Time Capsule as an external hard drive Solved/Closed

Question

Hello,

Hi everyone,

I just bought a 1TB Time Capsule. I have a MacBook purchased in July 2009, running Mac OS X 10.5.8, so it’s compatible.

At home, we are connected via ADSL Wi-Fi through NETGEAR and Devolo modems. So, to get my TC connected to the Internet, I connected an Ethernet cable between the modem and the TC, I plugged in my printer's USB cable, I turned on the TC and ... nothing. The light is flashing orange for both Wi-Fi networks.
Apparently, Apple should have mentioned in the manual how to configure a TC for Internet access when already using a Wi-Fi network!

So my question is how to configure Internet on my TC via these modems.

Another question: if my TC doesn’t connect to the Internet, it’s not a big deal. I mostly bought it for the 1TB and to use it as a hard drive!! But to use it as an external hard drive, do I just need to connect a male-to-male USB cable between the TC (powered, of course) and the MacBook or is Internet access essential?

Thanks everyone, sorry if the question seems redundant, but the Apple site is quite misleading.

Configuration: Mac OS X Safari 531.9

Sanspseudo · Accepted Answer

Good evening,

the correct way to use the Time Capsule is to connect it via Ethernet cable to the box or the ADSL router. This box is itself directly connected to the ADSL telephone socket. The Wi-Fi network is then set to "Bridge" mode in the Time Capsule, and the Wi-Fi function of the box is disabled. In short, you need to create the Wi-Fi network in Bridge mode between the Mac and the Time Capsule and disable the Wi-Fi of the ADSL modem. This Wi-Fi network, which is named and protected by a password, preferably WPA, can then be used by any computer, Mac or PC, to which the type of protection and the password have been provided. After that, the internet connections will go through the Time Capsule to the ADSL modem, which must be configured in router mode.

To access the hard drive of the Time Capsule, independent of the Wi-Fi base station function, you need to share the internal hard drive of the Time Capsule (over Wi-Fi or Ethernet) among the different Macs or PCs.
This means that the Time Capsule should be configured as a shared hard drive with an access password for the Time Capsule hard drive.

So, in fact, there will be 2 passwords associated with this Time Capsule. I would recommend defining both passwords the same for simplicity. There will be 1 password for accessing the Wi-Fi network between the capsule and the computers, and a password for accessing the hard drive specific to the Time Capsule, which must be shared to either serve as a backup disk for Time Machine or simply as a network disk for file exchanges.

Access to any hard drive or printer connected via USB to the Time Capsule is not linked to the Internet. As long as the computers can see the Time Capsule on the network, they will have access to the connected device, which has nothing to do with the internet.

https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/airport
http://manuals.info.apple.com/fr/TimeCapsule_SetupGuide.pdf
https://support.apple.com/
https://support.apple.com/specs

Best regards

PS: I hope I have been clear enough ;-)
--
Sanspseudo - Francis
iMac Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 - Mac OS 10.5.8

Sanspseudo · Answer

Good evening,

the correct way to use the Time Capsule is to connect it via an Ethernet cable to the box or the ADSL router. This box should be directly connected to the ADSL phone socket. The WIFI network should then be set to "Bridge" mode in the Time Capsule, with the wifi function of the box disabled. In short, you need to create the wifi network in Bridge mode between the Mac and the Time Capsule and disable the wifi of the ADSL modem. This wifi network, which is named and protected by a password, preferably WPA, can then be used by any computer, Mac or PC, to which the type of protection and the password have been provided. Subsequently, internet connections will pass through the Time Capsule to the ADSL modem, which must be configured in router mode.

For access to the hard drive of the Time Capsule, independent of the WIFI base station function, the internal hard drive of the Time Capsule needs to be shared (over wifi or ethernet) among various Macs or PCs.
This means that this Time Capsule must be configured as a shared hard drive with a password for accessing the Time Capsule hard drive.

So, in fact, there will be 2 passwords associated with this Time Capsule. I would recommend defining these 2 passwords identically to simplify things. There will be one password for accessing the wifi network between the capsule and the computers, and one password for accessing the hard drive specific to the Time Capsule, which must be shared to either serve as a backup disk for Time Machine, or simply to act as a network drive for file exchanges.

Access to any hard drive or printer connected via USB to the Time Capsule is not related to the internet. As long as the computers can see the Time Capsule on the network, they will have access to the connected device. This has nothing to do with the internet.

https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/airport
http://manuals.info.apple.com/fr/TimeCapsule_SetupGuide.pdf
https://support.apple.com/
https://support.apple.com/specs

Best regards

PS: I hope I have been clear enough ;-)
--
Without Pseudonym - Francis
iMac Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 - Mac OS 10.5.8

Romain06 · Answer

Good evening sanspseudo,

Well, what a lot of explanations!

Basically, I need to go to the NETGEAR site to make all these changes (we don't use a box at home) but it's my Dad who manages all this. And the TC cannot connect to an already existing Wi-Fi network. Why make it complicated when it can be simple?

And it doesn't seem easy: we get nothing for nothing, but I would quickly lose patience in front of super stylish and expensive machines that apparently don't have much under the hood (many people have complained about slow file transfers).

Speaking of USB, I wanted to connect the TC directly to the Macbook using a male-to-male flat-pin USB cable so that the TC would be recognized as an external hard drive. Response? Nothing! (saw on the US Apple support).

So basically, this machine is useless to me, 260 Euros (1500 bucks) thrown away. Off to Ebay!

One last question for sanspseudo: do you have the contact details for Apple in France (postal address or support email)? Again, their site is really a hassle...
11/14: I declare this day Apple Day. ;)

Sanspseudo · Answer

I partly agree with these remarks, but not all of them ;-)

The USB port is indeed intended solely for output to another external hard drive or a printer, but cannot serve as input for the hard drive part. Besides, what would be the point? Since you can access the hard drive via Ethernet... with a much higher speed than USB... (or in WIFI mode according to the 802.11n standard). So, a simple Ethernet cable allows connection to the MacBook, and this Time Capsule is seen as an external drive.
At first I was also frustrated that Disk Utility could not manage the Time Capsule like a simple disk, but there is ultimately a logic to it. It is a network drive accessible and shareable between Mac and PC.

Initially, I found file transfers between the Time Capsule and my Macs to be very slow, but under Mac OS 10.6, it is much better. There must have been a software issue under Mac OS 10.5. Today it’s all good.

Apple, for my part, misled customers by making them believe that the Time Capsule and the Time Machine function were linked. But, in reality, this is not the case.

What I consider today is that the Time Capsule is an excellent WiFi base station, to which multiple computers, Mac or PC, can connect, coupled with a good network hard drive for backups or file exchanges between a multitude of computers, Mac or PC. Connection possible in either WiFi or Ethernet mode. Overall, the assessment is not so bad, but you need to know exactly from the start what the functionalities of this “WiFi + network hard drive base station” are. I reacted somewhat similarly to you after my purchase, but ultimately today I am satisfied, as I now use it as a network drive for file exchanges and Time Machine backups as well as a WiFi base station among multiple computers.

The fact that the WiFi specific to the Time Capsule does not normally connect, although it is possible, to the ADSL modem's WiFi makes sense, as it would force users to switch from one network to another constantly. Since a computer cannot communicate on multiple WiFi networks at the same time...

If a user is positioned directly with their computer, next to their ADSL modem, and only uses a single Mac, then indeed this Capsule is not very useful...

In short, this Capsule is not perfect, but it’s not so bad, it all depends on the needs...

Best regards
--
Sanspseudo - Francis
iMac Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 - Mac OS 10.5.8

Romain06 · Answer

Hello SansPseudo,

A remark:

"The USB port is indeed intended solely for output to another external hard drive or a , but cannot serve as input in the part . Besides, what’s the point? , since you access the hard drive in mode ... with a speed much higher than USB .. (or in WIFI mode at the 802.11n standard) . So, a simple ethernet cable allows connection to the MacBook, and this Time Capsule is seen as an external drive."

Response: But does the TC need to be connected to the Internet? Is Internet access essential to use the HDD? Because I tried it last night, and there was no reaction from the MacBook that I connected via Ethernet (without Internet access to the base) to the Time Capsule. As for the USB, on the Apple US forum it was confirmed that when linking a Mac (or any other computer) to the TC via a male/male USB cable, the Mac did not recognize the TC as an external HDD.

Romain06 · Answer

EDIT: On my NETGEAR ADSL router, there are 2 Ethernet cables connected to the LAN ports, one Ethernet cable connected to the ADSL port (to speed up the network), the power cable, and the telephone cable connected to the router. I assume that to connect the TC, I need to plug an Ethernet cable connected to the LAN ports of the router into the WAN port of the TC. I think I've got it all figured out; then I need to go to the NETGEAR router's website so that the network goes through the TC, and that's where it gets more complicated!

Sanspseudo · Answer

Hello,

No, of course, it is not necessary for the Capsule to be connected to the internet to use it as an external drive.

At my place, it works like this:
The Capsule is connected via ethernet cable to my Freebox V4, whose Wifi function has been disabled. (Wifi card removed).
An iMac is directly connected to the Capsule by ethernet cable since it is right next to it.
(On the Capsule, among the ethernet ports, you have one designated for the connection to the modem, and the others for connecting the computers on the local network.)
The other Macs, which are far away, are connected via Wifi to the Capsule. All Macs can communicate with each other via "Bonjour," on the Wifi and ethernet network of the Capsule. Therefore, file sharing can be activated between the Macs to exchange files in the usual manner.
However, since it's simpler with a common network drive like the Capsule, I completely disabled file sharing on the Macs and only activated the hard drive sharing of the Capsule; via Airport Utility. So the Macs can drop and take whatever they want on this hard drive of the Capsule. This Capsule also serves as a backup for 2 Macs via the "Time Machine" function.

If I unplug the ethernet cable between the Capsule and the Freebox, all Macs instantly lose their internet access, of course. But everything else (that is, file exchanges via the Capsule drive, backups on this Capsule), etc... continues to work normally, of course. Internet access is cut off, but that's all. As soon as I reconnect the ethernet cable to the Freebox, immediately, all Macs are back online. (The Freebox is in router mode, of course).

And as I mentioned earlier, this USB port on the Capsule cannot serve as an input for it. It is only an output. Knowing that this drive is a network drive that cannot be managed by Disk Utility, cannot be formatted, etc... we ultimately lose nothing.

After my purchase, my first reaction was also negative toward this Time Capsule. I believed I had bought it without fully studying the matter. I have now revised my judgment to some extent and consider that this Capsule is quite valuable, but before purchasing it, one must know exactly what to expect. It is a device that has two functions in one single object.
- A shared network hard drive
- A Wifi and/or ethernet access point. Knowing that this wifi/ethernet access point allows for both the sharing of the built-in hard drive and the connection to the internet - if this Capsule is connected to an ADSL modem.
- It is not an external hard drive that is managed like an ordinary external drive via USB or FireWire.

When we launch the Airport Utility and choose a manual configuration, we indeed have separate tabs to manage the Wifi network part, internet access, hard drive sharing, etc...

In short, to summarize:
Yes, the hard drive is accessible to the Mac, even without an internet connection, but the drive must first be set to shared mode, and access to this drive by password must be specified.
And this is done with Airport Utility in
-"Manual configuration" / Disks / File sharing / Enable file sharing / "With disk password"... preferably when you want to keep the wifi network passwords and hard drive access passwords distinct.
Example: you may very well want to give your wifi password to a friend who visits so that their iPhone can access the internet without giving them a password that would allow them to "visit" the shared hard drive ;-))

Hopefully, this clarifies the subject somewhat..

Best regards

EDIT: Our last messages crossed each other... I'm writing too slowly ;-)
--
Sanspseudo - Francis
iMac Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 - Mac OS 10.5.8

Romain06 · Answer

So,

I just reconnected an Ethernet cable to my MacBook to link it to the TC. I powered it on and it blinks orange, which is normal since I haven't connected an Ethernet cable to power the WiFi.
However, even with the Ethernet cable, I can't access the hard drive. And the Airport Utility is useless since it doesn't detect the TC!

Sanspseudo · Answer

And the Airport utility is useless since it doesn't detect the TC!

Try resetting the Capsule by pressing a pointed object into the hole at the back..
--
Withoutusername - Francis
iMac Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 - Mac OS 10.5.8

Romain06 · Answer

WithoutPseudo, you’re awesome!

After the reset, Airport detected the TC, which I configured manually.

I checked the option "connect automatically to the already created local network" by entering the required access codes. However, the TC is unable to connect to my network (should I connect the Ethernet cable linked to the corresponding NETGEAR ADSL router)?

Romain06 · Answer

AND DONE! I'm doing the Q&A all by myself.

I set up Time Machine to back up to the TC. And it works: Time Machine just created an icon "backup of romain's macbook" on the desktop.

Can I drag documents into it or is there nothing else to be done?

Another question: if I connect my TC to another computer, will it be possible to see the stored files or will it be the same circus?

Sanspseudo · Answer

Now that the Time Capsule is recognized, does Time Machine "know" that its backups should be made on it, if you decide so? For these backups, you must let Time Machine do its job. It is not up to you to manipulate your backups manually, unless you decide to make backups manually, and in a way different from what Time Machine does. Time Machine does not create a clone of your disk to boot from (like CarbonCopyCloner, for example), but it performs incremental backups, allowing you to go back in time (hence its name).
You can declare that this capsule should be used for backups by Time Machine for several computers. You can also drop your files there. The only limit will be the available space, as Time Machine allocates available space as needed. Personally, I have disabled Time Machine (no automatic backups), but I manually back up every evening by clicking on the Time Machine icon in the menu bar, then “Back Up Now.”

A few links ...
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT201510
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT201250
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT204412
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT201250
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1170?viewlocale=fr_FR
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT201519
https://support.apple.com/fr-fr/HT201506

https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-15052349-interet-de-cloner#4
https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-9705140-disque-dur-externe-time-machine#1
https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-8385666-time-capsule-avec-macos-10-4#1
https://forums.commentcamarche.net/forum/affich-12246172-configuration-time-machine#8

Best regards and happy reading ;-)
--
Sanspseudo - Francis
iMac Intel Core 2 Duo Mac OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 - Mac OS 10.5.8

showalt · Answer

Hello, I have a simple but crucial question regarding the purchase.
If I use the TC as a WiFi access point, as well as a shared hard drive, can I drop a document using my Mac and retrieve it with my PC? Is there no issue with formatting the drive in "MAC" format, which would prevent exchange between Mac and PC?
Thank you for your answers.

Sanspseudo · Answer

Hello,

The answer is yes
The Time Capsule is not a Mac OS formatted disk.
Moreover, even on a Mac, it cannot be reformatted. It is purely a network drive.

Have a nice day
--
Sanspseudo - Francis
iMac Intel Mac running OS 10.6 + iMac-G5 running Mac OS 10.5

Manu · Answer

Hello how do I transfer my data from my external hard drive to my Time Capsule?

Time Capsule as an external hard drive

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