Q: Setting up time capsule with sky broadband

Hi Ted

You mentioned you stream HD videos from the drive attached to your TC.  What about streaming direct from the TC?

Apple talked me through setting up a size limit for my TM back-ups and said to use the rest of the TC as a file server.  It's working just fine for basic files but watching a home video is not working - it loads up but then you get the dreaded spinning wheel.

What set-up do you use?  I don't know what MBA is.

0wa1n

I was using VLC.  I installed Plex which seems a bit OTT but that works without any probs but I have had to install the media server...  The mplayerx doesn't want to work on my iMac.  Which bluray player have you got?

ok I downloaded XBMC player - works a treat.  No lag no problems straight from the TC as if it was small text file.

I have noticed that there is a 3 to 4 second lag when you first click on the TC drive but once you're connected it is superfast.

I am now waiting for Sky to set me up with a static IP and will let you know if this works ie allows me to use the TC as a router.

0wa1n

Hi Ted

I am not going to be able to give you step by step instructions - I think you realise by now my technical ability is not that great

I did it in disk utility.  I rem thinking that I was happy to try it for one TM back-up but not if I was backing up more than one pc a it sounded a bit too complicated but it is possible.

The basic idea is that you give the TM back-up a max size - so I gave my 500GB iMac a max 1TB TM back-up space on the TC.

If you open Disk Utility you will notice that the TC does not show itself but if you run a TM back-up with DU open, it mounts.  btw it is easier if the back-up size is small.  Open up finder so you can see the sparsebundle file.  When tmp has gone out the file name that is when you open up the partition tab in DU and adjust the size to whatever you want it to be.

I hope that is enough for you to go on.  I am in Apple care period so happy to contact Apple again for more clear instructions - let me know.

0wa1n

I'm willing to give that a go - what is the advantage?

Yes I'm happy to give this a go - please send me the instructions. Are the network speeds better or is it just more reliable?

On a separate subject... do you use any apps to stream video from your file server?

Hi Ted

My TC is proving v useful but v frustrating.  My internet connection and wifi is sound but for some reason the TC connection to my iMac keeps dropping off.

So if I launch Aiport Utility or try to click on TC in finder under shared, it either just doesn't work or hangs for an age.  Eventually it might decide to connect.

My work around is to run CCC that backs up a drive to the TC - this appears to wake up the TC.

Any ideas?

Evening Ted - hope you had a good trip.  I went to Brussels a while back and enjoyed it.  Keen to go back one day...

Now then, I have an interesting situation happening.  My connection to the network volume on the TC is almost always on.  Great. I can therefore access my shared files, do a nightly CCC back-up of shared files, no problems.

But... the connection to the actual Time Capsule as a device drops every few minutes.  I thought I'd run a little experiment.  I copied a 70GB video folder from the TC disk to my iMac and kept the Finder copy on screen.   The copy takes an age but if the connection ever dropped I would notice as the copy would stop.  Then I opened Airport Utility and sat back with a cup of tea to see what would happen.

Without any reason, on Airport Utility, the TC dropped for a split second ("Device not found") and then it hung with the dreaded spinning circle and the message "Reading settings on...".  This lasted for a good 5 minutes before it was possible for me to click edit and enter the TC.

All the while my internet connection was uninterrupted and the copy kept on going.

The dropping of the TC for a split second keeps on happening every 5 minutes or so.

Obscure or what?