The AirPort Time Capsule and AirPort Express are both great hardware to have if you’re invested in Apple’s Ecosystem. I use Time Capsule to provide a Wi-Fi signal and manage my wireless backups using Time Machine and to extend my Wi-Fi signal, I use the AirPort Express. They can do so much more too and it’s too bad Apple decided to discontinue these products.
The Golden Rule…
For those of you who have both these products and have encountered issues where the Wi-Fi signals drop. The golden rule that I follow which 9 out of 10 times solves the issue is by keeping a good distance between your Time Capsule and other equipment. Interference is a common issue and a healthy distance of at least 3 feet can make all the difference. By doing this, the signal from the Time Capsule becomes much more stable, and as a result, the signal from the AirPort Express remains pretty solid.
Restarting Time Capsule
Not all great things last, and every once in a while you will have to restart your Time Capsule to resolve signal issues. To restart, simply open AirPort Utility, select the Time Capsule and on the menu bar, navigate to > Base Station > Restart.
Power Cycling Time Capsule
There may be a reason to power cycle and the AirPort Time Capsule doesn’t have a built-in power switch, which I’ve always found weird, so unplugging the unit manually seems like the way most people tend to do it. Having it plugged into a dedicated power strip or a single port power adapter with an on/off switch makes it a little more convenient to power cycle. I thought about having it on a smart plug but this becomes pointless if the smart plug is dependant on the Wi-Fi network you’re restarting, so… no.