Can Time Capsule Be Used Only as a Hard Drive, Not as a Router?

I have been using a Time Capsule as a router and as a wireless backup system for a year, but had endless trouble with the dual use, since my personal Macbook is on the second floor of my house and the router must reside in the basement, where we have other computers. Wireless backups are much too slow. So I replaced the Time Capsule with an Airport Extreme Base Station, which works fine. I'd like to continue using the Time Capsule, but solely for backups and not as a router, and connect the TC by ethernet or usb directly to the MacBook. Can this be done, and if so, how? Thanks!

Hello JohnFrancis. Welcome to the Apple Discussions!
I'd like to continue using the Time Capsule, but solely for backups and not as a router, and connect the TC by ethernet or usb directly to the MacBook. Can this be done, and if so, how?
Yes it can. You would just need to disable its wireless radio. You will also need to connect it by Ethernet as the TC's USB port is only for connecting it to USB hard drives, printers, and/or hubs.
To disable the radio: AirPort Utility > Manual Setup > Time Capsule > Wireless tab > Wireless Mode = Off

Similar Messages

  • Can time capsule be used as an external hard drive for storing media

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    TC is not designed to be a NAS.. principally it is lacking any means to back itself up. And TM cannot backup a network drive.
    If you put data on it like your movies and music in raw format that is fine.. if you put your itunes or iphoto etc library on it.. you will find it is slow to start, quick to stop, stutters and has issues. Also wireless frankly is just not that good.
    I am not sure how far away is anywhere?? Do you mean remote access? That is possible via btmm using icloud.
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    How are you going to play your videos or music unless you move itunes library onto the TC??

  • Can the time capsule be used as an external hard drive

    Can the time capsule be used as an external hard drive

    If you mean by usb to a computer no.. it is a network device only and has to be used via ethernet or wireless.
    It can be used standalone,, ie not plugged into an existing network.. but there are some steps required to make it work if you want internet connection at the same time. It is generally much easier to have the TC bridged into the network.

  • Can an Apple Time capsule be used as a external hard drive?

    Hello I have a 4th Generation time capsule and I've had it for some time now and never used it and I was wondering if it could be used as a external hard drive instead of just a back up disk. Also I am planning to install a copy of Windows 7 on my Mid 2011 21.5" iMac and I was wondering if Windows would recognize the TC as a external hard drive and would alow me to use it as such.

    It is not an external hard disk.. you cannot use it via USB if that is what you mean.
    It is now and forever more a Network drive. You can store files on it as a network drive.. with the following provisos.
    Store files on the TC.
    https://discussions.apple.com/message/24380694#24380694
    This is asked several times a day.. obviously people are struggling with their latest SSD being too small.
    The TC is not suitable for network file server.. but many people having no choice press it into service as such.
    It cannot be partitioned. It was and is and ever shall be a backup device for Time Machine.
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    1. No backup.. no way Time Machine can backup a network drive. No place to backup to.. So all your files will be at risk. And you will need to buy a third party like CCC to do backup.
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    5. iTunes will constantly lose connection to the library. The disk is too slow to respond.. itunes on the computer will constantly spit out errors. Even in the midst of streaming the TC can spin down the disk due to caching.
    6. Do not use any live files on the TC no matter what else you do.. if you edit files in whatever program the file must be on the local hard disk.
    7. The only suitable location for most libraries is a computer. You can plug in an external hard disk.
    Read pondini for some work arounds.
    Q3 here. http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
    Windows can also use the TC for files. Much the same warnings apply.

  • Can the 2013 airport time capsule be used as an external hard drive

    or do you have to purchase a separate external hard drive and connect it to the time capsule??

    Under the same network, I do use it as a music server (iTunes library) and files to share.
    If you have an apple ID, you can get access to this drive any where via Back to My Mac

  • Can Time Capsule act as just a network hard drive?

    I need a hard drive somehow just "on" our home network. I.e. I need to be able to access files wirelessly that are too many to be on my laptop (i.e. a seperate repository).
    Does Time Capsule do this, or is it really just for backup? If the latter, can anyone please recommend a solution? I, of course, would not like to have to invest in computer that is always on just to get at files on a drive.
    Thanks.

    Time Capsule is a NAS. You can use it as such. The advantage of TC over a regular NAS is that is is Apple-supported for use with Time Machine.
    Note that TC is not easy to partition without removing the HDD from the case. Therefore, if you paln to use it for backups and other file storage, they will share the same partition and will be formatted HFS+.

  • Can  time machine be use like an external hard drive

    like to  put a windows partition on time machine  use it for more  espace

    305Sebas wrote:
    like to  put a windows partition on time machine ..
    Do not do this... TM works best on its Own Dedicated Hard Drive.
    Would suggest another EHD for your windows usage.

  • How to use AirPort Time Capsule 2TB as an external storage hard drive only?

    I have a new AirPort Time Capsule 3TB, now I want to use my AirPort Time Capsule 2TB as an external storage hard drive only, how do I it? 
    I would like to  connect the AirPort Time Capsule 2TB directly to my Mac Pro. using OS X 10.7.5.
    I have erase disk and reset the 2TB to factory default, after that, I cannot make it to connect to my Mac.  Please help.

    The 2TB Time Capsule needs to connect to your 3TB Time Capsule using a wired Ethernet connection.
    Connect from a LAN <--> port on the 3 TB Time Capsule to the WAN "O" port on the 2 TB Time Capsule and configure the 2TB Time Capsule in Bridge Mode and turn off the wireless function on the device as well.
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  • Can time capsule be used to store the iPhoto library?

    Hi.
    Can somebody please advise if the time capsule can be used to store iPhoto library files (90GB) and iMovie files (600GB).
    Kind Regards
    Tony

    Don't know about iMovie, but if you check with the experts in the iPhoto support area, they will strongly advise against locating the iPhoto library on the Time Capsule....especially if you are using wireless.
    Might be a good idea to post over there for first hand info, but even if you decide to do this....risking corruption to your image library....have you thought about how you will back up the iPhoto library once it is on the Time Capsule?
    You will need another hard drive for this, of course...and an application that can backup a network drive....since Time Machine cannot do this.
    A better idea might be to connect a hard drive directly to your Mac using USB or FireWire and store the iPhoto library there....as the iPhoto experts will also recommend.
    Then....Time Machine will back up both your Mac and the hard drive.....so  you have backups of everything.

  • Can time capsule be used with windows programs

    can time capsule be used with windows as a wi fi router? or dose the disk that came with the time capsule work with windows program?

    The wifi router side will work fine.
    The disk that came with the TC should have windows version of airport utility but you can download it.. that is important if you want to setup the TC or use the shared disk.

  • Can time capsule be used with one computer?

    Can time capsule be used with one computer?

    Time Capsule can serve one or more Macs:
    https://www.apple.com/airport-time-capsule/
    Ciao.

  • Can time capsule be used on windows7

    can time capsule be used on windows7

    We have Macs and PCs in our house.  The mac is set up and running fine on TC/TM. 
    Questions is - what is the best way to also use TC to back up the windows 7 machines?
    The windows machine is set up on the wireless network - but not currently sharing files.
    If not practical I'll stay with the Windows external hard drive to back up that laptop.
    Thanks.
    You can just connect to the TC and use a backup software.. I backup to TC using Macrium Reflect which is free for disk image.. paid for version does incremental.
    Make sure you have plenty of space though on the TC for all the computers hdd usage.. with about 2x or 3x that space spare. TM uses a lot of free space and gets slow and unreliable deleting old backups if there isn't sufficient space.
    An NTFS formatted disk makes good sense for a pc.. if you want to see and use the files you backup.

  • Can Time Machine back up a second external hard drive that is attached via usb to a Time Capsule?

    Can Time Machine back up a second external hard drive that is attached via usb to a Time Capsule?
    I have a iMac with 10.7.4

    I want to back up the data on the external Hard Drive that is attached to the Time Capsule to the Tim Capsule using Time Machine.
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  • How can I move (copy) my Time Capsule date to a new 2T hard drive and then wipe the TC and start as a new (clean) Time MACHINE backup?

    How can I move (copy) my Time Capsule date to a new 2T hard drive and then wipe the TC and start as a new (clean) Time MACHINE backup?

    Just use the archive utility on the disk page of the airport utility manual setup..
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    Download and install the real.. UTILITY
    5.6 http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1482

  • Can this device be used as an external hard drive with a macbook pro laptop to use files on the airport?

    can this device be used as an external hard drive with a macbook pro laptop and use files on the airport time capsule?

    If you mean an AirPort base station other than the Time Capsule, it doesn't have internal storage.
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