Important changes in AC models

Question

A few issues have come up and my ignorance of the new AC models is causing me and possibly others to make mistakes.
Some major changes happened. It is really important if you are used to using Extreme or TC to read the setup manual and not assume you know what your doing from past experience.
TC manual. http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/airport_time_capsule_80211ac_setup.pdf
Extreme manual. http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/airport_extreme_80211ac_setup.pdf
I will list the items here. Feel free to add other things you find and I can then create a user document.
The New TC and Extreme are based on different processor architecture to previous versions. The firmware is a total rewrite.. it is apparently using a fairly standard broadcom chipset much like several other brands of AC routers.
With it there are major changes.
1. Reset has changed.
The manual lists only two resets. Then hints to a third.
Soft reset like before.. a one second press of reset to remove passwords.
Hard or factory reset are rolled into one.. a five second press of reset.
The exact wording from the manual. p18-19
"Use something pointed (such as a ballpoint pen) to press and hold the reset button until the status light flashes quickly (about 5 seconds)."
So no power down.. no holding reset during a start up.. and completely different timing.
This means it will be relatively easy to mistakenly factory reset your TC or Extreme..be careful.
But here is the confusion.
The manual says if the TC is not responding to hold in reset and power on.. there is no time given. Reading what people have attempted I am not sure what it achieves. A super factory reset.. a clearing of NVRAM??
From the manual. p19
"If your AirPort Time Capsule still doesn’t respond, try the following:
1 Unplug your AirPort Time Capsule.
2 Use something pointed to press and hold the reset button while you plug in your AirPort Time Capsule."
2. DHCP on start up
When you startup the TC after a reset it should revert to getting an IP by DHCP.. but it doesn't say anywhere in the manual if this is WAN or LAN. So I will assume WAN. It does not state what mode the TC will go into. So I need help from people.. is it going back to router mode?
3. Time Machine is supported on Extreme.
Here is a surprise. According to the Extreme manual, TM is now support for a USB drive.
From the manual for extreme p13
"Using Time Machine with Your AirPort Extreme
If you connect a USB hard disk to your AirPort Extreme, you can use the Time Machine application to back up all your Mac computers, including your photos, music, movies, and documents.
After you set up Time Machine, it automatically backs up your computer on a regular basis.
Use Time Machine preferences to set up automatic backups, use a different backup disk, or adjust other settings.
To set up or adjust Time Machine on a computer using Mac OS X v10.5.7 or later: 1 Choose Apple > System Preferences, and then click Time Machine. 2 Slide the switch to ON. 3 Click Select Disk.
4 Choose your AirPort Extreme and click Use Disk.
Important: Your first backup with Time Machine could take overnight or longer, depending on how much data you’re backing up. To speed up the initial backup, connect your AirPort Extreme to your computer using Ethernet. In each subsequent backup, Time Machine backs up only files that have changed since the previous backup, so the backups don’t take as long."
4. Only airport utility 6.3 will work with the AC models.
All setup will therefore require at least Lion OS on the computer or iOS device with the latest Airport Utility.

Answer 1

Great stuff!  Thanks for your efforts.
I will have a new TC here in a few days to play with, so we'll see.