Is Time Capsule broken?

Hi All,
I bought my T.C earlier this year and have found it problematic to say the least. Recently I started to see an amber flashing light and could not back up either my iMac or Mac Book. Now the amber light just flashes for a few seconds and then no light at all. Airport can't find anything. I have tried to reset the machine several times to no avail. Do I need to send this back to Apple or am I doing something wrong?

Hi When I launch Airport utility no wireless devices are detected. Maybe I didn't explain properly there is no light on the Time Capsule even though its plugged in. The only time I get a light is if I unplug the device and re-plug it, it flashes amber for a few seconds then there is no light at all!

Similar Messages

Time Machine, AirPort Utility, and Time Capsule broken in Mavericks?

Hi all, I’ve got a befuddling Time Machine/Time Capsule/Airport problem that I can’t seem to sort out.
On my pristine 2-day-old iMac (late 2013, running 10.9.1), I’m trying to set up Time Machine to back up to a new-ish 3TB Time Capsule. Initially it worked fine for the first backup, but subsequent backups failed because “backup disk could not be found.”
So I tried giving the TC a shorter name. The first backup under the new name worked a treat, but subsequent backups failed.
In Time Machine system pref pane, I deleted the Time Capsule, intending to try again with a new, even shorter name. But then when I went into AirPort Utility to change the Time Capsule name, it told me that “no configured AirPort base stations have been found.” I assumed that I was just deleting it as a choice on the backup disk list, but now I'm wondering, did the Time Machine pref actually delete the actual disk? In the AirPort Utility window, Time Capsule appears in the "other wi-fi" devices list, yet when I click it, it says "error reading settings."
Here are some other random details that may or may not pertain:
On the new iMac, I tried to mount the TC disk image, but Connect To Server reports that the connection fails because “the server may not exist or is unavailable.”
Although the Time Capsule shows up in the sidebar of the Finder window, “getting info” just produces the spinning wheel.
Although AirPort utility says that it can’t find the Time Capsule, the TC is nevertheless connecting to the internet just fine. All household devices are online, including iPhones and iPads.
On the old Mac Pro running 10.8, Time Capsule, Time Machine, and AirPort Utility all behave normally.
I thought I might try resetting the Time Capsule, but will this erase all the backups (from other computers around the house all running 10.8x without problems of any kind) that are on there? The other computer users will definitely squawk about that!
I hope this tirade makes some sense. Thanks for reading!

1. In Time Machine system pref pane, I deleted the Time Capsule, intending to try again with a new, even shorter name. But then when I went into AirPort Utility to change the Time Capsule name, it told me that “no configured AirPort base stations have been found.” I assumed that I was just deleting it as a choice on the backup disk list, but now I'm wondering, did the Time Machine pref actually delete the actual disk? In the AirPort Utility window, Time Capsule appears in the "other wi-fi" devices list, yet when I click it, it says "error reading settings."
Here are some other random details that may or may not pertain:
2. On the new iMac, I tried to mount the TC disk image, but Connect To Server reports that the connection fails because “the server may not exist or is unavailable.”
3. Although the Time Capsule shows up in the sidebar of the Finder window, “getting info” just produces the spinning wheel.
4. Although AirPort utility says that it can’t find the Time Capsule, the TC is nevertheless connecting to the internet just fine. All household devices are online, including iPhones and iPads.
5. On the old Mac Pro running 10.8, Time Capsule, Time Machine, and AirPort Utility all behave normally.
6. I thought I might try resetting the Time Capsule, but will this erase all the backups (from other computers around the house all running 10.8x without problems of any kind) that are on there? The other computer users will definitely squawk about that!
I hope this tirade makes some sense. Thanks for reading!
Rather than chop up your post I have taken the liberty to number the points.
1. When you deleted the TC in the airport utility you simply changed its ability to display the errant device. You did not actually delete anything on the TC itself.
Getting back a lost Airport.. more below.
2. Please give actual command you used.. and the name..
It is most important that you translate the name from Apple name to actual network name. That is why I constantly hammer on about using network names.. short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
So Fred Blog's Airport Time Capsule apart from being hopelessly wrong.
Is translated by Apple to the Network name.. Fred-Blogs-Airport-Time-Capsule (note.. no spaces and no special characters.. the apostrophe is deleted).
It can be much easier to just use IP address.. if the TC is the main router.. then it will hold a constant IP.. by default 10.0.1.1
So mount the TC as AFP://10.0.1.1
3. That is standard.. it is a network device and will not show info. Same on any computer in your network.. same on any OS.
4. Yes, that is standard.. the location of the hard disk is lost.. but the internet is still working.. This is the bug that has been around since Lion and is still growing worse with each revision.
5. Again standard. the issue is on the computer or the interaction of the two.. computer and TC.. yet other computers are unaffected.
6. Reset of the TC is fine.. no reset, soft hard or factory will ever delete the hard disk files.
But if you change the name of the TC, you will need to go around to all the computers and setup TM again to point to the right target.. none of the backups are lost.. you just need to tell TM where they got to.
Manual setup of the lost TC.
In Airport utility go to the top menu, open configure other.. and type in the IP address of the TC that got lost.
no password needed unless you set something .. if it doesn't work the default is public

Is my Time Capsule broken?

Hello,
I have wierd problem with my Time Machine. I have a MacBook Pro and a Time Capsule (connected over WiFi N). I have a fresh installed Leopard 10.5.7 on my MacBook and a new formatted Time Capsule. The first backup did I with ethernet. It transferred about 40 GB. I know that the backup process takes a lot of time but that is not my problem.
When I open Time Machine and I want to scroll or to search something it is really really slow. For example: I opened my actuall application folder and scrolled back to first backup (1 day ago). It takes up to 1 Minute until it shows the files. Is this normal? I don´t know how Time Machine will react when I have 3 months or more on it. It feels just to slow.
Any help is appreciated. Thank you very much in advance.
Sincerely Alex

Alex2009 wrote:
Hello,
I have wierd problem with my Time Machine.
When I open Time Machine and I want to scroll or to search something it is really really slow.
I've noticed that with my Ethernet-connected iMac. It seems like Time Machine takes a long time to collect the information it needs. Once that's done, I think you'll find that its speed is usable.

HT201514 My Time Capsule/Router will not recognize the other Apple wireless devices that I own. The older Air Port goes online immediately and recognizes each one by name. The Time Capsule/Router does not finish the start up--long yellow flashing light.

I recently purchased a MacBook Air and an Airport Time Capsule. The Time Capsule does not recognize my old iPhone, my old iPod Touch and my new MacBook Air. The old AirPort Extreme works perfectly on the network, so I know it's not my internet. It also recognizes all my devices by name and hooks them up to the internet. Is the Time Capsule broken or is there some secret trick I need to know to get it to work?
Ellen H.

Check the Ethernet connection to the AirPort Express. Make sure that the Ethernet connection from the Comcast modem is connected to the WAN port on the back of the AirPort Express. The WAN port is the one with the circle of dots shown over the port.
It sounds like you are connected to the Ethernet LAN port.

Restoring From Broken Time Capsule

I am troubleshooting a Time Capsule problem for a friend and based on what I can tell it's probably broken. If I plug it in and the LED goes solid amber for about 15 seconds, then it powers down. He needs to restore a file from the Time Machine disk inside, but of course this is not currently possible. Assuming the drive is undamaged, if I extract it and plug it into his Mac via USB bridge or through the SATA interface, will the Mac see the drive as a Time Machine drive that can be used for restoring data?
MB

Just a warning .. if he used a password on the disk.. it can be messy. Normal security on the TC using the TC login is not a problem.
The backup is inside a sparsebundle so to access the TM files might take a bit more effort but otherwise should be ok.
If it is a gen 1 or gen 2 TC the problem is power supply.. it fails when it attempts to spin up the hard disk.
A fix of the power supply can restore it to working order.
https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s/apple-time-capsule-repair

Currently have house wide wireless network and using external HD (USB) for time machine. HD broken. would Time capsule work with current routers etc or make them redundant?

I currently have a large house wide wireless network and I am using a dedicated Buffalo HD with USB for time machine. The HD has gone bad and can't be repaired. I am thinking of replacing it with a Time Capsule. Will this fit in with my current routers etc, render them redundent ? I THOUGHT THAT THE HD I BOUGHT WAS OF GOOD QUAILTY BUT IT HAS BROKEN AFTER 2 YEARS. HOW LONG CAN ONE HOPE FOR A TIME CAPSULE TO LIVE (USING QUALITY SURGE DEVICES ETC) ? Does one need to backup the backups?
ALSO: Is ther e any way to back up from Time Machine off site ( mobile me etc) in case the house burns down?

Steve M. wrote:
I know I should have redundant backups and should probably have a second external HD and eventually will.
Yes, that's best.
But for now, if I partition (I'm assuming I should) a new 1 TB external HD, how big should I make the TM partition vs. the SD partition at this point assuming I have under 100 GB on my internal Mac HD? Is this a feasible way of doing things here in the near term.
Your best bet is to make your TM partition 2-3 times the size of the amount of data you anticipate backing-up. Put it first on the drive; that way, later on you can delete the partition below it, expand the TM partition, and make a new, smaller partition for SD (or use the whole drive). See #1, #3, #5 and #6 in the Frequently Asked Questions *User Tip,* also at the top of this forum, for details.
By the way, any recommendations on which peripheral HDs to consider? I was very surprised on a recent visit to my local Apple Store that they have a large stock of WD My Studio drives. I mentioned to an Apple sales person that I had always heard WDs were kind of a no-no among Mac users but she assured me the current crop of them were much improved. Any comment on that??
Most any drive will work with Macs, and Time Machine.
If you're going to put a "bootable clone" on it, be sure it's a bootable drive. Most PPC Macs can boot only from FireWire; most Intels can boot from F/W or USB. But some Western Digitals won't boot a Mac. Their list of which ones should and +should not+ boot: http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/stdadp.php?pfaqid=1787. But note the disclaimer that they don't support it +*at all.+*.
In addition, many of them have a built-in sleep mode that cannot be disabled, and sometimes interferes with Time Machine backups: http://wdc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/wdc.cfg/php/enduser/stdadp.php?pfaqid=1376

Printing completely broken on both airport express and time capsule

Printing seems to be broken on both my old time capsul, generation one, and a new airport express. Here's what happens.
1. Connect printer directly to the Mac and everything prints fine.
2. Reconnect printer to the Airport or timecapsule. Delete all the printers. Power cycle everything. Add printer. Print and it keeps trying to connect to the printer forever.
It use to work and it may have been a recient firmware update that broke it. Any help would be appreciated. I've been through all of the support documents and still nothing. The printer is an old Epson Stylus R280. I'm running 10.9 with all the latest drivers and updates.

If you want to run a N speeds, run a cable from Time Capsule to Airport Express, set Time Capsule as your primary router, and turn off DHCP on Airport Express. This will create two networks, your Express will have one SSID, and the Time Capsule another SSID. One G network and one N network. Don't include the express in your network, keep it separate from Time Capsule to avoid it from coming down to G speeds. Make sense?

I want to hide my time capsule so a burglar cannot find it (we were broken into last week and our imac taken).

So, I would like to keep it separate from my BT wireless router. Is this stupid? Will my wireless connection be weaker as a result?
I would like my BT router to sit in the downstairs study with my macbook and replacement imac connecting wirelessly to it. Then I would like my time capsule to be hidden away elsewhere out of sight in the event of another break in. It seems silly connecting it to the router so that a thief could easily swipe it if they try to come in again - and then my backups are gone. But on the other hand, don't apple recommend that the time capsule is your main wireless hub rather than simply annexing it to your existing network?
Will the backups be much slower if the time capsule is stored elsewhere?
Will I be unable to connect my printer to the wireless network?
Thanks, all advice appreciated

Interesting post.. first of its kind I have read.
pamihar wrote:
So, I would like to keep it separate from my BT wireless router. Is this stupid? Will my wireless connection be weaker as a result?
Not stupid in the circumstances.. i hope you had contents insurance and got it replaced and had backups of your files.
You cannot wireless link the TC to the BT router.. you can ethernet connect them.. or use ethernet replacement like EOP adapters.
Then I would like my time capsule to be hidden away elsewhere out of sight in the event of another break in. It seems silly connecting it to the router so that a thief could easily swipe it if they try to come in again - and then my backups are gone. But on the other hand, don't apple recommend that the time capsule is your main wireless hub rather than simply annexing it to your existing network?
Will the backups be much slower if the time capsule is stored elsewhere?
Will I be unable to connect my printer to the wireless network?
Thanks, all advice appreciated
You can use it in bridge as a wireless access point plus hard disk. That will not affect the network.
Backup speed will depend on the wireless connection to your BT router.. that will be the issue. Unless you do some tricky stuff and use a secondary wireless client in the computer.. a usb stick could be plenty for the internet access but stick with TC for local lan.. but this might be getting too complicated.
Is the printer a wireless network printer or needs to be usb connected?
If the printer is wireless type then no issues.. but even that can be worked around.
The TC doesn't have wall mount holes, unlike the old discus version.. which was very neat.. On the other hand you can remove the rubber mat easily with a hot air gun and easily remove the bottom aluminium cover so to add wall or ceiling mount holes.. ceiling mount is excellent as a thief will probably never look there. or find it too hard to reach and if you screw it down well.. which you have to as it weighs a bit, then the rf radiation pattern is near ideal. Stupid apple for removing design features from one model (eg POE as well) in the old model for aesthetics only design.

Time Capsule and Extreme Wireless network BROKEN !!!! PLEASE HELP

Hello All,
Anyones help on this would be greatly appreciated I am actually starting to loose sleep over this issue.
I have a Mac Mini Server (MM) running Lion (it's a storage thing), 1st Generation Time Capsule (TC) and a Airport Extreme (APX) the first one of the square TC looking one).
So due to living with friends I created my own little network, the MM is upstairs in my room with an ethernet connection to my TC for a quick backup and then downstairs the APX is plugged into the router (Sky Broadband), created myself a little network everyone was happy.
I had to move out for a few months took all the apple gear to the new house plugged everything PING!!!! there is my network, not had to do anyhting make any changes or anything the only thing different was the APX was plugged into a Virgin Media router.
So I moved back after a few months to the place mentioned in paragraph 3 and it has all gone belly up in a mojor way. The network I had originally built is no longer visible, I could not find the devices in the Airport Utility bad times all round. I did a soft reset on the TC and a soft reset on the APX nothing! I did a hard reset on the APX and a hard reset on the TC nothing!
I have used an ethernet connection between the TC and the APX and can pick up both of the devices (happy days you think), go through the montions in Airport Utility setup the devices and a new wireless netwrok whihc is then exteneded, then unplug the ethernet cable BOOM the devices are nolonger seen in Airport Utility.
The interesting thing is I can still the the network created on the TC and the APX on the mac, iPad and iPhone but when I try and connect to the network (whihc has full signal stregnth) I either get a conection time out error or a unable to connect tot he netowkr error.
Please, Please, Please can somone help, I am not aware of any major updates, damage, droppage of kit or anything.
Kind Regards,
Ray

The bottom line here is that it is always a good idea to reset your routers back to factory default settings and re-configure the network again when you make a change in location or in Internet service providers.
That's the best advice that I can offer for your current issues.
True, you could go with a "try this, try that" approach and possibly get things working that way. but this will likely take a lot more time and produce more headaches than simply starting over again.
Of course it is possible that you may receive other advice that tells you exactly what to do in a few simple steps...,so depending on your schedule to get the network back up and running, you may wish to wait for other suggestions.

Time Capsule port mapping is broken for L2TP Servers behind NAT config.

I'm hoping that someone here can refute the below bug assertion... am I missing something?
There is a bug with Apple’s Time Capsule/Airport Express Base Station (TC/AEBS) rendering L2TP servers on the LAN unusable:
When TC/AEBS is used as a router providing NAT services to the LAN, it will NOT under any circumstance provide port mapping services for 500/UDP, 1701/UDP, & 4500/UDP making L2TP VPN servers on the LAN side of TC/AEBS are unreachable from the WAN/Internet side.
*The conditions for my tests*:
3 different external networks used for all tests: MacBook Air at home on TWC network, the Air on AT&T mobile dongle, & CentOS server at ThePlanet.
MobileMe configuration was removed from both the TC/AEBS & Snow Leopard Server on the LAN.
I used port 501 for my control-test; spot checks of other ports worked as well, though they were all < 10000.
Simultaneous local and server monitoring of port traffic using
tcpdump -vvv -i en0 -s 0 -X port 500 or port 1701 or port 4500 or port 501
The TC/AEBS was configured to forward UDP ports 501, 500, 1701, & 4500 received from the WAN interface to the Snow Leopard Server on the LAN.
The port forwarding was accomplished both 1) manually via AirPort Utility, and 2) automatically via Snow Leopard Server’s Server Preferences utility. Each was tested separately.
*The tests*:
Netcat with the following commands, in turn, on the server:
nc -l -u 501
nc -l -u 500
nc -l -u 1700
nc -l -u 4500
which causes traffic to the udp port specified to be dumped to std out. Provides a confirmation of the tcpdump output.
On the various external networks, nc -u WAN-address-of-AEBS.example.com 501 to send UDP packets on port 501. The output of the nc -l 501 command and the server-run tcpdump confirmed that packets left the client and made it to the server as expected. Remember, 501 is the control-test.
For each test permutation on ports 500, 1700, & 4500, no packets made it to the server.
Based on some web research, I’m not the only one to have found trouble with this configuration, but I haven’t been able to find any conclusive tests.
I’ve filed a bug with Apple (#7720101) and encourage you to do the same.
Message was edited by: WebMarc

Confirmed here. This only seems to be a problem with Airport 7.5.x firmware though - I find the older TCs running 7.4.2 work as expected even with BTMM / MobileMe services active.
I'm so glad you posted this - I haven't found it mentioned anywhere else and was beginning to feel very alone with this problem. I also found that having two TC 7.5s in the mix - one at both ends - also results in no response to SSH or Remote Desktop ports.

Wi-Fi connectivity lost, ethernet through time capsule works fine. Wi-Fi adapter broken??

Weird... I have been using my iMac through Time Capsule.... Wi-Fi set-up works fine for iPod, iPad and Windows PC. Last week I lost my connectivity on iMac temporarily... it re-connected automatically several times, but after yesterday the connection didn't come back. Hooked up my Airport Express for speakers so now I'm connected through Airport Express and Ethernet connector on iMac. What can be wrong here??? Any help is appreciated, and hey, no, the iMac is within Wi-Fi distance!
Thans a lot..
Peter

Try downgrading your TimeCapsule to 7.5.2 (it proved to solve almost all the problems with Time Capsule). You can check how to do it here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1218

Time Capsule connection to my PC broken

Comcast installed an updated modem and since then my imac and phone connections are fine, but the wifi connection to my PC does not work. My network shows up as available in the networks icon, but will not connect. I tried turning off modem, time capsule and computer then booting them up one at a time. But this did nto help. It work fine with the old modem.
The new modem is capable of doing the wireless, but the technition disabled that new modem's wireless since I was using the Time Capsule instead. Do I need to have that enabled,and not use the wireless capability on my Time Capsule? Technition did not fix the PC connection as it was a Time Capsule issue, not Comcast...

Silly isn't it.. you change nothing in the TC itself and it stops working.. but it sounds like you need to check what is going on at a deeper level.
When you say the PC has the network available but won't connect.. does it get an IP address at all or just keeps going around and around.
I suggest you factory reset the TC.
Start over with new names.. this is important that the names are SMB compatible for windows.. short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.. for everything.
The TC must also be in bridge mode.. since the new cable modem is also a router.
Try those things and see how you go.

Time Capsule 7.5.2 + usb printer Epson R300 = BROKEN

Hi everyone,
I could really use your input.
I have a 1Tb Time Capsule and an Epson R300 printer.
The printer is connected to the Time Capsule through USB and before the 7.5.2 update they worked perfectly (that is: Time Capsule recognized the printer, I could print wireless, etc.).
After the update, Time Capsule says it has a USB hard drive connected for which it cannot supply enough voltage (and there is no hard drive connected, only the printer).
Also, the printer does not longer appear in the Airport Utility tab for PRINTERS.
I already downloaded the latest drivers from Epson with no luck.
Certainly the problem is with 7.5.2.
Has anyone else run into this?
Do you have any suggested work-around?
Thanks.

You always have the option of rolling back to the previous version of firmware on your device.
Open AirPort Utility - click Manual Setup
Click the AirPort Utility menu at the upper left of the screen next to the Apple icon. Hold down the option key on your Mac while you click the Check for Updates and list of firmware versions will appear. Select the previous version that you were using and re-install.

My time capsule all of a sudden disconnected from the wireless system and can no longer be fund by my MacBook Pro. The little lamp on the the capsules has turned off, but it still makes a noice inside,

My Time capsule did a backup yesterday in the morning without any problem. All of a sudden, it disconnected from the wireles system last night and the little indicator lamp turned off. It still makes a noice, as if a disc was turning inside. The Time Capsule was bought last year in June. Any suggestiom what to do? What happens if I press the little buttom (reset?), will I loose af my backup?

Do a reset.. power off the TC..
Hold in reset and power on.. keep holding in reset until it flashes rapidly.. if it turns on at all.
If you bought it in June.. take it back today.. it is broken.. at a guess.
Some Gen4 are failing this way.. get Apple to replace it.. even if it is a few days out of warranty it won't be much.

How can I set up my time capsule as the primary base station with a centurylink router? I'm trying to extend my coverage, increase signal strength, and be able to connect a printer.

I recently moved and now I'm trying to set up my Time Capsule as the primary base station or router with an existing network that has a Centurylink modem/router. The TC still has the settings for my old network. I also have backups on it. I have the data backed up to another HD so it's not an issue to return it to factory settings if doing so deletes the back ups. Do I need to restore it to the factory settings to set it up? Also, what settings would I select on the TC (and the Centurylink modem/router) in order for the TC to serve as the router, instead of the Centurylink router? I want to be able to use the TC to back up my Mac's, print wirelessly, and improve overall performance. I tried setting the TC up and ended with 2 different networks. Can anyone please help me with this?

The TC has to plug into the existing modem router by ethernet.. you cannot use wireless.
You have a choice of which is router.. only if Centurylink agree to bridge their modem router.. this has to be done by the ISP and often they do not allow it.
Is your broadband cable or adsl or fibre or ???
If it is cable and you are allowed to purchase your own cable modem pick a pure modem version with no router in it.. plug the TC into it by ethernet.
Setup the TC in DHCP and NAT mode.. (depending on broadband type).
You must reset the TC to factory to do the setup.. no files are lost at all.
Here is my current recommended setup.. with Yosemite life has become harder than ever.
Factory reset universal
Power off the TC.. ie pull the power cord or power off at the wall.. wait 10sec.. hold in the reset button.. be gentle.. power on again still holding in reset.. and keep holding it in for another 10sec. You may need some help as it is hard to both hold in reset and apply power. It will show success by rapidly blinking the front led. Release the reset.. and wait a couple of min for the TC to reset and come back with factory settings. If the front LED doesn’t blink rapidly you missed it and simply try again. The reset is fairly fragile in these.. press it so you feel it just click and no more.. I have seen people bend the lever or even break it. I use a toothpick as tool.
N.B. None of your files on the hard disk of the TC are deleted.. this simply clears out the router settings of the TC.
Setup the TC again.
ie Start from a factory reset. No files are lost on the hard disk doing this.
Then redo the setup from the computer with Yosemite.
1. Use very short names.. NOT APPLE RECOMMENDED names. No spaces and pure alphanumerics.
eg TCgen5 and TCwifi for basestation and wireless respectively.
Even better if the issue is more wireless use TC24ghz and TC5ghz with fixed channels as this also seems to help stop the nonsense. But this can be tried in the second round.
2. Use all passwords that also comply but can be a bit longer. ie 8-20 characters mixed case and numbers.. no non-alphanumerics.
3. Ensure the TC always takes the same IP address.. you will need to do this on the main router using dhcp reservation.. or a bit more complex setup using static IP in the TC. But this is important.. having IP drift all over the place when Yosemite cannot remember its own name for 5 min after a reboot makes for poor networking. If the TC is main router it will not be an issue.
4. Check your share name on the computer is not changing.. make sure it also complies with the above.. short no spaces and pure alphanumeric.. but this change will mess up your TM backup.. so be prepared to do a new full backup. Sorry.. keep this one for second round if you want to avoid a new backup.
5. Mount the TC disk in the computer manually.
In Finder, Go, Connect to server from the top menu,
Type in SMB://192.168.0.254 (or whatever the TC ip is which you have now made static. As a router by default it is 10.0.1.1 and I encourage people to stick with that unless you know what you are doing).
You can use name.. SMB://TCgen5.local where you replace TCgen5 with your TC name.. local is the default domain of the TC and doesn't change.
However names are not so easy as IP address.. nor as reliable. At least not in Yosemite they aren't. The domain can also be an issue if you are not plugged or wireless directly to the TC.
6. Make sure IPv6 is set to link-local only in the computer. For example wireless open the network preferences, wireless and advanced / TCP/IP.. and fix the IPv6. to link-local only.
There is a lot more jiggery pokery you can try but the above is a good start.. if you find it still unreliable.. don't be surprised.
You might need to do some more work on the laptop itself. eg Reset the PRAM.. has helped some people. Clean install of the OS is also helpful if you upgrade installed.
Tell us how you go.
Someone posted a solution.. See this thread.
Macbook can't find Time Capsule anymore
Start from the bottom and work up.. I have a list of good network practice changes but I have avoided Yosemites bug heaven.
This user has had success and a few others as well.
RáNdÓm GéÉzÁ
Here is why Yosemite has fundamental issues.
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/01/why-dns-in-os-x-10-10-is-broken-and-what-yo u-can-do-to-fix-it/

Is Time Capsule broken?

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