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Using a Time Capsule to extend a Verizon MiFi's wifi network?

ewagoner — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:23:23 -0800

Is it possible use an Apple Airport Extreme base station or Time Capsule to extend a Verizon MiFi's wireless network? I've got HughesNet satellite service at home, and even paying for a business plan at $179/month, I can't stand it. I've been wanting to flee for years, and for the first time ever, the Verizon MiFi looks like it might be the way out. But, I'd want it to use my existing infrastructure built of Apple's wifi devices instead of getting everything in my home to talk to the MiFi directly.

I've only had it a few days (and love it so far otherwise), but I can't seem to do this. When trying to use the Time Capsule to extend the network, I get a message that "this network is unable to be extended". Is there a way? Has anyone done this?

(I do know about the 5gb bandwidth limit, by the way. I could buy three of them to rotate and still break even, so that's not an issue.)

what to put in a newborn time capsule ?

Baud — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 11:36:23 -0800

My nephew/niece is due any minute now. I'm planning a "do not open until 2019" sealed box. Besides newspapers of the day and screenshots of a few websites and bearing in mind that I live in Belgium, what would you put in his/her time capsule ?

Apple connection problems

Pants! — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:35:30 -0800

Apple wireless connection problems. I have a problem connecting to my wireless network on apple macintosh.

The computer eventually connects to the network after a few timeouts. However my applications believe they are not connected to the Internet. The network was set up on my computer using the airport utility and an apple time capsule. Now, the airport utility cannot find any apple devices can be found. I know the apple is in range of the time capsule because neither device has moved and the connection has been seamless in the past.

Furthermore, my iPhone connects to the Internet via the same network without difficulty. This leads me to believe that the problem is with the computer. Rebooting the cable modem, the time capsule, and the computer doesn't seem to help.

How to extend a wifi network at home.

barnone — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 18:10:57 -0800

Help extending a wireless network? I have a Time Capsule acting as my primary wifi base station. It's in the living room, attached to the only DSL line in the house. It has a great signal all over the house...except of course in my office, in the back room. Any good ideas how to extend the network back there? A few more details inside. The walls are thick plaster, so I think they're basically blocking the signal, because it's not physically that far from the Time Capsule to the room in question. I can get a full signal from some very minute areas of my desk, but if the MacBook gets moved even a millimeter, the network can't even be found! And it's not the exact same location each time, so I can't just mark X where the Macbook goes.

It's pretty much impossible to run an ethernet cord from the router to the office - it's across a big hallway and through several rooms. We rent, so no major drilling.

I do have an older Airport Extreme Base Station (802.11g - the dome shaped one). But I know that setting that up will effectively make the wireless bandwidth 1/2 of the slower speed, right?

Totally willing to buy something else (or make something) if it's about $50 or less. But I don't really want to plug something into my computer each time I sit down - those little antennas look annoying. Would even consider buying something more expensive if it's pretty guaranteed to work. Repeater? New Airport Express with 802.11n?

This has been driving me nuts for months -- would be so grateful for any help you can offer!

Help me lower this time capsule into the ground...

roombythelake — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:24:50 -0800

Time capsule/Mac trouble--help me start backing up my data with a minimum of muss/fuss! Hi folks. I'm using a Macbook (new last fall) and I've just bought Leopard and a Time Capsule to use for backing up my data (after a catastrophic crash--PSA, MeFites, please PLEASE back up your data!!!). Here's the catch: I'm renting a room in a house, and so obviously I can't use the Time Capsule as the primary router. Time Capsule claims it can work through the existing network, which would be great for me even though it would be slower than if it were the network's primary router.

The problem is that while going through my set-up process for Time Capsule it does not recognize my Time Capsule again after I input my preferences. (This guy had exactly the same problem--check out his description to see my problem...) Anyway, the error message reads thusly:

"AirPort Utility was unable to find your Apple wireless device after restarting. The settings for this Apple wireless device have been successfully updated, but there was a problem rejoining the wireless network or finding the Apple wireless device. You may need to select your network from the AirPort menu and try again."

After doing some research, one possible reason for this seems to be that my landlady's wireless network uses WEP security, whereas apparently WPA security is now recommended, and runs much more smoothly with external devices. Most of the Time Capsule suggestions, then, involve changing the network from WEP to WPA but that doesn't help me--as a lowly renter, I don't want to mess around with their computer or their network setup.

Can anyone confirm or deny that this WEP/WPA stuff might be my problem, or suggest a workaround fix that would get me connected without tinkering with the network itself?

Failing that, can I can just connect my Time Capsule via USB cable when I'm at my desk and back up with Time Machine that way? (I say USB because I've got one sitting here in front of me--I don't want to shell out for an ethernet cable unless that's required...)

And if I did, will I then be able to switch back and forth seamlessly between usb and wireless connections as need be after I move out of here in two months?

Thanks in advance!

Don't open my time capsule.

Pants! — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:10:47 -0800

Using Apple's Time Capsule as a wireless router: Privacy issues So, it appears that I can use my new Time Capsule as a wireless router, in addition to it's normal backup functions.

However, I share the network with others. Will my data on the Time Capsule drive be secure from them if we all connect through the device?

I suppose I don't mind letting the others use the Time Capsule to back up their computers. I just don't want them to get my data.

I don't see any details about this in the set up guide that came in the box.

Musical Time Capsules

Drop Daedalus — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:07:59 -0800

What songs evoke an earlier decade in near-perfect detail, in terms of musical style? I'm looking for songs that sound as if they could have been hits at least 10 years before their release date. The more meticulous the reproduction, the better. Examples that mostly fit are "That Thing You Do," "PoP! Goes My Heart" (Fountains of Wayne must be Hollywood's first choice for nostalgic soundtrack music), "Rouge no dengon," and some of the Squirrel Nut Zippers' music.

What I'm not looking for:
--Most importantly, irony. I don't care if the music video features the artist doing comical things in anachronistic clothing, but the song itself should be played straight. No nudge-nudge-wink-wink pop culture references, or lyrics that clash with the musical time period.
--Covers.
--Mashups, remixes, sampling, etc, unless these were also features of the older style (a current artist recreating early 80's hip-hop is fine).
--Traditional or classical music (any culture). I'm focusing on popular, ephemeral music styles that are tied to decades, not centuries.

Other than those criteria, I'm not particular about language or genre. Blatant aping of specific bands is fine, too, as long as it's a homage instead of (or in addition to) a cheap gimmick.

A Father's Time Capsule to his Daughter

jonson — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 21:49:00 -0800

What should I put in a time capsule for my daughter? I'm increasingly obsessed with how time keeps moving faster as I get older, and with my daughter's 2nd birthday approaching at the end of this year, I thought it would be fun to bury a time capsule in our yard for her, to open in 2026, on her 21st birthday. I have all of the sentimental items, (for example, a letter I wrote her when I found out my wife was pregnant), but I really want her to get a feel not just for who her parents were when they were (semi)young & (semi)cool, but what life was like in America when she was too little to take notice of it. For reference, similar items the from same time in my own childhood would have included, for example, the original Washington Post Watergate scandal reporting or an 8 track tape of Led Zep IV. So what things should I consider that will help commemorate the times?

Fixing a water-logged cassette tape

0bvious — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 09:45:59 -0800

I have an audio cassette tape which has been waterlogged and soaked in dirt for over 10 years. What are my options for respooling/fixing the tape with its contents intact? The cassette was buried in a badly contained time-capsule in my garden. We jut dug it up and found the whole thing soaked in filth. You can see pictures of the unveiling here.

Any tips on tape restoration very welcome...

here I dreamt I was an architect

metabrilliant — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 18:08:50 -0800

What would you leave behind in your home for succeeding residents? What do you wish someone else had left for you? When my father and his siblings sold my grandparents' house a few years ago (after they had lived there for fifty years), they left behind several things that they thought the new owners might wish to have: blueprints of the house, old maps and guidebooks to the town, etc. Nothing terribly personal, as they never met the family moving in. I thought this was a really nice idea worth adopting. I've always been the kind of kid who likes to go around exploring all the nooks and crannies of wherever it is I inhabit. Discovering old things people leave behind is a thrill. Anything from old maps and photos to time capsules and secret caches.

So, have ever you ever left something behind for someone you didn't know (whether openly or in secret)? What, if anything, has been left in the places that you've lived? What do you think you'd like to find in a new house?

Also, what other sorts of things can you think of to leave behind? Standard time capsule things such as newspaper clippings are good, but bonus points for more creative suggestions. Artistic photos? Scrapbooks?

Time Capsule Etiquette

cribcage — Sun, 29 May 2005 19:56:47 -0800

I'd like to assemble a small time capsule, and I'd like to drop it into the Atlantic Ocean. How can I do this? Lee Valley sells a beautiful, brass time capsule which claims to be both airtight and watertight. It would surely catch the eye of some future explorer. I figure the best way to assure that a time capsule remains undisturbed for the longest period of time, short of launching it into space, would be to submerge it in the ocean.

I don't own a boat, but I don't think I would need to be too far offshore. Do cruise ships have a policy about guests tossing objects overboard? Do ferries? If I planned to go deep-sea fishing and brought the capsule along, would I risk getting the captain into trouble? I don't believe it's littering if you place a message into a bottle and toss it overboard, because you intend it to be found -- but nautical law probably disagrees.

Educate me.