Set up advice needed and appreciated Airport Extreme and Time Capsule

Hi all - bear with me on this
I have an Airport Extreme attached to my modem in the living room - all is well
This is attached via the house electrical mains to a Time Capsule in the office - which I use as a back up drive - which is wired to my main computer (iMac).
All works well - but the range in the back - where the office is - isn't great (i struggle to go wireless in the garden) - would it be improved if I ticked the 'Allow this network to be extended' box?
I am not 100% certain what this means - what it does and whether i should tinker (by and large the two airports are set up and working as they came out of the box)
any help is appreciated
best
darren, lockerbie,uk

The second part puzzles me - excuse me (but i honestly don't know) do both units give off a wifi signal of roughly equal 'amounts'?
Yes. Since both are connected by "Ethernet" each base station is its own wireless network and you have a few options on how best to configure them.
One of those options is to give both wireless networks the same Network Name (or SSID) so that you can, for example, "walk" a laptop from one to the other and stay connected. This is known as a roaming network.
If this is something that you don't desire or have a requirement for, then leaving them as two separate wireless networks would work just as well.
So what i am asking - i guess - is can i increase the distance the wifi signal reaches of the second unit (the time capsule - that is wired to the airport extreme)
To extend the wireless range of the Time Capsule (TC) you would need another 802.11n AirPort, like the AirPort Express Base Station (AXn). This should get a stronger signal out to the garden. Of course, it would really depend on the distance from the TC to where you would like to place the AXn to get the best results.
Let me know if you need help configuring the base stations.

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My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network?

My home network has an Airport Extreme w/Time Capsule as the base and then an Airport Express and a second Airport Extreme to reach different areas of the house. Is there a way to use the second Airport Extreme for file storage on this network? Network is administered through an iMac running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2. Ideally, would like for the second Airport Extreme hard drive to appear on the list of devices in the Finder window.

Ok.. gottcha
The problem is network wise.. Yosemite is about equal to tin cans and string.. pathetic.
Here is my usual set of instructions to get anything working on Yosemite.
The best way to fix problems is a full factory reset of all the AE in the network.
Factory reset universal
Power off the AE.. 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 AE 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.
Then redo the setup from the computer with Yosemite.
1. Use very short names.. NOT APPLE RECOMMENDED names. No spaces and pure alphanumerics.
eg AEgen5 and AEwifi for basestation and wireless respectively.
Even better if the issue is more wireless use AE24ghz and AE5ghz with fixed channels as this also seems to help stop the nonsense.
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 AE always takes the same IP address.. this is not a problem for AE which is router.. it is a problem for AE which is bridged.. you will need to set static IP in the main router by dhcp reservations or use static IP in the AE which is tricky.
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..
5. 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.
6. Now mount the disk of the second AE in finder... manually.
Use Go, Connect to Server and type in the AE ip address.
SMB://10.0.1.2
Where you will replace that address with the actual address. The network resource should be discovered and then it will request the password.. type that in and make sure you tick to save it in your keychain.
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.
Do as much as you want of the above... not all of it is necessary.. only if you want it reliable.. or as reliable as Yosemite in its current incarnation can manage.
The most important thing is point 6.. mount the disk using direct IP address and not names.. dns in Yosemite is fatally flawed.
See http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/01/why-dns-in-os-x-10-10-is-broken-and-what-yo u-can-do-to-fix-it/

How can I tell if my computer (2x2.26 Quad Core Xeon MAC Pro) and my Airport Base station(Airport Extreme 1Tb Time Capsule) are Gigabit compatible?

How can I tell if my computer (2x2.26 Quad Core Xeon
c Pro) and my Airport Base station(Airport Extreme 1Tb Time Capsule) are Gigabit compatible? I want to add a Cisco switch to the network.
Thansk
Tony Breuer

All Mac Pro's ever made have shipped with gigabit ethernet. The last non-gigabit tower desktop Apple made was the very first generation PowerMac G4's back in 1999.
Similarly, all Time Capsules have been gigabit ethernet as well - never been one that was not.

Replacing older airport extreme with time capsule

I am thinking of replacing my airport extreme with time capsule. I had a lot of problems setting up airport extreme a few years ago - now it is very reliable. I don't want to have the same issues with time capsule. Can I simply physically replace the airport extreme with time capsule using the same settings as previously
Advice gratefully anticipated

Welcome to the discussion area, pancuronium!
You will use AirPort Utility on your Mac for this operation:
(Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility)
Open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup
Click the File menu at the upper left corner of the screen near the Apple icon
Click Export Configuration File
Assign a name to the file and save it to a convenient location like the desktop
When you are ready to install the Time Capsule....
Open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup
Click the File Menu
Select Import Configuration File
Navigate to locate the file that you exported to import all the settings into a new configuration for the Time Capsule
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

What is the best long range wireless router, airport extreme or time capsule? Or?

I need a wireless router that will reach 350--400 feet with a strong enough signal to use Netflix. This will be line of site in a rural area reaching from one trailer to another. Both trailers run on 12volt solar systems but trailer A has an inverter to convert to 120volts for a wireless router. Trailer B only has 12volt power so the Internet signal must come exclusively from the wireless router in Trailer A. There is no electricity available for booster wireless routers in between the two trailers.
We don't need all of the bells and whistles like being able to connect to printers etc. This is just about sending out a strong enough signal to watch Netflix. Which is more powerful for this purpose? Airport Extreme or Time Capsule? If neither of those is strong enough, what is?
Thanks,
SV

The issue you are really facing is the long distance (at the WiFi frequencies) you have to travel. The Extreme has a radiated power of 23 dBm, nominal, which can reach 50-150 feet depending on you you are talking to...and that is measured in a closed test chamber at ideal air temperature and humidity, no obstructions. In the real world that signal will be attenuated significantly just by the air alone, assuming completely obstacle free path, and subject to interference from other sources in the area, such as cell phones and cordless phones, and microwave ovens.
The AirPort units have enclosed antennas that cannot be connected with an external gain antenna. So you are stuck with what is in the box.
Other products, commercial, do use external antennas so you may want to do some research in that area.
Keep in mind that the 802.11n protocol uses two frequency bands, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Signal attenuation increases rapidly as a function of frequency. You will get much less distance if you use the 5 GHz band, so it would be best to restrict operation to 2.4 GHz.
Now, another aspect, at 2.4 GHz you are in the Ultra High Frequency portion of the spectrum...exposure to radio frequency energy at high power should not be considered a safe or desirable thing in the UHF range. Most communication specialialists try to minimize exposure at these frequencies. The reason for saying this is you will need significantly greater radiated power than the Extreme can deliver to reach 400 feet. You might want to do some searches on health effects of the RF energy you will be transmitting.
So, bottom-line, I have difficulty encouraging using wireless tranmission at the WiFi frequencies for the distance you need.

How do I add an Airport Extreme with Time Capsule to an existing non-Apple network?

How do I add an Airport Extreme with Time Capsule to an existing non-Apple network? I have an ISP provided wireless Router that has to remain as the base station. I am able to join my 1/2TB Airport Extreme and Airport Express to the network, but I can't access/use Time Machine.

One option would be to connect the Time Capsule (TC) to the ISP-provided wireless router by Ethernet. You can then configure the for a roaming network. Then, depending on what your goal is for the AirPort Express, you can either: 1) Add it to roaming network, 2) Configure the TC & the Express for an "extended" network, or 3) Configure the Express to "join" the roaming network for AirPlay.

Connecting to Airport Extreme w/ Time Capsule

How can I connect a MacBook Pro to an Airport Extreme w/ Time Capsule?
The computer does not have an ethernet connection.
I would like to perform the first backup to Time Capsule with the computer physically connect to the Airport Extreme.

You'll need Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter - Apple Store (U.S.)

Iphone printing via airport express, airport extreme or time capsule

I see lots of info about air print. What I don't understand is why I cannot print something from my iphone via an airport express or time capsule connected printer. Makes no sense. What is the workaround here? Is the only solution to buy an air print enabled printer?
My current setup is time capsule--2 iphones, 2 Macbook Pros, 1 ipad. One airport express (extending the network of my TC) . The airport express has my printer connected to it.
What the heck? Couldnt Steve fix this before he went to the light?

Hi,
From my own experience - iPhone 3GS X2, iPad 2 all running iOS 4.3.5 to a MacMini running Snow Leopard 10.6.7 - AirPrint Activator works like a charm. It's awesome. But my shiny new iPhone 4S ( running iOS 5 ) refuses to see any printers. I have reinstalled AirPrint Acitvator ( as per their web site ), to no avail. I have tried connecting my printers directly to my AirPort Extreme to see if my 4S would see a network printer. But no joy. DONT UPGRADE TO iOS 5 if printing is important to you!!
Steve

I have a 2nd gen airport extreme (no time capsule) and 2nd gen airport expresses: is there any new additons I can make to my existing network to improve reach and integrity of signal?

I have the older airport extreme and 2 2nd gen airport expresses in a large house. Lately I have been getting complaints about internet "drop out" and weak signal (orange signal - weak network) in one (oddly enough the nearest one to my extreme). What can I do to insure network and internet integrity going forward. Do I buy a new a. extreme and convert the old one (how is also a question)? Do I buy new expresses? (and why) Do I move the original express out of room and get longer internet cable? Extreme is upstairs in a split level and must remain there because of proximity to modem and its connection to security. The "working" express is all the way on the other side of the house through 2 concrete walls and does ok - though signal is understandable week. The nearer one with the "problems" is at the foot of the stairs less than 50 feet away, behind an always closed door (not tested-belongs to teenager voicing complaints). Incidentally the other bedroom directly across from the closed door one, houses a temporary adult child at home who has no problems with their lap top (2nd gen macbook) and signal.

There is no easy answer to your question, but here are some things to think about.
The newest generation of airport extremes and expresses are dual-band devices. they transmit on both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. the 2.4 GHz frequency penetrates walls better than the 5 GHz frequency which is faster in terms of data throughput. they also have improved antennas which may help your signal problems. unfortunately the only way to be sure would be trial and error you can also walk around with a laptop and monitor the signal strength to see where you have dropouts and consider repositioning your express devices to compensate .

Which is better AirPort Extreme or time capsule

Aloha,
I am about to buy an iMac, and I want to get the AirPort Extreme router as I heard good things about it, and that it is easy to set up. I am not good at networking and setting up a home wifi sharing environment. In fact this will be my first time doing it.
I am wondering would getting the Time Capsule be better as it comes with a hard drive. I would be considering the 2 TB version.
What is the difference between the two devices? Is the time Capsule the AirPort Extreme, but with a hard drive for time machine backups? Also, can you share the hard drive for other computers/devices on the wifi network?
When setting up do you have to set up each device? I would be setting up 2 computers, a iPad, iPhone, and 2 printers.
Mahalo,
Johnny

For an idea of the clone process, there is some info at this site, where
one can also get a trial version that will run indefinitely (w/ limits) to
be able to create a complete copy of the OS X as it is, from your Mac
to an external drive. This would enable you to revert, restore, or have
a complete system copy. Handy should you need to replace a main
hard disk drive or upgrade to a larger one, as you re-clone that, back.
http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDuper/SuperDuperDescription.html
Also there is Carbon Copy Cloner, (bombich software) that has a fair
history; and it has a limited duration demo. I have CCC for older OS X
versions, and found I was wise to keep their original .zip installers as
the CCC site does not have an archive. I've been referring to SuperDuper
those with older OS X versions, as they have archive versions on-site.
Companies such as OWC macsales have some fine external HDD
enclosures with their own power supply, these can be used to store
data, be partitioned for one or more OS X clone volumes, & more.
Those with only port-power internal HDDs may not be suitable for
use when troubleshooting issues with a Mac, as the Mac may have
issue with its own power supply to those same ports...
Anyway, hopefully your setup works well for you.
Good luck & happy computing!

Swap airport extreme with time capsule

My family has an Airport Extreme (2 years old) with two additional Airport Expresses for Airplaying music from iPad, iPhones and iPod Touches. Just purchased a 2 TB Time Capsule for backup purposes of the MacBook Pro. Would like to exchange the Airport Extreme with the Time Capsule but really could use detailed step-by-step, since I would like to keep all passwords/configurations the same. Could somebody help?

Easy solution:
Shut down everything (remove power.) Disconnect the AEBS. Replace it with the Time Capsule by connecting all cables in the same way. Then turn on the modem and wait for it to communicate with your ISP. Next turn on the Time Capsule and wait until the status light turns green or blinking amber. Last, turn on the computer(s). You should be all set. Open Airport Utility to do any tweaking that may be needed for security and wireless, etc.

Airport Extreme or Time Capsule that is the question...

I haven't really found a topic that discussed this specific issue. I am wondering if it is just better to go with an Airport Extreme with an external hd connected via USB, or go with the all in one Time Capsule. However given TC's track record, has it been considerably improved to put trust in it over the other option?

So what about when it comes to managing and backing up multiple computers? I think this is where the TC shines because you can set it and forget it, right?
If you have multiple Macs running Leopard or Show Leopard, the TC is a great solution for backups, in addition to being a very good wireless router.
I've always been under the impression you should not leave a back up external hd connected to the computer at all times. You should only have it connected during back up process.
Not sure where you got that information. You would want to leave a backup drive connected at all times unless there were a good reason to disconnect it. Even if you don't use Time Machine, other popular back up programs like SuperDuper or Carbon Copy Cloner backup any changes on the computer automatically each day. You would need to have the drive connected for this to occur.
From a purely physical standpoint, you risk damage to the ports and connectors with constant connecting and disconnecting. Don't do it.
A number of forum members use a dual back up strategy. For example, all the Macs here backup to a Time Capsule automatically. In addition, the laptop and iMac each have Firewire drives attached for Super Duper daily backups. Super Duper and Carbon Copy Cloner allow you to make a literal "clone" of your computer. When (not if) the hard drive on the computer fails, you can boot up from the clone and keep working.
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Connecting a StoreJet Cloud to Airport Extreme or Time Capsule

The Transcend StoreJet Cloud is a wireless mobile storage device for use with things such as an iPad or iPhone. It is possible to set it up in a bridged mode (think "pass through"!) so that when an iPad is connected to its network the Internet can stil be accessed. I've had this working successfully with it bridging to D-Link and Huawei 3G Mi-Fi wireless routers but won't play ball at all with either of my Apple units - an Airport Extreme BS and a Time Capsule.
The AEBS & TC are running in bridged mode connected to a trio of Netgear routers that are specially configured to run in a bonded mode using a Sharedband service. One of the Netgears provides DHCP services for the network. NAT is disabled, a requirement in the way they are configured. The TC runs in wireles n mode only for newer stuff in the house with the AEBS running in b/g/n mode for compatibility with older devices.
As the StoreJet uses wireless n I have attempted connecting to both the AEBS and TC. In both cases Airport utility reports that the StoreJet is a connected client (correct MAC address) BUT I am unable to use any Internet services in this "pass through" mode when the iAd is connected to the StoreJet. Airport Utility reports that the StoreJet connection is Excellent but the Data Rate only ever shows as 1 Mb/s with a RSSI of -52 dBm. I am unable to check whether the StoreJet has been assigned an ip address as it is not possible to interrogate it for that and the Netgear router only lists ip addresses given to connected wired clients.
I did try taking the AEBS out of bridged mode and ran the DHCP services from the instead of on the NetGear but still could not make things work. I'm waiting for a response from Transcend Support but thought I'd also post this issue here in case anyone can shed some light on it or provide suggestions of anything else I can try. There clearly seems to be some conflict with my particular Apple setup.

Some more information on this issue:
I managed to pick up another (brand new) wireless router from a local Cash Converters store this morning very cheaply (5GBP!). Its a Netgear DGN1000. I configured this as a wireless access point only, bridged to my main router. Initially I had some problems, similar to my Apple devices, connecting the StoreJet Cloud through it in bridged mode using WPA2. After I switched the Storejet to use WPA rather than WPA2 (the NetGear is configured to mixed WPA/WPA2 mode) I got a successful connection.
I then tried setting my 2 Apple devices to try to emulate this, i.e. use mixed WPA/WPA2 mode + connect the StoreJet using WPA. This did not, however, work.
Seems there may be 2 issues to look at here - connecting via Apple devices + connecting in WPA2 mode.
The bottom line for me is that at least I have a wireless router in the house that the StoreJet will now work with and it cost me next to nothing. Of course, I'd rather be running it via one of my Apple devices so as I don't have to be running yet another wireless network.
If anyone else has, or is considering acquiring one of these handy StoreJet units, I hope my experiences are helpful to them :-)

Am I better off getting Airport Extreme of Time Capsule

I am looking to upgrade my wireless router and I need a new external Hard drive. I store mainly music and movies and would like to be able to easily them . What is the best way to go?

There is the world of difference between external drive and network drive.
A hard disk plugged into an airport extreme (or a Time Capsule being about the same but faster.). are network drives.. they are slow, even the TC is much slower than USB3 plugged directly into the computer.. even USB2 is faster than usb plugged into airport. It only has USB2 port but over network will go at half the speed of direct access USB2 on the computer. USB3.. who knows Apple might include it in the next Time Capsule/Airport Extreme.
An external drive must be plugged directly into the computer and is controlled by the computer. You cannot ever make a Time Capsule an external drive. It is now and forevermore a network drive.. The network drive is controlled by the airport it is associated with.. therefore it cannot be formatted, partitioned or anything else by the computer. A USB drive can be plugged into the computer directly to do those things.. A Time Capsule is now and forevermore locked inside its box.. unless you want to get tricky and void warranty and remove it. NOTE.. if the Time Capsule goes bad.. apple will not help you recover files.. they will be lost forever.. TC has no mechanism to backup files.. and Time Machine cannot backup files on network drives.. therefore using a TC to store files for your network is risky.. and you will need to step outside the apple world to make safe use of it. Apple do not make a NAS.. TC is not a NAS.. if you want a NAS buy one from one of the major NAS manufacturers, eg QNAP, Synology, Netgear, WD. etc.
The external drive is faster, cheaper and more reliable than a Time Capsule.. only problem is .. you need to plug it in.
If you want to access files from laptop over wireless then Time Capsule is a better choice because the drive is substantially faster. The price difference between an Extreme and a Time Capsule is not significantly greater than cost of the Extreme plus a hard disk.

Add Airport extreme to Time Capsule to boost Wifi

We currently use Time Capsule for Wifi throughout our house with one exception. Our family room is on the other side of a brick wall. We have an old Airport extreme and was wondering if we could somehow add it to the network to boost the wifi into the family room. Thanks.

Hello williards. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
It is possible, but there are at least two things to consider before doing so:
1) Mixing "n" and "g" AirPorts will only allow you to extend the wireless range in a static WDS. This means two things: The overall bandwidth (speed) will be cut in half, and the other is that this type of WDS can only operate in the 802.11g mode ... effectively, eliminating the advantage of "n."
2) In order to extend the network wirelessly, the extending AirPort must have a sufficient signal from the AirPort it is extending. If wireless devices in the family room cannot get a good signal the old AirPort Extreme won't either and you will not be happy with the performance of the WDS.
A few options would be:
1) Connect the AirPorts via Ethernet.
2) If Ethernet is not possible, consider employing Powerline adapters. These adapter take advantage of your home's electrical circuit to create a hybrid Ethernet circuit between adapters. Note: It is important that the two adapters are on the same electrical circuit.

Set up advice needed and appreciated Airport Extreme and Time Capsule

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