How to remotely access Time Capsule using iCloud and firmware 7.6.1?

Hi all,

I tried to setup to access Time Capsule over Internet same as some post in this forum (method: Using Port Mapping), but i could not change the Private IP Address (as per above picture)

Anyone have clue ?

Thank you so much.

Cheers

Que

Method #3: Using Port Mapping

Prerequisites:

• If the 802.11n or 802.11ac AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBS) or Time Capsule (TC) is connected directly to the broadband Internet modem, verify that the modem is in bridge mode, i.e., if the modem provides NAT & DHCP services, disable them.
• If the AEBS or TC is downstream of another router or gateway device, configure that device for port mapping/forwarding to the AEBS or TC. (Note: AFP requires that TCP port 548 be mapped.) Also, configure the AEBS or TC to have a static Private IP address so that it will always be found at the same address.
• Use CheckIP (or equivalent) to determine your router's current Public (WAN-side) IP address.

Setup:

• Start the AirPort Utility > Select the AEBS or TC, and then, note the IP address shown.
• Select Manual Setup.
• Verify that Connection Sharing = Share a public IP address is selected on the Internet > Internet Connection tab.
• Select Disks, and then, select File Sharing.
• Verify that both the "Enable file sharing" and "Share disks over WAN" options are enabled.
• Verify that Secure Shared Disks = With a disk password. (Recommended)
• Verify that AirPort Disks Guest Access = Not allowed. (Recommended)
• Select Advanced, and then, select the Port Mapping tab.
• Click the plus sign to add a new port mapping.
• For Service, select the "Personal File Sharing" option.
• In the Public UDP Port(s) and Public TCP Port(s) boxes, type in a 4-digit port number (e.g., 8888) that you choose. In the Private IP Address box, type the internal IP address of your AEBS that you wrote down in step 1. In the Private UDP Port(s) and Private TCP Port(s) boxes, type 548. Click Continue.
• In the Description box, type a descriptive name like "AirPort Disk File Sharing," and then, click Done.
• Click on Update.

Really pretty simple. That's if you've got the Time Capsule and your Computer set up correctly.

Time Capsule setup:

1. Open Airport Utility

1a. Open Time Capsule Base Station tab

1b. Put iCloud NAME in "Back to My Mac"

1c. Enter Password, then wait for activation (less than 1 minute normally)

1d. Open Time Capsule Disks tab

1e. Check mark "Enable file sharing"

1f. Check mark "Share disk over WAN"

1h. Password self explanitory

Computer (Mac)

1. Open iCloud in System Preferences

2. Put a check mark on "Back to My Mac", wait for actication (less than 1 minute normally)

Connecting to Time Capsule Disk from you HOME network or outside your home network ((INTERNET))

In order to connect to Time Capsule Disk off your local (home) network you must have an internet connection, if you do then do this:

1. Open Finder

2. In Finder open Shared if collapsed and double click on your Time Capsule name.

3. Double click your Time Capsule, enter password (if you required).

4. Once connected to your Time Capsule double click on your Disk to mount it enter password (if your required).

5. Done, remember the connection speed is dependent on your internet quality (broadband vs dial-up).

That's what I was affraid of. I have the "back to my mac" bit setup in Base Station, but I'm clearly missing this checkbox. Do I need to have NAT turned on (because that could be a problem). *Edit to add, that indeed... I have a "green light" for my back to my mac status in the base station tab.

Message was edited by: Jeremiah.

I have setup a dyndns.org address for my network (eg mynetwork.dyndns.org), and have forwarded port 8201 to 478 on my TC. I cannot seem to connect this, either through the finder window, not through 'connect to server' where I put in "mynetwork.dyndns.org" or mynetwork.dyndns.org:8201.

Are you correctly testing the access using a remote connection.. ?? You cannot test this inside your own LAN.

Forwarding port 8201 to 478.. why?

BTMM uses

Ensure TCP port 5354 and UDP ports 4500 and 5353 are open on your firewall. To learn more about ports used by Apple products, click here.

At least according to this apple doco. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4907

Because the TC is bridged.. it cannot open those ports dynamically and the Mac which you have setup for BTMM will grab them anyway. The TC will not work in bridge with BTMM.

So I think your whole setup is wrong.

If you want to do this manually.. which btw is far more likely to work.

Setup port forwarding in the dlink port 548 TCP .. ie that is AFP. And that is the only protocol that will work. Direct it to the TC.. do not port translate.. just do straight port forwarding.

Make sure you setup the dyndns in the dlink so it has the public IP registered correctly.. double check this.

Make sure the firewall is off in the dlink.

Make sure you have a decent disk password on the TC.

Now access the TC from a remote location.. by doing the finder.. go .. connect to server.

AFP://dyndns.address

You can even test it directly with the current IP to make sure.

As long as the dlink is working and the TC is correctly bridged.. there is no other setting required on the TC.

I used a random port 8201 to 548 (my bad mistyped previously) i.e. mynetwork.dyndns.org:8201 directs to TC 192.168.0.102:548 - I thought that was what AFP used? When you say port forwarding vs translate, what do you mean?

OK.. I have edited this a bit.

From Tesserax documents on port forwarding for remote access he is using an alternative port.

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3413

So when you connect you are specifying that port to the connection. This is port translation btw..

I do not find it necessary nor do I find it necessarily reliable.. it is better to just use 548..

Certainly I have had no issues with it using direct connection.

The AE should be bridged.. this will never work over double NAT.. An extended wireless setup is still bridge from routing point of view. All IP allocations must be from the Dlink. Otherwise the DLink has no idea where to find the IP of the TC. And setting it to WAN access I don't think is going to work either..

BTW for testing you need to make this much simpler..

Put the TC in straight bridge and plug it into the dlink.. only when you have access should you then look at moving it to the end of the extension.

Message was edited by: LaPastenague

My TC can be accessed over the internet behind my ISP Router via BTMM.

The following 3 conditions must be met for BTMM (remotely) -

1. ISP Router has a subnet of 192.168.1.xx + Enable UPnP Port Forwarding (MUST HAVE)

2. TC have a subnet of 192.168.2.xx (With Router Mode as DHCP and NAT)

3. Add your Apple ID to the TC for BTMM (Base Station Tab) - and iCloud on your Mac

• TC will have a amber light - (Double NAT issue.. ignore it).
• You can find the TC in the (Shared section of the finder)
• If your ISP / Router external facing IP is dynamic and change.. in that case, it takse awhile for the BTMM to take effect again, so you can reconnect back to the TC or simply reboot TC. (might not work if the ip change very fast and often)

Update the firmware on your Time Capsule and update the AirPort Utility on your computer, then enter your iCloud user information in the appropriate place in AirPort Utility. Don't worry about DDNS, it uses Back to My Mac to find the Time Capsule.

yeah i'd like to know this too! i can see how/where i enter my details in the airport utility, what i dont understand is how does the mechanism work, where/how do i "see" my time capsule when i'm away from home?

Hi Mini-Mac,

cool thanks for the reply. That's more-or-less what I would have assumed. One question, when you check "back to my mac" on my mac / system preferences, do i need to enable any other specific sharing options on the mac itself (file, screen sharing etc?). Logically i would have assumed no, since it is not my mac itself that i want to share, but rather share/access the TC disks from my mac when i'm away from home.

Either way, after following these steps i don't see the time capsule appear under sharing in finder (whereas it does, of course, if i'm connected to my home LAN).

cheers

mark

Things you can check are:

Have you tried connecting by using "Connect to Server"?

1. Is your Time Capsule (TC) connected directly to your modem with an ethernet cable.

2. Are you using the wireless connection from the TC

3. Settings are correct as outlined

4. Back to My Mac activation process happen on both Computer and TC

(Correct iCloud name and password on both Computer and TC).

5. Green status light for Back to My Mac in Airpot utility

6. Unplug TC wait 3- 5 minutes and plug back in, restart computer after TC completely starts, double check BTMM settings

That's irritating. I can use back to my mac with any iMac connected through my router without NAT but I can't use back to my mac ON my router without NAT? That's strange.

I'm at work and I can see my iMac at home... but no Time Machine. I have an Ooma VoiP system that sits between the modem and the Time Machine which uses its own NAT... so I can't easly get around that.

I have all these setting (including shared disks over WAN, and disk password) but still don't see my TC under shared section when I am out of the local network.

Using the utility Bonjour Browser from the Internet, I can see the TC under Airport Base Station and I can manage the TC remotely. However I cannot see the TC under Apple File Sharing, where I can only find my home computer.

Fixed after reset !!!

No, I don't have double NAT.

Apparently after installing firmware 7.6.1 and making adjustments to the configuration, pressing Update is not enough. I went to the menu "Base Station -> Restart" and now I can see my TC form outside (both for configuration and file sharing).

As far as the last part, that sounds exactly what I was doing before enabling sharing over WAN: Open Finder, click my Time Capsule in the side bar, double click the disk to mount it.

Does that mean that now any time I try to access the disk the traffic is going through the internet and not just my home wifi connection? Do I need to enable/disable sharing over WAN in AirPort Utility to switch how it connects?

Iynque wrote:

As far as the last part, that sounds exactly what I was doing before enabling sharing over WAN: Open Finder, click my Time Capsule in the side bar, double click the disk to mount it.

Does that mean that now any time I try to access the disk the traffic is going through the internet and not just my home wifi connection? Do I need to enable/disable sharing over WAN in AirPort Utility to switch how it connects?

No, if you "Enable disk over WAN" is what gives you access to your Time Capsule disk over the internet.