TimeCapsule Wifi unstable (when on a non-Mac devices)

Question

I have a TimeCapsule and I connect many devices to Wifi: --> iMac,Windows Vista PC, Samsung Galaxy Tab with Android, Iphones, etc..
I am having wifi crashes mainly when connected on a Vista PC or Android Tablet. Suddenly the internet crashes and I need to reconnect manually. When streaming online content (video from Youtube or audio from interent radios) fron non-MAc the crash will happen at some point (sometimes earlier, sometimes later)....but this is not limited to content streaming as it also happens when surfing the web.
I noticed that the wifi network disappears from the list for a while, as if AirPort restarts. I need then to reconnect manually.
Whern on a Mac device, this seems not to be a problem and I do not experience crashes....
I upgraded firmware to the latest version, but nothing changed.
Does anyone know this issue and the reason why and how to solve it?
Unfortunately my experience with Mac products is that if you remain within the "Mac world" using Mac products, your are good to go, however compatibility with other brands is an issue, and this is a great inconvenience when we talk about an Air Port!...
Thanks a lot for any advvice as I tried everything to solve this and this forum is my last hope.

Answer 1

Different products use different wireless chipsets.. even apple have used different wireless cards in each Generation of the TC and each update of the computers they build. But at least Apple only works with a small range of hardware and can sort out the drivers. Drivers can and usually are the problem, although some wireless chipsets really just don't work well together.. you will notice this on any brand.. to brand difference. Wireless is voodoo still .. it is about 50% science and 80% black arts. (in voodoo you don't need to add up to 100%).
Vista .. shudder.. was built with known issues in the wireless management that were never fixed. Upgrade that computer to XP.. or win7. Vista is just a dog. it will be faster and more stable. Replace the wireless card to match the TC.
Some of the earlier Andoid also are known to have issues.. check if there is firmware update or anything available to help. Android had a really nasty bug. Cannot remember much about it now.. so google.
I would suggest you at least make the wireless have some hope of working.
You will need to do the following.
1. Use SMB names not Apple type naming. SMB is short, no spaces, pure alphanumeric. Apple uses spaces and particularly apostrophe.. don't. That applies to all names in the TC, so change the TC name and wireless name.. give a different name to 5ghz.
2. Use WPA2 Personal (AES) security. Use a passkey of 8-12 characters same rules as above.
3. Lock the radio channels. TC is set to auto by default and will wander channels to find most clear.. the wandering is a problem.
4. You might need to either lock IP via dhcp reservation or manually set IP on the device.. Often issues involve address failing and constant reconnections. It will eventually fill the table.
5. You must use 5.6 utility on the Mac so you can check the log of the TC and actually see the wireless clients.
6. Do not expect vista to get any better.. but at least download the latest driver for the exact wireless card used from the wireless manufacturer.
If none of this works.. use the lateral thinking approach..
Get a cheap TP-Link, edimax etc wireless router. Use it in AP mode.. and plug it into the TC. Use a different name and wireless channel to the TC. Use that for your non-apple products.. it costs $30 or so for N-lite which is all you need. Simple easy effective. That doesn't mean that vista will ever work of course.. vista is fundamentally flawed. Nor can I guarantee early android.. but at least it will be right kind of product.