Q: Time Capsule "unexpected error" message

I know you have no ethernet on the MBPr but if you have another computer with ethernet .. windows is fine as you can run airport utility 5.6 on that.

Or buy a usb to ethernet or thunderbolt to ethernet dongle.. which is fairly cheap now.

Setting up wireless by wireless I always considered to be the definition of frustration.

The moment you make a change the change stops the connection from working to make any further changes necessary.. so you have to get it right the first time.

It also depends on how you intend to set this up. I think you are in the Europe.. Does your ISP  use PPPoE ??

If not you are forced to use the modem as a router and the TC has to be in bridge mode. If the ISP support PPPoE then you can bridge the modem and use pppoe in the TC wan setup.

I will show you the bridge setup as that is the easiest to get working.

So plug the TC into the TP-Link by ethernet. Do the factory reset on the TC again.

Open the airport utility and simply change the TC to bridge mode.

Don't change anything else.. update the TC.

Now when the TC comes up link to it again.. the internet should work as well as giving you access to the TC hard disk.

You now need to fix up the wireless. You can do this in several different ways.. since you have a wireless modem router.. decide which is required for wireless.. perhaps turn off wireless in the modem or the TC.. this option 1. That is the easiest and makes things simple.

Option 2. Use roaming network. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4260

Although you have two different routers it will setup the same as two apple router.

I would probably use manual wireless for 2.4ghz .. select one of the channels, out of 1, 6, 11 or 13 for TP-Link and pick one of the remaining for the TC.

Option 3. Two different wireless networks with different names.. this is also fine although fixed channels is still good.

If you use 2 or 3 keep the two routers separated by a couple of Meters. That is just for wireless Tx not to swamp wireless Rx on the adjacent router.

If you have issues.. tell us where specifically you run into trouble.

AirPort Utility won't let me change the router mode. In fact, I can't even get to the menu shown in the picture you've posted. The button "Other Options", if this should be the way, is innactive...

You need to get in.. connect by ethernet dongle.. and make sure you have an IP from the TC..turn off wireless in the MBPr.

Then if you cannot get into the device do a factory reset.

See instructions on reset.. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3728

In simple terms.. hold in reset and THEN power on the TC.. keep holding reset until the front led flashes rapidly .. about 10sec. no data is lost from hard disk.

Select the TC in the airport utility

Info on the unit appears. Then click on edit.

That gets you to the manual setup screen..

 

 

One last question. For option 1 (all I need is using TC just to back up stuff from my MBPr automatically via Time Machine), should I connect the TP-Link modem/router to the WAN port of TC or to one of its 3 ethernet ports?

 

Thanks again

In bridge it makes no difference.. but by convention we use WAN to connect to modem.. it helps to keep things clear when you troubleshoot.. but when you bridge.. WAN port is assigned to LAN.

Spell checking is always fun here.. but I refuse to follow the US convention even if normal spell check is forced to US on the website.. my posts always have lots of spelling errors. !!!

chose not to create a new network but to join an existing one (that of the TP-Link modem/router). Presto!

If you would, please let us know how long your first Time Machine backup takes to complete.

I think Bob was being over subtle..

When you use wireless. .you get slow backups..

When you use join a wireless network you get triple slow backups.

It is overall a poor way to do things. Except you can hide the TC away.

If you want speed run ethernet to the cupboard.. !!

Ethernet can be a plug on the wall.. so it is not traced by the average thief.

Must be an interesting place to live where you plan for the next robbery.. when not if.

art pour l\'art wrote:

 

Well, I wouldn't call this aspect of everyday reality here in Athens exactly interesting...rather unnerving.

 

I used to live in Kota Kinabalu.. the thieves used to come with a sledge hammer to beat down your door. After asking for you to open it of course.. may as well save yourself the damage. The police would take 30min to turn up.. so they had plenty of time to grab all your valuables.. putting it in a cupboard.. LOL.. don't think would save it. So I know the feeling.

By the way, when you say ethernet, you do mean the computer directly connected to the TC via ethernet cable, don't you?

 

But is not the whole idea of TC (and/or Time Machine) it's wi-fi connectivity?

No, what I mean is the TC plugged into the main modem/router by ethernet..

The whole idea of the TC is convenience for wireless machines to do backups without having to plug in anything.. absolutely correct.

But when you join the TC to the wireless network.. you have killed the TC as a wireless AP..

So now all packets go.. computer---main router--TC and the return packets go TC--main router--computer.

We call this double hop wireless. since wireless is half-duplex ie, you cannot receive and transmit at the same time, all packets are double transmitted.. which doubles the time and halves the speed.

Since wireless also has to share bandwidth with every device on the network.. you can overload and slow the whole network by doing backups over the main router.. instead of direct to the TC.

Main router--ethernet--TC--wireless--computers.

Gives one hop wireless.. double or better than double the speed. TC is dual band simultaneous and has higher speed on 5ghz than your main router. It can therefore split the load and have backups not interfere with main internet connections.

You can also use EOP adapters instead of ethernet.. although you need a power outlet in the cupboard.. doesn't always work but when it does, it is less fragile than wireless.

 

Kota Kinabalu sounds quite exotic, at leat to someone living in Europe. Those audacious burglars you describe sound less exotic...

Downside to everywhere. I liked living there.

 

Supposing I could run an ethernet cable from the existing wireless modem/router to the cupboard, which setup would you recommend in relation to the existing wi-fi network for optimum results? Should I set up TC to create a new network instead of joining the existing one; or some further option? Should I still bridge TC's router mode, as you indicated previously?

You can setup either way.. bridge the TC and create a wireless network.. or bridge the modem.. and use the TC in router mode and create a wireless network.. performance of each is pretty well identical. So use what fits your needs. Whichever do not Join the wireless network.. that is bad bad bad!!

The easiest way.. is bridge the TC and create a wireless network.. you can either turn off wireless in the modem or run both.. either is fine. With the TC living in the cupboard I would tend to run both wireless, as for some clients it might be faster to connect to the modem that is nearby than the TC through walls and whatever other stuff is in the cupboard.