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musicmaker Author

Level 3

598 points

Back To My Mac Help

Can't get it to work. Both iMac and MacBook Pro on 10.10 Yosemite. Same AppleID on both computers. Just me and no other accounts.

When I'm away, I like to access my iMac from the MBP. But the MBP doesn't see the iMac. It does see my Airport Time Capsule ac and I can login to it. And Back to my Mac is activate within the Airport. Just never for the iMac.

The iMac does see the MBP - but won't login to it.

I am with both computers right now, but I am logged into a different interest connect - not my in home internet.

Any ideas? I have disabled and enabled BTMM on both restarted, repaired permissions

Thanks for any input.

Posted on Oct 24, 2014 11:12 AM

Top-ranking reply

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,649 points

Posted on Oct 24, 2014 11:26 AM

Make sure you've taken all these steps:

Set up and use Back to My Mac

View in context

34 replies

Zachary

Level 4

2,073 points

Feb 6, 2015 11:33 AM in response to musicmaker

Been having the same issues as described here. I don't have a solution, but I believe I have a hint as to what at least part of the problem is. On the machine that loses BTMM features, there is no awacsd process running, which is the daemon that handles BTMM in the background. I suspect this process is quitting for some unknown reason, causing the issue.

Hopefully that helps shed some light on the problem and gets us a step closer to a fix.

Apr 2, 2015 6:55 AM in response to Zachary

Yes, Back to My Mac on Yosemite is still hopelessly broken. There is simply no excuse for this to go on for so long when it worked so well on Mavericks.

There is a solution, albeit sad that it is even necessary. It's slow, but it works. Install Hamachi on your mac, then use Remotix to view and control. Remotix is expensive and it's keyboard handling is not very good, but it works. If I run it in grayscale, it helps with the speed issue when it is running slow.

musicmaker Author

Level 3

598 points

Apr 2, 2015 7:00 AM in response to chuck.coxhead

Thanks for your information. I may give that a try.

I just bought a new iMac 5k and a MacBook Pro and BTMM still doesn't connect. So it's not my hardware.It sure is weird issue though.

Apr 2, 2015 12:08 PM in response to musicmaker

Hi musicmaker

If you have recently purchased new Apple hardware you should be covered by Applecare Support. Have you opened a case with them about this problem?

I think the only way we are going to get this problem solved is if as many people as possible open cases with Apple support.

As an update on the progress of my own case, Apple are now suggesting that the problem might be with my modem not passing the magic packet through to my Time Capsule. I am expecting a call from them tomorrow morning (UK time) to progress the issue and if anything significant comes out of the conversation I will report back here.

Apr 16, 2015 2:18 PM in response to El Morche

I have found that since upgrading to 10.10.3 that as long as I do not allow my Mac Mini to sleep then I can connect to it via BTMM. Once it goes to sleep then after a period of time it drops off the Finder sidebar. Although this is workable Apple still need to do some more work on it to get it 100% right.

musicmaker Author

Level 3

598 points

Apr 16, 2015 7:27 PM in response to El Morche

Hi El Morche -

I have been trading support correspondence with Apple.

My iMac is set to never sleep. I also use this iMac as a sudo "server" for iTunes. When we are away we login into this iMac via Air Video on iPhone or iPad to watch video. That always works. Why I know the iMac is online and accessible.

The weird thing I notice now is I can login to this iMac via screen sharing and do what I need to do - access files, upload etc… I do this by clicking Screen Sharing in the sidebar of a window. I see the iMac. If I choose Connect As - it fails though.

It's a weird thing. Pain but fun to diagnose. Apple has been great too as usual in helping.

The screenshot below shows what I try to use to connect.

Apr 17, 2015 5:34 AM in response to musicmaker

Ditto musicmaker. Thank you for the additional information El Morche. Given that I can execute my work-around (Hamachi and Remotix) every single time without fail, while BTMM works a small percentage of the times that I attempt it, it is certain that this is not a Sleep issue.

I have an airport extreme at home, but of course not an airport at work. I have gleaned a mention or two of a "hardware token" involved in the Back to My Mac connection negotiation. I don't know if this is true. Anything to it? Is it specific to Apple computers and routers? Are Apple routers now a requirement for both ends??

BTMM worked perfectly in Mountain Lion. You would think that this would be an important bug fix given the huge iCloud and AppleID push.

I remain disappointed.

musicmaker Author

Level 3

598 points

Apr 17, 2015 5:46 AM in response to chuck.coxhead

Both network ends for me are all current pretty new Apple based, Airports Time Capsules (latest tower type) some Apple Expresses, Macs - setup by me. So I know all equipment on both ends.

Last night I had my son restart the iMac. Toggle off then on BTMM. I connected once immediately after that with BTMM - which is one more time in months. And as usual I woke this morning and tried again…connection failed again. BUT connecting using the Screen Sharing continues to work fine.

Certainly is interesting.

Apr 17, 2015 6:04 AM in response to musicmaker

Thank you musicmaker. Your reply just reminded me that I have not been quite clear enough in my issue. The part of BTMM that interests me is screen sharing, hence my work-around (Hamachi and Remotix). I have not really tried to connect to the folders too much.

I use BitTorrent Sync to sync Documents between my work an Mac Pro and my sometimes-work sometimes personal MacBook Pro. I far prefer this solution. Works fantastically well, if one can spare the disk space. Because I am using Hamachi, the BitTorrent Sync does the job every single time flawlessly. I am often surprised just how fast it gets the job done. Of course, as in the case with BTMM, my Mac Pro is on all of the time.

musicmaker Author

Level 3

598 points

Apr 17, 2015 6:44 AM in response to chuck.coxhead

My iMac is up 24/7. As I mentioned in previous post, me and the kids from outside use Air Video app on iDevices and we access the iMac to watch our content everyday fine. If I'm home, I even hear the large external hard drive holding terabytes content spin up when they are accessing the iMac from their home. So the iMac always is on,

Via Screen Sharing I can access the hard drives - internal and attached externals fine. Get and put files.

I wonder if Screen Sharing is going to replace BTMM?

Apr 17, 2015 11:26 AM in response to musicmaker

48 hrs now and I can still connect for file sharing and screen sharing via BTMM (Mac Mini prevented from sleeping automatically).

It looks like 10.10.3 has gone some way to making BTMM more workable. Apple still have to sort out the sleep issue. I've just installed the supplementary update to 10.10.3 so will do some more testing over the weekend.

I've reported my findings back to Apple Care and they are passing it on to Apple Engineering. It will be next week before I get a response.

I'm not unhappy having to keep the Mac Mini awake all the time just as long as I don't inadvertently put it to sleep myself.

I don't think Screen Sharing will replace BTMM.

musicmaker Author

Level 3

598 points

Apr 17, 2015 1:41 PM in response to El Morche

For me Screen Sharing so far works every time for connecting. It's slightly harder to do what I do - but overall it does it. So happy about that.

It's clicking the Connect As that fails. Where login in as a User. Or because both iMac and MBP are the same AppleID, I use this. Both fail.

I've been dealing with Apple Support too - they re sincerely working with me and asking for logs etc…

Whether Screen Sharing replaces or not - it works for my purposes. Being family "tech support" I login into family computers all the time to solve their issues when they call.

I always like the challenge of figuring something out because Apple stuff does actually just work. I don't do code - but in my non-code head it's as if someone has left out two lines of code somehow for BTMM. LOL - just my layman mind.

Apr 17, 2015 3:40 PM in response to musicmaker

Roll on 10.10.4 I think it will be 100% cured with it!

Apr 18, 2015 3:02 AM in response to El Morche

Very disappointed this morning to find the even with keeping my Mac Mini from sleeping that I could not make a connection for either file sharing or screen sharing no matter what I did at my end. It was only after toggling BTMM off and on on the Mac Mini that I got a connection. So it worked in excess of 48 hrs but then failed. I could see it in my Finder sidebar with the correct icon displayed, tried toggling BTMM off and on on my MacBook but repeated attempts to connect all failed.

musicmaker Author

Level 3

598 points

Apr 18, 2015 4:38 AM in response to El Morche

Yes I can always see my iMac on sidebar too. But get the same connection failed. Why the connection works once and the not again is the curious part. When I'm at home with the iMac on the local network I can always connect to it. Which I do a few times a day from my MacBook Pro.

I'm intrigued why it works once and done so to speak.

Back To My Mac Help