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Time Machine question
- Thread starter madrich
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Huh? Bear with me, this topic is a bit difficult so follow along... it requires some explaining.
Do you mean you added a Time Capsule? Time Capsule (TC) is a WiFi router that has storage that can be used for Time Machine.
Yes, TC can extend your WiFi network, but it cannot run in router mode which is the default configuration, you end up with a double NAT situation and it wreaks all kinds of havoc on your network.
So, "extend" is a term that can be confusing. In Apple terminology, it means using a WiFi device, connected wirelessly to the WiFi router and then serving as a hotspot to allow connections from remote areas where the main router's WiFi is too weak. In network terminology, extending means using any means possible using hotspots to make the range of the network wider.
TC should not, and as I recall, cannot be used to extend the network in Apple's terminology sense. That role is typically reserved for Airport Express. But, TC can help expand the range of the network if it connects to the main router via Ethernet.
On the TC itself, it needs the Network tab Network Mode set to Bridged Mode. This turns off routing functionality, then makes the WAN Ethernet port a simple LAN connection to the main router. Any connections with the TC (wired or wireless) will simply be passed to the main router for redirecting to the internet or other hosts on the local network. On the Wireless Tab, the network mode would be set to "Create a Wireless Network" (doing this from memory so terms may not be exact). You then have the choice of putting the same WiFi SSID (network name) and Password\security settings as the main router WiFi, or a different wireless SSID\password. Now, you can connect to the network using whichever device (TC or Router) is stronger, and roam to the next device as needed.
I have found that it works reasonably well, but not ideal. On occasion, I have had to toggle WiFi on\off when the internet became unreachable. This may be a router issue, I never really investigated it.
Now, as I said, it must be Wired to the router. So two WiFi "Access Points" (any WiFi hotspot device) that are too close to each other will often create over saturation. So you want them far enough apart so the signal from each other is very weak or non-existent at the location of the other device.
If a wired Ethernet connection is a problem, you can use power line adapters to send the network traffic over the power wires in your home. The setup would be: Router <ethernet cable> Powerline Adapter 1 <house wiring> Powerline Adapter 2 <ethernet cable> TC WAN port. TP Link, Netgear, and others make respectable power line adapters.
Start with an Amazon search for AV2000 which will bring up the TPLink product, but others will appear in the related section of the page. Note, there is a TPLink AV1300 (a little slower data rate over the house wires, but likely more than enough unless you have 1Gbps ISP service) that has a WiFi hotspot on the remote end. It works quite well, and if all you need at the far end is WiFi coverage (no wired connections), it might be a better bet than using TC on the remote end. In this case, just leave WiFi off on the TC and use it for central storage.
Do you mean you added a Time Capsule? Time Capsule (TC) is a WiFi router that has storage that can be used for Time Machine.
Yes, TC can extend your WiFi network, but it cannot run in router mode which is the default configuration, you end up with a double NAT situation and it wreaks all kinds of havoc on your network.
So, "extend" is a term that can be confusing. In Apple terminology, it means using a WiFi device, connected wirelessly to the WiFi router and then serving as a hotspot to allow connections from remote areas where the main router's WiFi is too weak. In network terminology, extending means using any means possible using hotspots to make the range of the network wider.
TC should not, and as I recall, cannot be used to extend the network in Apple's terminology sense. That role is typically reserved for Airport Express. But, TC can help expand the range of the network if it connects to the main router via Ethernet.
On the TC itself, it needs the Network tab Network Mode set to Bridged Mode. This turns off routing functionality, then makes the WAN Ethernet port a simple LAN connection to the main router. Any connections with the TC (wired or wireless) will simply be passed to the main router for redirecting to the internet or other hosts on the local network. On the Wireless Tab, the network mode would be set to "Create a Wireless Network" (doing this from memory so terms may not be exact). You then have the choice of putting the same WiFi SSID (network name) and Password\security settings as the main router WiFi, or a different wireless SSID\password. Now, you can connect to the network using whichever device (TC or Router) is stronger, and roam to the next device as needed.
I have found that it works reasonably well, but not ideal. On occasion, I have had to toggle WiFi on\off when the internet became unreachable. This may be a router issue, I never really investigated it.
Now, as I said, it must be Wired to the router. So two WiFi "Access Points" (any WiFi hotspot device) that are too close to each other will often create over saturation. So you want them far enough apart so the signal from each other is very weak or non-existent at the location of the other device.
If a wired Ethernet connection is a problem, you can use power line adapters to send the network traffic over the power wires in your home. The setup would be: Router <ethernet cable> Powerline Adapter 1 <house wiring> Powerline Adapter 2 <ethernet cable> TC WAN port. TP Link, Netgear, and others make respectable power line adapters.
Start with an Amazon search for AV2000 which will bring up the TPLink product, but others will appear in the related section of the page. Note, there is a TPLink AV1300 (a little slower data rate over the house wires, but likely more than enough unless you have 1Gbps ISP service) that has a WiFi hotspot on the remote end. It works quite well, and if all you need at the far end is WiFi coverage (no wired connections), it might be a better bet than using TC on the remote end. In this case, just leave WiFi off on the TC and use it for central storage.
Thank you for your reply. Yes, it's a Time Capsule. My WiFi Network is AT&T wireless with an AT&T router. Since I am only using the Time Capsule to backup my computer, the Time Capsule AirpPort utility is added to my AT&T WiFi Network (and not directly connected to the AT&T router.) Initially, it seemed that this setup increased my Wifi Network range, however lately it seems hard for me to connect unless I am close to the AT&T WiFi signal (in another room.) Therefore, my question: Does the Time Capsule extend the range of my wireless network? If I understand your explanation, the answer is NO. BTW: I cannot use the power wires in my home to send the network over the wires because it is an apartment.
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Again, from the Apple definition, no it cannot "Extend" (wirelessly connect to the router and create a hotspot), but it can create a "Roaming" network (wired connection to router + hotspot).
EDIT: I am mistaken, TC can run in extend mode. I was going from memory, but after looking t my TC in AP Utility, I see that when it is in Bridge Mode, the Wireless can be setup as extend. But, again, best to avoid this as the radios on both the router and TC will split their duties between the uplink (connection between TC and router), and wireless clients. This will cut bandwidth by at least half... and it requires the TC to be close enough to the router to get a full signal, which in turn creates some contention between the two radios. But, it might be better than little or no signal in the rooms farthest from the router.
Powerline Ethernet will work in homes, apartments, condos, small businesses, it will work anywhere. Search Amazon for AV2000 and take a look at the TP Link units for example, the are dead simple to install with no modifications to the living space. If you are able to plug a lamp into a wall socket, you can use it.
Powerline Ethernet is merely a plug like any other standard 120V device, and it has 1 or more Ethernet ports on each unit. Simply plug one into a standard wall outlet near the router with an Ethernet Lan port connection between the adapter and router. In another room, plug the second adapter into a standard wall outlet and wire it to the Time Capsule WAN port.
Powerline works best when the two outlets are on the same circuit, but it will also work if there are multiple circuits. How do you know? If the breaker panel has more than one breaker and it is labeled something like Living Room, Kitchen, Bedrooms, these are separate circuits. Since most apartments have their own electrical service for each individual unit, the data won't cross with your neighbors. If the living units have a single, shared power system, it can still work but you would want to use encryption (easy as adding a password in the setup utility).
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Because you're in an apartment, there are probably lots of other wi-di routers nearby. This may cause interference, resulting in poor range/connection/performance. Rebooting the router and/or the TC may enable it to find frequencies that are not used (or weak) and configure for those.
Yes, every time I try to survey the WiFi for the best channel, the AT&T process indicates that all of them are “poor”.
And that is why WiFi in densely populated areas basically just sucks. No matter what measures you take to tweak channels, there will be interference from neighbors. Your best bet is to use wired connections whenever possible to reduce the congestion on the WiFi radios.
802.11ax (WiFi 6) is just now hitting the market and should help. It implements a priority flag that enables the radios to quickly inspect packets, and drop them immediately instead of having to do a deeper inspection to see if they are intended for, or coming from hosts on that network. And, it should have longer range and faster speeds as well.
The problem with WiFi is basically an amplification of what was a problem with wired networks in the early days, collisions and congestion. Along came switches which manage traffic to reduce collisions and congestion. Any signal in the air that hits a WiFi access point or client has had to be processed to determine if it is to or from an authenticated host. So, every packet on a neighbor's network on the same frequency as yours will hit all the WiFi devices on your network, and they all have to try to sort out if it is to be processed. That will be better, but not completely solved by WiFi6.