Time Capsule A1409 goes off-line

Open AirPort Utility and click on the picture of the Time Capsule.

In the smaller window that appears, look for the word "version".

If you see version 7.8.1, then the firmware has been updated.

If you see version 7.6.9, you still have the old firmware installed on the Time Capsule.

Wait a day or two for the amber light to start blinking again. That will signal you that it is time to try to install the new firmware update again.

If things still will not update.......then.......it is time to tackle the more complicated method for the firmware update. LaPastenague will provide the details.

The A1409 is a 4th generation Time Capsule that came out in June 2011, and was discontinued two years later. That would make it, at least, six years old. As a comparison, most consumer-grade networking hardware have a useful life of between 3-5 years ... so you have already been quite lucky that yours is still working ... sort of.

Regardless, you can still try to "keep it going" by trying a few things:

1. When the status LED is flashing amber, you should check to see what error(s) it is having. You can do this by using the AirPort Utility, selecting the Time Capsule, and then, clicking on the amber dot. A flashing amber LED could just be indicating that there is a firmware update available and not a serious issue with the base station.
2. Perform a "factory default" reset, and then, setting it back up for your networking needs. If it continues to go-offline, then check to see if the issue could potentially be the modem/gateway/etc. that it is connected directly to by Ethernet that may be the cause. Simply, powering-down both devices, and then, powering-up the modem, then Time Capsule, may resolve this. However, if this doesn't resolve the problem, it's time to contemplate getting a new Time Capsule ... if you can still find them.

All of this comes down to getting ready to change your backup strategy to stop using Time Capsules for backups. If you still prefer to use a network drive for this, check out Synology for their NAS devices that support Time Machine.

Not sure if you want to spend a little time trying to troubleshoot the issue. If yes, when the amber light on the Time Capsule is blinking......

Try open AirPort Utility on your Mac (Finder > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility)

Click on the picture of the Time Capsule and a smaller window will appear with info about the Time Capsule and connection

If you see an Update button, new firmware is available for the Time Capsule. Click Update to install the new firmware

The example below shows an AirPort Express, but you will see your Time Capsule name on your screen

If you do NOT see an Update button........

Look for the Status setting, usually at the bottom of the list

Click on the small amber dot next to Status and another window will open with more information about why the Time Capsule is whining, along with a suggestion to remedy the "issue"

If you need more help, post back with the exact message that you see

Getting the TIme Capsule to work reliably in the network when it is not the main router can be difficult. There are a lot of posts complaining about dropouts like yours.

There are a couple of important things you can do to help it.. apart from what Tesserax suggested.

The key one is giving the TC a static IP.

Bonjour does not work very well with lots of different routers.

What is make and model of your main router?

So Time Capsules are yesterday's technology

Certainly Apple have given up making routers. And the Gen5 which was released to replace the Gen4 A1409 you own was never upgraded over its entire lifetime .. you won't find many routers on sale for 6 years.. and ones that are get hardware updates. Better processors.. shielding for USB3 which turned out to be a problem. And continual advancement in functionality.. eg mesh. A good example is the Asus RT-AC68U which has also been on sale for as long as the Gen5 TC.

Apple improved security and did bug fixes but never improved the hardware (like upgrading USB2 to USB3, which is easy) or added functionality like SMB2 & 3 which could really stretch their life.

But I personally like the A1409. I still have a couple of them working and have continued to repair them. They are the easy to work on and solidly made. The next version A1470 is a real mess inside.

To be practical unless you are a DIYer who likes repairing stuff it is time to replace the TC.

I don't think you really need a replacement since your backup strategy is comprehensive.

What brand is the NAS you are using?

What backup strategy might you recommend?

Create a bootable clone on USB drive. It sounds like you are doing something like it with Carbonite. I use Carbon Copy Cloner.

Time Machine is great when it works but has become very flakey in more recent Mac OS. It regularly wipes out its own backup so we see regular complaints based on this message.

I take it you don't care much for NAS storage ... ?

We use Synology NAS and recommend them.

If people want network backups then Apple offers nothing except using another computer since High Sierra.

See https://www.howtogeek.com/330288/how-to-set-up-your-mac-to-act-as-a-networked-time-machine-drive/

I do continue to run Time Machine to a backup.. either a TC of various descriptions or USB drive on computer so local backup or another router like Asus or Synology which support Time Machine to USB 3 drive.

Actually, using a NAS is one part of my overall backup strategy. I wrote a short "user tip" article on this exact topic. You may find it helpful:

• macOS Backup Strategy - Apple Community

I launched Airport Utility, and now I don't see anything that offers a firmware upgrade.

This might be a repeat.. Bob got in first.

Sometimes that is because it did upgrade.

What version is it showing? The latest is 7.8.1

Click on the version number in the summary screen with the option key held down.

All possible versions will be listed.

Select whichever firmware you like.. and it will load.

Now you can do it manually..

Click other at the bottom.

You must download the firmware beforehand.. it is listed in the version.xml file you will find here.

/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Apple/AirPort/Firmware

Save the configuration file from the TC and you will be able to find the following keys.. they tell you a Gen4 TC is 116.

<key>syAM</key>

<string>TimeCapsule6,116</string>

<key>syAP</key>

<integer>116</integer>

Open the version.xml file in textedit and it will list each of the firmware.

So the one you want is

7.8.1 for a 116

Just reboot the TC and try again.

No luck then I would do a full workover.

#1 Reset to factory and reconfigure it with new name.. short no spaces and pure alphanumerics. Same for password but can be longer. No files are deleted but you will need to set Time Machine to this new target name.

#2 Attempt the firmware update. If it fails tell us as there is another method.