Paike steiner
Level 1 (9 points)
Mac OS X

Q: Can't see my Mac on AirDrop when connected to my Time Capsule wifi network

I have an iPhone 6 Plus and a MacBook. I have always had trouble using AirDrop between the two of them. I can still send and receive files between my iPhone and my wife's, but never to the Mac. It doesn't even show on AirDrop, nor can it see any other devices. However I've noticed lately that actually happens only when I'm at home, where I use a Time Capsule. Whenever I go to the Library, for example, and connect both devices to the wifi there, it's possible to use AirDrop.

Any ideas why that happens?

MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015), Mac OS X (10.7.5), null

Posted on Jul 17, 2016 5:15 AM

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Paike steiner

Q: Can't see my Mac on AirDrop when connected to my Time Capsule wifi network

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  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Jul 17, 2016 8:35 AM in response to Paike steiner
    Level 9 (54,558 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 17, 2016 8:35 AM in response to Paike steiner

    Let's take a look at the basic requirements for using AirDrop between an iOS device and a Mac.

    • iOS Device
      • iPhone 5 or later: Yours is an iPhone 6 Plus, so this should be ok.
      • iOS 7+: Not sure what yours is running, but this phone came with iOS 8 so this should be ok too.
    • Mac
      • Basically any newer (2012+) Mac model. Ok there.
      • OS X: 10.10+ Yosemite or later. Ah, there's the problem. If your tagline is correct, and your MB is running 10.7.5, then this is why you are not able to AirDrop between these two devices.

  • by Paike steiner,

    Paike steiner Paike steiner Jul 17, 2016 9:23 AM in response to Tesserax
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 17, 2016 9:23 AM in response to Tesserax

    Thank you! But as I said, I have a iPhone 6 Plus, and a MacBook (latest model), and both updated to the latest OS.

    They are compatible with AirDrop. Other than when I'm at home, AirDrop between them works just fine. The problem is with the Time Capsule network at my home.

  • by Tesserax,

    Tesserax Tesserax Jul 17, 2016 9:41 AM in response to Paike steiner
    Level 9 (54,558 points)
    Wireless
    Jul 17, 2016 9:41 AM in response to Paike steiner

    But as I said, I have a iPhone 6 Plus, and a MacBook (latest model), both updated to the latest OS.

    Then you may want to update your tagline that indicates that your Mac is a 2015 model and is running 10.7.5

    CapturFiles.png

    Other than when I'm at home, AirDrop between them works just fine. The problem is with the Time Capsule network.

    Please take a look at the following AirDrop troubleshooting articles to see if any will help: 

    When AirDrop is running, there is a new AdHoc network that is created which you can see with apps like iStumbler. It would be listed as a Bonjour service, called "_airdrop._tcp"

     

    As far as the Time Capsule's Wi-Fi network being the issue, it may be possible that AirDrop may have an issue working for the following reasons:

    • The wireless network is hidden.
    • The wireless network name uses either spaces or special characters.
    • The IPv6 mode is set to anything other than: IPv6 Link-local only
    • Be sure that both devices have both Bluetooth & Wi-Fi enabled. Once devices are connected to Wi-Fi, AirDrop uses the Bonjour (mDNS protocol) to find each other.