I need really basic help physically setting up my Time Capsule. I have AT&T U-verse. There's a modem with two ethernet cables -- a blue one connecting to my iMac and a yellow one connecting to a Wireless Access Point. Which one should I be disconnecting to use with my Time Capsule?
iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)
The ATT Uverse should have built in wireless.. what model is the wireless access point??
You can get a new ethernet cable and plug in the TC using that.. or you can unplug the iMac and plug that one into the WAN port of the TC.. wan is closest to power in. You can probably also turn off the wireless access point and use the TC in place of that.. so either unit can be disconnected.. or you can buy a new patch cable and change none of the existing setup. Totally up to you.
Then you need to setup the iMac to use wireless or use another patch cord from LAN of the TC to the iMac..
The wireless access point says WPS and VAP 2500. I called AT&T for help (ha!) and was told that the WAP sends signals to our one wireless receiver. BTW, I an AT&T tech recently came to fix an internet problem and (if I recall correctly) he mentioned that the wireless access point wasn't even needed (even though he replaced it with a new one -- go figure). If I try your suggestion to turn it off, do I just unplug the power cord and use the ethernet cord to run from the modem to the Time Capsule? I know this is basic stuff -- sorry, I'm so not technical. Thanks!
Yes, power off the WAP.. and simply run that ethernet cord to the TC and do its setup.
If you run into trouble post a few screenshots to help us see what is going wrong.
I was able to connect except for the wireless TV receiver. It's not finding the Time Capsule. Any suggestions?
If you use long names for the TC wireless with spaces and apostrophe that might not work.. all names should be short, no spaces and pure alphanumeric.
But in your case the solution is probably as simple as plugging the WAP back into the main router or into the TC LAN port.. just go and buy another patch cable of whatever length you need .. they only cost a few dollars in large computer stores.. and fire up your existing wap.. that should then work fine to provide wireless to your TV.
By patch cable do you mean ethernet cable?
Yes, ethernet cable that is pre made is called a patch cable.
Thanks! I have another question: my Time Machine has been backing up to the Time Capsule for about 24 hours now. It constantly says "Calculating time remaining . . . " and the numbers currently are at "439.59 GB of 483.59 GB" and continue to slowly increase (10 hours ago it was 222 of 245). I might have 12,000 (relatively high-resolution) photos but not a substantial amount of music. Is this normal?
In general, with a wired Ethernet connection between the Mac and Time Capsule, you can expect about 25-30 GB per hour, on average, to be transferred over. So, with that in mind, the backup might take 16-20 hours.
But since it has been a long time since the last backup, and Time Machine must perform a number of new checks and scans, the time estimates will change and the current backup will take longer than normal. Just let the backup continue to run until it is done.
Thanks to both of you for all of your help! When I returned home this afternoon, the Time Machine was done and everything was backed up! And, I reconnected the WAP to the AT&T router, and the TV is now working. Also, I wanted to note that my iPhone had reverted back to my original (AT&T) wi-fi from Time Capsule several times, so I clicked "forget this network" under settings/wi-fi, and all is good. Thank you again!
Basic cable connection help with Time Capsule and ATT U-Verse
