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Time Capsule router question.

londonmystery

londonmystery

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 1, 2009
483
14
London, UK
Being a mac newbie I am trying to figure something out.

Can the new Time Capsule be used as a stand alone router or do I have to connect it to my existing Sky router?
I believe people on here call it bridging.

Can I use Airport express with it to extend my network or will I still need the Extreme?

Thanks for all replies. :):)
 
1) Your Sky Router actually sets up your Internet connection, so you must connect the TC to the Sky Router. You can set it up for bridging, which just makes your Internet Router/Modem your only DHCP server.

2) You can use both the Extreme and Express to extend the network via WDS.

TEG
 
i am having the same problem! i currently have a belkin modem.. and i want to replace it with the 1tb time capsule.. i cant for love nor money get it to work on its own. i have followed tutorials but cant seem to find anything on replacing the old router with solely the timecapsule

any ideas?
 
from the advice above I would think that the time capsule works along side the router and not without it. if you want to stick with with Apple stuff get the Airport Extreme as well as the TC. :):)
 
londonmystery said:
from the advice above I would think that the time capsule works along side the router and not without it. if you want to stick with with Apple stuff get the Airport Extreme as well as the TC. :):)
Click to expand...

thats completely crazy! so it wont work without a router? whats all this dual band nonsense.. sorry network is one thing i cant understand! does it "boost" my signal? so if i getit to work will i have to connet to my old router with time capsule plugged in or to the new networks that time capsule creates
 
Time Capsule is a Router and not a Modem

I have Netgear Modem/wireless Router.
I have connected Time Capsule to the Netgear with Ethernet cable and Bridged it.
I now have Time Capsule acting as a Wireless router and is connecting with Macbook as well as iPhone and other laptop.
I can if I want, disable wireless function of Netgear.

The bottom line is "Time Capsule is a Router and not a modem".
So you need a modem to connect it to.
 
londonmystery said:
What exactly do you mean Bridged it? Bear with me as I'm a newbie at all this. :):)
Click to expand...

Go to Applications->Utilities->Airport Utility. Once open, select your Time Capsule, and choose the Manual Setup option on the bottom left. Select the Internet option in the top toolbar and under the Connection Sharing: box at the bottom, select Off (Bridge Mode).

I was in the same situation as you--replaced a previous router (Belkin) that was attached to the cable modem/router provided my my ISP. Do this and you should be all set.
 
sab150 said:
thats completely crazy! so it wont work without a router? whats all this dual band nonsense.. sorry network is one thing i cant understand! does it "boost" my signal? so if i getit to work will i have to connet to my old router with time capsule plugged in or to the new networks that time capsule creates
Click to expand...

Sounds like your previous router is also your modem--you need the modem in all circumstances. Some people have stand alone modems while others (myself included) have a modem that also functions as a router. I bypass using it as a wireless router for the better performance of the TC (802.11g vs. dual band 802.11n). The Dual band feature actually creates 2 simultaneous wireless networks using different frequencies. Not all devices can take advantage of the 5 Ghz band (best performance). I'm definitely not an expert but have been advised that the performance of your network connection is limited by the worst performing device on the network (lowest common denominator--please correct me if I'm wrong here). By having a dual band network--those devices that cannot utilize the 5 GHz band can use the other frequency (2.4 GHz I believe but please feel free to correct me again if I'm wrong) without adversly affecting performance on the 5 GHz band. Example--my macbook and :apple:TV both can take advantage of the 5 Ghz band while my wife's and my iPhone uses the slower band.

When I initially set up my TC, it established a new wireless network using the settings from my old network (don't ask me how). I only need to relink any devices using the new WPA password.

My advice--connect the TC to your modem, turn off the wireless features on that device and use the TC to broadcast your wireless network. Run Airport Utility and choose the Assist Me... option to set everything up as you need it--it's relatively self explanatory.

Good luck.
 
tbayrgs said:
My advice--connect the TC to your modem, turn off the wireless features on that device and use the TC to broadcast your wireless network. Run Airport Utility and choose the Assist Me... option to set everything up as you need it--it's relatively self explanatory.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

think thats what i'll do. then use the express to extend the network around the house, (its four floors).

Just 1 more quick question,

Is the extreme a modem/router or just a router?

Thanks :):)
 
londonmystery said:
think thats what i'll do. then use the express to extend the network around the house, (its four floors)

Thanks :):)
Click to expand...

Let me know how the Express works as I will soon need to do the same thing--TC is in one corner of the house and I need to have better signal upstairs on other side of the house.
 
londonmystery said:
think thats what i'll do. then use the express to extend the network around the house, (its four floors).

Just 1 more quick question,

Is the extreme a modem/router or just a router?

Thanks :):)
Click to expand...

All the airport units are routers, not modems. I use an Extreme base station as a router for my house-wide ethernet system. I plug the cable modem into the AEBS via the ethernet "in" connection, then have a 16-port switch connected to one of the ethernet "out" slots on the AEBS. This switch feeds the all the wired ethernet connections around the house. The AEBS is also set to broadcast wifi.

I also have a Time Capsule attached to one of these ethernet connections and use it to expand the wifi network. The TC is plugged into the wall, and I connect to it, via ethernet, my iMac and a printer. In this way, everything that's fixed is hard-wired via ethernet, but I also have a broad wifi network for my laptop and iPhone.

One further note: if you want to expand the dual band wifi network around your place, you'll need two Airport Express units for each area of expansion as you have two bands. Only Time Capsules (afaik) are capable of broadcasting in two bands simultaneously. The Express and Extreme units can handle both, but not at the same time.

From my own experience, the 5GHz band has a notably shorter range than the 2.4GHz band, so you might want to experiment to see where you need to boost your signal and for which bands.

CORRECTION: Extreme base stations are also dual band. Express units are not.
 
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