Time Capsule Double NAT Error

Rocco83 · Feb 13, 2012

Hello, after months of my Time Capsule running fine, it is now giving me an error message regarding a Double NAT. I have a DSL modem connected into the Time Capsule, as far as I know the modem does not assign the ip address so there shouldn't be a problem with my NAT settings. The NAT and DHCP settings are all controlled by the Time Machine as they should correct?

Being that my internet is coming in through just a modem and not a modem/router I can find no way to access any type of controls for it or anyway to check what may be going on with it.

SP-660 Series Modem ADSL is all that there is on the modem itself.

When I try to change the settings where I go to static IP addresses over DHCP then I run into issues now where there is "No DNS Server." Have never had these problems before with my Time Capsule.

balamw · Feb 13, 2012

Wow that's an old modem.

Seems like you are not alone though. http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=140442

B

Rocco83 · Feb 13, 2012

balamw said:
Wow that's an old modem.

Seems like you are not alone though. http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=140442

B

Worst part is that they sent me this modem to replace one that went bad about 5 months ago. It had worked completely fine since last August with the current setup. not sure why I would have problems now. Should I tell my ISP that I would like a new modem? Not sure how this would change anything as I think the problem lies with the Time Capsule. Everything I have come across as far as this problem goes seems to have been caused by the Time Capsule and I have not seen anything that looks like a fix to the problem.

drambuie · Feb 13, 2012

Does your modem have a built-in NAT firewall that somehow became enabled? A way to check would be to compare your ISP connection's IP address with what the TC is seeing. If they're different you know there is NAT in the modem. Check with your ISP to get the internal IP address and password for the modem. Then you will be able to look at its settings.

MaxBurn · Feb 13, 2012

Almost all DSL modems have NAT in them. Double NAT situation really isn't a problem as long as you do one of the below on the first modem between the Time Capsule and the outside world.

Look for a feature called single IP, this basically channels everything outside to one IP inside which would be your Time Capsule. This is sort of a defeat everything feature meant to help you out in a double NAT situation.

You could try setting the Time Capsule IP as the DMZ host in the modem, again this would direct all inbound connections to the Time Capsule.

Basically you just want to defeat all the security in it and allow it through to the Time Capsule. It's a problem to troubleshoot inbound connection problems as you have two devices to check.

Edit: double NAT is a warning that things are going to get complicated but it will work fine. I did it for years.

Rocco83 · Feb 14, 2012

MaxBurn said:
Almost all DSL modems have NAT in them. Double NAT situation really isn't a problem as long as you do one of the below on the first modem between the Time Capsule and the outside world.

Look for a feature called single IP, this basically channels everything outside to one IP inside which would be your Time Capsule. This is sort of a defeat everything feature meant to help you out in a double NAT situation.

You could try setting the Time Capsule IP as the DMZ host in the modem, again this would direct all inbound connections to the Time Capsule.

Basically you just want to defeat all the security in it and allow it through to the Time Capsule. It's a problem to troubleshoot inbound connection problems as you have two devices to check.

Edit: double NAT is a warning that things are going to get complicated but it will work fine. I did it for years.

The only problem with this is that I have found absolutely no way to change the settings on the modem. I had this same setup before for months and had no problem, I also had no problem when I was using an old linksys router. Not sure why all of a sudden out of the blue this wants to start giving me problems. So far I have found no problem running double NAT other than the amber light flashing. For me it isn't a problem, but my wife thinks the world is coming to an end and our internet is going to go out. Thus taking her away from Facebook and all the juicy gossip of her friends.

MaxBurn · Feb 14, 2012

Ah, as long as everything is working right I think there was a way to go in and say that this situation is normal and to ignore it. Then it will show a green light.

Unfortunately that was back on the old airport utility and they completely changed the look and I couldn't say where that is now. Also I did change providers and don't have a double NAT anymore.

balamw · Feb 14, 2012

Alternatively you could also run the TC in bridge mode and turn off its NAT altogether if the modem's implementation is enough.

B

laurenr · Feb 16, 2012

balamw said:
Alternatively you could also run the TC in bridge mode and turn off its NAT altogether if the modem's implementation is enough.

B

Last year, while setting up my Sister's Wifi network, we ran into the identical problem. Setting the TC to Bridge Mode totally solved it; they have had zero problems since then.

Rocco83 · Mar 15, 2012

laurenr said:
Last year, while setting up my Sister's Wifi network, we ran into the identical problem. Setting the TC to Bridge Mode totally solved it; they have had zero problems since then.

If I understand correctly, does bridge mode not mean that it will only pump out wireless? I have an iMac and an AppleTV hardline into the TC as well as have my TC hooked up to a Powerline Ethernet Adapter that connects to one in the house to provide interwebs to parts of the house that the wireless does not reach.

So in turning my Time Capsule to bridge mode would I not be losing my ability to do that? I know that the iMac and AppleTV both have built in wireless, but I prefer to have them both hardwired for the fastest speed possible.

I have tried everything I can think of up to this point, and many suggestions I have found on the web and none of it is working. Running out of options.

laurenr · Mar 15, 2012

Rocco83 said:
If I understand correctly, does bridge mode not mean that it will only pump out wireless? I have an iMac and an AppleTV hardline into the TC as well as have my TC hooked up to a Powerline Ethernet Adapter that connects to one in the house to provide interwebs to parts of the house that the wireless does not reach.

So in turning my Time Capsule to bridge mode would I not be losing my ability to do that? I know that the iMac and AppleTV both have built in wireless, but I prefer to have them both hardwired for the fastest speed possible.

I have tried everything I can think of up to this point, and many suggestions I have found on the web and none of it is working. Running out of options.

Do you mean that you have more than one Time Cap/Airport device?

BreakGuy · Mar 15, 2012

Rocco83 said:
If I understand correctly, does bridge mode not mean that it will only pump out wireless? I have an iMac and an AppleTV hardline into the TC as well as have my TC hooked up to a Powerline Ethernet Adapter that connects to one in the house to provide interwebs to parts of the house that the wireless does not reach.

So in turning my Time Capsule to bridge mode would I not be losing my ability to do that? I know that the iMac and AppleTV both have built in wireless, but I prefer to have them both hardwired for the fastest speed possible.

I have tried everything I can think of up to this point, and many suggestions I have found on the web and none of it is working. Running out of options.

Enabling Bridge mode will turn your Time Capsule into an Access Point. You will still be able to hardwire clients into it.

Rocco83 · Mar 15, 2012

laurenr said:
Do you mean that you have more than one Time Cap/Airport device?

No sorry, wasn't entirely clear about that. The PEA goes from my garage to the house where it connects to a D-Link router that broadcast wireless throughout the one end of the house and back patio.

For whatever reason when I try to use the TC in bridged mode I no longer seem to be able to access the internet on the iMac or ATV2 using wired or wireless.

Rocco83 · Mar 15, 2012

I just tried setting it up in bridge mode once again and was unable to get internet. Everything in the setup seemed fine and I did not have any errors anywhere. Everything was green, just nothing had any interwebs. The iMac and ATV2 that were hardwired directly to the TC both were without web. I then unhooked them, turned on wireless and was unable to get wireless out of both of those as well as my iPad had no connection either.

I am going to call my ISP again tomorrow and see if there isn't anything I can do. They are probably getting real happy of my calls haha.

skorpien · Mar 16, 2012

When you set it up in bridge mode, are you doing so from the manual settings or from the setup wizard?

All that's required to put it into bridge mode is to turn Connection Sharing to Off (Bridge mode) in manual setup.

My apologies if you've already tried this, I'm just wondering what settings you've changed and how.

Also, and again apologies if this is simplistic, but have you restarted both the ISP modem/router and your Time Capsule after you set it to bridge mode?

Rocco83 · Mar 18, 2012

Well I talked today to a tech from my ISP and he had no idea how to help me, no idea how to change settings on my modem, and had never heard of my modem. It is the same exact modem that they had sent to me 6 months ago.

To top things off, when he asked me what OS I was running and I told him Lion 10.7.3 he told me, "I have no experience with Mac and will not be much of a help to you." I would love to know what the qualifications are to work at Embarq as customer support.

Back to square one, although I guess I could simply buy a new modem. Anyone know of any nice Mac friendly and easily configurable modems?

CenturyLink · Mar 20, 2012

Hey Rocco83, this is B with the CenturyLink Help Team. I'm sorry that this is the experience you had with one of our tech support agents. If you still need assistance with your modem, e-mail me at TalkToUs@CenturyLink.com, and I'll be happy to help out.

Thanks,

B
CenturyLink Help Team

Rocco83 said:
Well I talked today to a tech from my ISP and he had no idea how to help me, no idea how to change settings on my modem, and had never heard of my modem. It is the same exact modem that they had sent to me 6 months ago.

To top things off, when he asked me what OS I was running and I told him Lion 10.7.3 he told me, "I have no experience with Mac and will not be much of a help to you." I would love to know what the qualifications are to work at Embarq as customer support.

Back to square one, although I guess I could simply buy a new modem. Anyone know of any nice Mac friendly and easily configurable modems?

Revelation78 · Mar 21, 2012

Rocco83 said:
Well I talked today to a tech from my ISP and he had no idea how to help me, no idea how to change settings on my modem, and had never heard of my modem. It is the same exact modem that they had sent to me 6 months ago.

To top things off, when he asked me what OS I was running and I told him Lion 10.7.3 he told me, "I have no experience with Mac and will not be much of a help to you." I would love to know what the qualifications are to work at Embarq as customer support.

Back to square one, although I guess I could simply buy a new modem. Anyone know of any nice Mac friendly and easily configurable modems?

One thing you have to remember is most Tier-1 tech supporters don't really know a lot and they simply follow prompts on screen. Most ISP's don't "officially" support MACs as they haven't had a large enough market share to warrant the investment in training. ISP's will also generally tell you they aren't responsible for helping you with your equipment, they simply want to verify their stuff is working correctly and that's what their tech support truly is there for.

With that said... If you're renting your modem from your ISP, call them and request a different modem. Do some research as to what modems they offer and find the one with the best reviews - then request that specific model from your ISP.

To access your modem, plug directly into it via ethernet and type in 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.0; do you get a configuration page? The ISP should also have a default login/password for their modems; ask them for the login info if you can reach this page.

Ultimately I would start with getting a different/newer/better modem first.

Rocco83 · Mar 22, 2012

I went out and bought a new modem. For some reason I can't get my old one, or my new one to configure by plugging straight into it. When I hook my old windows laptop up to them I am able to configure the newer one. I have all the security on it turned completely off and everything is up and running. I am still getting the double nat issue. Going to try to resolve that tonight. Not sure, I may try to give it a factory reset and go about it that way or just ignore it. All of my programs are running fine, all the computers seem to be pulling faster speeds, and the network is good and stable. Might not try to push my luck.

laurenr · Mar 22, 2012

Just a thought - with DSL, many modems are configured to handle the PPPoE login. If the TC is also configured to handle this function, it could perhaps cause the double NAT error.

piperdog · Jan 1, 2013

getting rid of double nat error - simple steps

>had time capsule plugged into my existing router.
>was getting an error (amber light kept blinking).
>back in airport utility. select the time capsule, then you see an edit button.
in the edit button, look for where the amber light is highlighted - then select the drop down. It tells you that you have to select the bridge mode. you make that change right in the edit mode.
>I did have to do a restart after this update.
>Now getting green light on Time Capsule, and everything things to be working fine. I can access a wireless connection both off my existing router and off the time capsule.

edshearin · May 15, 2014

Fix for Double NAT

piperdog said:
>had time capsule plugged into my existing router.
>was getting an error (amber light kept blinking).
>back in airport utility. select the time capsule, then you see an edit button.
in the edit button, look for where the amber light is highlighted - then select the drop down. It tells you that you have to select the bridge mode. you make that change right in the edit mode.
>I did have to do a restart after this update.
>Now getting green light on Time Capsule, and everything things to be working fine. I can access a wireless connection both off my existing router and off the time capsule.

Tried the above procedure and it works beautifully...thanks Piperdog

Time Capsule Double NAT Error

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