Airport Time Capsule

[Kirihuna]

I can't use routers at college. But my desktop has a thunderbolt mother board.

Could I thunderbolt out to an Airport Time Capsule to get internet to my rMBP?

If not, could it just be used as a LAN for streaming files locally and Time Machine backup?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

TC doesn't have anything to do with Thunderbolt. The only way for a computer to talk to a TC is via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

 

[Kirihuna]

TC doesn't have anything to do with Thunderbolt. The only way for a computer to talk to a TC is via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

So you couldn't use the thunderbolt from the computer to the TC to set up a wi-fi-less internet?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

So you couldn't use the thunderbolt from the computer to the TC to set up a wi-fi-less internet?

No. You could use a Thunderbolt to Ethernet adapter to get non-wi-Fi Internet, and you could plug that into a Time Capsule for backup purposes - or plug it in without a Time Capsule for just Internet.

 

[Weaselboy]

I can't use routers at college. But my desktop has a thunderbolt mother board.

Could I thunderbolt out to an Airport Time Capsule to get internet to my rMBP?

If not, could it just be used as a LAN for streaming files locally and Time Machine backup?

Maybe... is the desktop a Mac? I'm thinking you could attach the Mac to the network via ethernet, then go to the Sharing panel in system prefs and turn on Internet sharing and share that connection out over a TB to ethernet adaptor. Then run the ethernet cable from that adaptor to the TC and the TC would broadcast wifi.

If the TB out does not show up as a share output in the panel, maybe try switching around and using TB/ethernet adaptor in and the built in ethernet as out.

You can also share an Internet connection in Windows like this, although I am not sure if a TB to ethernet adaptor would even work in Windows.

 

[Kirihuna]

Maybe... is the desktop a Mac? I'm thinking you could attach the Mac to the network via ethernet, then go to the Sharing panel in system prefs and turn on Internet sharing and share that connection out over a TB to ethernet adaptor. Then run the ethernet cable from that adaptor to the TC and the TC would broadcast wifi.

If the TB out does not show up as a share output in the panel, maybe try switching around and using TB/ethernet adaptor in and the built in ethernet as out.

You can also share an Internet connection in Windows like this, although I am not sure if a TB to ethernet adaptor would even work in Windows.

Desktop is a Windows PC. It has a thunderbolt port on the motherboard. I can only run ethernet to one thing due to dumb campus IT.

So I want to keep ethernet to my PC. But I want to be able to transfer files wirelessly. To even my Xbox or PS3 or TV or anything. I don't need the Time Capsule to have internet (this would be a plus, but they'd consider it a router and block the ethernet line in my room). I just need for it to have a wi-fi local area network to transfer files.

 

[Weaselboy]

Desktop is a Windows PC. It has a thunderbolt port on the motherboard. I can only run ethernet to one thing due to dumb campus IT.

So I want to keep ethernet to my PC. But I want to be able to transfer files wirelessly. To even my Xbox or PS3 or TV or anything. I don't need the Time Capsule to have internet (this would be a plus, but they'd consider it a router and block the ethernet line in my room). I just need for it to have a wi-fi local area network to transfer files.

i gotcha... You can just setup the TC without Internet access at all and join the TC wifi network to xfer files. Thing is, you will be able to get this to work on the PC, but I suspect things like the XBox and PS3 are going to put the brakes on the connection when no Internet connection can be made, even though you have joined the wifi network.

The amber light on the TC will blink since there is no Internet, but you can right click on it in Airport Util and tell it to ignore the light status.

 

[ColdCase]

Desktop is a Windows PC. It has a thunderbolt port on the motherboard. I can only run ethernet to one thing due to dumb campus IT.

So I want to keep ethernet to my PC. But I want to be able to transfer files wirelessly. To even my Xbox or PS3 or TV or anything. I don't need the Time Capsule to have internet (this would be a plus, but they'd consider it a router and block the ethernet line in my room). I just need for it to have a wi-fi local area network to transfer files.

Closed/isolated local networks like you are talking about are common within industry.

I assume you want to connect devices wirelessly. You set up the TC as a router (probably the factory defaults) and create a wireless network. Just do not connect its wan port to the school's network. The amber lights going to flash, but it should work fine otherwise. All your devices will log into the wireless network provided by the TC, the TC will give them local IP addresses and they should be able to connect with each other via typical sharing arrangements (they all should see the internal TC drive if the TC is set up to share the drive). At your PC, you may have to manually switch between internet and this local wireless network depending on what you are doing.

If the desktop PC is hardwired to the school Ethernet, you may be able to configure the PC to share your internet connection with your wireless devices. I dunno if you can also transfer files between devices sharing that connection. Some times the PC security settings won't let you do this... and usually VPN will be disabled when sharing the connection. Do you own the desktop, or is it under the control of the school's IT dept?

 

[Kirihuna]

Closed/isolated local networks like you are talking about are common within industry.

I assume you want to connect devices wirelessly. You set up the TC as a router (probably the factory defaults) and create a wireless network. Just do not connect its wan port to the school's network. The amber lights going to flash, but it should work fine otherwise. All your devices will log into the wireless network provided by the TC, the TC will give them local IP addresses and they should be able to connect with each other via typical sharing arrangements (they all should see the internal TC drive if the TC is set up to share the drive). At your PC, you may have to manually switch between internet and this local wireless network depending on what you are doing.

If the desktop PC is hardwired to the school Ethernet, you may be able to configure the PC to share your internet connection with your wireless devices. I dunno if you can also transfer files between devices sharing that connection. Some times the PC security settings won't let you do this... and usually VPN will be disabled when sharing the connection. Do you own the desktop, or is it under the control of the school's IT dept?

Thanks!

Could I theoretically have the ethernet hardwired to my PC then an ethernet cable coming from say an ethernet PCI card to the TC? Something like these?

http://www.newegg.com/Network-Interface-Cards/SubCategory/ID-27

PC gets internet. TC gets internet too.

 

[ColdCase]

Thanks!

Could I theoretically have the ethernet hardwired to my PC then an ethernet cable coming from say an ethernet PCI card to the TC? Something like these?

http://www.newegg.com/Network-Interface-Cards/SubCategory/ID-27

PC gets internet. TC gets internet too.

I'm not sure if that will work exactly the way you want due to PC limitations. Basically you want a local ad-hock network with which your PC can share its separate internet connection.

You need to investigate the sharing capability and ad-hock networking of the OS running on the PC and how it handles multiple devices sharing its ethernet connection (i.e tethered). The PC may require a separate port for each device connected, which means you can only have one device hanging off the TC, if any (the TC acting as an access point not a router).

PS, you can't daisy chain routers unless the router has a client mode, the TC does not have a client mode.

Now if you were using a Mac to connected to your school ethernet, you could create a ad-hock network and share your internet without the need of the TC wireless. You,in effect, create a hot spot. (you may be able use its switched LAN ports for devices without wireless, however).

See this as well as several other guides/discussions: http://mingersoft.com/blog/2012/09/getting-internet-sharing-to-work-on-mountain-lion/

I could not create ad hock networks with a PC running windows 7 premium, but things could have changed. There may be an app for that.

 

[priitv8]

...but they'd consider it a router and block the ethernet line in my room

Would they block your Ethernet line if you used just a dumb 5-port Ethernet switch? If not, you could run a TC in bridge mode as a 4-port switch, wireless AP and a storage server.

 

[Kirihuna]

Would they block your Ethernet line if you used just a dumb 5-port Ethernet switch? If not, you could run a TC in bridge mode as a 4-port switch, wireless AP and a storage server.

I dunno. I asked IT and they said they don't allow it, but then again, how would they know is my question?

I understand how they can tell with routers.

 

[ColdCase]

They can tell how many devices are connected to each of their switch ports, even behind a switch. A switch needs to know on which port to send IP packets destined to a specific device, (each device has a unique IP/MAC address).

Their routers can also tell what kind of device is connected. The schools my daughters went to were not allowing PS3s or XBoxes on the network, but allowed multiple computers and smart phones to register. You really can't hide devices except perhaps using a proxy server.

I really doubt using the PC to share the internet connection will work for you. But setting up a local ad-hock network is independent and they should have no issue with that unless your wireless interferes with their set up.