HT201510: Setting up Time Capsule for the first time

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mikertz

Q: I have sporadic outages lasting anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes.  It began after I bought a new modem. TWC of course says the modem is fine.  Any ideas?

I have sporadic outages lasting anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes.  It began after I bought a new modem. TWC of course says the modem is fine.  Any ideas?

Time Capsule 802.11n (3rd Gen)

Posted on Jun 6, 2016 7:00 PM

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Q: I have sporadic outages lasting anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes.  It began after I bought a new modem. TWC of course says the mo ... more

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  • by macjack,

    macjack macjack Jun 6, 2016 7:02 PM in response to mikertz
    Level 9 (55,694 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 6, 2016 7:02 PM in response to mikertz

    TWC does not yet support certain routers, hopefully they will soon.

  • by mikertz,

    mikertz mikertz Jun 6, 2016 7:05 PM in response to macjack
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Wireless
    Jun 6, 2016 7:05 PM in response to macjack

    This is one they support

  • by macjack,

    macjack macjack Jun 6, 2016 7:08 PM in response to mikertz
    Level 9 (55,694 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 6, 2016 7:08 PM in response to mikertz

    Some support!

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jun 6, 2016 7:21 PM in response to mikertz
    Level 10 (105,055 points)
    Wireless
    Jun 6, 2016 7:21 PM in response to mikertz

    The answer to almost any network problem can be found by asking "what changed"?  Other than the modem, what else changed on your network?

     

    What make and model number of modem?  Some brands....one in particular......just don't get along well with Apple routers

     

    Keep in mind that the ISP will almost always give you the standard "everything looks good from here" answer. After all, their main goal is to get you off of the phone as soon as possible. So, you are not going to get much help from the ISP. It is going to be up to you to find a modem that works well.

  • by mikertz,

    mikertz mikertz Jun 6, 2016 7:21 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Wireless
    Jun 6, 2016 7:21 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Arris surfboard...the only other thing that changed was I also installed a new larger Ethernet switch.

     

  • by Bob Timmons,Apple recommended

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jun 6, 2016 7:29 PM in response to mikertz
    Level 10 (105,055 points)
    Wireless
    Jun 6, 2016 7:29 PM in response to mikertz

    Arris/Motorola SB series are good modems and the AirPorts are good routers, but the two don't get along well together at all. Try another Arris if you want, but if it too has problems, then you have your answer.

  • by mikertz,

    mikertz mikertz Jun 6, 2016 7:30 PM in response to Bob Timmons
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Wireless
    Jun 6, 2016 7:30 PM in response to Bob Timmons

    Thank you.

    might try a different modem.

  • by Bob Timmons,

    Bob Timmons Bob Timmons Jun 6, 2016 7:40 PM in response to mikertz
    Level 10 (105,055 points)
    Wireless
    Jun 6, 2016 7:40 PM in response to mikertz

    Here is just a brief sample of issues with SB series modems.  SB6121, SB6141, SB6183 all basically do not get along well with Apple routers. I only did a very brief search on the SB6141.

     

    https://discussions.apple.com/search?q=sb6141

  • by Tesserax,Apple recommended

    Tesserax Tesserax Jun 7, 2016 9:31 AM in response to mikertz
    Level 9 (54,344 points)
    Wireless
    Jun 7, 2016 9:31 AM in response to mikertz

    In addition to Bob's comments, I have the following two items to offer:

    1. A number of major ISPs have been rolling out IPv6 ... with mixed results, when it comes to Apple base stations. One workaround is to reconfigure your Time Capsule to use the "Link-local only" option for IPv6. This has had fairly good results in stabilizing the connectivity issue.
    2. The other is to see if there is an incompatibility between your Arris modem and your Time Capsule.

     

    To change the IPv6 configuration of your AirPort base station you would need to use the AirPort Utility, as follows:

     

    From a Mac:

    • Run the AirPort Utility.
    • Select the base station, and then, select Edit.
    • Select the Internet tab, and then, select Internet Options...
    • Change Configure IPv6 to: Link-local only
    • Click on Save, and then, click on Update.
    • Allow the base station to restart.
    • Do this for each of your base stations.

        

    From an iOS device:

    • Tap on the AirPort Utility to run it.
    • Select the base station.
    • Tap on Edit.
    • Tap on Advanced.
    • Tap on IPv6.
    • Change Configure IPv6 to: Link-local only
    • Tap on Done.

     

    To test for incompatibility, we are going to check the ARP cache. It should only contain around a dozen entries or so, but is somewhat dependent on the number of devices on your network. Basically it is a list of your current networking hardware. Considerably more entries could potentially indicate an issue.


    We will use OS X's Network Utility to check the ARP cache, as follows:


    For pre-OS X El Capitan:

    • Run the Network Utility > Netstat tab > Select the option "Display routing table information" > Click on Netstat


    For OS X El Capitan:

    • Apple Menu > About This Mac… > System Report > From the System Information tool menu > Window > Network Utility > Netstat tab > Select the option "Display routing table information" > Click on Netstat

    CapturFiles.png

    After selecting Netstat, it may take a few seconds to run. The end result will be a listing of ARP query entries for your local network. It should include any routers, and your network clients. For now you can ignore (don't count) the entries under Internet6. Again, you are looking for excessive entries. For example, in my case I have a router, three wireless access points and about a dozen clients. Netstat gave me around 25-30 entries

  • by blackdogaudio,

    blackdogaudio blackdogaudio Jun 7, 2016 6:30 PM in response to mikertz
    Level 3 (687 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 7, 2016 6:30 PM in response to mikertz

    I'm a TWC customer as well and experienced a similar problem with my GEN5 TC disconnecting from the Internet intermittently at night during peak usage hours and after buying/installing an ARRIS 6121 modem. TWC could never identify what caused the drops after performing line assessments.

     

    After reading a few forums where more TWC customers complained about frequent unexplained signal drops using ARRIS modems and Apple TCs I decided to try a Netgear CM600 series modem.This completely stopped my internet connectivity issues so it does appear there's a compatibility issue with some ARRIS modems and Apple routers.


    Consider trying one if all other troubleshooting steps fail - just make sure you can get a refund if the CM600 doesn't solve your problem.


    P.S. The CM600 is on TWC's approved modem list.