Issues with Time Capsule or Home Network Setup

Question

Level 1

18 points

Issues with Time Capsule or Home Network Setup

I have the following network:

{if this image does not come through well here is a link to one: http://daviddwight.smugmug.com/photos/i-WTzcHBn/0/XL/i-WTzcHBn-XL.jpg }

Bill of Materials:

2Wire DSL Modem (also set up making a wireless network)
Ethernet running from Modem to Apple Time Capsule (also making a wireless network)
Time Capsule hooked to 27" iMac (OS 10.7.2) via Ethernet
Time Capsule hooked to a powered USB Hub
2 printers connected to hub
2 external disk drives connected to hub
wireless devices are an xBox, 2 iPod touches, and iPhone, an iPad, a MacBook and an AirPort Express hooked to a Stereo
I have an AirPort Express I don't use

The iMac Time Machine uses the Time Capsule

Everything works except:

the AirPort Express music drops out often

but more importantly I want to have the MacBook use a partition on one of the external disk drives for its Time Machine storage - it always has trouble mounting the drive, it will crank for hours and then give an error

Every once in a while I get an error that says something like "another device already using this IP address"

I think I may have a problem with DHCP or NAT or something

Can someone help provide some advice

Time Capsule - 1TB-OTHER

Posted on Jan 28, 2012 3:15 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Jan 28, 2012 6:45 PM in response to David Dwight

Nice pic!!

Is the imac and MBP using Lion?

Is the TC running 7.6 firmware?

Has the issue existed since you put this together or happened subsequent to firmware or OS upgrades?

To some extent what you answer to the above will alter the advice.. but I would try a network rearrange which I know is a real pain.. a lot of work and I cannot promise it will solve things.. but I would like you to run the modem in router mode and the TC in bridge. Set a very short dhcp lease on the 2wire.. 10min.. the renewal of IP will not affect network performance in signifcant way.. but will help keep arp tables up to date.

Use manual setup for wireless on the TC.. fix the channels and make sure security is set WPA2 with a decent passkey.. and set all the names of things (and passwords) to no spaces.. no special characters.. straight alphanumeric. Wireless bridging will handle fixed channel much better than auto.

This could all achieve nothing.. but it is hard to track the issue.

You should also study the log of the TC.. but it does not seem to report an awful lot.

Do any devices have static IP set? If not then the TC is not handling DHCP very well if you are getting duplicate IP addresses. That is why I want you to try something else as the main router.

For devices like the printers. I have to admit being surprised you can manage both printers. USB hubs are a bit notorious for being a mixed bag.. if things go wrong with external USB drive I would be looking at finding a more compatible powered hub. Since these a cheap anyway.. it is finding one that agrees with TC or AEBS.. do a google search for what people are using.. again nothing might fix the problem.. but if you try something different.. hopefully with a different chipset.. it helps narrow the issue.

BTW plug the hug into the Mac and your system profiler will show lots of info about the USB device.

Reply

Answer 2

David Dwight Author

Level 1

18 points

Jan 29, 2012 6:04 AM in response to LaPastenague

Great input - I will give it all a try.

Both MacBook and iMac running Lion 10.7.2

Time Capsule is 802.11n running 7.6

Issue has not changed through upgades from 10.5 > 10.6 > 10.7 and one Time Capsule firmware update.

The USB Hub is my second and seems to work better than the first (7 Port Ativa Mobil IT from Staples)

One reason I like running both the 2Wire and the TC wireless networks is that they are at oposite ends of the house (long/narrow 1 story house with office over garage) so the 2Wire is in the attic plugged into the incoming telephone distribution panel then the ethernet cable runs through the attic to the office over the garage where the TC and iMac etc. are. The network on the 2Wire really helped with getting reliable wireless connectivity to my daughter's bedroom (just below it) and to the yard on that side of the house (its critical to have Pandora access while mowing the lawn ;-) -- I have found the iPod touch does a pretty seemless job of hopping from one network to the other as I go around the house mowing the lawn, it only drops for a second or two) BUT I have always suspected that I did not set up the routing/bridging right so I will go back and set it up as you suggest. Can I, should I, do you have any advice on using my spare AirPort extreme as a wireless network range extender?

PS - Time Capsule is mounted on a wall away from other stuff which really seems to have helped its performance.

Thanks again for your help

Reply

Answer 3

David Dwight Author

Level 1

18 points

Jan 29, 2012 6:59 AM in response to LaPastenague

Here is what I have done:

On 2Wire:

Turned off wireless network
Set lease time to 1 hour (smallest number it would accept is whole hours)
didn't mess with any of the other settings which I'm not knowledgeable on such as Public Routed Subinterface

On Time Capsule

Didn't do much

Connection sharing was already in "Off (Bridge Mode)"
already using WPA2
Didn't change Radio mode from "Automatic"
Rado channel selection already "Automatic"
I did check "Allow this network to be extended" just for future if I use the Airport Express to extend it

Reply

Answer 4

Jan 29, 2012 1:02 PM in response to David Dwight

There really is no need to turn off wireless in the 2wire.. but I do want you to lock channels. Your roaming setup with wireless sounds great and is a better method than running AE as a repeater.

But there are only 3 available channels for 2.4ghz. 1, 6, 11. If you select one of those channels for the 2wire, then select one of the remaining for the TC.

I would also prefer to see you lock the IP of the TC in particular as it is bridged and will get an IP from the 2wire. Does your 2wire offer some method of locking IP to MAC address of the TC? That is the best way to do it. The reason is to particularly keep the usb devices which are being accessed to a static IP.

The other thing to try.. completely different to the above and only whilst you are testing with wireless off in the 2wire, is running the TC in router mode and bridge the 2wire. This is only possible if your ISP offers pppoe, but will remove the 2wire from the equation. You then have all routing handled by the TC which may work a lot better with your usb hard disk and tracking the IP of everything.

Reply

Answer 5

David Dwight Author

Level 1

18 points

Jan 29, 2012 8:02 PM in response to LaPastenague

Not working any better (not working any worse - everything else still works" and I am getting errors

I reformatted the external hard drive just in case that was a problem

I took the powered hub out of the loop just in case that was a problem

Its easier to show you than to tell you:

Reply

Answer 6

Jan 29, 2012 10:15 PM in response to David Dwight

So the main router in the network.. is the 2wire.. TC is in bridge.

The Mac can actually connect no troubles to the internal drive of the TC but it cannot connect to the USB?

Is this all correct?

To the 2wire the network name is illegal when you use a apostaphe. Mac can handle it but due to where things are handled the 2wire can easily get messed up.

I would like you.. to change something.

Either, use the 2wire bridged and allow the TC to route.. it will be much better handling what is illegal to any SMB file system. I already suggested it as one approach to the problem.

Or change the name of the TC so it is pure alphanumeric.. no spaces no special characters. Do the same for wireless network and all passwords.

Again I can make suggestions faster than you can do them.. but this is an issue that is hard to fix due to mixing up the router not actually Mac aware. We have had issues with other routers not passing bonjour and other apple protocols which are necessary to their network.

Reply

Answer 7

David Dwight Author

Level 1

18 points

Jan 29, 2012 10:30 PM in response to LaPastenague

First off - thanks for hanging in there with me on this

Second - I put in my last post not knowing you had put in your just-prior post so there may be some confusing things to the thread

Well I did the proverbial "shut everything off and start over" which I guess I should have done anyway and now at least my iMac is recognizing the Time Capsule again.

Also while I was at it I renamed everything to no caps no spaces, just hyphens as needed (eliminated the apostrophe which you noted in this last post but I thought of that on my own 🙂) so maybe some of this maintenance helped. ARE hyphens "-" bad in naming protocols??

for good measure I hooked up the external hard drive I clean formatted directly to the MacBook and had it run a Time Machine backup (the initial one so this took a while). I'm assuming that when I put it back in the network it will just add into the sparse bundle.

You are so right ;-) you can suggest things faster than I can execute so I'm off to bed and will work on this in 20 or so hours.

I will work on testing the suggestions in your last 2 posts.

by the way my AirPort Expresses are running version 6.3 firmware - is this the most up to date my 2005 vintage 802.11g units can run? just wondering

Thanks again, your support is greatly appreciated.

Reply

Answer 8

Jan 30, 2012 1:47 AM in response to David Dwight

According to Apple.. the following apply. for characters that are legal to Mac but illegal to SMB windows.. !!

These are the characters not allowed:

? [ ] / \ = + < > ; : " , | *

Respectively, these are the question mark, left and right brackets, solidus (or "forward slash"), reverse solidus (or "backslash"), equals sign, plus sign, left and right angle brackets, semicolon, colon, quotation mark, comma, pipe, and asterisk.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2039

And I think Apple may be hopeful if they think the apostrophe will work.

It may be an illegal character for file or directory so cannot be used in a path name.

http://www.portfoliofaq.com/pfaq/FAQ00352.htm

for good measure I hooked up the external hard drive I clean formatted directly to the MacBook and had it run a Time Machine backup (the initial one so this took a while). I'm assuming that when I put it back in the network it will just add into the sparse bundle.

That may not work.. but you will find out..

by the way my AirPort Expresses are running version 6.3 firmware - is this the most up to date my 2005 vintage 802.11g units can run? just wondering

I have never owned one but plug it directly into a Mac somewhere by ethernet and run the airport utility .. it will quickly figure out latest firmware.

Reply

Answer 9

David Dwight Author

Level 1

18 points

Jan 30, 2012 8:09 PM in response to LaPastenague

Latest Update:

so AirPort Utility updated to 6.0.0 - all new look I hope it does not introduce new bugs

NOW I can't configure AirPort Express Basestations - says it needs release of 5.6 utility - simple question; "can I install both 5.6 and 6.0 on my machine?"

TC Updated to 7.6.1 - hope this does not introduce bugs

Set 2wire back up (no odd characters in name etc.) set it to channel 11 running 802.11b/g.

Set TC to Channel 6

Turned on the 5mHz network option on Time Capsule - good idea? This is maybe new to the firmware update?

Set TC to a fixed IP

2Wire routing

TC Bridging

Additional odd question: "I have my iMac wired into my TC with WiFi OFF - I presume turning WiFi on will work but I am temping fate in creating a conflice?"

Reply

Answer 10

Jan 30, 2012 10:44 PM in response to David Dwight

NOW I can't configure AirPort Express Basestations - says it needs release of 5.6 utility - simple question; "can I install both 5.6 and 6.0 on my machine?"

It is great isn't it.. they release a new version with a subset of the old version facilities.. and in the process make you install a new version of 5.6 so it now takes two versions of the utility .. I really have no idea if both can co-exist. but get rid of 6.0 if it doesn't prove useful. And who knows what 7.6.1 will do, but at least they might have noticed that things are not smooth sailing on the airport world.

Additional odd question: "I have my iMac wired into my TC with WiFi OFF - I presume turning WiFi on will work but I am temping fate in creating a conflice?"

It should be ignored.. ethernet should be the top of the list .. make sure it is in network preferences.. so anytime the ethernet is connected it should predominate over wireless.. but I have found unusual things can still happen.. and it depends on exactly what you plug in. ie not all network devices behave the same way. It cannot hurt to have a go with it on, but frankly if you have an imac and not moving it around.. have wireless turned on is unnecessary when you have ethernet.

Reply