Losing connection with Time Capsule

I have two Macs, one two year old MacBook and one 4 months MacBook Air, both connected with WiFi to my new TC 2 Tb.
Both computers loses connection with TC quite often, but not necessarely at the same time. If I shut down airport and turn it back on everything works again.
When connection drops I can't access the TC with the Airport program and we also can't find any networks at all when moving the cursor over the airport symbol in the menu bar. The airport symbol however states that I 'm still connected to my TC. BUT I can't connect with the TC through finder when this happens...
In the network diagnosis the bottom three test are marked as red, (internet supplier, internet, server) but the top three are markes as green,
I know this is not a major problem since I don't have to do any reboots, but it annays the **** out of me. Is the problem related to my Time Capsule or is it a problem with the Airport software?
I run Snow Leopard on the Macbook and Lion on the Macbook air.

Similar Messages

My MacBook Pro (new 13") losses connection with Time Capsule.

My new Pro 13" will lose connection with Time Capsule every day. I also back up a MacBook Air (about 1 year old) that maintains connection. If I reboot Time Capsule the Pro will connect and backup to it but will lose the connection the next day. Does anyone have any idea how to address this?

You may want to take your question to the Time Capsule forum - while all of us here use MacBook Pros, the real Time Capsule experts hang out on that forum.
Good luck,
Clinton

Inconsistent connectivity with time capsule

wifi connection with time capsule inconsistent. Works for a while then stops, minute later I can connect. wifi signals at work and other locations works fine no interruptions. i work usually very close to router

There is a ton of wireless interference on the 2.4 GHz wireless channels....cordless phones, other wireless networks, electronics, wireless camera/security systems....the list goes on and on.
Hold down the option key on your Mac and click on the fan shaped AirPort icon at the top of your screen. Check to see what Channel you are connecting to. If it is a channel between 1 and 11, you are trying to use the over crowded, interference plagued, 2.4 GHz band.
The 5 GHz band has far fewer networks and might be worth a shot if you are trying to use the 2.4 GHz band now. Or, if you are using the 2.4 GHz band now....and you have a cordless phone anywhere near your Time Capsule or computer, move it as far away as possible.
Post back on your results of your channel test and we'll discuss some possible options.

Devices (iPad, iPhone) no longer can maintain wifi connectivity with time capsule

My iPad and iPhone can no longer maintain wifi connectivity with time capsule. Time capsule has connectivity to internet via Macbook, but not other devices. This started after upgrade of devices to s/w 6.0. Does anyone know if that could impact connectivity?

Yes, this is often reported with iOS 6.. there are definitely more wireless problems.
I recommend you reset the TC in the following ways.
1. Change all names to SMB type.. ie short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.. that includes the TC itself, wireless and hard disk. I recommend a different name for 5ghz so you can force clients to that band without auto voodoo affecting it.
2. Use WPA2 Personal security only.. 8-12 character pure alphanumeric passkey.
3. Lock the wireless channels.. particularly for 2.4ghz.. pick one of the channels, out of 1, 6, 11 as these are the only ones that do not overlap.. test each in turn for the best and most stable. TC should pick the best itself but that is voodoo and I am preferring to run the system without black arts.

IMac loses wireless connectivity with Time Capsule

I'm having a problem with my iMac 24" 3.06ghz losing connectivity with my Time Capsule (1 TB), but my wife has a new Dell laptop running Windows Vista and using the TC for her wireless. She does not lose the connection and keeps trucking everytime I lose it. The TC seems to be transmitting fine, but it's not communicating with the iMac. Any ideas?

My wireless network works well, using TC as wireless router, but occasionally Safari will lose internet connection from iMac, while iTunes is syncing with ATV. Strange, I will work along with you to solve this.

I want to backup an external hard drive connected with time capsule

What to do? I want a macbook air but realise that the storage is limited. I want to have en external HDD connected through time capsule or similar to access storage "wirelessly". I want everything backed up automatically through time capsule. I understand time capsule does not back up connected external HDDs unfortunately. If it did my problem would be solved. How should I do? Can a two time capsule solution be possible where one is used för storage and the other for time machine also backing up time capsule nr 1?
I do not want to loose all my photos! They won´t fit a macbook air... I have tried "crash plan" wich is one of many ckoud solutions to try and take care of all my hundreds of GBs but it doesn´t work well. Takes forever to backup and it keeps loosing contact with the external HDD i have connected through the time capsule.
This must be a very common need but I find no good solutions?!
Thanks!

You are right.. there is no decent solution from Apple..
You need a proper NAS.. not a backup target for TM.. which is what the TC is.
Look at Synology and QNAP.. they are not cheap but will work fine with Macs, TM even although it can be messy setting up. But the real NAS will auto backup to a USB drive.. plus the raid system offers protection against a dead drive.
Some people use a Mac Mini as a server.. (you don't need server version OS on it).. but the disk expansion is going to cost you as much as the true NAS.

Clear net connectivity with time capsule/home network

So Chicago has a new ISP - Clear. It is a wireless provider that boasts download speeds up to 12mbps. I have been using ATT DSL elite pro with time capsule as my wireless hub. I have extended my network via airport express and have two that power speakers/home entertainment system.
I have it up and running and connected directly from their router to my iMac. I would like to attach the motorola wireless router to my current home network that runs between the timecapsule and two airport expresses.
Any help would be appreciated. As well your opinions on choice of wireless ISPs vs home dsl line.
Thanks
Jenn

From your description, it sounds like you could swap the Clear modem and the AT&T modem/router. Power down your entire network for a moment. Then start the Clear modem first and let it run for 3-4 minutes, then start the Time Capsule, then Expresses and computers.
If you get a blinking amber light on the Time Capsule, check your settings as follows using AirPort Utility. It's located as follows: Hard Drive > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click Manual Setup and then click the Internet icon at top of the setup page
At the bottom of the next page, look for the Connection Sharing setting. If I understand the Clear info correctly, you would set this to "Share a public IP address"
I notice that Clear has online tech support, so you make need to refer to them as well. Please post back on your progress.

Dropping connection with Time Capsule?

So, now that we have a new router - is anyone still have the connection drop out on them like AirPort Extreme was causing that plagued a lot of users? I haven't seen any comments on any of the usual mac boards that would suggest that random drop outs having been fixed somehow with Time Capsule.

Time Capsule has been one giant headache for me. It worked well with my MBP, but not my iMac. I'm constantly getting network drops, making the initial backup take forever. I got it friday morning and now it's Sat night and it still has not completed the initial backup (given it is about 200gigs of backup). It got quite a bit backed up at first and then dropped the connection. It kept what it had originally backed up, but since then, it doesn't seem to want to remember the progress it's making between each network drop. Also once I was moving a simple 5mb file from one computer to another and it took nearly 10-15mins. It hasn't done that since, thankfully. I was so excited about this product and now I'm severally let down. Apple needs to fix this network stability problems for their iMac C2Ds. It's getting frustrating, especially since I've ripped my DVD collection to an external HD and trying to use it as a media server to play off my PS (but obviously this won't work if the network keeps dropping out on me). I've used iStumbler and the network is always between 75-80% with less than 15% noise too, so the signal is fine. It's just for some reason iMac don't seem to want to hold on to their signal. I've even switched to keep a constant Channel vs using the Automatic setting, and I'm still getting drops (although much less frequently). I think I'm going to keep Time Capsule and giver it a while to see if the issues get worked out, but I may take it back if I can't get my stuff backed up and the network stable within the return period.

Adsl connection with time capsule

Hi all, I want to know if feasible connect my time capsule to Internet thru ADSL modem, seems is not capable to recognise my USB modem (ZTEMF180)...how can i do to fix this trouble?
Rgds, Jorge

The Time Capsule can only connect to a modem using an Ethernet connection. Connect from the modem to the WAN port on the Time Capsule using a standard Ethernet cable of any length that you want.

Airport extreme losing wireless connection with Time Capsule

I have a 1st gen Time Capsule acting as my home wireless network base station which is configured to allow the wireless network to be extended. It is also the sole DHCP server. I have a 4th gen Airport Extreme in Extend a Wireless network mode. Everything was running ok for several months. However, since I upgraded both devices to Version 7.6, the Airport extreme keeps losing its connection with the network every few hours, requiring a daily reboot. Since the problem occured, I have disabled MAC address Access Control on the Time Capsule, and allocated a reserved DHCP IP address for the Airport Extreme - but this has not solved the problem.
Does anyone have any ideas?

I had exactly the same problem. I also think it's a bug in 7.6. It seemed solved by downgrading my Time Capsule (TC) and my Airport Extreme (AE) to 7.5.2. To do so start the Airport Utility (in your /Applications/Utilities folder). Double click on the TC or AE. In the Menu at the top on your screen go to "Base Station" --> "Upload Firmware..." and the select 7.5.2. After rebooting your device, downgrade the other. Hopefully your problem is solved as well!

Losing wireless connection with Time Capsule

Hi,
Yesterday I purchased a 500GB Dual Band/Guest Networking Time Capsule (the newest model). The TC set up properly - I have it set up to join my wireless network and share my external HD - but during backups or streaming media from the external HD, it loses the wireless connection and stops. At this point, the TC is no longer viewable in the AirPort Utility and I have to reboot it.
I've read other articles and threads stating that downgrading to the 7.3.2 firmware version will correct problems like this, but because mine is a newer TC version, I can't do this (7.4.0 is the earliest available). Is there any way to solve the constant wireless connection loss?

Leask, welcome to the discussions!
The problems that you are experiencing are likely a combination of signal strength and interference from other networks and possibly cordless phones. You will need to experiment to find the best settings for your environment as there are no set rules or fixes for any given situation.
Assuming that security settings are compatible within a network, good wireless performance depends on two main factors: adequate signal strength and lack of interference from outside sources and other networks.
Download iStumbler, www.istumbler.net, to get a look at your wireless network. The application will show you the signal strength of your network (and noise).
If you have a laptop, move around your house to see how the signal strength at various points changes. If you find an area where the signal strength really starts to fall off rapidly, you either need to move your device closer to the broadcast point or consider purchasing an AirPort Express to "extend" the broadcast power of the Time Capsule.
The signal strength indicator on your computer(s) or iPhone is generally not a very good indicator of the actual signal strength on your network.
Perhaps more importantly, see if there are other networks in your area and identify what channels they are operating on. This is a primary source of interference in addition to cordless phones, microwave ovens, and some security cameras.
If you find that there are other networks using the same channel or an adjacent channel as your network, use AirPort Utility to change the channel that Time Capsule is broadcasting on to another channel that is as far away from other channels as possible. This may be very difficult if you live in an area crowded with other networks.
There are also features on many new wireless routers that enable a user to "hide" the network name, so it is possible that there are other wireless networks causing interference that you cannot identify.
Your Time Capsule is capable of broadcasting a wireless signal at 5GHz, much higher than the normal crowded 2.4GHz networks. But, I'm not sure if your computer(s) are compatible with this setting. Wouldn't hurt to give this a try. A number of users have found that they have much less difficulty on the higher band since it is (for now) much less crowded.
Please post back on your progress.

Lost connection with Time Capsule (Office for Mac programmes run down)

My colleague and I work at the office with 2 Macbooks. Both are connected wirelessly to the Time Capsule, which we use as a shared hard disk. We use Office 2008 for Mac. Now Word and Excel run down often after of little things like doing a search or cutting and pasting. I get the spinning ball can only do a forced quit to end the program. This is frustrating and time consuming!
A friend told me to change my UID, cause my colleague and I both have the same UID (501) at our Macbooks. He downloaded Server Admin Tools to change my UID into 1001 with Work Group Manager. But when I arrived at the office this morning I didn't have a connection with the Time Capsule. To be able to work I changed the UID back to 501 again (but now I can't open excel document inless I drag them to the hard disk of my Macbook).
The friend is not a Apple professional so he doens’t know how to help me anymore. Does anyone else have a suggestion?

Temporarily, try connecting an Ethenret cable from your Mac to one of the LAN <-> ports on the Time Capsule
Open AirPort Utility and Click Manual Setup
Click on the word "Status" (2nd Line) and a window will open to with information about why the light is flashing amber

Can't establish internet connection with Time Capsule

I currently have a wireless Linksys router and have switch over to TC. I've connected my cable modem internet connection to the internet connection of the Time Capsule, however, with the Airport Utility it states that I do not have a valid IP Address. I've check under the Manual setting for Internet and ensured that the connection says "share a public IP address", but that does not work. Any ideas?

Did you remember to completely reset your cable modem and power cycle the network?
Push the reset button on the modem (if present)
Power the modem down
Pull the batttery (if easily accessible)
Power down every device on the network....order is not important
Wait at least 15-20 minutes
Make sure that you have the Ethernet cable from the modem connected to the WAN port (world icon) on the Time Capsule, and re-install the battery if it was pulled in the steps above
Power up the modem and let it run for 4-5 minutes by itself
Power up the Time Capsule the same way
Continue powering up devices one at a time about a minute apart until the network is powered back up
Check network operation

MacBook Pro keeps losing connection to Time Capsule HD

I have a new 2 TB Time Capsule with a Western Digital USB HD hanging off of it. I am using the TC for the following purposes and in the following configurations:
Running Time Machine backups to the TC over wireless or wired Ethernet (depending on where my MBP happens to be)
Keeping my photo library (Adobe Lightroom) and my iTunes library running off the Western Digital USB drive connected to the TC
Backing up the WD USB drive to the TC periodically (via Sync!Sync!Sync!)
The problem I have is that the MBP has trouble holding onto a connection to the TC volume and to the WD USB volume. As a result, if I leave my MBP idle for a period, iTunes will pop an error message saying it can't find the library, and Lightroom will not be able to find photos or the library.
I have OS X auto mounting both volumes on boot, but the problem is really when the MBP is left on but idle for a period of time (hour?)
There is a setting in the WD utility that ensures the WD HD doesn't go to sleep. The problem seems to be with the TC, not the WD HD. Is there a similar setting for the TC?
Incidentally, unlike other posters, I am having no problem maintaining an internet or WIFI connection via the TC.
This issue is true over both WIFI and Ethernet, by the way.
Any thoughts? HELP!!

Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to solve the problem. ITunes still periodically complains that it can't find the library - this happens both when the Mac has been on for awhile and I first start up iTunes, or if iTunes has been running for awhile as well. In either case, I have to click through to the Time Capsule share with the iTunes library on it. I can tell the Mac has lost the connection because it takes some time for the share and its folders to show up as I click through the path.
Anyone else run into this???

SOLVED: Dropped connections with Time Capsule and cable modem/router

I've been dealing with random dropped connections for quite a while and I thought that it would be useful to share what I've found.
I was having a very puzzling problem where my internet connection would drop randomly on wireless devices. On my laptop, webpages would suddenly become unresponsive for a minute or two, Mail would have connection problems and complain, etc...but incredibly randomly and definitely not repeatable or in any pattern that I noticed.
I also have 2 Nest thermostats in the house which connect via wi-fi. I noticed that they would randomly show Offline very often when viewed from a webpage or iPhone app, but the Nest front panels showed that they were connected with a strong signal.
As I said, the dropped connections were very sporadic. Most of the time, everything worked, but every once in a while...bam.
I worked with the level 3 tech support guys at Nest for over a week to figure out what was going on. We went through settings on my router and Time Capsule and everything seemed proper and okay. I even replaced the Nests with new ones but still had the same problem. We were all completely stumped.
Yesterday, my laptop dropped it's connection at the same time my wife's laptop dropped hers. At this point, I wondered if something was wrong with the Time Capsule or maybe my internet provider.
I called AppleCare to see if they could help with debugging the problem. They passed me up to a senior wi-fi tech and he asked me many questions about the configuration of my network. My home network looked like this yesterday (see crappy diagram below)
                                                     Motorola Cable modem/router
                                                                             |
                                                       Netgear multiport switch
                                                      |          |         |         |          |
                                                     hardwired Macs,            TimeCapsule (bridge mode)
                                                     laser printers,                   |   |   |   |   |
                                                      Apple TVs                       laptops, Nest, iphones
This configuration seemed correct to me. The Time Capsule in bridge mode would mean that the cable modem/router would be handling DHCP so all the devices would be on the same network and I could print from a laptop to one of my printers and the laptops could connect to the hardwired Macs, etc..
The AppleCare technician said he thought that bridge mode was the problem. He mentioned that there was a known issue that in this configuration, the IP addresses could get lost between the cable modem/router and the Time Capsule. He said it would be best if the Time Capsule was in DHCP/NAT mode and the first device before the switch, this way the Time Capsule was the only device passing out IP addresses.
So I repatched my network like this:
                                                   Motorola Cable modem/router
                                                                             |
                                                   TimeCapsule (DHCP/NAT mode)
                                                            |                                       |   |   |   |   |
                                    Netgear multipart switch                      laptops, Nest, iphones
                                         |         |         |        |
                                           hardwired Macs,
                                             laser printers,
                                               Apple TVs
I can tell you that in the past 24 hours, I haven't seen anything lose a connection. Not even the Nests which seemed be on and off all the time. And, in this configuration, all the devices are on the same network and able to speak to each other.
I hope that helps someone.

So you're saying that Bridge Mode not functioning properly is a well known issue?
Not to me.. I have not had issues with the TC in bridge. And it is my prefered setup. I think it is better as a wireless AP and network hard disk than a router any day of the week.. but there are other ways to skin the cat if it is proving unreliable. I am at the moment using a wireless bridge from the Gen4 TC to a Gen4 AE upstairs for TV internet streaming.. it started off very reliable.. but of late I guess I need to reboot it every few days. And it has required a full reset two or three times.. although I probably need to take some of the blame for those. I am not over worried.. i do not believe in wireless bridges except for the most interim of arrangements.. it will be wired in ethernet ASAP.
Wireless should always be used in a way that respects its status as voodoo.. not stable technology. NOT SCIENCE.. it is more a bag of beads and rattles.
Is there a way to change the cable modem/router to avoid the double NAT problem?
The answer to this may depend on your ISP. Did they provide the modem? If so they may lock it down so you have no control. But normally a Motorola cable modem will not have a bridge mode as such but will have a method of turning off NAT.. (and wireless).. this amounts to the same thing.
Once you turn off NAT.. you need to power cycle the modem so the TC gets the public IP in router mode. The power cycle time might be 5min or 20min or overnight.. it again depends on your ISP.. but you need to stop the modem capturing the public IP so it can be passed to the modem.
Depending on where you are in the world.. US is most concentration of cable network.. you can go out and buy your own modem. Pick one on your ISP list and steer clear of SB.. at least with the apple routers they are problematic.
It also can be a case that the cable modem is SB model and therefore more problematic. Sorry I have forgotten the recommendation for what to buy. There are a number of posts here about it but search is terrible now. (or I am too old to figure it out). I will get Bob to poke his nose in and tell you what works for him.

Losing connection with Time Capsule

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