Time Capsule setup questions

[Chris Blount]

Yesterday I set up my Time Capsule as a client to my existing N/G/B network powered by a linksys router. Everything seems to work fine. Backups flow from my iMac and Macbook without issue. The USB HP printer connected to the TC works fine.

I have read reviews and posts about how users configure the TC as a "bridge". What exactly does this mean? Would it be better if my TC ran as a separate wireless N only network for backing up? If I do this, will the wireless G Windows PC's be able to access the TC?

Thanks.

[skorpien]

A bridge effectively extends the current network. In your AirPort Utility, enable bridge mode and then connect your current router to your Time Capsule's LAN port (not WAN). This allows the original router to perform DHCP, NAT and other functions, and ensures that computers joining one router will be able to see and access computers/HDDs/printers on the other router (as your TC will only be acting as a wireless access point or WAP).

Without bridge mode, the TC will set up an entirely different network and any computers connected to the Linksys won't see/access TC connected computers, the TC's HDD or USB printer.

My suggestion would be to keep your Linksys for b/g devices and set up your TC in bridge mode broadcasting in n-only 5 GHz as a WAP. This way b/g devices don't slow down n devices, n and b/g devices can see each other/access TC, and there'd be no need to switch from one network to the next just to back up or network computers together (which you'd need to do if the TC wasn't in bridge mode).

[kbmb]

A bridge effectively extends the current network. In your AirPort Utility, enable bridge mode and then connect your current router to your Time Capsule's LAN port (not WAN). This allows the original router to perform DHCP, NAT and other functions, and ensures that computers joining one router will be able to see and access computers/HDDs/printers on the other router (as your TC will only be acting as a wireless access point or WAP).

Without bridge mode, the TC will set up an entirely different network and any computers connected to the Linksys won't see/access TC connected computers, the TC's HDD or USB printer.

My suggestion would be to keep your Linksys for b/g devices and set up your TC in bridge mode broadcasting in n-only 5 GHz as a WAP. This way b/g devices don't slow down n devices, n and b/g devices can see each other/access TC, and there'd be no need to switch from one network to the next just to back up or network computers together (which you'd need to do if the TC wasn't in bridge mode).

So let me understand because I think I want to do this to setup in Bridge mode. The setup will go something like this:

Cable Modem ---wired---> Linksys (B/G) ---wired---> Time Capsule (n only)

In this setup, you can still plug devices into the wired ports on either router. Time Capsule also at this point just refers back to the Linksys to obtain and pass through IP address seemlessly?

And any device connected to either router through wired or wireless be be available on the network? How about shared printers/drives on the Time Capsule?

-Kevin

[Chris Blount]

A bridge effectively extends the current network. In your AirPort Utility, enable bridge mode and then connect your current router to your Time Capsule's LAN port (not WAN). This allows the original router to perform DHCP, NAT and other functions, and ensures that computers joining one router will be able to see and access computers/HDDs/printers on the other router (as your TC will only be acting as a wireless access point or WAP).

Without bridge mode, the TC will set up an entirely different network and any computers connected to the Linksys won't see/access TC connected computers, the TC's HDD or USB printer.

My suggestion would be to keep your Linksys for b/g devices and set up your TC in bridge mode broadcasting in n-only 5 GHz as a WAP. This way b/g devices don't slow down n devices, n and b/g devices can see each other/access TC, and there'd be no need to switch from one network to the next just to back up or network computers together (which you'd need to do if the TC wasn't in bridge mode).

Thanks for the reply and the help. Excellent suggestions. I will try them out this weekend.

[skorpien]

So let me understand because I think I want to do this to setup in Bridge mode. The setup will go something like this:

Cable Modem ---wired---> Linksys (B/G) ---wired---> Time Capsule (n only)

In this setup, you can still plug devices into the wired ports on either router. Time Capsule also at this point just refers back to the Linksys to obtain and pass through IP address seemlessly?

And any device connected to either router through wired or wireless be be available on the network? How about shared printers/drives on the Time Capsule?

-Kevin

You got it. Everything will be accessible through the entire network. I like to think of it as one network with two SSIDs (two ways to connect to the same network). Any printers will be shared across both routers, as well as any networked drives and computers. And yes, the Linksys will be the one assigning IP addresses. The TC will only be a wireless access point.

And Chris, you're welcome. Although I've come upon some information that would suggest that you may have to connect your Time Capsule to your other router via the Time Capsule's WAN port (I wouldn't know as I haven't tried this setup). Sorry for the confusion. I'm learning as I go along here too...

[Chris Blount]

You got it. Everything will be accessible through the entire network. I like to think of it as one network with two SSIDs (two ways to connect to the same network). Any printers will be shared across both routers, as well as any networked drives and computers. And yes, the Linksys will be the one assigning IP addresses. The TC will only be a wireless access point.

And Chris, you're welcome. Although I've come upon some information that would suggest that you may have to connect your Time Capsule to your other router via the Time Capsule's WAN port (I wouldn't know as I haven't tried this setup). Sorry for the confusion. I'm learning as I go along here too...

It works! The Time Capsule is now a bridged network to the Linksys router broadcasting only 5 GHZ "N" while the Linksys does the 2.4 GHZ b/g/n. All computers can see the internal and external TC drives. Speeds on the Apple TV and Macbook have shot through the roof.

I did discover what you said in your post. The Linksys needs to be hooked to the WAN port on the TC. I also had to reset the TC to the default settings to get it to work correctly.

Thanks a bunch for you help!

[kbmb]

Got my TC setup in Bridge mode as well. The Linksys is doing G only 2.4GHz, while the TC is doing N only 5GHz.

Took about 2 1/2 hours connected via GigE to backup 55GB for the first backup.

Setup a Canon printer to the USB port on the TC. Both Macs see it fine, but can't print. Gives the No Pages Found error. Funny thing is....I installed Bonjour on my XP machine, and that can print to the Canon fine. Sad Apple :(

-Kevin

[ks-man]

You recommend going from modem to linksys to time capsule and having the linksys serve as the router and TC acting as an access point. Would it be the same, better or worse if you had the modem connect to the TC and then connect the Linksys to the TC?

My thoughts are the router in the TC should be better/newer than most people's b/g Linksys routers so why not use the TC as the router and the Linksys as the access point? With this setup could you still have the TC set up for N-only mode?

Thanks.

[hazzzwu]

A bridge effectively extends the current network. In your AirPort Utility, enable bridge mode and then connect your current router to your Time Capsule's LAN port (not WAN). This allows the original router to perform DHCP, NAT and other functions, and ensures that computers joining one router will be able to see and access computers/HDDs/printers on the other router (as your TC will only be acting as a wireless access point or WAP).

Without bridge mode, the TC will set up an entirely different network and any computers connected to the Linksys won't see/access TC connected computers, the TC's HDD or USB printer.

My suggestion would be to keep your Linksys for b/g devices and set up your TC in bridge mode broadcasting in n-only 5 GHz as a WAP. This way b/g devices don't slow down n devices, n and b/g devices can see each other/access TC, and there'd be no need to switch from one network to the next just to back up or network computers together (which you'd need to do if the TC wasn't in bridge mode).

Thanks for the info sir... However I'd like to throw a question here...
I've followed the information from you as above, and now I kept my Linksys b/g which broadcast original network (let say network A) and TC has created new network (Network B) with its 5GHz n-only. I set up this using my iMac.

I also have another Macbook Air laptop and HP Windows laptop (only support b/g).

Everytime we start the computers, the default connection should be connected to Network A or Network B ?

[Chris Blount]

You recommend going from modem to linksys to time capsule and having the linksys serve as the router and TC acting as an access point. Would it be the same, better or worse if you had the modem connect to the TC and then connect the Linksys to the TC?

My thoughts are the router in the TC should be better/newer than most people's b/g Linksys routers so why not use the TC as the router and the Linksys as the access point? With this setup could you still have the TC set up for N-only mode?

Thanks.Good point. I would think it won't make a difference in my case. The Linksys WRT-330N router that I'm using is a Gigabyte router with the same specs as the TC. I agree with you though. If someone is using an older router with a smaller "pipe", that router (linksys or whatever) should be at the end of the food chain. Meaning, the TC should be connected directly to the cable modem and the Linksys should be in bridge mode (if that's possible).

[Chris Blount]

Thanks for the info sir... However I'd like to throw a question here...
I've followed the information from you as above, and now I kept my Linksys b/g which broadcast original network (let say network A) and TC has created new network (Network B) with its 5GHz n-only. I set up this using my iMac.

I also have another Macbook Air laptop and HP Windows laptop (only support b/g).

Everytime we start the computers, the default connection should be connected to Network A or Network B ?Your b/g 2.4 GHZ computers will not even see Network B since it's running at 5 GHZ.

[kbmb]

Good point. I would think it won't make a difference in my case. The Linksys WRT-330N router that I'm using is a Gigabyte router with the same specs as the TC. I agree with you though. If someone is using an older router with a smaller "pipe", that router (linksys or whatever) should be at the end of the food chain. Meaning, the TC should be connected directly to the cable modem and the Linksys should be in bridge mode (if that's possible).

Personally, I don't thing it matters when it comes to your internet connection. You connection from your ISP is not ever going to reach the speeds of your internal network. Most cable modem packages have you at 6-8Mbps....and even with powerboost with Comcast, that only jumps to 20Mbps. Maybe a fiber connection like FIOS might matter.....but I'm not sure about that.

In my case, I kept my old WRT54G Linksys as the main router connected to the cable modem, and setup the TC to be in bridge mode. However, because both my Mac Pro and XP machine have Gigabit Ethernet ports, I moved them over to the TC so sharing between them is at GigE speeds (I've seen a boost from the 10MBps to 20-30MBps with the GigE connection).

I also think Apple makes it SOOOOO easy to setup the TC in bridge mode, that it's easier to make that the bridged router, than trying to futz with Linksys.

Plus, with the TC plugged directly into the Linksys.....no matter how you connected, you can see all the other devices on the network. It's working out nicely.

Just some of my thoughts.

-Kevin

[Chris Blount]

Personally, I don't thing it matters when it comes to your internet connection. You connection from your ISP is not ever going to reach the speeds of your internal network. Most cable modem packages have you at 6-8Mbps....and even with powerboost with Comcast, that only jumps to 20Mbps. Maybe a fiber connection like FIOS might matter.....but I'm not sure about that.

In my case, I kept my old WRT54G Linksys as the main router connected to the cable modem, and setup the TC to be in bridge mode. However, because both my Mac Pro and XP machine have Gigabit Ethernet ports, I moved them over to the TC so sharing between them is at GigE speeds (I've seen a boost from the 10MBps to 20-30MBps with the GigE connection).

I also think Apple makes it SOOOOO easy to setup the TC in bridge mode, that it's easier to make that the bridged router, than trying to futz with Linksys.

Plus, with the TC plugged directly into the Linksys.....no matter how you connected, you can see all the other devices on the network. It's working out nicely.

Just some of my thoughts.

-Kevin

I agree with you. The GigE connection is overkill for any internet connection. I was referring more toward device data sharing on the network. If the TC is used as the main router, all devices should be plugged into that and an older Linksys should be used strictly as a wireless b/g device.

But, like you said, setting up the TC in bridge mode is very easy and probably a better way to go assuming it's easy to plug other Ethernet devices into the TC.

[kbmb]

I agree with you. The GigE connection is overkill for any internet connection. I was referring more toward device data sharing on the network. If the TC is used as the main router, all devices should be plugged into that and an older Linksys should be used strictly as a wireless b/g device.

But, like you said, setting up the TC in bridge mode is very easy and probably a better way to go assuming it's easy to plug other Ethernet devices into the TC.

Agreed. Also...make sure you test your connection using Network Utility. I plugged my old Cat5 cables into the TC and both my Mac Pro and XP machine stayed at 100Mbps. Found a couple Cat5e cables and boom....1000Mbps!!!

Between those 2 machines, transfers scream. Also, Wireless N to my Macbook and the GigE connection to the Mac Pro make those transfers really fast as well.

If you have this setup, only plug devices into the Linksys that can only handle 10/100Mbps (like my Tivos).

-Kevin

[skorpien]

You recommend going from modem to linksys to time capsule and having the linksys serve as the router and TC acting as an access point. Would it be the same, better or worse if you had the modem connect to the TC and then connect the Linksys to the TC?

My thoughts are the router in the TC should be better/newer than most people's b/g Linksys routers so why not use the TC as the router and the Linksys as the access point? With this setup could you still have the TC set up for N-only mode?

Thanks.

It all depends on what you want from your network. I've read of some people using VoIP or other such services that require QoS (of which the TC is not capable afaik) or having routers that also act as their modems, so having TC in bridge is the only option in that situation. I've also read of users that prefer the other routers' firewall settings and claim TC is inferior in that department. I myself have my TC as the main router with my Linksys as my bridge as I don't need any of those other services other routers provide. Plus I've come to really like the reserved IP function of my TC. I've always had to set up static IPs, which is a pain in the @$$ for laptops that travel with you.

Everytime we start the computers, the default connection should be connected to Network A or Network B ?

Your default network should be the one to which you want to connect. For example, with the MBA, it should be Network B (5 GHz N). And like somebody else mentioned, your b/g machine won't even see the N network, so you're stuck with Network A :p

[hazzzwu]

It all depends on what you want from your network. I've read of some people using VoIP or other such services that require QoS (of which the TC is not capable afaik) or having routers that also act as their modems, so having TC in bridge is the only option in that situation. I've also read of users that prefer the other routers' firewall settings and claim TC is inferior in that department. I myself have my TC as the main router with my Linksys as my bridge as I don't need any of those other services other routers provide. Plus I've come to really like the reserved IP function of my TC. I've always had to set up static IPs, which is a pain in the @$$ for laptops that travel with you.



Your default network should be the one to which you want to connect. For example, with the MBA, it should be Network B (5 GHz N). And like somebody else mentioned, your b/g machine won't even see the N network, so you're stuck with Network A :p


Thanks Chris and Skorpien, I've finalized the settings and you guys are correct the windows laptop wont work in Network B (5 GHz).

However, for MP3 songs access using iTunes or Media Player (in my windows laptop), I experience quite slow. I mean I put all the MP3 songs collection in TC, then I use iTunes or Media player to access TC to play the songs. Any Clue?

Skorpien, what does MBA stands for?

[hazzzwu]

Personally, I don't thing it matters when it comes to your internet connection. You connection from your ISP is not ever going to reach the speeds of your internal network. Most cable modem packages have you at 6-8Mbps....and even with powerboost with Comcast, that only jumps to 20Mbps. Maybe a fiber connection like FIOS might matter.....but I'm not sure about that.

In my case, I kept my old WRT54G Linksys as the main router connected to the cable modem, and setup the TC to be in bridge mode. However, because both my Mac Pro and XP machine have Gigabit Ethernet ports, I moved them over to the TC so sharing between them is at GigE speeds (I've seen a boost from the 10MBps to 20-30MBps with the GigE connection).

I also think Apple makes it SOOOOO easy to setup the TC in bridge mode, that it's easier to make that the bridged router, than trying to futz with Linksys.

Plus, with the TC plugged directly into the Linksys.....no matter how you connected, you can see all the other devices on the network. It's working out nicely.

Just some of my thoughts.

-Kevin

Kevin, I am interested in boosting up the speed. By the way, what do u mean by: "However, because both my Mac Pro and XP machine have Gigabit Ethernet ports, I moved them over to the TC so sharing between them is at GigE speeds " as you mentioned above?

Are you referrring to a wired connection? What is Gigabit Ethernet Ports?

[kbmb]

Kevin, I am interested in boosting up the speed. By the way, what do u mean by: "However, because both my Mac Pro and XP machine have Gigabit Ethernet ports, I moved them over to the TC so sharing between them is at GigE speeds " as you mentioned above?

Are you referrring to a wired connection? What is Gigabit Ethernet Ports?

Yes, both my Mac Pro and my XP machine are desktops. Therefore they are wired to the TC. The Linksys router I have it older, and can only handle 10Mbps or 100Mbps connections. These are MegaBITs per second. Roughly, a 100Mbps connection will transfer data at about 10 MB (MegaBYTES) per second.

A Gigabit ethernet port is 1000Mbps. With this you will see those 10MB per second speeds of 100Mbps, go up to 20-30MB per second.

Because both my Mac Pro and my XP machine have network cards that can handle 10/100/1000Mbps speeds, by plugging them into the TC and using either Cat5e or Cat6 cables, I'm able to get the maximum speeds of Gigabit Ethernet, or 1000Mbps.

You can tell what speed your current link is running at by opening Network Utility (Applications -> Utilities -> Network Utility). Under the Info tab you can select your link and see the current speed. In my case, my Mac Pro shows the Link Speed as 1 Gbit/s. In XP, it's under the Network Connections, and check the Status of the connection.

In order to get the speeds, you need not only a Router that has 1000Mbps ports, but the network cards in each machine need to support 1000Mbps.

Hope this helps.

-Kevin

[skorpien]

Thanks Chris and Skorpien, I've finalized the settings and you guys are correct the windows laptop wont work in Network B (5 GHz).

However, for MP3 songs access using iTunes or Media Player (in my windows laptop), I experience quite slow. I mean I put all the MP3 songs collection in TC, then I use iTunes or Media player to access TC to play the songs. Any Clue?

Skorpien, what does MBA stands for?

MBA is the acronym for MacBook Air. Just short hand for those too lazy to type it out :o

Your access speeds for your Windows laptop are, unfortunately, limited to 54 Mbps transfer rate. That's theoretically a maximum of 6.75 MB/s (real world speeds are usually quite lower). That may be why you're experiencing the slow access times. I haven't tried moving my library over to my Time Capsule, so I really wouldn't have many suggestions, sorry. Hopefully somebody else could help you in that department.

[amiroo79]

I'm a newbie and I just bought a MacBook last night with a Time Capsule. I am very much impressed. I went through the setup not knowing much of what I was doing but I was able to get the Time Capsule to replace my current Linksys G Router. My MacBook recognized the Time Capsule and I created a back and surfed the internet just fine at very fast speeds than I was before.

Only problem now is that my iPhone can't connect to the TimeCapule's AirPort. It's a secured network so when it sees it, it asks for the password. I enter it but it just asks me to enter the password again.

Strange... I can connect to other networks in the area just fine with the iPhone so I know it's not the iPhone. So, can it be some setting on the Time Capsule that I need to get right before I can connect with my iPhone?

Thank you in advance for helping this newbie out!

[kbmb]

I'm a newbie and I just bought a MacBook last night with a Time Capsule. I am very much impressed. I went through the setup not knowing much of what I was doing but I was able to get the Time Capsule to replace my current Linksys G Router. My MacBook recognized the Time Capsule and I created a back and surfed the internet just fine at very fast speeds than I was before.

Only problem now is that my iPhone can't connect to the TimeCapule's AirPort. It's a secured network so when it sees it, it asks for the password. I enter it but it just asks me to enter the password again.

Strange... I can connect to other networks in the area just fine with the iPhone so I know it's not the iPhone. So, can it be some setting on the Time Capsule that I need to get right before I can connect with my iPhone?

Thank you in advance for helping this newbie out!

What if you reset the password to something simple, just as a test. Then once it connects and you know everything works, change it to a more secure password.

Also, did you setup the Timed MAC address filtering? It is not setup by default, so it would have been something you did.

-Kevin

[MattZani]

so how's it all setup? I'm using a netgear wireless modem/router, so I just take one of the ethenets from the back and plug it into the wan port of tc? I'm pretty sure i understand, but a couple pics of the back of your routers and tc's would be helpful!

[kbmb]

so how's it all setup? I'm using a netgear wireless modem/router, so I just take one of the ethenets from the back and plug it into the wan port of tc? I'm pretty sure i understand, but a couple pics of the back of your routers and tc's would be helpful!

Yup, basically it goes:

Network cable from the Cable Modem into the WAN port on the Netgear. Network cable from any of the LAN ports on the Netgear out to the WAN port on the TC. Think of the TC as just any other networked device.

In the Airport Utility for the TC, setup the TC in Bridge mode and create a new wireless network 802.11n 5GHz only.

TC will get an IP address from the Netgear, and will pass on assigned IPs to any connected devices.

Let me know if you have problems.

-Kevin

[MattZani]

Ok thanks, can you setup TC with a PC? I'm not sure if I should wait till June on the MBP, but want the TC ASAP

[skorpien]

Ok thanks, can you setup TC with a PC? I'm not sure if I should wait till June on the MBP, but want the TC ASAP

Yup. Just install AirPort Utility for Windows from the CD that comes with the TC.

[hazzzwu]

Yes, both my Mac Pro and my XP machine are desktops. Therefore they are wired to the TC. The Linksys router I have it older, and can only handle 10Mbps or 100Mbps connections. These are MegaBITs per second. Roughly, a 100Mbps connection will transfer data at about 10 MB (MegaBYTES) per second.

A Gigabit ethernet port is 1000Mbps. With this you will see those 10MB per second speeds of 100Mbps, go up to 20-30MB per second.

Because both my Mac Pro and my XP machine have network cards that can handle 10/100/1000Mbps speeds, by plugging them into the TC and using either Cat5e or Cat6 cables, I'm able to get the maximum speeds of Gigabit Ethernet, or 1000Mbps.

You can tell what speed your current link is running at by opening Network Utility (Applications -> Utilities -> Network Utility). Under the Info tab you can select your link and see the current speed. In my case, my Mac Pro shows the Link Speed as 1 Gbit/s. In XP, it's under the Network Connections, and check the Status of the connection.

In order to get the speeds, you need not only a Router that has 1000Mbps ports, but the network cards in each machine need to support 1000Mbps.

Hope this helps.

-Kevin

Understood, very clear... thanks for the information!

[hazzzwu]

MBA is the acronym for MacBook Air. Just short hand for those too lazy to type it out :o

Your access speeds for your Windows laptop are, unfortunately, limited to 54 Mbps transfer rate. That's theoretically a maximum of 6.75 MB/s (real world speeds are usually quite lower). That may be why you're experiencing the slow access times. I haven't tried moving my library over to my Time Capsule, so I really wouldn't have many suggestions, sorry. Hopefully somebody else could help you in that department.

After reading your message, I think tonight I will try out to access the mp3 stored in the TC using my iMac, both from my Mac OS and Windows Vista OS. (I do have installed two OS for my iMac).

Thanks...

[amiroo79]

What if you reset the password to something simple, just as a test. Then once it connects and you know everything works, change it to a more secure password.

Also, did you setup the Timed MAC address filtering? It is not setup by default, so it would have been something you did.

-Kevin

Thanks Kevin. Got it figured out (kinda). I reset the whole thing and now it works. I was told that I had setup the TC to only work in "n" mode and therefore, my iphone was not able to connect to it. I actually don't see anywhere on the AirPort Utility where it says that. I don't even know where it says what mode it is in (ie "g" or "n").

This is important for me to understand because I now believe that the TC is in a constant "g" mode due to the addition of my iPhone. This is because I noticed my MacBook's surfing speeds go to what I had before with the "g" router once I connected my iPhone to the TC.

Assuming that the TC will only be in "g" mode if there is a "g" device using it, how do I put it in "n" mode only? I see a lot of people on this forum say that but I don't know how to do it as I don't see it in the AirPort Utility.

Thanks,
Amir

[kbmb]

Thanks Kevin. Got it figured out (kinda). I reset the whole thing and now it works. I was told that I had setup the TC to only work in "n" mode and therefore, my iphone was not able to connect to it. I actually don't see anywhere on the AirPort Utility where it says that. I don't even know where it says what mode it is in (ie "g" or "n").

This is important for me to understand because I now believe that the TC is in a constant "g" mode due to the addition of my iPhone. This is because I noticed my MacBook's surfing speeds go to what I had before with the "g" router once I connected my iPhone to the TC.

Assuming that the TC will only be in "g" mode if there is a "g" device using it, how do I put it in "n" mode only? I see a lot of people on this forum say that but I don't know how to do it as I don't see it in the AirPort Utility.

Thanks,
Amir

In Airport Utility, go to manage the TC. With the Airport Section open, go to the Wireless Tab. As shown in the attached picture.

You want the Radio Mode dropdown.

Basically, in wireless, your entire network will operate in the speed of the slowest device. So if you have TC serving b/g/n speeds....if you connect your iPhone (which is g only), it will bring all the other clients down to g speeds.

Your other option is to keep your Linksys router, and have that act as the main DHCP, NAT router serving up g only speeds. Then you plug the TC into the Linksys and set it up in Bridged mode. Then on the TC, you create a new wireless network, and switch the Radio Mode to be 802.11n 5GHz only. Make sure you name each of the wireless network uniquely. In my example, I have my Linksys network named GoldenEye-G and the TC network named GoldenEye-N. This makes it easy to see which is which. In the case of my MacBook, technically I can connect to either.

At this point you'll have 2 wireless networks, your Linksys serving g only traffic, and the TC serving n only traffic. You'll setup your iPhone to connect to the Linksys, and the MacBook to connect to the TC.

-Kevin

[amiroo79]

In Airport Utility, go to manage the TC. With the Airport Section open, go to the Wireless Tab. As shown in the attached picture.

You want the Radio Mode dropdown.

Basically, in wireless, your entire network will operate in the speed of the slowest device. So if you have TC serving b/g/n speeds....if you connect your iPhone (which is g only), it will bring all the other clients down to g speeds.

Your other option is to keep your Linksys router, and have that act as the main DHCP, NAT router serving up g only speeds. Then you plug the TC into the Linksys and set it up in Bridged mode. Then on the TC, you create a new wireless network, and switch the Radio Mode to be 802.11n 5GHz only. Make sure you name each of the wireless network uniquely. In my example, I have my Linksys network named GoldenEye-G and the TC network named GoldenEye-N. This makes it easy to see which is which. In the case of my MacBook, technically I can connect to either.

At this point you'll have 2 wireless networks, your Linksys serving g only traffic, and the TC serving n only traffic. You'll setup your iPhone to connect to the Linksys, and the MacBook to connect to the TC.

-Kevin

Kevin,

YOU ARE DA MAN!!!

I'll be sure to try this out tonight when I get home from work. Thank you so much for the info. Being new to Mac and abandoning my PC after much frustration with Vista and Office 2007 was a bit scary but you are making it so much easier. I can't thank you enough.:)

[kbmb]

Kevin,

YOU ARE DA MAN!!!

I'll be sure to try this out tonight when I get home from work. Thank you so much for the info. Being new to Mac and abandoning my PC after much frustration with Vista and Office 2007 was a bit scary but you are making it so much easier. I can't thank you enough.:)

Glad to help. The Mac community rocks when it comes to this stuff....mainly because we are all so passionate about our systems. Afterall, they are acutally a pleasure to use! :D

Let us know if you have any issues, but basically the setup will go like this:

Network cable from the Cable Modem into the Linksys WAN port.
Network cable from one of the Linksys LAN ports out to the TC WAN port.

You may want to plug in the MacBook to do this via a network cable until you get the wireless network setup.

Linksys will be the main router, so essentially, no real changes need to be done to this router. However, I'd recommend going in an setting the Linksys SSID to indicate that it is G only. Also make sure you are allowing enough IPs to be distributed.

Now on the TC, you will want to setup a new wireless 802.11n only (5 GHz) wireless network with it's own name, again, indicate that it's the N only network. On the Ethernet (Intenet option in Airport Utility) side of the TC, that will need to be setup so it obtains it's IP Using DHCP (from the Linksys), and the Connection Sharing option is set to Off (Bridge Mode). This basically turns off the DHCP, NAT, etc on the TC and turns it into a switch/wireless AP.

That's about it. That's how I have mine setup and it's been working great. My older XP laptop connects to the Linksys G network, and my MacBook connects to the TC N network. Any device on either router can see all the other devices. I also have a Canon printer plugged into the TC which both my Mac Pro and MacBook can print to, as well as my XP machine via Bonjour.

What the network will essentially look like is the diagram on page 41 of this PDF:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/Designing_AirPort_Networks_10.5-Windows.pdf
Except the Airport Extreme in this diagram is basically your Linksys.

Good luck!

-Kevin

[amiroo79]

Kevin,

Your instructions were awesome (and crystal clear) and I have now setup my network as you described. Thank you so much for all your help and guidance.

I owe you one.

-Amir

[kbmb]

Kevin,

Your instructions were awesome (and crystal clear) and I have now setup my network as you described. Thank you so much for all your help and guidance.

I owe you one.

-Amir

That's awesome. Glad I could help. Welcome to the Mac!

-Kevin

[hazzzwu]

After reading your message, I think tonight I will try out to access the mp3 stored in the TC using my iMac, both from my Mac OS and Windows Vista OS. (I do have installed two OS for my iMac).

Thanks...

After several trials... i have to conclude that I am unable to use TC as a place to store my mp3 files, and access it smoothly through my iTunes or Media Player...

Using Media player, i can still play songs. However, the speed to access the song is very lousy. I also experience it when I move from one artist/album to another artist/album.

Using iTunes... the application is hang. I should use ctrl-alt-del to go to the task manager and terminate it manually by pressing end task.

Anyone of you have clues?

[skorpien]

After several trials... i have to conclude that I am unable to use TC as a place to store my mp3 files, and access it smoothly through my iTunes or Media Player...

Using Media player, i can still play songs. However, the speed to access the song is very lousy. I also experience it when I move from one artist/album to another artist/album.

Using iTunes... the application is hang. I should use ctrl-alt-del to go to the task manager and terminate it manually by pressing end task.

Anyone of you have clues?

I suspect if you are using it wirelessly to access these files, the transmit rate is unfortunately too low to make it an effective solution in your situation. I would think that if you were to connect your Windows laptop to the Time Capsule via ethernet, you would notice a significant improvement. I also suspect that if your Windows laptop were capable of wireless-n, you wouldn't have such slow access times. I'm sorry I can't comment any more on this as I haven't set mine up as a media file server, but if it is another issue and you manage to figure it out, I would like to know how you solved it.

[hazzzwu]

I suspect if you are using it wirelessly to access these files, the transmit rate is unfortunately too low to make it an effective solution in your situation. I would think that if you were to connect your Windows laptop to the Time Capsule via ethernet, you would notice a significant improvement. I also suspect that if your Windows laptop were capable of wireless-n, you wouldn't have such slow access times. I'm sorry I can't comment any more on this as I haven't set mine up as a media file server, but if it is another issue and you manage to figure it out, I would like to know how you solved it.

Actually for the above trials, I was using the iMac but running in Windows Vista Home Premium. I have windows media player and iTunes installed in it.

I have also tried to connect to both network : b/g and N-only network.

If anyone of the readers has an experience to solve this problem, appreciate if you could share...

Thanks...