Set up Apple Time Capsule as repeater with Telstra Technicolor TG587n

I am reading this but getting stuck.

However, this isn’t possible because the ethernet is 1way from the middle floor to office, and also 1way to the Living Room (Telstra router is in the garage at the only possible port).

Ethernet is not nor can it be one way.. so explain what you mean by this.

I presume you have phone port in the garage and that you connect to adsl??

The ethernet then should to the switch.. and from the switch it will go to Tbox plus Netgear wifi plus to the TC on the next storey..

You seem to suggest the ethernet goes to the Tbox direct.. but then how does it connect to the dlink switch??

A rough picture.. even hand drawn and scanned would help loads.

If the TG587 is in the garage you probably get almost no wireless signal from it so it might be better to ignore it.

I would run TG587 to your new Extreme on the Middle floor.

The extreme would be in bridge, but still create a wireless network.

Make the network name simple short and no spaces and pure alphanumeric.

eg AEwifi

Then on the TC on the top floor plugged by ethernet into the Extreme.. also in bridge... also create a wireless network of the same name.

And again the Netgear if it is required.. same wireless name..

All use the same password. and same security WPA2 Personal = WPA2 AES.

But it is also possible to bridge the TG587 and use PPPoE client on the Extreme and so it becomes the main router for the network.. nothing much else would change.

Hi Nick..

I went for my second cup of coffee so I could read your post. Hmmm .. I must still not have drunk enough.

I am not sure we are talking about the same things with our one way.

Anyhow..

If the TG587 is doing modem and router duties. You only need one ethernet to it. It makes no difference where that ethernet ends up.. a switch or the TC or the AE.. whatever is the most convenient point.. because nothing else is going to work as router.

Telstra technicolor as modem / router (2nd floor in garage)

---> Ethernet to time capsule as base station (top floor in office)

What do you mean as base station??

This TC must be in bridge and working to create a wireless network.

---> Ethernet back to 2nd floor garage to Ethernet switch (to connect it to the wall connection that goes to living room)

This is not required. You can plug a second ethernet port of the TG587 to wall connection for living room. It does not have to route back to the TC.

---> Ethernet to Ethernet switch in living room for time extreme and Tbox i(2nd floor in living room)

The extreme is a switch.. it is also in bridge and you can use it for wireless AP and switch.. plug the ethernet from the garage into it.. and Tbox.

There is only one limitation on this setup. The link from TC on 3rd floor to the AE on the 2nd floor goes via 100mbit not gigabit. That is limitation since the TG587 only has one gigabit port. This is where a gigabit switch could be used to fix the connection.

Would that work? I was of the understanding the Ethernet signal from the top floor couldn't run back down and then out to the living room due to the Telstra technicolor being in the middle.

This is where ethernet is two way.. it will happily communicate via the TG587. You do not need point to point wiring.. ethernet is star wired.. so every point goes back to main switch.. but you can add switches in different locations to add branches.

As I see it, the only thing that need fixing is the gigabit link if that is required.

Note all of this is based on the TG587 remaining the main router of the network. And there is nothing wrong with that. It is a very reasonable router. Internal LAN is better via a gigabit switch perhaps.

So you would end up..

The gigabit switch is optional.. you either have both TC and AE plugged back to the TG587 or just the single link to the switch and then the TC and AE plugged via the switch.. which is to keep the speed up to gigabit.

Either solution is equally reliable.

I cannot give you my email.. (apple don't allow it) but my website is here with my email.. shrug and this is ok!!

https://sites.google.com/site/lapastenague/a-deconstruction-of-routers-and-modem s

Talk to me direct if you want.

Ray

Just so we keep everything straight.

TC is Time Capsule.

The Extreme is Airport Extreme.. Not Time Extreme. so it is AE.

And the TG is Technicolor Gateway.

To make this work do I need to make sure there are any specific sub-settings I need to have the TC, TE and TG587?

TG will be setup as per normal modem router. There is no special setup required.

The TC and AE are both in router bridge.. just so we are clear as bridge is used in many ways.

And all three can create a wireless network.. all using the same name and same security.

Will this setup work as a roaming network so there is only 1 wifi signal with in the house and the device would simply connect to the strongest signal?

Theory and practice maybe somewhat different. This will work well with apple laptops.. and my work with other laptops.. but it tends to work poorly with some iOS devices. I have not really worried about it and I find it works ok.. but others complain that sometimes their iphones for instance just won't roam properly. This happens sometimes and not other times.. wireless is a big mix of voodoo.. so you just need to try it. There is things you can do to fix it.. but start with getting the basics running.

Will the tbox work ok being plugged into the time extreme? I currently have a dlink 4 port switch there so the tbox doesn't have to go through the netgear - but I could move this to the garage so the TG587 will work as you've suggested.

Yes, that will work fine. Tbox should be fine directly plugged into the AE.

Shoudl I turn off the wifi signal from the TG587 with that signal being so week or will that not affect the roaming network if devices connect to the strongest signal?

I would not over worry about it. On or off will have little effect. You can leave it with the standard bigpond name.. and use your AE and TC with a different wireless name. That can be useful if you use a more complicated setup later.

Finally, this is a separate question to how to set up what you suggested, but is there is anyway to use the TC as the base station with this setup?

I think you mean use the TC as the main router. Yes, this is possible. What makes it messy is you do not have enough ethernet to the garage.. That being the case you would need some other way to connect things.

A pppoe connection Modem to TC would require one ethernet connection. Then the connection back to the garage would need another connection. So you need 2 ethernet runs TG to TC.. and i don't think you have that available. If you accept slower network you can use a single ethernet cable for 2x100mbit connections but I would not recommend it.

Your reason for wanting to do it.. actually should not be required. In other words I believe it will work fine with the connection as we have laid it out with the TG as the main router. If you run into trouble tell me what is happening and I think we can work it out.

In a roaming network with ethernet as main link between the wireless routers you do not need the AE.

If you do wireless extend it has to be another apple router but for roaming no.