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I'm currently having a Linksys router which gets an IP from my ISP. I have 2 Macbooks which are getting a DHCP lease from this router.

When I connect a Time Capsule to the router, the Time Capsule will get an IP from my router, which will be in the same subnet of my Macbooks.

My questions: (a) will I be able to use Time Machine to backup my 2 Macbooks to the Time Capsule? (b) will I be able to access a Time Capsule sure from a Windows laptop which is in the same subnet of the Macbooks/Time Capsule?

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Yes - once you have things set up - Windows, iOS and Mac will all see the Time Capsule even when it's not running the network and your router still handles routing.

Of course it depends on how you set up the Time Capsule since out of the box, it will want to be a router and you could hook things up in a troublesome manner unintentionally. The time capsule has a firewalled connection (The WAN port) that if you use, you have to tear down several settings to allow someone from "outside" the network to see the drive. The Time Capsule has several internal ethernet ports as well as potentially joining the network over WiFi which wouldn't be firewalled.

I would set up the Time Capsule in bridge mode so it doesn't turn on DHCP/NAT, etc and connect to your router if possible over ethernet to one of the LAN ports and not the one WAN port. The ports you want look like this:

Apple's LAN port symbol from support.apple.com/kb/PH5144

As long as it's in bridge mode and you connect over WiFi or a LAN port, everything should be fully functional and all Macs and PC will see the Time Capsule as if it were running the network. It might also function for bonjour sleep proxy and other nice to have items - but that also depends on the router settings.

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  • So, when I connect a cable between my main router and a LAN port of my Time Capsule, how will the Time Capsule get an IP? From my main router? Will Time Capsule automatically bridge? Or do I have to do funky things to make it work?
    – Jochen Hebbrecht
    Commented Dec 22, 2012 at 18:55
  • Nothing funky is needed - your iPhone (iOS device) or Mac will see the IPv6 address of the hardware and let you set it up - even if it doesn't pull a DHCP address from the router. Bridge mode in Airport Utility will tell the Time Capsule to pull an IPv4 address over DHCP from the LAN port (or from the WiFi network if you choose to join that way).
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Dec 22, 2012 at 19:02
  • I've got tons of rep here - so feel free to answer this with exactly how you set it up once you have it working - toss me an upvote if my answer helps you get there in the end but feel free to select your answer since it will surely solve your question better than my general explanations.
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Dec 22, 2012 at 19:03

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