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Level 1

4 points

Airport Extreme (5th gen): TM doesn't work with the 5GHz mode

I have an Airport Extreme (5th gen) connected to a WD 4TB (usb). I'm trying to use it with Time Machine in the same way I used to do with my first gen. Time Capsule.

The problem is the 5 GHz network. If a Mac is using 5 GHz network and is starting to backup, the network will crash in a few seconds. The green light on the Extreme will be still on but the wireless network is gone. Only way to get it back is unplugging the Airport Extreme.

When a Mac is using 2,4 Ghz, there is no problem.

I've got a MacBook Pro and a MacBook Air and I'd like to backup both. Sometimes the Macs are using 2,4GHz and sometimes 5 GHz. Usually they are first on 2,4 GHz but then they change radio mode to 5 Ghz that is faster when they are "talking" to each other or to Apple TV. It's possible to make them change from 2,4 to 5 Ghz by turning Airport-marker off and on. Usually the Macs change from 2,4 GHz to 5 GHz that way. But I don't how to do the opposite or even force the MacBooks using just 2,4 GHz.

I have also an Airport Express extending my network. I've connected the airports in "the new way" so that both devices are using an ethernet cable and have identical setups. This is working very well. If I carry a MacBook thru my place, it will use the better signal. Near the Extreme Mac is using mainly 5 GHz and near the Express it changes to 2,4 GHz. Signals are stronger than extending wirelessly.

When Time Machine freezes Airport Extreme, "Express" disappears from Airport Utility menu. I suppose this happens because the Extreme was creating the network in the first place and the Express was extending it? Although after everything is installed ok, they both are "creating network".

Any ideas why TM doesn't work with 5 GHz?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jul 20, 2011 7:12 AM

Best reply

Tesserax

Level 10

148,619 points

Posted on Jul 20, 2011 8:28 AM

The issue you are seeing, most likely, is not due to the 5 GHz radio band, but instead to the fact that Apple does NOT support Time Machine backups to HDDs attached to the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station's (AEBSn) USB port.

(ref: Time Machine does not backup to AirPort Extreme AirPort Disks)

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22 replies

Tesserax

Level 10

148,619 points

Jul 24, 2011 12:04 PM in response to rikejokela

Thanks for the picture. Is the Zyxel just an Ethernet switch or a wired router? If the latter, is it configured as a bridge?

rikejokela Author

Level 1

4 points

Jul 24, 2011 12:38 PM in response to Tesserax

http://www.zyxel.com/uk/en/products_services/gs_105b_gs_108b.shtml

It' s 5-Port Desktop Gigabit Ethernet Switch. Nothing to configure. I've got 3 of them, one in every three room. And all three Airports are still in Bridge Mode.

The second Airport Express (5 Ghz mode only) is a little too close to the Extreme. But the advantage is that laptops stay in 5 Ghz mode everywhrere in the livingroom, bedroom and kitchen.

I wonder if this "all in Bridge Mode" has something to do with the problem: Any wireless backup to a drive connected to the Extreme (TM and Intego Back Up Manager Pro) crashes network... Let's see what happens when I get QNAP NAS.

I tried also to set the Extreme to "share a public IP address" but then it doesn't show up at all... 3 x Bridge seems to work best.

lippido

Level 1

34 points

Jul 24, 2011 8:00 PM in response to Tesserax

Is this WD drive connected to the Cisco router's USB port, Ethernet port, or by wireless?

It is connected to the Linksys E3000 (Cisco) wireless-n routers USB port. I went to the Linksys web site and found the compatibility list as follows:

Maxtor OneTouch 1TB

Maxtor OneTouch II 300GB

Western Digital My Passport Essential 160GB

Western Digital Mybook Essential 500GB

Western Digital Mybook Premium II 1.5TB

Of course I have the WD My Book Essential 1TB and it isn't reflected so that is the only thing I can figure out. I can identify the network but when I try to connect I keep getting an error message that I am not using the correct admin/password. So I've given up pretty much when I saw the above list.

I figured I would purchase the Airport Exrtreme (cheaper than Time Capsule) if that will work with the WD HDD.

Tesserax

Level 10

148,619 points

Jul 24, 2011 9:08 PM in response to lippido

I currently have a WD MyPassport Essential 750 GB HDD attached to my AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) and it works just fine. However, I do NOT use it for Time Machine backups.

lippido

Level 1

34 points

Jul 24, 2011 9:32 PM in response to Tesserax

Thanks, that's good to know. I don't use Time Machine either at this point. I was thinking about it if I purchased the 3TB Time Capsule. Since I can't get it from the states and they don't have it in Dubai yet I was looking for an alternate since the current router won't allow me to access my HDD.

I was told when they do get the 3TB Time Capsule here it will run around $1,200 which is a lot more than the $500 for it in the US. I looked at Virgin Records last night and the Airport Extreme is $246 compared to the Apple price of $179. Nothing is cheap here in the land of heat and sand.

Thanks for the info.

Oct 11, 2015 8:20 PM in response to Tesserax

Not true I'm new to Mac OS X and I just setup my 5th gen AirPort Extreme with a 2tb external formatted to HFS+ as a time capsule for Time Machine

Oct 11, 2015 10:01 PM in response to lippido

Express USB port does not support a hard disk.. only the Extreme and TC do that.

Time Machine will backup just fine to USB drive plugged into the computer though or any computer on the network and shared.

You can sometimes use alternative backup software like Carbon Copy Cloner or Chronosync to backup to targets TM cannot read.

Airport Extreme (5th gen): TM doesn't work with the 5GHz mode