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Q: Cannot connect via Back to My Mac (BtMM)

I have BtMM setup on my '11 27in iMac; however, when I attempt to connect across the web I can only get into my Time Capsule and not through to my iMac.  I have have tried several different configurations with the same result.  Perhaps I'm miss a key firewall configuration?  I have even openned everything temporarily to see if it had any effect.  Same result.  It has become quite frustrating.  Any suggestions?

iMac (27-inch Mid 2011), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4), 2TB Time Capsule

Posted on Aug 3, 2013 9:27 PM

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Q: Cannot connect via Back to My Mac (BtMM)

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  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Aug 3, 2013 9:56 PM in response to tochan357jp
    Level 8 (49,654 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 3, 2013 9:56 PM in response to tochan357jp

    First read OS X: Using and troubleshooting Back to My Mac with your iCloud account to make sure you didn't miss anything.

     

    How is your Mac connected to your Time Capsule - wired, wirelessly, or both?

     

    What is the exact model number of your Time Capsule, and is its firmware updated to the latest release?

     

    The OS X firewall - the one in System Preferences > Security - should not be a factor, but leave it off anyway to simplify matters. It is of little or no benefit on a Mac behind a router that you control serving network clients that you trust.

     

    What, if any, status messages appear in System Preferences > iCloud, under "Back to My Mac"? It has been my experience that "configure router for better performance" is typical but does not prevent BTMM from functioning. It is very rare that I do not see that status message.

     

    While away, does your Mac appear in a Finder Sidebar at all, under "Shared"?

     

    What Mac model or models are you using while away?

     

    Have you tried a number of different remote locations, or are you limited to just one (your office, for example)?

     

    Have you tried setting your iMac's Energy Saver to "never sleep"? This separates one problem from another: first determine that you can connect to your Mac at all, then investigate the possibility that it is not waking for network access according to that setting in Energy Saver.

     

    This can be an extremely time-consuming problem to troubleshoot... implementing changes followed by testing their effect can take months. I'll be here

     

    Edit: Please run EtreCheck and post its results here. It will present a summary of your system configuration. Read the following to determine how to do that:

     


    Apple Support Communities contributor etresoft wrote a very useful app to quickly gather certain system information that may help point to a cause of this problem. Go to his website, download and run EtreCheck:

     

    http://www.etresoft.com/etrecheck

     

    Etrecheck will be in your Downloads folder. Open it from there. You may see the following dialog box:

    Screen Shot 2013-03-26 at 2.26.25 PM.png

    Click Open - etresoft contributes to this forum frequently and can be considered a trustworthy developer.

     

    It will take a moment to run as it collects its data.

     

    Copy and paste its output in a reply.

     

    Do not be concerned about anything that says "Problem" or "failed".

     

    EtreCheck was designed to remove any personal information (such as your computer's name and serial numbers) but if you see anything that looks like an email address or any other personal information that should not be divulged to others, please delete or obscure that information when you post the reply.

     

    When you are finished with EtreCheck, quit the program. It occupies very little space, and you can keep it or drag it to the Trash as you wish.