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Time Capsule - 2TB

A

alhajis

macrumors member
Original poster
May 3, 2009
74
0
I just got a 2TB Time Capsule as a gift and I'm currently using a Linksys 54G and I have some device that are G & Bs, like TV, PS3 and others. I've been using an external 250gb drive with Time Capsule since May 2009 and I'll like to move those backups to the new Time Capsule. and maybe keep the older linksys 54g for the old devices (which i think will be very difficult) so that i can get N speed on my MBP. Whats the dual band on the Time Capsule? Does it support B, G? I'll really appreciate help from you guys...
Thanks.
 
thanks... I'll take a look at it now. I just think it's a though job to do... if i can't, i'll just sell it... i hate complex stuff.
 
The new Time Capsule is already simultaneous dual band. You can set up a wireless n only 5 GHz network in conjunction with a mixed b/g/n network for older devices. Just be sure to create two separate SSIDs for the network to prevent wireless n devices from slipping onto the b/g/n network.

You can however keep your old router connected and run it in bridge mode. It will act as wireless access point providing a third SSID for devices to connect to. Just google bridge mode and Linksys WRT54G (which is what I'm guessing your router is) and you'll come across some walkthroughs.

As for your backups, you'll need to start again. Time Machine backs up differently to the Time Capsule and network attached disk drives than it does to drives connected directly to the computer. With the latter, TM copies the files directly. With the former, a sparsebundle image file is created and copied to the disk drive.
 
skorpien said:
The new Time Capsule is already simultaneous dual band. You can set up a wireless n only 5 GHz network in conjunction with a mixed b/g/n network for older devices. Just be sure to create two separate SSIDs for the network to prevent wireless n devices from slipping onto the b/g/n network.

You can however keep your old router connected and run it in bridge mode. It will act as wireless access point providing a third SSID for devices to connect to. Just google bridge mode and Linksys WRT54G (which is what I'm guessing your router is) and you'll come across some walkthroughs.

As for your backups, you'll need to start again. Time Machine backs up differently to the Time Capsule and network attached disk drives than it does to drives connected directly to the computer. With the latter, TM copies the files directly. With the former, a sparsebundle image file is created and copied to the disk drive.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply... this is difficult as i thought it would be. can i use the windows7 PC for the setup? and also do you think it's advisable to continue using TC and wrt54g? and last but not least... how can i setup dual mode? Wow! I really have some stuff on that old TM backup that i go back to from time to time. or maybe I'll just sell it.... everything is working fine with my old setup... change is not easy!
 
Yes you can use Windows 7. Install AirPort Utility for Windows from the CD that came with your Time Capsule onto your Windows machine and you'll be able to configure your Time Capsule without any issues.

As for continuing to use your WRT54G router, it's not necessary. You are able to have two separate SSIDs and a guest network with the Time Capsule. If you still want to use it (can't bring yourself to get rid of it, need the extra Ethernet ports, etc.), here's a thread that will help you set up your router properly:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/847436/

To set up dual mode, you need to do so in AirPort Utility. Enter Manual Setup and navigate to the Wireless tab. The options to set it up will be in there.

You could always keep your old Time Machine backup if you truly need those files. You should be able to navigate through the old drive and pull any files you need in the future.

Edit: In the Wireless tab, there is a drop down selection labeled "More Options." Select Wireless Network Options, check "5 GHz Network Name" and enter a unique name for the network. Then you'll be set up for dual networking. And for the guest network, select the Guest Network tab and enable it, providing it with another unique name.
 
skorpien said:
Yes you can use Windows 7. Install AirPort Utility for Windows from the CD that came with your Time Capsule onto your Windows machine and you'll be able to configure your Time Capsule without any issues.

As for continuing to use your WRT54G router, it's not necessary. You are able to have two separate SSIDs and a guest network with the Time Capsule. If you still want to use it (can't bring yourself to get rid of it, need the extra Ethernet ports, etc.), here's a thread that will help you set up your router properly:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/847436/

To set up dual mode, you need to do so in AirPort Utility. Enter Manual Setup and navigate to the Wireless tab. The options to set it up will be in there.

You could always keep your old Time Machine backup if you truly need those files. You should be able to navigate through the old drive and pull any files you need in the future.

Edit: In the Wireless tab, there is a drop down selection labeled "More Options." Select Wireless Network Options, check "5 GHz Network Name" and enter a unique name for the network. Then you'll be set up for dual networking. And for the guest network, select the Guest Network tab and enable it, providing it with another unique name.
Click to expand...


Thank you very very much for your help! Now i know that i can pull this off. I also found this link to be helpful:
http://www.overclockersclub.com/guides/dualbandnet/

Thanks again.... I really appreciate it.
 
You can always run the Time Capsule as dual-band as well...avopiding having to use the old router as another poster has said.

Mine (well, it's Airport Extreme, but essentially the same wireless stuff) functions well as a g/n wireless router. In fact, I believe it can even be backward compatible to 802.11 a/b if you choose.

Is there a reason you feel the need to keep your old router?
 
mstrze said:
You can always run the Time Capsule as dual-band as well...avopiding having to use the old router as another poster has said.

Mine (well, it's Airport Extreme, but essentially the same wireless stuff) functions well as a g/n wireless router. In fact, I believe it can even be backward compatible to 802.11 a/b if you choose.

Is there a reason you feel the need to keep your old router?
Click to expand...

I heard that if you run an N router in mixed mode, it'll slow down to b or g ( it depends on what device you connect to it) and you wont achieve N speed and i need N speed.
 
alhajis said:
I heard that if you run an N router in mixed mode, it'll slow down to b or g ( it depends on what device you connect to it) and you wont achieve N speed and i need N speed.
Click to expand...

You have the option to run the 5 GHz band in 802.11 n only mode, and the 2.4 GHz band in b/g/n. This way, those wireless n devices connected to the 5 GHz band will not suffer slowdown, and you can choose to connect only b/g devices to the 2.4 GHz network. The option is available in the Wireless tab of AirPort Utility.

A side note if you choose to have a guest network. The guest network will only be able to support the devices that the two main frequencies can support. I tried running my AEBS in 802.11 n only (5 GHz) and 802.11 only (2.4 GHz) for the two frequencies and my guest network only allowed wireless n clients to join. When I changed my 2.4 GHz band to mixed b/g/n, b and g clients could join my guest network as well.
 
Ok... I see. But what do you think about the link that I post? And do you have a link of the step by step procedure on how to do this? (I mean setup the Time capsule in dual mode). So that I can get rid of the wrt54g. I got a whole lot of devices connected to the 54g and even a wireless game adapter and a bridge, I just wanted to leave it alone connected to the TC and create an N only network. Thanks for your help.
 
The link you posted is really only applicable to the older, non simultaneous dual band versions of the Extreme and Time Capsule. The newer ones don't require an additional router because they can transmit two SSIDs at once, whereas the old ones could only do one at a time. If you wanted to have both n and b/g devices connected with the old AEBS/TC, they would have needed to be in mixed b/g/n mode. The additional router allowed the older AEBS/TC to run in n only mode and have the additional router run in b/g mode. But the new ones can have both n only and b/g SSIDs.

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Apple_AirPort_Networks_Early2009.pdf

Read that manual, it has a lot of great information. When you come to page 21 (Choosing the Radio Mode), you'll want either "802.11 a/n - 802.11 b/g/n" or "802.11 n - 802.11 b/g/n" (either will do. The first in the combination is the radio option for the 5 GHz band, and the second is the option for the 2.4 GHz band, separated by the dash). Then on page 22 (Setting Wireless Options), check the first checkbox and give your 5 GHz band a unique SSID. Make sure you set up proper security on your network. WPA2 is the most secure.
 
I've setup everything!

Everything is working fine now. But the only problem now is on the MBP airport, i can see 2 N networks one is N @ 5ghz and the other is N @ 2.4ghz even thoe i only created a single network. is this normal to broadcast at 2 frequency? i can select either of them and can connect. how can i get rid of the 2.4ghz?
 
The two networks you see is what is meant by simultaneous dual band networking. The reason your MBP can detect two wireless n networks is because the MBP is capable of joining both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz networks. And since the 2.4 GHz network is running in mixed b/g/n, the MBP will see and connect to it at the highest speed possible (i.e., wireless n).

If you were to disable the 2.4 GHz frequency, you will not be able to join your network using any b/g devices as that is the only frequency that can support b/g.

Since you are able to see two SSIDs, it means that you have given the 5 GHz frequency a unique SSID (page 22 of the manual I linked previously). You should not confuse SSID with network. An SSID is merely a way for a wireless device to join a network. If you have a router that is able to broadcast two SSIDs simultaneously (or you configure a secondary router to act as a bridge) and they have unique names, they'll show up as two different SSIDs in the list of wireless networks. But connecting to either will connect you to the same network.

To summarize, what you are experiencing is normal and you do not want to disable the 2.4 GHz band.
 
Thank you Skorpien... What I mean was SSID not networks. Ok one last one... I can access the TC Hard Drive from my MBP and do anything I want but I can't access it on my windows7 desktop? What am I missing? If the drive is not formated for win7, how can I do that? I love the TC, I also connected a 500gb hdd on the TC to use for time machine backup. Thanks
And i can even see the 500gb drive that i connect to the TC in win7 but not the 2TB on the TC.
 
That is rather odd that you can see the external but not the TC's internal drive... Have you enabled file sharing on both drives? In AirPort Utility, under the Disks tab, select first one and then the other and make sure file sharing is enabled on both. Since the 500GB is viewable in Windows 7, try setting up the internal drive to match the external.

The format of the drive doesn't matter when sharing it with an AirPort Base Station. The Base Station itself handles how different operating systems access the drive, with Mac OS X using AFP and Windows using SMB. The TC's internal drive is formatted HFS+ (as is required to use Time Machine), but any Windows system will view it as FAT32. What format is your 500GB external? And I assume you've already installed AirPort Utility for Windows on your Windows machine, but if not you should do so as that installs AirPort Base Station Agent as well (which allows you to connect to your TC's hard drives with minimal effort).

Edit: This article might be useful as well.
http://techsupport.foreverwarm.com/time-capsule-windows
 
skorpien said:
That is rather odd that you can see the external but not the TC's internal drive... Have you enabled file sharing on both drives? In AirPort Utility, under the Disks tab, select first one and then the other and make sure file sharing is enabled on both. Since the 500GB is viewable in Windows 7, try setting up the internal drive to match the external.

The format of the drive doesn't matter when sharing it with an AirPort Base Station. The Base Station itself handles how different operating systems access the drive, with Mac OS X using AFP and Windows using SMB. The TC's internal drive is formatted HFS+ (as is required to use Time Machine), but any Windows system will view it as FAT32. What format is your 500GB external? And I assume you've already installed AirPort Utility for Windows on your Windows machine, but if not you should do so as that installs AirPort Base Station Agent as well (which allows you to connect to your TC's hard drives with minimal effort).

Edit: This article might be useful as well.
http://techsupport.foreverwarm.com/time-capsule-windows
Click to expand...

Yes I've seen this link... I just don't want to mess things up since i was able to view and write to the 500gb external.
Yes i've instal airport utility and enable file sharing on both airport utilities. Thats the first thing i did. thats where i created a new network.
But i don't know what is... AirPort Base Station Agent, and i can't find it.
I've tried to compare both drives and the settings are the same.
My 500gb was formated on my MBP to use for time machine. i format it as mac extended.
thanks...
 
It's Fixed

I just unplug TC for 1min and plug it back on and now i can access TC's Drive.
thanks to all of you!
 
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