Connecting TimeCapsule to an existing WiFi

How are you currently trying to connect to your time capsule to your existing router?

You can connect your Time Capsule via ethernet cable to your existing router.

You can then connect to the internet using the Time Capsule.

Click Airport Utilities - After setting up the Time Capsule name, password and security, set up the Time Capsule to create a wireless network and at the "select how you connect to the internet" screen select "Ethernet"

The ethernet cable input on the TC has the image of a circle above it.

If you are trying to use the Time Capsule as a network/wireless repeater, that feature only works together with Airport Extreme.

Hope this helps

Matt

Welcome to the discussions!

+Is there any trick to connect the TimeCapsule to an existing WiFi (or cable?)+

You can configure the Time Capsule to "join a wireless network" so that backups will occur over your current wireless network. If you do not see the "join" setting, hold down the "option" key on your computer while you click on the selection box. When the Time Capsule is configured to "join" a wireless network, it does not perform any routing functions. It simply becomes a wireless backup device.

I'm assuming that your router there also has several LAN <-> ports available. If you want to connect the Time Capsule to your router using ethernet, run the cable from one of the LAN ports on the router to the WAN port on the Time Capsule. Important...the Time Capsule must be configured as a "bridge" if you connect his way.

Click on the Internet icon in AirPort Utility and look for the Connection Sharing setting at the bottom of the page. Set this to "Off (Bridge Mode)".

Hi,
Read through your reply. I have recently bought time capsule 1TB and connection via ethernet is OK and functional. However, I want to remove the ethernet and access the internet via TC wirelessly, meaning without ethernet.
I am unable to find a way out or configure it.
I am using my mac at work where there a closed network, but there is not problem with it.
Is there a way out?
Would really appreciate your support
Thanks
Abdalla

+However, I want to remove the ethernet and access the internet via TC wirelessly, meaning without ethernet.+
+I am unable to find a way out or configure it.+

I will try to help, but you did not provide much information about your network.

If your Time Capsule is connected using etherent, what is it connected to now?

Is it connected to a simple modem with one ethernet port, or is is connected to a modem/router with 3-4 ethernet ports? If you already have a router, is it a wireless router that is creating a wireless network now?

It is all my fault in explaining the problem, so sorry. All is OK and working perfect. I have a router with 4 ethernet ports. All is fine now. However, I have noticed 2 issues.
1. Time Capsule registered me, as a guest and not base user. I erased everything and returned to factory default, thinking that if I configure everything from the beginning I would enlist myself as base user for the network not as a guest. yet it shows me as a guest.
2. The time machine; the ethernet cable; does it have to be connected to the TC all the time, or is there a way to the updated are done wirelessly...!
I know I am sounding weird, however, everything I read about time machine back-ups, it spoke about doing it after the first time, wirelessly.

Thanks a mill

OK, thank you for the clarification.

1. Time Capsule registered me, as a guest and not base user. I erased everything and returned to factory default, thinking that if I configure everything from the beginning I would enlist myself as base user for the network not as a guest. yet it shows me as a guest.

The Time Capsule (TC) you have must be a dual band model. I think it will help if you assign a different name to the "main" and "guest" network. To do this, open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup and then click the Wireless tab below the row of icons.

Click "Wireless Options" to see if you can assign a separate name to the "guest" network. There may also be a "Guest" tab that you can check for this. My TC is not a dual band model, but I am familiar with the dual band features.

Now you should have a name for the "main" network a name for the "guest" network. Click the fan shaped Airport icon at the top of the screen on your computer and search for the name of your "main" network. You should be able to log on if you have a strong enough signal. Does that work?

+2. The time machine; the ethernet cable; does it have to be connected to the TC all the time, or is there a way to the updated are done wirelessly...!+

I think you are asking if your computer must always be connected to the TC using ethernet to complete Time Machine backups. No, if your computer has a wireless connection to the "main" network (not the "guest" network), you will be able to backup using wireless on your computer. Does that answer your question?

Many thanks for your so quick reply.
Regretfully, I do not have the TC 1TB with me right now..it is in my office and will try your solution tomorrow. You have a very strong point regarding the name of the network. I am using a wifi network at home under the same name, so is it possible that the airport recognized that I am using the same name for another network and would not register me as a "main"?
I will tomorrow work out the steps as in your message and will see how it will end.
Thanks again

+I am using a wifi network at home under the same name, so is it possible that the airport recognized that I am using the same name for another network and would not register me as a "main"?+

Yes, that would explain it exactly. Your computer is remembering the name of the network that it connected to, to if it "sees" that network, it will connect to it.

Once you have your network names straightened out and you have connected to the "main" network, you can instruct your computer to connect to this network first. To do this, you would open System Preferences and click on Network. Then click Airport on the left and click the Advanced tab at the lower right. Drag the name of the 5 GHz network to the top of the list and your computer will connect to that network first.

I have a similar challenge as other recent posts, I want add my Timecapsule to an existing network. I have connected from a lan port on the first router to a lan port on my Timecapsule with no success, do I need to change the IP address on my Timecapsule router? If yes How do I do it?
Is there anything else I need to do to get the second router working?
Thanks,
Jim

Open Hard Drive > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
Click Manual Setup
Click the Internet icon
Look for the Connection Sharing setting at the bottom of the page
Set this to "Off (Bridge Mode)"

That's all you need to do other than assign a name for your device, set passwords, etc.

Post back if you have additional questions.

Hi,
This morning I have opened my AirPort Utility, clicking on manual and I found out that actually, I did not need to activate guest network, which carried the same name as another network I used at home. So, I deactivated the "guest"option.
Then on the wireless option, I changed the name to something else. However, I immediately noticed that the fan shaped AirPort icon became shaded; no access. However, the TC lamp remained on green and I have total internet access, i.e. no problems whatsoever. It seems that my Mac is getting the wireless signal from the TC.
I suppose it makes sense.
One more question. Do I have to have my ethernet cable hooked both in the mac & the TC, in for the time machine, all the time, to continue the backup process?
Thanks
Abdalla

+Do I have to have my ethernet cable hooked both in the mac & the TC, in for the time machine, all the time, to continue the backup process?+

You can backup using wireless if you do not want to keep the Mac connected to the TC using the ethernet cable.

Thanks for your assistance. All is now moving smoothly, except that I noticed that whenever my Mac is not in use for sometime, the connection is off, even though my network is on the preferred list, and all is checked properly.
I even deleted the network and re-instated it again...all works perfect, as long as I am working. Whenever, I stop and the system goes on sleep mode, I would need to instal the network again.
Any ideas?
Thanks

I am having similar problems to several people who posted here but even after reading through all the suggestions I am still having difficulties for some reason.

I have just moved into an apartment where these is an existing wireless network and I have no difficulty connecting to the network for internet browsing. However, my time capsule is insisting that I connect it to an ethernet cable.

I tried:
Open Hard Drive > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility
but "Manual Setup" is grayed out.

This message is displayed:
"AirPort Utility was unable to find any Apple wireless devices. Make sure the Apple wireless device you want to set up is plugged in and in range of your computer, and then click rescan to try again"

I would like to try to follow these instructions:

Bob Timmons wrote:

You can configure the Time Capsule to "join a wireless network" so that backups will occur over your current wireless network. If you do not see the "join" setting, hold down the "option" key on your computer while you click on the selection box. When the Time Capsule is configured to "join" a wireless network, it does not perform any routing functions. It simply becomes a wireless backup device.

However, I'm not sure where the selection box is and I can't seem to find a "join a wireless network" option anywhere.

Thank you very much for any help! I apologize if my questions are redundant. This is my first mac and I am not very good at using it yet.

-Mara

Temporarily, connect an ethernet cable from your computer to one of the LAN <-> ports on the Time Capsule (TC). This should help AirPort Utility "see" the TC so that you can configure it. Once you have it configured, you can disconnect the cable. (If you haven't made your first backup yet, it would be a good idea to leave the cable connected for this purpose as the backup will go much faster this way. Subsequent backups will be much smaller than the first "master" backup, so you can do those using wireless.

Open AirPort Utility and click Manual Setup
Click the Wireless tab below the row of icons
Wireless Mode should be set to "Join a wireless network". If you don't see this choice, hold down the "option" key on your Mac while you click on the selection box to see if that will display the choice to "join"
You will need to enter the name of the wireless network, security, password etc to join, just as you do on a computer.

Please post back on your progress.