How do I turn my old Time Machine into a Wi-Fi extender and still use it for backups?

The Time Capsule cannot connect to your current Wi-Fi network using only a wireless connection.....unless.....your main router is also another Apple AirPort router.

Otherwise, it must connect to your main router using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection.

If you are able to meet those requirements, we can review the setup with you.

OK, thanks for the information.

If the Time Capsule is already connected to your router using an Ethernet cable connection, you should be able to use AirPort Utility on your Mac to make some changes.

Open AirPort Utility........(Finder > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility)

Click on the Time Capsule to select it

Click Edit in lower right hand corner to display the settings for the Time Capsule

Click on the Wireless tab at the top of the window

Network Mode = Create a wireless network

Wireless Network Name = Exact same name as your router's Wi-Fi network

Wireless Security = WPA2 Personal

Wireless Password = Exact same password as your router's Wi-Fi network

Verify = Exact same password as your router's Wi-Fi network

Click on the Network tab at the top of the window

Router Mode = Off (Bridge Mode)

Click on Update at the lower right of the window and give the Time Capsule a minute to restart. Should be a green light on the Time Capsule at this point.

Note that you will need to leave the Ethernet cable permanently connected from the Time Capsule to your router, so if you plan to use the Time Capsule as an "extender", it will need to be located in the area where you need more Wi-Fi signal coverage.

Bob Timmons wrote:

The Time Capsule cannot connect to your current Wi-Fi network using only a wireless connection.....unless.....your main router is also another Apple AirPort router.

Otherwise, it must connect to your main router using a permanent wired Ethernet cable connection.

If you are able to meet those requirements, we can review the setup with you.

If the wireless access point is another Apple Airport but that Airport is not the router (i.e. it's in bridge mode) then you can connect other Time Capsules wirelessly and extend the network.

That's correct, but this would not apply to the question that the OP asked regarding his network, which had only one Apple device.

Sure, the OP could locate the Time Capsule near his main router and then buy a used AirPort Extreme to wirelessly extend the Time Capsule network......(and lose half of the speed of the network in the process.)

Bob Timmons wrote:

You are welcome.

Keep in mind that if you want to "extend" a network, the device that will "extend" will always need to be located in the extended area.

It's a bit more complicated than that. The overall throughput will be limited by the slowest (weakest) link. So if, for example, you put the extender at almost the limit of it's comms range with the router then although the extended area will be greater, the data rate won't be very good. The best throughput, to a first order, is gained by putting the extender about half way between the router and the farthest extent you want to extend your wireless network to.

[Edited by Moderator]

Keep in mind that if you want to "extend" a network, the device that will "extend" will always need to be located in the extended area.

We can go on splitting hairs as long as you like, but you may not understand that my comment was regarding the OP's network and extending using a wired Ethernet connection......not Wi-Fi.

So, in the OP's proposed "roaming network", the best location for the extending device would be in the area where more signal is needed.

This thread is getting too complicated and confusing.

Please start another new thread and provide details on what would be located where. Give us an idea of how many walls or ceilings a Wi-Fi signal would have to pass through to reach the extending AirPorts.

I'm heading for the real airport now to catch a flight, so it may be a day or two before I can answer.

Bob I don't have much hair to split.

Please check to see that I was responding to a post from Zuracyurx. The post has become confusing.....as I noted....because it began as a question about using Ethernet to extend a network and has now changed to questions about extending using Wi-Fi.

As best you can, please describe a new network that you are thinking about and we'll discuss some upsides and downsides to what you may be thinking about.

I will make one statement here though......a network where Ethernet is used to extend the network will always easily outperform a network that is extended using a wireless connection. Some users are willing to accept the inevitable drop in performance extending using Wi-Fi because they have no other choice for extending the network.

And things can get really tricky. For example, let's say that you have an AirPort Extreme connected to your main router and you want to use the Time Capsule to create a Wi-Fi network that will be extended by two other Apple Wi-Fi devices......say two AirPort Extremes.

Since the AirPort Extremes will be extending using wireless.....both AirPort Extremes must be located such that they receive a stronger Wi-Fi signal from the Time Capsule than they do from the other AirPort Extreme.

You can't have a situation where one AirPort Extreme wirelessly extends the Time Capsule network and then the second AirPort Extreme extends the wireless signal from the first AirPort Extreme. That won't work.

Both AirPort Extremes have to extend the wireless signal from the Time Capsule. That means that each AirPort Extreme must be located closer to the Time Capsule than it is to the other AirPort Extreme to prevent one AirPort Extreme from picking up a stronger signal from the other AirPort Extreme.

By now, I've probably totally confused you, but we can work through this if you can provide as many details as possible about your proposed network.

So, the Time Capsule will remain connected to your router and you will use the wireless capability of the Time Capsule to create a wireless network......correct?

The AirPort Extreme will be able to extend the Wi-Fi signal from the Time Capsule if it is located where it can pick up a strong signal from the Time Capsule to extend. Without knowing the layout of your home or how many walls there might be in the signal path from the Time Capsule to the AirPort Extreme, I can't give you an accurate prediction of how well the network will perform.

In general, the AirPort Extreme would normally be located about half way between the Time Capsule and the area that needs more wireless coverage

If you want to also use the AirPort Express to extend the wireless signal from the Time Capsule, things can get tricky because the AirPort Express must be located where it can receive a stronger signal from the Time Capsule than the AirPort Extreme. That generally means that the AirPort Express must be located closer to the Time Capsule than the AirPort Extreme.

If the AirPort Express picks up a stronger signal from the AirPort Extreme than the Time Capsule, the wireless signal will not be extended by the AirPort Express.

In other words, an AirPort can only extend the network by connecting to the wireless signal from the Time Capsule, not another AirPort.

Personally, I am not fond of extending a network using wireless, but the network might work well enough for your needs. This will be one of those times when you don't really know how well things will work until you try.

Mylit wrote:

I want purchase the Apple AirPort Extreme A1521 & A1392 Dual-Band AC Wireless Router & Extender AND extend my Time machine to extend AND backup one computer. Is that feasible?

I’d suggest a modern mesh network configuration here, with Time Machine server support, and a modern HDD pr equivalent storage. Not newly-installing what can be decade-old (or more) Apple Wi-Fi gear.

Synology has mesh options here, as can a mesh configuration with network-attached storage from different vendors.

For a higher-end configuration, Ubiquiti access points (such as some number of UniFi Express boxes) with a Synology dual- or multiple-bay NAS server wired.

You are welcome.

Keep in mind that if you want to "extend" a network, the device that will "extend" will always need to be located in the extended area.