Airport Express, External HDD & Time Machine

Hi Guys,
Sorry if this has been answered before but I have tried to search for the answer and can't find one.
I am toying with buying a Time Capsule for my backups but it was suggested to me that an Airport Express with an external HDD attached to it will work with Time Machine....Is this the case.
Not only will this save me money but there is much feedback about the TIME CAPSULE overheating after 18 months...thats a lot of money every 18 months.
Many Thanks

copperrick wrote:
the link you left was very helpful, slightly annoying that it was an Apple Store Employee that recommended using an external HDD attached to an extreme after all they are meant to be the GENIUSES lol.
PLEASE call the store, or ask for the manager if you go back. Calmly but firmly ask them to inform their personnel. (They don't get a lot of training on Time Machine, and don't actually use it in the stores.)
Refer them to these Apple articles:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.6/en/15139.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2038

Similar Messages

Backing up files to external HDD, time machine? Super Duper?

Well I finally did it. I gave myself an early Xmas gift... a 1TB WD drive. I currently have 4 internal drives in my G4 tower with OSX Tiger on one drive and OSX Leopard on another. I have my itunes, iphoto, imovie and idvd libraries running from the other two internal drives. Dont remember if I asked this before but here goes. What's the best way to back up files without interrupting the library directory system? In other words, itunes and iphoto will be asking me where are my **** files? I was also debating on creating a disk image of the OSX Tiger drive and erase it for other use? I can always mount it later if I need it, correct?
Your input is appreaciated. Thanks

how many drives do you have running?
Currently have 6 machines and a total of 21 drives running.
In two machines I use TM and SD! backup, in the other four I use SD! only.
I've never fallen back/used a TM backup, but constantly use SD! backups.
The performance benefit of running a SD! clone is one main reason.
When would it be appropriate to run SP or CCC?
I run the initial SD! clone upon setup of a drive.
After that, I base frequency on the usage.
With full time machines, Smart Update of SD! runs every night.
In other machines, I run Smart Update once a week.
Having so many drives, it can get hard to cover backups drive for drive, but 1:1 is a better backup scheme.
With the 1TB, 2 TB and 3 TB drives getting so reasonable, a single drive can be partitioned to serve as backup for two, three or even four volumes.
Of course, it is better to limit the number of volumes on a single drive in case of catastrophy....

Airport Extreme + USB HDD = Time Capsule?

Hi!
(Sorry for my poor English, I hope it's possible to understand my problem/question).
I bought a MacBook in January 09. It's connected to the Internet via WLAN and a Fritz.Box (Wireless Router with built-in DSL Modem, unfortunately it uses the old slow LAN and WLAN protocol and a USB1-Port).
I want to backup my files with Time Machine via WLAN. I tried to connect a USB-Drive to my Fritz.Box but it was terribly slow (USB1...)
It's important, that the backups go automatically when I'm at home and connected to my WLAN.
Now I think of buying something that's more useful. I have three ideas and I'm not sure what to do...
1) Buying the Time Capsule. Pro: I think, it will work perfectly. I don't need to worry about a thing. Contra: It's terribly expensive. In Germany 1TB will cost about 600$. (Maybe I should buy the 500GB-Version and update it by myself to 1GB or 2GB).
2) Buying the Airport Extreme. Unfortunately I'm not sure if a Airport Extreme + USB-HDD is the same as the Time Capsule. Apple writes: "Time Machine in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard can be used to back up to many kinds of Mac OS Extended-formatted drives, but you cannot choose AirPort Extreme's AirPort Disk as a Time Machine backup volume. " On the other hand some Users wrote that they managed to get their TM-Backup on a AE-HDD (but did this work via WLAN?). With the Airport Extreme it would be easy to manage a itunes-stream-server (the Airport Express is not too expensive). And the Airport Extreme isn't too expensive as well.
3) Using a Network-HDD. It would be not too good, since I had to use my slow WLAN-Connection and since this wouldn't be supported by Apple at all. On the other hand this would be the least expensive version.
What should I do? Is it possible to work with the Airport Extreme and an external USB-HDD via WLAN and without any problems (like mounting the drive manually each time I connect to my Network).
It would be much more fun, if everything ran automatically, when I got in reach of my Network...
Thanks in advance! Gerrit

A couple of pointers.
The hard drive must be specifically formatted in Mac OS Extended (Journaled) to work with the AirPort Extreme's USB port. Check the documentation that came with the drive to find out how it is formatted at the present time.....it is likely formatted to work with Windows, which is not compatible with the AirPort Extreme.
Unfortunately, even if the drive is formatted correctly, Apple does not officially support Time Machine backups to a drive at the USB port of the AirPort Extreme, so that will be the next hurdle to deal with.
Some users actually do seem to be able to make this work, but overall, it is not a reliable method to backup your data if it is important to you.

Is it possible to use NAS storage (which is wired via LAN to AirPort Extreme) as a Time Machine destination?

Is it possible to use NAS storage (WD My Cloud EX2 or WD My Cloud EX4) which is wired via LAN to current AirPort Extreme, as a Time Machine backup destination?
There are two reasons I came up with this question.
- Connecting via Ethernet should be faster than USB 2.0 connection
- 8TB NAS storages are slightly cheaper than 8TB USB HDD
If it is impossible, I am planning to buy My Book Thunderbolt Duo 8TB and wire it for MacBook Pro directly for the purpose of Time Machine backup.
I have a concern with my primal idea of backing up via WiFi, as I tend to handle big files when doing music production or movie editing. I wonder if this affect the performance of MacBook Pro, as it might take more time to complete each backup via WiFi.
Many thanks for your advice in advance,
Masa
MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch (Mid 2012)
Processor 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7
Memory 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3

I would appreciate any advice which could include aother sollition of secure and practical backup.

Can't connect my express to my time machine base station?

can't connect my express to my time machine base station I am in a loop and frustrated

Ok, you have an older 802.11g AX. The steps to configure it for streaming are the same for both models. Let's go over it quickly just in case something was missed.
AirPort Express Base Station (AX) - iTunes Setup
Either connect to the AX's wireless network or connect directly, using an Ethernet cable, to the Ethernet port of the AX, and then using the AirPort Utility in "Manual Setup" mode, make the following changes:
AirPort Utility > Select the AX > Manual Setup > AirPort > Wireless
Wireless Mode: Join a wireless network
Network Name: <existing TC's wireless network>
Wireless Security: <select the encryption type of the existing wireless network>
Wireless Password: <enter the existing wireless network password>
Verify Password: <re-enter the existing wireless network password>
AirPort Utility > Select the AX > Manual Setup >Music
Enable AirTunes (checked)
iTunes Speaker Name: <enter desired speaker name>
iTunes Speaker Password: (optional)
Verify Password: (optional)
Click Update to write the new settings to the AX
Please post back your results.

How to use an external as Time Machine backup that was previously a Time Machine backup

My MacBook Pro drive died a few months ago. Thankfully it was fully backed up to an external with Time Machine. I seem to grab something from the backup every week from various libraries, but I now need to back up my new drive. I am cheap and do not want to buy yet another external especially as the older backup is a TB and nowhere near full. Does anyone know if I can use the old external with the old HD back-up as a back-up for the new drive without having to erase and reformat (i.e., keep the old HD back-up in tact)? Thanks in advance for a response.

You can use it, provided there's enough space, but to be safe you really need more than one backup.

HT2497 I have a new Airport Express and each time I open my laptop, I have to select my network. How to I configure to automatically go to my network

I have a new Airport Express and each time I open my laptop, I have to select my network. How to I configure to automatically go to my network>

ATOV,
Go to System Preferences...>Network>Wi-Fi>Advanced...>✓ "Remember networks this computer has joined," and click "OK."

Should I buy airport express, extreme or time capsule? I have my new Mac Pro. 2 iPhones, 2 iPads , and grandchildren who come with their devices. I live in a two-level house.

Should I buy airport express, extreme or time capsule? I have my new Mac Pro. 2 iPhones, 2 iPads , and grandchildren who come with their devices. I live in a two-level house.

A Time Capsule is an AirPort Extreme with a built in hard drive to allow your Mac(s) to back up automatically, so it's a logical choice if you need a wireless router and back up capabilities for your Macs
The AIrPort Extreme has a bit better antenna arrangement than an AirPort Express, so it would be a good choice for a two level house.
Depending on the location of the "main" wireless router, you may find that you still need to add an extender or two in other parts of the house for full, fast wireless coverage. The AirPort Express is a good choice for this duty.
To compare the 3 Apple devices, see this Apple support document:
Compare Apple Wi-Fi base stations AirPort Express AirPort Extreme Time Capsule

Airport Extreme and external HDD time capsule issues

I'm going to try to provide as much information for you so that you can recommend a fix to the problem.
1. I've just become an Apple owner and also purchased Airport Extreme (AE) a Belkin USB (4 port) hub and a Seagate GoFLex, 1.8T external HDD.
2. My system:
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Boot ROM Version: MBP81.0047.B04
SMC Version (system): 1.69f1
Serial Number (system): XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Hardware UUID: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
3. Attached to the HUB is HP 6280 printer and the Seagate 1.8T GoFlex external HDD.
4. I did configure the AE and my internet connect is working spot on.
5. The AE recognizes the HP6280 printer and it works fine.
Here's where the problem starts:
When I open Time Machine to configure Time Capsule I cannot get the AE to add thGoFlex external HDD drive to the WiFi.
Do I have reset the AE to default setting and start all over? Is there another way to add the GoFlex to the AE so it recognizes it; then, I can run the set up program for the time machine and have wireless capability.

New2Guitar wrote:
When I open Time Machine to configure Time Capsule I cannot get the AE to add thGoFlex external HDD drive to the WiFi.
I hate to have to tell you this, but backing-up with Time Machine software via an Airport Extreme is "iffy" and +*not supported by Apple.+* See [Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Airport.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).
By the way, a +Time Capsule+ is a wireless router, similar to an Airport Extreme, but a bit larger and with a hard drive built-in, and Time Machine backups to it are supported. In fact, that's the main thing the Time Capsule was designed for. See: http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC344LL/A/Time-Capsule-2TB?fnode=MTY1NDA0Mg&mc o=MTMzNzU2MjI

Using External HD connected to Airport to use for Time Machine - Problems

Hello,
I have an Airport Extreme (1 USB port on back) and want to use an external HD as the Time Machine. Originally I had the HD connected to the Airport and just using as storage. We have 2 Macbook Pros and both could see this HD when used this way.
I have since decided to use the HD as a dedicated Time Machine storage device (my MacBook crashed). I was instructed to reformat HD (which I did) and plug into each laptop to initialize the Time Machine (which I did). Both laptops saw the HD and did a backup.
Unfortunately when I went and plugged the HD back into the Airport it was not reconized by either laptop and I could not initialize Time Machine (TM did not "see" the HD as the storage device.
I can still plug the HD into each laptop and it will do a backup but would like to get this conected so it is automatic.
Both laptops have Snow Leopard installed
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Thx
Jim

Sorry, the older "round" (looks like a flying saucer) AirPort Extreme cannot support a hard drive. It will only support a compatible printer at the USB port.
You need the "square" AirPort Extreme to be able to connect a hard drive at the USB port. It looks like this AirPort Extreme. Or, do you mean to say that you have this model?
Message was edited by: Bob Timmons

Connecting external HD to Airport to use as Time Machine

Hello,
Sorry if this is a "same old" type of question but I cannot find the answer in this forum.
We have 2 MacBook Pros, 1 airport Extreme that both MacBooks are connected to and use for the Internet. (In case that matters) I have an external HD that has been connected to the airport that has been used as an external storage space for both MacBooks. Not too long ago the HD crashed on my MacBook so I have decided to use the external for a Time Machine for both MacBooks. I cleared everything off the external (was told I would lose info when setting up for TM) and tried to set up TM with no luck.
The external HD shows up in Finder but not when I try to set up TM. All that shows is the Airport.
Is there a step by step link somewhere or any suggestions on how I can do this?
* The external is not as big as I should have and I do plan on upgrading in the future. Right now the one I have is 600G and my MacBook is 500G and the other is 250G. We hardly have anything on either so can the external work for now?
Thanks
Jim

JIMNPHX wrote:
Thank you I saw this when I was searching. Not a very high percentage of it working correctly.
We don't really know the percentages (Apple might, but isn't telling, other than not supporting it).
The success and reliability are "iffy." In many cases, it seems to work fine for a while, but then on occasion the sparse bundle the backups are in turns up corrupted. Sometimes it's repairable, sometimes not -- so you have to erase the drive (or delete the sparse bundle) and start over.
My "primary" backups are done that way, but I also keep secondary backups (much easier, of course, with an iMac than laptops.) I keep a "bootable clone" via CarbonCopyCloner (the similar SuperDuper is also popular), on a separate external HD, and, mostly for testing, another set of TM backups on that same external.
Is this my only option?
Oh, no. Of course, you could go back to using the HD when connected directly; or get a Time Capsule. If there's a desktop Mac in the mix, you can back up over your network to a shared drive connected to it.
And there are 3rd-party services that let you back up to the "cloud," such as Mozy or Carbonite; and some other backup apps will work with an Air Disk. I think Retrospect is one.
Best might be a variant of what I do; back up via the Airport, but be sure to do other backups to a locally-connected drive periodically. That gives you the best of both types of backup, as well as two separate, independent ones: all hardware fails, sooner or later, and no backup app is perfect. Just be sure to run the "clone" update frequently.
CCC is donationware; SD has a free version, but you need the paid one (about $30) to do updates instead of full replacements, or scheduling. Either is easily found via Google.
And/or, see Kappy's post on Basic Backup, complete with links to the web sites of each product.

Airport express, guest wifi, time capsule all muddled up - Looking for Bob Timmons!

My operatign system is OS X 10.9.1
Airport Express Time capsule 1 TB
I have had my airport express time capsule for 2 years (1 TB)and it worked pretty near flawlessly since then. It started with the time capsule being too full and that got me messsing with it.
I could not fugure out how to delete files from the time capsule and it was not writing over old ones. I have seen the same problem on here already. (In the end I bought an external drive and now that seems to have solved it and is scurrently bqcking up to the exteranl, even though I deleted a bunch of old files and my computer is now hovering around 830 MB it still won't back up to time capsule a stime capsule states it is hovering around 965 MB . If you can help me on this part that is great. )
Then I tried to reset my AE device. WIth that I had to reset my network. this is where the problems began.
Previously my AE had a steady green light and hosted two wifi names (mine and for guests).
Now if I click not bridged (?) then I can not get Internet access on the guest network, i get the signal and it is there just no internet connection. If I click DHC and Nat it constantly blinks amber but the guest network is there and i have internet. I have gone back and forth with this and it is consistently behaving like I described above.
I have done a reset. I have done a reset and unplugged the machine (though I admit I did not wait two minutes, closer to 45 seconds)
I want to go back to the steady green light and the two wifis established as before.
Also one more thing to add. My Server name has disappeared too. I get an error message that says
There was a problem connecting to the server "name"
The server may not exist or it is unavailable at this time. Check the server name or IP address, check your network connection, then try again.
Seems I did a great job messing with this today.
Can you please help me?

In its default state, the 802.11n AirPort Express Base Station (AXn) will broadcast an unsecured wireless network. It does not need to be connected to another network or the Internet to operate this way. Wireless clients can then connect to this wireless network, but as you know, none will have access to the Internet. Both your Mac and iPhone should have no issues connecting to this network.

Why does ext HDD / time machine run slow?

Apologies if this is answered else where, but I can't find any answers.
I have a MBP running OSX 10.6.8. Connected to it as a Time Machine is a Freecom 400GB 28147 uk, external hardrive connected over USB 2.0. I also have a Mac Mini running 10.6.8.
When connected to my MBP, I have found that it is extremely slow to read files. I gave up using it for Time Machine a while ago as I thought there was a problem Time Machine software causing it to run slow. I have also tried to read the time machine backups through finder and they are still slow to read.
Today (don't know why i didn't do it before now) I plugged it in to my Mac Mini with USB 2.0 and found that I can read all the time machine files at lightning speed, far quicker than my MBP which can take 2-3 mins to open a folder. I have noticed that the hard drive doesn't make its usual whurring noise when im trying to open a folder using the MBP, right up until the last minute before the folder opens.
Does any one have any idea about what might be causing the problem when the the ext HDD is connected to my MBP?
Any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated.

larryfromjackson wrote:
I'm backing up to a Drobo with four 2-Gig drives.
How are you connected to it? Network problems could explain at least some of what you're seeing.
More often then not I don't know how long the backups take because when it becomes to annoying I stop the backup.
That guarantees that Time Machine will have to do a "deep scan" the next time, comparing everything on your system to the backups. That does take a while, but if there are no other problems shouldn't have a major impact on performance.
All of that said, I can't say for certain that there isn't something else going on. Generally the way I notice the slowdown is when my keyboard inputs come out screwy -- ingB instead of Bring, pplAication for Applicaton for example. When I know that this is happening I can work "around" it by typing the first letter, pausing for a second or two, then typing the remander. Does any of this ring an bells?
I've not heard of that specifically, but if you're connected to the Drobo wirelessly, and using a Bluetooth keyboard, there are reports of interference between the two. Try a wired keyboard temporarily, and/or different WIFI channels.

Can an external Mac/Time Machine hard drive be connected with Airpot thru USB for wireless backup

I purchased a seagate 3 tb hard drive and planned on connecting it to my airport via usb. I setup the drive and did the full time machine back up of my imac. I then powered down the airport and the hard drive. I then plugged in the drive and airport and then powered them up. The airport lite up green then went yellow and stopped broadcasting.
Can these two work together like Time Capsule does?

I was sort of in the same boat. I ended up getting a 4th generation TC about six months ago. I only got the 2 TB model as I have a number of those WD My Passports laying around. I decided to use the TC's internal HDD as a NAS and use a powered USB hub with two My Passports attached to them for Time Machine backups. I use the 500 GB for my Mac mini backups and the 750 GB for my two other Mac laptops.
I could have just as easily switched to using the intenal HDD for Time Machine and the My Passports for the NAS. However, I wanted better to use the better transfer rates of the internal drive for my NAS.

USB drive attached to Airport Extreme as a time machine backup?

I have a WD 750gb external USB drive that I was using as a "time machine" with my iMac. My Airport Extreme has a USB port and I want to move the WD over to there, but continue to use it as time machine. Possible to do this? If yes, then how?
Thanks much

You can, but Time Machine uses a disk image file for the Time Machine archive (instead of a folder) when a network drive is used. Therefore, you may have to start your Time Machine archive over again.
If you have one Mac to back up with Time Machine, it is better to leave the drive attached directly to the computer over USB. Your initial and hourly Time Machine backups will complete faster.

Airport Express, External HDD & Time Machine

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for