Time Capsule not recognized if repeated

That is an interesting one.

That the TC is pingable but not discovered by airport.. stranger and stranger.

But I am guessing that internet is still working?? Just the TC has now disappeared off the scene.

Try opening the TC share directly. ie in Finder, on the top menu, go, go to server,

Then try using AFP://IPoftheTC

If that fails, try using SMB://IPoftheTC

If that doesn't get anywhere, you need to really work through the whole network and obviously the TP-Link is the point of issue. This would all work properly using an airport device to extend the network. Since it is not apple and not able to actually work as MacBook requires, to give things like country code correctly.

Your other big issue here is MAC address of the MacBook (don't mix up MAC and Mac), can be hidden behind the TP-Link due to repeater.. ie universal repeater has an issue that from the main router, all clients connected to the TP-Link repeater are in fact the TP-Link itself. That may end up making internet available but not the TC.

Describe the whole network..

Main router? What is its IP and what is connected?

TC as AP in bridge? What is its IP?

TP-Link repeater, what model? What is its IP?

Experiment.

If you plug the Macbook by ethernet directly into the TC by ethernet, does it get IP address.. what IP?

Gateway and DNS address? open terminal and type arp -a.. you might need to ping the TC to populate the arp table.. what does it list the TC as and its MAC address. Check that airport can find the TC.

Do a shutdown and restart of the MacBook and connect back in your room via the repeater.

When you are connected by wireless via the repeater what address do you get, with gateway and dns?

If you open a terminal and go arp -a is the TC listed or not.. I think it will have disappeared. And even if you attempt to open it, or some other device connects via the repeater it will get lost.

The answer is to replace the TP-Link with an airport extreme or express .. even another second hand TC.. only remember the ethernet doesn't work when it is in this mode except the express.

Edit..

Another way around the problem.. buy a pair of EOP adapters.. or even better run ethernet, but I am guessing the whole reason you have the repeater is difficult to do that. The EOP adapters are available around $100 or so.. then you can run the TP link also in AP mode. You can set the same wireless settings but different channels to enable roaming. It will also work far better than repeater mode which halves the speed immediately.

Another expense, sorry, but if you want it to work that is the best way.

Sorry for the long post. I often figure these things out half way through.

Very good reply.. 🙂

I suggest then the issue is that the TP-Link is simply not able to pass the required extra info as used by the airport utility and TM.

If you can open a share via AFP over the repeater.. and copy files?? Then my guess is neither airport or TM are using a straight IP networking.. and whatever other protocol that is involved is not getting through the repeater.

Humour me, and test the setup. Move the TP-Link and run it also in AP mode plugged into the switch or the TC by ethernet. Make sure the MacBook is then connected to the TP-Link wireless so use a different ssid for it. Then see if airport utility and TM works.. if they do. you have isolated the issue to the uni-repeater mode. It will not work with whatever protocol is necessary. I suspect this is the case as the airport utility can find the airport on a different network subnet.. so it is not just using IP.

Commifreak wrote:

Hi,

Okay, I will humor you 😉

The setup (TP-Link in AP-mode, different SSID, connected via LAN to Switch) works. AirPort recognizes the TC.

I'll send a mail to TP-Link support - the latest firmware is dated on Feb. this year, so I hope they can fix this issue 🙂

Thanks for you help 😉

Do not expect any response from TP-Link.. or the usual.. the engineers will look at it.. they won't. Apple are a law unto themselves.. making products work with Apple is near to impossible, since Apple make their products to NOT work with others. In fact if you make it work who knows, apple will sue you for patent violations. Repeater is a totally non-standards approach to wireless networking. What works with one brand of wireless will not work with another.. there is no proper standard and even WDS is not able to work amongst the same company products if they use different wireless chipsets. You must use apple products to do repeater mode to other apple products.. !! Have fun. 😝

Another comment.. because I cannot help myself.. wireless repeater is poor way to do things. It is flakey and tends to be unreliable at critical points.. ie there are gremlins in there that ensure at just the point when you need the repeater to work it will fail.

Always do wireless in a single hop.. never double hop.. it reduces speed by half immediately to add to the other issues. Use ethernet to connect AP's. Even EOP adapters are better than wireless repeaters. Faster and at least if they work do tend to be reliable.

The way to get long range wireless is one hop using high gain directional antennas. These are expensive. For whatever reason high gain omni-directional are cheap as, whereas directional adding a bit of tinplate cost a mint.. but with reflectors.. which are really ugly.. or better using panel antennas or home made biquad you can get serious range out of domestic equipment. Biquad are easy enough to make yourself if you have any handyman skills at all.

http://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/Home

I did a design using an old 2db dipole.. and they work great.

🙂😁😉

By the time the firmware update comes out.. you will have a different setup.

Happy waiting.