Connecting Time Capsule via WiFi

Can I connect & operate Time Capsule via wireless WiFi, or do I need to use the Ethernet cable to connect to a modem?

iMac 27″ 5K, macOS 13.7

Posted on Jan 1, 2026 8:01 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 1, 2026 8:22 PM

StephenCurl wrote:

Can I connect & operate Time Capsule via wireless WiFi, or do I need to use the Ethernet cable to connect to a modem?


Caution: Time Capsule is unsupported with macOS 26; with the current macOS version. No Time Machine access.


You’ll want a wired Ethernet connection, as Time Capsule doesn’t offer mesh support.


You can also wire the Time Capsule into a mesh network node, if your mesh network and mesh network node offers network bridging. Most mesh-capable Wi-Fi networks offer this.


If not operating your Time Capsule as your firewall / gateway, you’ll want to configure it into its bridged mode.


Info:

https://www.macobserver.com/tips/how-to/add-time-capsule-or-airport-extreme-to-existing-network-in-bridge-mode/

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 1, 2026 8:22 PM in response to StephenCurl

StephenCurl wrote:

Can I connect & operate Time Capsule via wireless WiFi, or do I need to use the Ethernet cable to connect to a modem?


Caution: Time Capsule is unsupported with macOS 26; with the current macOS version. No Time Machine access.


You’ll want a wired Ethernet connection, as Time Capsule doesn’t offer mesh support.


You can also wire the Time Capsule into a mesh network node, if your mesh network and mesh network node offers network bridging. Most mesh-capable Wi-Fi networks offer this.


If not operating your Time Capsule as your firewall / gateway, you’ll want to configure it into its bridged mode.


Info:

https://www.macobserver.com/tips/how-to/add-time-capsule-or-airport-extreme-to-existing-network-in-bridge-mode/

Jan 3, 2026 5:55 PM in response to StephenCurl

Actually, the Time Capsule can connect using Wi-Fi only, but the Wi-Fi network would need to be provided by another Apple AirPort router.....like an AirPort Extreme, or another Time Capsule.


From the information in your post, it appears that your current Wi-Fi router is not an AirPort router. The Time Capsule cannot connect to the Wi-Fi provided by a third party router.

Connecting Time Capsule via WiFi

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