure using DHCP
o Base Station Password: <the AX's base station password if you're using one>
o Confirm: <same as previous step>
o Click "OK."

Bypass(IPS or TAP) network cross-connect the two RJ45 connectors electrically thus creating an extended Layer 1 network

Thanks for your time and knowledge. I am trying to understand how bypass mode works in terms of cross connection.
Bypass mode: network relays cross-connect the two RJ45 connectors electrically thus creating an extended Layer 1 network
Let us focus on one connection COM1 --- 3560 --- ELFIQ (Link Balancer) ---- ASA.
Basically ELFIQ will be a bypass mode when power is gone.
The engineer told me that I have to put cross cable between ELFIQ and ASA5505 only which is "2" cable from below diagram.
So, it will be
COM1 ------(Straight)----- 3560 -----(straight)------ ELFIQ (Link Balancer) -----(cross)--- ASA.
And he told me also that if there is no switch (in future). I need to put both cables as cross cables.
COM1 ------------- (Cross) ------------------ ELFIQ-------------- (Cross) ------------------ ASA5505
I couldn't see any consistency from this bypass works because case 1 (with switch) and case 2 (without switch)
Is my understanding right like below?
case 1: straight - straight - cross : cross
case 2: cross - cross: straight.

Thanks for your time and knowledge. I am trying to understand how bypass mode works in terms of cross connection.
Bypass mode: network relays cross-connect the two RJ45 connectors electrically thus creating an extended Layer 1 network
Let us focus on one connection COM1 --- 3560 --- ELFIQ (Link Balancer) ---- ASA.
Basically ELFIQ will be a bypass mode when power is gone.
The engineer told me that I have to put cross cable between ELFIQ and ASA5505 only which is "2" cable from below diagram.
So, it will be
COM1 ------(Straight)----- 3560 -----(straight)------ ELFIQ (Link Balancer) -----(cross)--- ASA.
And he told me also that if there is no switch (in future). I need to put both cables as cross cables.
COM1 ------------- (Cross) ------------------ ELFIQ-------------- (Cross) ------------------ ASA5505
I couldn't see any consistency from this bypass works because case 1 (with switch) and case 2 (without switch)
Is my understanding right like below?
case 1: straight - straight - cross : cross
case 2: cross - cross: straight.

I did set up my Airport Express to extend my existing network. It did ok but I can't see the name assigned to the Airport Express name in my available networks. Is that normal?

I did set up my Airport Express to extend my existing network. It did ok but I can't see the name assigned to the Airport Express name in my available networks. Is that normal?

If the AirPort Express is extending your network it is using the same wireless network name as your "main" router.
Your main router and the Express act like one "big" network now.
Your computer will connect to either the main router or the Express automatically....depending on where it sees the best signal.

I want a new and more powerful (non-Apple) wireless router but I still want to use my existing Time Capsule to continue with my Time Machine backups and I still need the Time Capsule's Network Attached Storage (NAS) features and capabilities

THE SHORTER STORY
My goal is to successfully use my existing Time Capsule (TC) with a new and more powerful wireless router. I need a new and more powerful wireless router in order to reach a distant Denon a/v receiver that is physically located in a master bedroom some 50 feet away from my modem. I need to provide this Denon a/v receiver with an Internet connection so that it can obtain its firmware updates and I need to connect this Denon a/v receiver to my network in order to use its AirPlay feature. I believe l still need the TC's Network Attached Storage (NAS) features because I am not sure if the new wireless router will provide me with the NAS like features / capabilities I need to share files between my two Apple laptops with OS X 10.8.2. And I know that I absolutely need my TC's seamless integration with Apple's Time Machine (TM) application in order to continue to make effortless backups of my two Apple laptops. To my knowledge nothing works with TM like Apple's TC. I also need the hard disk storage space built into the TC.
I cannot use a long wired Ethernet cable connection in this apartment and I cannot use power-line adapters. I have read that wireless range extenders and repeaters are difficult to successfully set-up and that they will reduce data speeds, especially so when incorrectly set-up. I cannot relocate my modem and/or primary base station wireless router.
In short, I want to use my TC with my new and more powerful wireless router. I need to stop using the TC to connect to the modem. However, I still need the TC for seamless TM backups. I also need to use the TC's built in hard drive for storage. And I may still need the TC's NAS capabilities to share files wirelessly between laptops because I am assuming the new wireless router will not provide NAS capabilities for OS X 10.8.2 (products like this/non-Apple products rarely seem to work with OS X 10.8.2/Macs to provide NAS features and capabilities). Finally, I want to continue to use my Apple laptop and AirPlay to wirelessly access and play my iTunes music collection stored on the TC's hard drive. I also want to continue to use my Apple laptop, AirPlay and Apple TV to wirelessly watch movies and TV shows stored on the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB. Can someone please advise on how to set-up my new Asus wireless router with my existing TC in such a way to accomplish all of this?
What is the best configuration or set-up to accomplish my above goals?
Thank you in advance for your assistance!!!
THE FULL STORY
I live in an apartment building where my existing Time Capsule (TC) is located in my living room and serves many purposes. Specially, my TC is at least all of the following:
(1) Wi-Fi router connected to Comcast Internet service via Motorola SB6121 cable modem - currently the TC is the Wi-Fi base station that connects to the modem and has the gateway address to the Internet. The TC now provides the DHCP service for the Wi-Fi network.
(2) Wireless router providing Internet and Wi-Fi network access to several Wi-Fi clients - two Apple laptop computers, an iPod touch, an iPad and an iPhone all connect wirelessly to the Internet via the TC.
(3) Wired Ethernet router providing Internet and Wi-Fi network access to three different devices - a Panasonic TV, LG Blu-Ray player and an Apple TV each use one of the three LAN ports on the back of the TC to gain access to the Internet.
(4) Primary base station in my attempt to extend my wireless network to a distant (located far away) Denon a/v receiver requiring a wired Ethernet connection - In addition to the TC, which is my primary base station, I am also using a second extended Wi-Fi base station (a Netgear branded product) to wirelessly extend my WiFi network to a Denon receiver located in the master bedroom and requiring a wired Ethernet connection. I cannot use a wired Ethernet connection to continuously travel from the living room to the master bedroom. The distance is too great as I cannot effectively hide the Ethernet cable in this apartment.
(5) Time Machine (TM) backup facilitator - I use my TC to wirelessly back-up two Apple laptops using Apple's Time Machine (TM) application. However, I ran out of storage space on my TC and therefore added external storage to it. Specifically, I added an external hard drive to my TC via the USB port on the back of the TC. I now use this added external hard drive connected to the TC via USB as the destination storage drive for my TM back-ups. I have partitioned the added external hard drive, and each of the several partitions all have enough storage space (e.g., each of the two partitions used by TM are sized at three times the hard drive space of each laptop, etc.). Everything works flawlessly.
(6) Network Attached Storage (NAS) - In addition to using the TC's Network Attached Storage (NAS) capabilities to wirelessly back-up two Apple laptops via TM, I also store other additional files on both (A) the hard drive built into the TC and (B) the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB (there are additional separate partitions on this drive for these other additional and non-TM backup files).
I use the TC's NAS feature with my Apple laptop and AirPlay to wirelessly access and play my iTunes music collection stored on the TC's hard drive. I also use my Apple laptop, AirPlay and Apple TV to wirelessly watch movies and TV shows stored on the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB. Again, everything works wirelessly and flawlessly. (Note: the Apple TV is connected to the network via Ethernet and a LAN port on the back of the TC).
The issue I am having is when I try to listen to music via Apple's AirPlay in the master bedroom. This master bedroom is located at a distance of two rooms away from the TC's current location in the living room, which is a distance of about 50 feet. This apartment has a long rectangular floor plan where each room is connected to the next in a straight line. In order to use AirPlay in the master bedroom I am using a second extended Wi-Fi base station (a Netgear branded product) to wirelessly extend my WiFi network to a Denon receiver located in the master bedroom and requiring a wired Ethernet connection. This additional base station connects wirelessly to the WiFi network provided by my TC and then gives my Denon receiver the wired Ethernet connection it needs to use AirPlay. I have tried moving my iTunes music directly onto my laptop's hard drive, and then I used AirPlay on this same laptop to connect to the Denon receiver. I always get a successful connection and the song plays, but the problem is that the connection inevitably drops.
I live in an apartment building and all of the many wireless routers in this building create a great deal of WiFi interference on both the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands. I have tried connecting the Netgear product to each the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, but neither band can successfully maintain a wireless connection between the TC and the Netgear product. I also attempted to maintain a wireless connection to an iPod touch using the 2.4 GHz band and AirPlay on this iPod touch to play music on the Denon receiver. Again, I was able to establish a connection and successfully play music, but after a few minutes the connection dropped and the music stopped playing. I therefore have concluded that I have a poor wireless connection in the master bedroom. I can establish a connection, but it is intermittent with frequent drops. I have verified this with both laptops by working in the master bedroom for an entire day on both laptops. The Internet connection in this master bedroom proved to drop out frequently - about once an hour with the laptops. The wireless connection and the frequency of its dropout are far worse with the iPod touch and an iPhone.
I cannot relocate the TC. Also, this is an apartment and I therefore cannot extend the range of my network with Ethernet cable (I cannot drill through walls/ceilings, etc.). It is an old building with antiquated wiring and power-line adapters are not likely to function properly, nor can I spare the direct power outlet required with a power-line adapter. I simply need every outlet I can get and cannot afford to block any direct outlet.
My solution is to use a more powerful wireless router. I found the ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router which will likely provide a better connection to my wireless Internet in the master bedroom than the TC. The 802.11ac band of this Asus wireless router is totally useless to me, but based on what I have read I believe this router will provide a stronger connection at greater distances then my TC. And I will be ready for 802.11ac when it becomes more widely available.
However, I still need to maintain the TC's ability to work seamlessly with TM to backup my two laptops. Also, I doubt the new Asus router will provide OS X 10.8.2 with NAS like features and capabilities. Therefore, I still would like to use the TC's NAS capabilities to share files on my network wirelessly assuming the Asus wireless router fails to provide this feature. I need a new and more powerful wireless router, but I need to maintain the TC's NAS features and seamless integration with TM. Finally, I want to continue to use my Apple laptop and AirPlay to wirelessly access and play my iTunes music collection stored on the TC's hard drive. I also want to continue to use my Apple laptop, AirPlay and Apple TV to wirelessly watch movies and TV shows stored on the additional external hard drive connected to the TC via USB. Can someone advise on how to set-up my existing TC with this new Asus wireless router in such a way to accomplish all of this?
Modem
Motorola SB6121 SURFboard DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem
Existing Wireless Router and Primary Wi-Fi Base Station - Apple Time Capsule
Apple Time Capsule MC343LL/A 1TB Sim DualBand (purchased June 2010, likely the Winter 2009 Model)
Desired New Wireless Router and Primary Wi-Fi Base Station - Non-Apple Asus
ASUS RT-AC66U Dual-Band Wireless-AC1750 Gigabit Router
Extended Wi-Fi Base Station - Provides an Ethernet Connection to a Denon A/V Receiver Two Rooms Away from the Modem
Netgear Universal Dual Band Wireless Internet Adapter for TV & Blu-Ray (WNCE3001)
Addition External Hard Drive Attached to the Existing Apple Time Capsule via USB
WD My Book Studio 4TB Mac External Hard Drive Storage USB 3.0
Existing Laptops on the Wireless Network Requiring Time Machine Backups
MacBook Air (11-inch, Mid 2012) OS X 10.8.2
MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid 2010) OS X 10.8.2
Other Existing Apple Products (Clients) on the Wireless Network
iPod Touch (second generation) is model A1288.
iPad (1st generation)
Apple TV (3rd generation) - Quantity two (2)

Thanks Bob Timmons.
In regards to a Plan B, I hear ya brother. I am already on what feels like Plan Z. Getting WiFi to a far off room in an apartment building crowded with WiFi routers is a major pain.
I am basing my thoughts on the potential of a new and more powerful router reaching the far off master bedroom based on positive reviews on cnet.com, pcmag.com and pcworld.com. All 3 of these web sites have reviewed the Asus RT-AC66U 802.11AC wireless router as well as its virtual twin cousin 802.11n router. What impressed me is that all 3 sites rated this router #1 overall in terms of both range and speed (in both the 802.11n and 802.11AC flavors). They tested the router in real world scenarios where the router needed to compete with a lot of other wireless routers. One of the sites even buried this Asus router in a media room with thick walls and inside a media cabinet. This Asus router should be able to serve my 2.4 GHz band wireless clients (iPod Touch and iPhone 4) with a 2.4GHz Wireless-N band offering some 50 feet of dependable range and a 60 Mbps throughput at that range. I am hoping that works, but it's borderline for my master bedroom. My 5 GHz wireless clients (laptops) will enjoy a 5GHz Wireless-N band offering 150 feet of range and a 200 Mbps throughput at that range. I have no idea what most of that stuff means, but I did also read that Asus could reach 300 feet and I got really excited. My mileage may vary of course and I'm sure I'm making some mistakes in my interpretation of their data. However, my Winter 2009 Time Capsule was rated by cnet.com to deliver real world performance of less than that, and 802.11AC may or may not be useful to me someday. But when this Asus arrives and provides anything other than an excellent and consistent wireless signal without drops in the master bedroom it's going right back!
Your solution sounds great, but I have some questions. I'm using OS X 10.8.2 and Airport Utility (version 6.1 610.31) and on its third tab labeled "Wireless" the top option enables you to set "Network Mode" to either:
Create a wireless network
Extend a wireless network
Off
Given your advice to "Turn off the wireless on the TC," should I set Network Mode to Off? Sorry, I'm clueless in regards to how to turn off the wireless on the TC any other way. Can you provide specific steps on how to turn off the wireless on the TC? If what I wrote is correct then what should the rest of this Wireless tab look like, or perhaps it is irrelevant when wireless is off?
Next, what do you mean by "Configure the TC in Bridge Mode?" Under Airports Utility's fourth tab labeled "Network" the top option "Router Mode" allows for either:
DHCP and Nat
DHCP Only
Off (Bridge Mode)
Is your advice to Configure the TC in Bridge Mode as simple as setting Router Mode to Off (Bridge Mode)? If yes, then what should the rest of this "Network" tab look like? Anything else involved in configuring the TC in Bridge Mode or is it really as simple as setting the Router Mode to "Off (Bridge Mode)"?
How about the other tabs in Airport Utility, can they all stay as is assuming I use the same network name and password for the new Asus wireless router? Or do I need to make any other changes to the TC via Airport Utility?
Finally, in regards to your Plan B suggestion. I agree. But do you have a Plan B for me? I would greatly appreciate any alternative you could provide. Specifically, if you needed a TC's Internet connection to reach a far off corner of your home how would you do it? In the master bedroom I need both a wired Ethernet connection for the Denon a/v receiver and wireless Internet connection for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Power-Line Adapters - High Cost, Blocks at Least One Wall Outlet and Does Not Solve the Wireless Need
I actually like exactly one power-line adapter, which is the D-Link DHP-540 PowerLine AV 500 4-Port Gigabit Switch. This D-Link power-line adapter plugs into your wall outlet with a normal sized plug (regular standard power cord much like any other electronic device) instead of all of the other recommended power-line adapters that not only use at least one wall outlet but also often block the second outlet. You cannot use a power strip with a power-line adapter which is very impractical for me. And everything about my home is strange and upside down. The wiring here is a disaster and I don't have faith in its ability to carry Internet access from the living room to the master bedroom. And this D-Link power-line adapter costs $90 each and I need at least two to make the connection to the Denon A/V receiver. So, $180 on this solution and I still don't have a dependable drop free wireless connection in the master bedroom. The Denon might get its Ethernet Internet connection from the power-line adapter, but if I want to use an iPhone 4 or iPod Touch to stream AirPlay music to the Denon wirelessly (Pandora/iTunes, etc.) from the master bedroom the wireless connection will not be stable in there and I've already spent $190 on just the two power-line adapters needed.
Extenders / Repeaters / Wirelessly Extending the Wireless Network
I have also read great things about the Amped Wireless High Power Wireless-N 600mW Gigabit Dual Band Range Extender (Repeater) SR20000G and the My Net Wi-Fi Range Extender. The former is very powerful and the latter is easier to install. Both cost about $150 ish so similar to a new Asus router. However, everything I read about Range Extenders points to them not being very effective for a far off corner of your house wherein it's apparently hard to place the range extender in the sweet spot where it both gets a strong enough signal to actually effectively extend the wireless signal and otherwise does not reduce network throughput speeds to unacceptable speeds.
Creating a Roaming Network By Hard Wiring with Ethernet Cable - Wife Would Say, "**** No!"
Even Apple seems to warn against wirelessly extending your network (see: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4145#) and otherwise strongly recommends a roaming network where Ethernet cable is used to connect two wireless base stations. However, I am in an apartment where stringing together two wireless base stations with Ethernet cable would have an extremely low wife acceptance factor (WAF). I cannot (both contractually and from a skill prospective) hide Ethernet wire in the walls or ceiling. And having visible Ethernet cable running from room-to-room would be unacceptable, especially to the wife.
So what is left? Do you have a Plan B for me? Thanks in advance for your help!

How to extend a wifi network of third party router with TC 4th generation?

After searching the communities for a while, I did not find a definitive answer on the following question:
- I recently bought a 4th generation Time Capsule 2TB (MD0322/A), that I also want to use as an extension for our existing wifi network.
- This wifi network is maintained by a Sitecom Wireless 300N XR Gigabit Router. Router is set to work over 2.4 GHz (B+G+N) because of several non-N-wifi devices in the network. The channel in use is currently 11.
- This router provides so called WDS functionality, i.e. the ability for other wifi access points to act as a seamless extension of the basic wifi network (using the same SSID).
- The security settings in the router are WPA2 Mixed, with a password in plain ASCII.
- There seems to be no way to set different security levels for WDS-connections versus normal AP (access point) connections. If WDS is enabled, the security settings of the AP-mode are extended to the WDS connection.
I have set the Sitecom router to enable WDS, and added the MAC-address of the TC in the configuration of this router.
When configuring the Time Capsule, with Airport Utility 5.5.3, I can select the option to use TC to extend an existing network, and I can select the network of choice using the WPA personal or WPA/WPA personal security. However, the TC does not succeed in extending the network, and reports this back. If I manually configure the TC and select the network of choice, Airport Utility reports back that the selected network cannot be extended.
I have read several times in other posts that Time Capsule can only connect to third party routers via WDS using WEP-authentication, but these posts were quite old. I was wondering if this is still the case, or that Apple has updated this functionality in newer versions of TC, and thus there could exist a trick to connect to a WDS using WPA.
I really would appreciate suggestions
Bram Bos

gilles13 wrote:
I have a mac and pc (win7) both are connected thru a network with wifi and allready two access pt.
Airport can not be used to extend a WiFi created by a non-Apple box.
You need to turn off the radio in the router (shut down the existing WiFi). Purchase TWO Airport Express units. Connect one to the router with an Ethernet cable. Configure that one as your primary WiFi network and then use the second Express as the extender.
You need to locate the second Express where it receives a decent WiFi signal. Too far away and it has nothing to extend. Too close and it doesn't buy you anything. Before you plug in the second Express, check to see where the primary WiFi disappears completely. My personal WAG is that you want to locate the second Express 2/3 the distance to that point.
If you use Airport Utility to configure the units, it's a snap. In fact, if you configure the primary first and the extender second, AU will default to exactly the settings that you want.
By the way, I refereed to the Express because it's less expensive than the Extreme and you didn't indicate any need for the Extreme features.

How do i set up time capsule to work with airport extreme base to extend wireless network?

i have a airport extreme base, how do i set up a time machine to extend the wireless network i have with airport extreme? i have also 3 airport express's connected to the same network to extend my wifi all over my house. thanks in advance.

Much better graphics, thanks.
You can leave the Time Capsule connected by Ethernet from the Linksys and configure for a "roaming" network as mentioned previously.
To do this, open AirPort Utility - Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab below the icons
Wireless Mode = Create a wireless network
Wireless Network Name = Same name as the AirPort Extreme
No check mark needed next to Allow this network to be extended
Radio Mode = Same setting as the AirPort Extreme
Channel = Automatic
Wireless Security = Same setting as the AirPort Extreme
Wireless Password = Same password as the AirPort Extreme
Confirm Password
Click the Internet icon, then the Internet Connection tab
Connect Using = Ethernet
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Update to save settings and allow the Time Capsue to restart
Then power down the entire network
Wait a minute or two
Start the modem first and let it run a full minute
Start the AirPort Extreme the same way
Power up the switch
Power up the Time Capsule for a minute
Keep starting devices one at a time about a minute apart
Now, your computer will automatically pick up a wireless signal from either the AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule, whichever device is closer and providing the stronger signal.

Will I be able to extend a dual band network from a Time Capsule 2nd generation with the new Airport Express on both bands?

My Time Capsule 2nd generation is the main accesspoint in my house. It resides on the second floor in our living room. On the first floor in our kitchen I have an fairly new Airport Express that extends my network on the 5 GHz band and allows me to stream music via Airplay. I had to choose 5 GHz since the 2,4 GHz band is interfered when using the microwave oven. However, we have a rather old house with loads of metal in the concrete walls and therefore the 2,4 GHz signal from the second floor proivded by the Time Capsule is hardly available on the first floor. Since all our iDevices (iPhones and iPods) operate at the 2,4 GHz band we sometimes don't have a proper wi-fi connection. I had tried before with another (older) Airport Express that only operated at the 2,4 Ghz band, but I could get a proper connection between the Time Capsule and the Airport Express. Therefore I think it would be the best solution if the new Airport Express would provide both bands simultaneously.
If I replace my existing Airport Express with the new one, will I be able to extend my network on both bands?

It sounds like you may have configured your Time Capsule to use a separate name for the 5 GHz network and then setup the Express to extend that specific band.
In order to extend both bands, the Time Capsule setup will need to be changed so that both bands are using the same name. In other words, you would uncheck the option for the 5 Ghz name.
Then, setup the new Express to extend the Time Capsule network.
This is the only way that they Express can extend both bands. It cannot extend both bands if you have assigned a separate name to the 5 GHz network since you will be forced to choose either the 5 GHz band or the 2.4 GHz band for the Express to extend.
How the microwave oven will affect this is not known. This will one of those things that you have to try in your home to know if it will work well, so it might be a good idea to understand the store's return policy before you buy....in case things do not work out as hoped.

Time Capsule 4 gen. with iMac OS X Lion 3 Windows PC (XP OS, Vista OS, Seven OS) cable modem with TC as Wi-Fi. Time Machine on iMac found TC for backup easily. Have Wi-Fi access on PC XP with Airport utility but cannot create TC.

Installed today Time Capsule 4 gen. with iMac OS X Lion. I also have 3 Windows PC (XP OS, Vista OS, Seven OS). Internet Access is cable modem with TC as Wi-Fi. Time Machine on iMac found TC for backup easily. Have Wi-Fi access on PC XP with Airport utility but cannot create TC. Does the Airport utility under Windows is way to access backup capabilities with TC ?

The TC is really just an external networked hard disk plus router.. you can access the hard disk and place files on it from any computer. You can backup any computer to the TC but it will have to use a backup software in windows.. there are literally thousands available. The built in msbackup is horrible.. but you can download lots of different software and buy then online for not a lot. Macrium Reflect has a free disk image backup, and when you pay for it includes incremental. I think disk images are well worth it, as they recover much better.. and their is a proper method of recovery using a boot cd.
BTW the TC space is not endless. And it is designed to hold a large number of incremental backups.. so anything you do in backing up several machines will make the number of backups limited. Remember you can also use a usb hard disk plugged in as a Network accessible disk. But it has to be formatted HFS+ or Fat32.. the later being highly undesirable.

HT1178 i am setting u a new time capsule. i already have a wifi setup in my office. now i want to use this time capsule just as a wireless backup machine. do i still need to attached a DSL cable, or it can connect to my existing wifi and start working ?

i am setting u a new time capsule. i already have a wifi setup in my office. now i want to use this time capsule just as a wireless backup machine. do i still need to attached a DSL cable, or it can connect to my existing wifi and start working ?

You probably can, but this type of configuration is not recommended or supported by Apple.
Two cautions if you want to try this:
1) The Time Capsule has to be configured to "Join" your existing wireless network in this type of setup...and to do that, you must know the exact type of wireless security that your network is using.
2) Backups are likely going to take twice as long. The wireless signal must travel from your computer to the wireless router and then from the wireless router back to the Time Capsule. Two "hops"......even if the computer is located close to the Time Capsule.
If you want to try this, we can tell you how....but with no guarantees on your results....since this is not officially supported.

HT5439 Has anyone had the Network time and date error with Apple TV when traveling?

Has anyone had the Network time and date error with Apple TV when traveling?

Jasion,
Maybe a bit beside the question, but it is always recommended here to open/save from/to own hard disk, and to copy from/to networks and removable media. You may be lucky, at least for a while, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
In addition to the (far greater) risk of file corruption, some issues are mentioned here:
http://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/kb/illustrator-support-networks-removable-media.html

How can I set up a guest access point with a Time Capsule and an Airport Extreme? I am using a Telus router with the Time Capsule used as a wireless access point (bridge mode). I don't want the guest access point to have access to my network.

How can I set up a guest access point with a Time Capsule and an Airport Extreme? I am using a Telus router with the Time Capsule used as a wireless access point (bridge mode). I don't want the guest access point to have access to my network.

The Guest Network function of the Time Capsule and AirPort Extreme cannot be enabled when the device is in Bridge Mode. Unfortunately, with another router...the Telus...upstream on your network, Bridge Mode is indicated as the correct setting for all other routers on the network.
If you can replace the Telus gateway with a simple modem (that performs no routing functions), you should be able to configure either the Time Capsule or the AirPort Extreme....whichever is connected to the modem....to provide a Guest Network.

Better to create or extend my existing network? (Time Capsule, Express, AppleTV with wireless modem internet)

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