najicta

Q: Can I use my time capsule for wired Internet?

The basic question is, can I connect my time capsule to my home internet router wirelessly and then use the time capsule to connect my iMac to the Internet with an Ethernet cable?

 

THe back story: I have a late-2009 iMac i7 that worked beautifully until somewhere around OSX Lion. The update came, and suddenly the wifi became shotty; intermittent connectivity that would last anywhere from 2 hours to 2 minutes, and often times, the computer would abruptly shut down. So, I simply ran an Ethernet cable from my comcast wireless gateway directly to my time capsule and then ran another from the TC to the iMac. This worked wonderfully  when the router and the iMac were in the same room. We have since moved and there is only one working coax hookup in the new house, and that room will not accommodate a desktop computer. Now, I have searched high and low for a fix for the wifi issue, to no avail; resetting PRAM, changing the wifi channel, resetting the wireless packages, you name it I've tried it (with the exception of a sketchy-seeming reinstall of pre-lion airport firmware). I really don't have the money to have someone come and run an Ethernet cable through my walls right now or figure out the coax cable situation (I tried to muddle through it myself but there are around 10 outputs and the room I want to use actually seems to be wired directly to an old Hughes-net satellite on the side of the house ). So right now, this wireless to Ethernet dream is my only option... Any way I can make it work?

iMac (27-inch Late 2009), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3)

Posted on Aug 23, 2016 3:06 PM

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Q: Can I use my time capsule for wired Internet?

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  • by Bob Timmons,Apple recommended

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Aug 24, 2016 5:16 AM in response to najicta
    Level 10 (105,008 points)
    Wireless
    Aug 24, 2016 5:16 AM in response to najicta

    The basic question is, can I connect my time capsule to my home internet router wirelessly and then use the time capsule to connect my iMac to the Internet with an Ethernet cable?

    The answer is not quite so basic.

     

    Yes....If your "main" wireless router is another Apple wireless router.

    No.....If your "main" wireless router is a 3rd party product.

     

    However, you do have two options if you have a 3rd party router that provides your wireless network:

     

    1) Add an AirPort Express and set it up to "join" the wireless network provided by your 3rd party product. Then, the AirPort Express can provide a wired Ethernet cable connection to the Time Capsule, and the iMac can connect to the Time Capsule using Ethernet as well.

     

    2) If you cannot run the Ethernet cable....(always the best performance option).....a pair of Ethernet over Powerline adapters might be able to send the Ethernet signal over the existing AC powerlines in your home.  In other words, the theory with EoP devices is that you already have the wiring in place, you just need the adapters.

     

    One adapter would be located near your "main" router and plugged into an AC outlet there. A short Ethernet cable connects from the router to the EoP adapter.  At the other end, another EoP adapter is plugged into an AC outlet near the Time Capsule and a short Ethernet cable connects from the adapter to the Time Capsule. Then, the iMac connects to the Time Capsule using another Ethernet cable as well.

  • by najicta,

    najicta najicta Aug 24, 2016 5:17 AM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Wireless
    Aug 24, 2016 5:17 AM in response to Bob Timmons

    Ah ha! I do have an airport express kicking around somewhere. I'll have to find that and give it a go. Thank you for the reply!