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Level 1

20 points

Please Help Restore my Time Capsule's SSID

I need help with restoring the SSID to my Time Capsule. It was ‘hidden’ off by an ATT tech trying to upgrade my DSL service to uVerse. The uVerse install failed and we are being returned to DSL service.

An ATT tech was out yesterday and tried to reverse what the uVerse tech did. She got the ATT modem connected and then tried to connect the TC to the ATT Modem, but she wasn't very Mac savvy and didn't know what to do. In the Utility, the TC WiFi said that the SSID could not be identified.

To get us working temporarily, the ATT tech hooked up an ATT router, so I can connect via WiFi and get some work done. However, I had a network in the house with another AEBS to extend the range of the TC, printers, etc, and none of that is now hooked up.

Prior to this fiasco, I had just an ATT Modem, and that was connected to my TC, which served as my router. I'd like to return to using a TC as my router once we hopefully return the SSID to it, as I just trust Apple equipment more. ATT said once I (or they) figure out the problem with the TC, they will either just give me a standard Modem or turn the WiFi off in the router that they hooked up yesterday.

With these clarifications to my original posting:

1. How to you make the SSID not 'hidden', so the TC can be identified? OR, can you not reverse that????

2. I'm tempted to hit the reset button on the back, but haven't. If I do press the reset......

A) Will I lose all the back-ups on it? I may need the back-ups, too, since the original ATT tech messed with other settings to try to get the network to work and especially a Xerox printer on the network.

B) Will it render the TC to a default position, and then I'd have to enter all the settings again (which, of course, I'm not too sure of), name the network, etc?

3. I did just order a new TC, just in case I cannot get the existing one working properly. I would like to, however, be able to grab a back-up (see 2A). If the SSID cannot be fixed, can I still use the TC to get a back-up off it it or will it not be recognized by the computers? How would I do that if the TC is not connected on the network/wifi? I ask because I may need to return the computers (2 computers are backed up on the TC) to the day before the techs played around with things.

I'm hoping someone out there can help. Please and thank you.

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.2)

Posted on Jul 25, 2015 6:20 AM

Best reply

LaPastenague

Level 9

67,208 points

Posted on Jul 26, 2015 4:24 PM

2. I'm tempted to hit the reset button on the back, but haven't. If I do press the reset......

A) Will I lose all the back-ups on it? I may need the back-ups, too, since the original ATT tech messed with other settings to try to get the network to work and especially a Xerox printer on the network.

B) Will it render the TC to a default position, and then I'd have to enter all the settings again (which, of course, I'm not too sure of), name the network, etc?

This is the best way to handle it.

A. You will lose nothing on the hard disk. A reset merely takes the router part of the settings back to default.

You will also have to reset anyway.. It is part of any install where major changes happen.

B. Yes, you will have to enter the settings again.. the old settings are wrong anyway.. so it is better to start over.

However if you wish you can preserve the old settings.. you will of course need to plug into the TC by ethernet since wireless is messed up.

Open the airport utility and go to the export configuration.

You can also attempt to regain access to the TC by wireless..

Once you connect by ethernet all the different configuration options are available.

Simply click the TC in your airport utility.. click on edit.

Go to the wireless tab.

Click on wireless options and change the setting from hidden back to normal. ie uncheck create a hidden network.. it should never be used.. and would not have helped in your situation anyway.

But none of this will fix the issue of getting the TC to work with a whole new setup.. for which a full factory reset is still the best way forward. However you can go through each page of the setup and record the settings as they were and reproduce most of them in the new setup.. the difference might be that you need to run the TC in bridge now not router mode.

Start from a factory reset. No files are lost on the hard disk doing this.

Factory reset universal

Power off the TC.. ie pull the power cord or power off at the wall.. wait 10sec.. hold in the reset button.. be gentle.. power on again still holding in reset.. and keep holding it in for another 10sec. You may need some help as it is hard to both hold in reset and apply power. It will show success by rapidly blinking the front led. Release the reset.. and wait a couple of min for the TC to reset and come back with factory settings. If the front LED doesn’t blink rapidly you missed it and simply try again. The reset is fairly fragile in these.. press it so you feel it just click and no more.. I have seen people bend the lever or even break it. I use a toothpick as tool.

N.B. None of your files on the hard disk of the TC are deleted.. this simply clears out the router settings of the TC.

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21 replies

Aug 7, 2015 11:50 PM in response to Sandie Cohen

Your 1-6 is all fine.

7. Yes, plug ethernet to the TC and turn off wireless in the iMac.. do not plug into the ATT router.. that can lead to issues.

8. That is all fine.

9. Good to hear.. always better to stick to one or the other.. so I always recommend ethernet over wireless.. but turn wireless off so there is no issues..

In G5 that is especially true.. the wireless is slower G AFAIK.

Sandie Cohen Author

Level 1

20 points

Aug 8, 2015 11:35 AM in response to LaPastenague

Yeah for 1-6 on target!!

7. Done. Wireless on iMac is off and I'm ethernet only to the iMac.

9. Ditto for ethernet to G5 with wireless off. Working very well and much better than with wireless, btw.

A few more questions for you, my Guru!

10. I am thinking of switching to Comcast in the near future. My DSL speed from ATT is only 6 mbps and they cannot migrate us to U-verse to increase our speed. Comcast actually goes up to 100 mbps and I'm told that they do not use a router, only a modem. So, for future reference, if I go that route, can I simply plug the ethernet cable that is now going into the ATT router into Comcast's modem without making any changes to the TC or AEBS? If not, what changes would I have to make? (In my old set-up, which was an ATT modem only, the TC was set to DHCP and NAT, as I recall.)

11. Powerlines: I still need to work on the D-Link Powerlines. These are new and 2GB. They worked initially but now, despite resetting them, they are not working. I'll try later or tomorrow, as time permits. Right now, I am using my older Netgear Powerline Adapters, which are 200mb. Since all seems to be working pretty darn well, is the speed of the Powerline Adapters of great importance? If I can't get the D-Link to work, Netgear has new ones that are 1200mb.

12. Time Capsule Back Up: Right now, I have it shut off, since I'm in the midst of uploading my photos to iCloud Photo Library (VERY slow!...already a week and still uploading!!). Once that is done, I plan to turn on Time Capsule on both the iMac and my MacBookPro. A) Should I do that simultaneously OR do it one at a time and let the first back-up finish before turning on the second one? B) Both DO get backed up without me specifying that in a configuration, right? Or, is there something I need to do?

13. On the MBP, do I need to do anything other than choose my new wireless network name in the wifi from the menu bar. I did check the Network from the System Preferences, and it was on ATT. I switched that to the new wireless network name that we put in the TC and AEBS.

14. FINALLY, after all is finished with this, is there any way that I can contact you in the future? Your help has been invaluable and your patience with all the back and forth questions has been truly amazing.

THANK YOU, LaPastenague. You're terrific!!!

Aug 8, 2015 2:46 PM in response to Sandie Cohen

You are unquenchable!! 😉

10. If you change routers or modem you need to reset the TC to factory and start over.. but it should be fairly straight forward now.

If you replace a modem router with a modem, then the role the TC takes changes from bridged to router.

11. As long as you are not using a lot of local LAN access then 6mbit adsl is more than covered by fairly slow EOP adapters.. once you get 100mbit connection you should run ethernet.. power line adapters are like wireless.. they both tell massive lies.. 1200 or 2000Mbps connections are perfect lab tests between two units 1 foot apart with no other device.. real world is nothing like the lab.

12. ADSL has such slow upload speeds icloud is not worth bothering with.. I am in a similar situation.. there is no acceptable alternative yet either.. Slow upload makes cloud storage pointless.

Once you finish .. if ever.. then just do the TM backups one at a time.

Both can backup to the same disk without needing anything extra from you.

13. Just choose the airport wireless.. that should be enough.

14. My email is available in the profile.. roll your mouse over it and see.

Sandie Cohen Author

Level 1

20 points

Aug 8, 2015 8:05 PM in response to LaPastenague

Ran my mouse over your profile and ah, Melbourne, now I get the time difference in your replies! We were there in Jan/Feb of this year and loved, loved, loved Melbourne....so, lucky you!

10. "change from bridge to router"......DHCP only or DHCP and NAT?

11. Understood. Thanks for that. Turns out the D-Link does not work, so I did order the Netgear 1200's and will see how those work, at least for now. When we upgrade, I'll take your advise and just run ethernet to the other side of the house.

12. We shall see how long this upload takes and hopefully it WILL complete. Had I known that it was so slow, I never would have attempted it. But, at this point, I will just let it complete and then do the TM backups one at a time. Thanks.

So...if you can believe it, with your answer to #10, we're done! Wow.....

Thanks so much again.....

Sandie

Aug 9, 2015 3:15 AM in response to Sandie Cohen

10. "change from bridge to router"......DHCP only or DHCP and NAT?

Router means DHCP and NAT.. DHCP alone is not routed.

loved Melbourne....so, lucky you!

It is mid winter now and not so exciting.. people mass migrate from here to Queensland.. Like the US only upside down.. North instead of Florida in the South..

Blessings from the other side of the world.

Sandie Cohen Author

Level 1

20 points

Aug 9, 2015 6:28 AM in response to LaPastenague

I'm sure you'll find this very sad, but I do not have any questions left in my unquenchable soul ;-). With that, I offer you my heartfelt thanks, one more time at least for now, and hope that you know that your kindness, expertise, and attention has not gone unnoticed.

I have your information and will save it for the next time I need to get out of a computer jam.

Blessings back at you from Florida, the land of heat and humidity.

Peace,

Sandie

Please Help Restore my Time Capsule's SSID