Q: Airport Utility can't find Time Capsule but wireless is fine

It is not so rosy as you described it!

I can write to folders on Time Capsule, I can use internet, but the Utility does not see drives, printer and Time Machine does not backup MacBook any more...

The only reason for this behaviour is dynamic DNS changing iP addresses in the local network... after router was reset by network provider.

Any advice, please?

There is a mistake in the Bumbibee point 4. The home address by default of the TC is 10.0.1.1

But if your ISP Poltiser has changed something I strongly recommend a full reset of the TC and proper reconfiguration.

Here are the basics.

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 you want to use for TM using Airport Utility.

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

eg TCgen5 for basestation and TCwifi wireless name.

 

If the wireless is still a problem set wireless names like TC24ghz and set the 5ghz to different name.. eg.TC5ghz

 

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.

Ignore this point if you don't understand it .. post back if you have drop out issues.

 

 

4. Make sure IPv6 is set correctly in the computer. ie link-local only for ethernet and/or wireless depending on which you use. Auto is not good enough.

If your ISP has provided you a modem router then you can use either a static IP on the TC itself or DHCP reservation on the ISP router. It is important that the IP of the TC never changes..

The only reason for this behaviour is dynamic DNS changing iP addresses in the local network

A dynamic public IP is the norm for domestic internet accounts. That makes no difference to the LAN setup.. which should have all your equipment on static IP addresses if you want it to work from one day to the next.

Once you KNOW the IP of the TC you can always access it via configure other.

There was a bug recently in BTMM so if you have the Apple ID setup in the TC leave it out for a few days and see if that fixes things. It should be ok then to put it back.

That exactly what I expected.

I need to reserve iPs on the router... and keep them the same all the time.

Thank you for your explanation.