Airport Time Capsule - router question

A1409 is a simultaneous dual band router. This means that both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands are providing a signal with the same wireless network name.

If your camera will not connect to the WiFi network provided by your Time Capsule, then you can try the following:

Open up AirPort Utility on your Mac

Click on the Time Capsule to select it

Click Edit in the smaller window that appears

Click the Wireless tab at the top of the next window

Click the Wireless Options button near the bottom of the window

Enter a check mark in the box next to 5 GHz name

Click Save, then click Update to save the new setting.

Now, your Time Capsule is providing two separate networks with two different names. The 2.4 GHz network is the name that you have been using all along. The 5 GHz network name now has "5 GHz" added to the name.

"Point" the camera at the 2.4 GHz network to see if it will connect to a 2.4 GHz signal.

Your other WiFi devices will connect to the 2.4 GHz network as well.......unless......you point them at the faster network that is using 5 GHz.

5 GHz works well if devices are in the same room or close proximity to the Time Capsule. The 2.4 GHz connection will be better if devices are located further away.......since the 2.4 GHz network is stronger (but slower) than the 5 GHz network.

Obviously, it is much simpler to use the Time Capsule in its default setting of providing both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz signals using the same network name and then letting devices connect to the best signal automatically.

But, if your camera cannot connect to a dual band network, your options become more complicated.

Finally, a note to point out that an A1409 Time Capsule is at least 7 years old and as much as almost 9 depending on when it was placed into service. The average useful life of this version was about 5-6 years, so realistically it is probably time to start to think about a new router.

Except for the very first generation (MB276LL/A) Time Capsule, they are all are simultaneous dual-band. That means, by default, they broadcast on both the 2.4 & 5 GHz radio bands. The first gen model, can operate in either the 2.4 or 5 GHz band, but not both at the same time.

To avoid a guessing game........Please turn the Time Capsule upside down slowly and carefully and look for the model number on the bottom of the device......usually embedded in the foam pad base. (It would not hurt to power off the Time Capsule before you flip it over....and then power it back up again after you have located the model number.)

The model number starts with an "A" followed by 4 numbers. Examples: A1302, A1355, A1409, etc.

Post back with the model number and we will be able to provide an accurate and detailed answer to your question, since different versions of the Time Capsule had different characteristics and capabilities.

In addition, we need to know what device........a Mac, a PC, etc......that you will use to adjust the settings on the Time Capsule......(if that is possible with the version that you have).

Just to add to Bob's comment.. sometimes setting the wireless channel helps.

Try a high one like 9 or 11.. here.

If you give 5ghz a different name that also prevents confusion at times.

Unfortunately not everything works with Apple routers no matter what you do. There is still some Apple strangeness that makes Bananas not connect to Apples.

Short name no spaces and pure alphanumeric naming is essential. As per Bob's post.

Password also use pure alphanumerics. 8-20 characters.

If you still have no luck, check with a laptop or phone in the area the camera is setup to ensure there is enough signal.

It is simple to fix even if you do not wish to fully replace the Airport as your main router .. YET.

You need a WAP (Wireless Access Point) or wireless router from another brand. Even second hand older routers can often be pressed into service for just a few dollars.

It might now be time for the Airport to be replaced though.

Normally, most devices will connect to a dual band network with no problems.

However, some devices have trouble connecting to a network with name that has special characters.....(like an apostrophe, asterisk, etc)......so if this rings a bell with the name of your network, you might try changing the name to use only normal letter and/or numbers. Keep the name short and simple as well.....no more than 10-12 characters. Less is better. Example......the name of my dual band network is TWNDB.

If you decide to do this, follow the basic instructions above, but do NOT click the Wireless Options button. You can edit the name of the network right on the main Wireless settings page.

Sorry.. you reset one thing and kill off another.

I presume the airport express is using wireless extend??

Drag it out of the basement and plonk it next to the Time Capsule.

Power up and perhaps reset again just to make sure.. even factory reset.. by holding reset in before power on and for another 10sec.

With your phone or iPad using airport utility for iOS or a computer you should now detect the express and be able to reconfigure it.

Once it is working drop it back in basement and see if it is still working. If not post back..

We can continue on this thread.

Screenshots help no end if it has issues.

Unplugged the express and reset. Now I can't find it using my Airport Utility.

Must be ancient instructions since the Express will NOT appear in AirPort Utility again until it is reconfigured. Please follow these instructions:

Power off the Express and move it close to the Time Capsule

Power up the Express for a minute

Hold in the reset button for 7-8 seconds, release, and allow a minute for the Express to restart

On your Mac.....

Click the WiFi menu at the top of the screen

Look for New AirPort Base Station

Click on AirPort Express

When you click on AirPort Express, that will start up the setup "wizard". Follow the prompts.

Once the Express is up and running again, it will now appear in AirPort Utility. Move the Express back to the area where it is needed.

Hey LaPastenague! You provided me a great deal of info back in October of last year regarding Time Machine backups where I'm still using Airport Extremes. I've held on to that info but that thread here on Apple community is closed now but I wanted to get back to you on the recommendation of Synology NAS if/and when I change to a different router here at home. I'm bouncing between some that are more powerful, single units or going with a mesh system. But at the same time I'd like to set up a NAS to handle the back ups of what will amount to 4 MacBook Pros here at the home from anywhere in the home.

I'm a little familiar with Synology from when I convinced an ad agency I worked at to purchase one and we installed it to serve as our archive server. Looking here at their Personal/Home line of products, a bit overwhelmed over where to begin with finding one as our back up solution here at home. Any advice would be appreciated!

THANKS and hope you are doing well!

Not sure if you were aware that iOS devices can only back up in one of two ways:

Directly to your Mac using a wired connection or wireless

Directly to iCloud

The only way to back up everything on the iOS device is back up to a Mac. Backups to iCloud do not back up everything on the iOS device.

More info here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204136

Which is what I thought at first but came across this https://imazing.com/guides/how-to-backup-iphone-ipad-to-external-drive-or-another-location and without fully reading it thought I could do backups to the NAS. Upon a looking back at it, seems to just move the back up location but still depends on iTunes for the backup.

I only moved to iCloud after I was noticing in my wife's iTunes that a very long time was going between backups. Not sure why it would just stop from doing anything automated. The iCloud solution certainly seems to be more reliable to doing frequently. I had hoped now that our teenagers have Mac laptops and iPhones that phones could sync to iCloud as well as me be able to do manual full backups from time to time on the computers but everything I looked at seemed to say its one or the other. Some of the family were hitting their 5GB cap so ended up doing the 200GB iCloud shared plan which I'd rather not do.

Sorry, we can't help with 3rd party applications.

For what its worth, I have had no trouble backing up either to iCloud or directly to a Mac, but if you want to alternate backups, you must manually choose from one method to the other before you back up. Then, do the same thing again when you want to change the method of backup.

You might try posting over in the iPhone or iPad support forums for more information on iOS backups.

Using iPhone Using iPad