kyopp

Q: Internet connection issues on TC wireless

I have a current generation 2G Time Capsule that I use to connect to internet wirelessly. Recently (couple weeks ago) I noticed I'd lose connection to the internet for a half minute or so, which would happen about every 15 - 30 minutes. I discovered it when starting to stream music ... so I heard the loss of signal each time.

 

I contacted my ISP to see if they were having issues, and they did a remote check of my signal coming into the house. They said there were some issues and sent a service tech to look into it. He found the signal coming in was barely out of spec, but decided to swap out my modem since it was a bit old. He also swapped out some splitters. When he left, he said everything on their end was working fine. However the next day I found I was having the same drop-out issues as before. When connected, I seem to get plenty of "speed", but I keep losing connection for brief periods which is annoying. Any ideas?

Airport Time Capsule 802.11ac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.2)

Posted on Jan 2, 2016 12:26 PM

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Q: Internet connection issues on TC wireless

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  • by AustinJGibson,

    AustinJGibson AustinJGibson Jan 2, 2016 12:38 PM in response to kyopp
    Level 4 (1,030 points)
    Jan 2, 2016 12:38 PM in response to kyopp

    Try using Wireless Diagnostics by following the directions on the link below. It may resolve any connection issues you have been having. If it does not resolve your issues, try resetting your Time Capsule using AirPort Utility.

     

    Use Wireless Diagnostics to help you resolve Wi-Fi issues on your Mac - Apple Support

     

    I hope you find this information helpful.

     

    Best regards,

    Austin

  • by LaPastenague,

    LaPastenague LaPastenague Jan 2, 2016 1:24 PM in response to kyopp
    Level 9 (52,645 points)
    Wireless
    Jan 2, 2016 1:24 PM in response to kyopp

    How old is your TC?? If it is within warranty or you have applecare on a computer, ipad or Apple TV .. then take it to apple store for testing.

     

    The latest AC extreme and TC do have a lot of wireless dropout issues.

     

    eg New Airport Extreme (6th Gen) Dropping Connection from Time to Time.

     

    There are many threads with the same topic.. and either TC or AE are relevant here.. since they are identical now.. except the TC has hard disk.

     

    If you wish to pursue a fix..

     

    What modem do you have?

     

    Make and model please..

     

    How is the TC connected and configured?

     

    Some of the issues are to do with WAN connection.. Some to do with DNS issues.. but wireless can be a problem.

     

    The following is also something to try..

    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.

     

    Setup the TC again.

     

    Then redo the setup from the computer with Mavericks--Yosemite--ElCapo. (MYELCAP)

    1. Use very short names.. NOT APPLE RECOMMENDED names. No spaces and pure alphanumerics.

    eg TCgen5 for basestation and TCwifi wireless name.

     

     

    If the issue is wireless use TC24ghz and TC5ghz with fixed channels as this also seems to help stop the nonsense. But this can be tried in the second round. ie plan on a first and second round of changes to fix this.. hopefully.. I will point out other steps that can be round2.

     

    2. Use all passwords that also comply with 1. but can be a bit longer. ie 8-20 characters mixed case and numbers.. no non-alphanumerics.

     

    3. If the TC is main router you can skip this point. This is only an issue when the TC is bridged.

    Ensure the TC always takes the same IP address.. you will need to do this on the main router using dhcp reservation.. or a bit more complex setup using static IP in the TC. But this is important.. having IP drift all over the place when MYELCAP cannot remember its own name for 5 min after a reboot makes for poor networking.

     

    4. Check your share name on the computer is not changing.. make sure it also complies with the above.. short no spaces and pure alphanumeric.. but this change will mess up your TM backup.. so be prepared to do a new full backup. Sorry.. keep this one for second round if you want to avoid a new backup.

     

    5. Mount the TC disk in the computer manually.

     

    In Finder, Go, Connect to server from the top menu,

    Type in SMB://192.168.0.254 (or whatever the TC ip is which you have now made static. As a router by default it is 10.0.1.1 and I encourage people to stick with that unless you know what you are doing).

     

    You can use name.. SMB://TCgen5.local where you replace TCgen5 with your TC name.. local is the default domain of the TC and doesn't change.

    However names are not so easy as IP address.. nor as reliable. At least not in Yosemite they aren't. The domain can also be an issue if you are not plugged or wireless directly to the TC.

     

    6. Make sure IPv6 is set to link-local only in the computer. For example wireless open the network preferences, wireless and advanced / TCP/IP.. and fix the IPv6. to link-local only. Do the same for ethernet if you use it.


    ipv6on.png

     

     

     

     

     

     

    There is a lot more jiggery pokery you can try but the above is a good start.. if you find it still unreliable.. don't be surprised.

     

     

    You might need to do some more work on the computer itself. eg Reset the NVRAM/PRAM/SMC.. has helped some people. Clean install of the OS is also helpful if you upgrade installed.

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/message/29202159?ac_cid=ha123456#29202159

     

    Tell us how you go.