Is the Time Capsule Right for Our Family?

I just bought one, but I'm coming to realize I didn't understand how it works. Before purchasing it, I tried to explain our family's needs to Apple Store personnel on several occasions but apparently did not succeed because they indicated it would fill the bill. Please let me try to explain on this format in the hope that someone with a better understanding can clarify for me how it is used.
First of all, I don't need it as a wireless transmitter. Our family uses a 2005 iMac as a software base station link to our MacBooks and that seems to work okay. A cable modem connects to that iMac, and we also get cable TV and phone service from the cable company.
What we wanted was a backup disk that we could send data to wirelessly using Time Machine. It struck me that the three most likely ways one could lose data would be a hard-drive (or DVD) crash, fire, or theft. For fire and theft contingencies I wanted to place the Time Capsule in an obscure part of the house away from the iMac. It wouldn't be perfect but it would improve the odds.
I tried loading my MacBook onto the Time Capsule with an ethernet cable bought for that purpose. The process seemed to work, but I couldn't actually access the data. Later I unplugged the TC. The flashing amber light came on when I reconnected it. The Apple service rep who I then spoke to on the phone said (I think) the Time Capsule must be connected to the Internet either directly from the cable company feed or through an ethernet cable. That would seem to negate two of the three contingencies I thought the Time Capsule would help protect us from. Is she correct? Do readers have needs similar to ours? If so, how do you meet them?
Thanks.

Thanks for responding.
My basic question is this: can I back up data wirelessly to the Time Capsule if it is not directly connected to the Internet? I want to plug it in a socket in another part of the house away from the cable modem. I do not want to connect it to the modem because it would then be close to the other computers, thereby increasing the risk of losing all to fire or theft.
If I can get past this fundamental issue, I will focus more on making the TC work.

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Can I use the Time Capsule strictly for system backup and continue to use my Airport Extreme for all my wireless needs

I want to use the Apple Time Capsule as an external drive and continue to use my Airport Extreme for all my wireless needs. Can I do that? The reason I ask is that my Time Machine utility cannot find the TIme Capsule - it only shows me the Airport Extreme, even when I "Rescan". SO I am unable to use the Time Capsule.

You will need to connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <-> ports on the AirPort Extreme to the WAN "O" port on the Time Capsule.
Perform a "hard reset" on the Time Capsule by holding in the reset button for 9-10 seconds, then give it another minute to restart to a slow, blinking amber light.
Open AirPort Utility, select the Time Capsule, and click Manual Setup
Click the Time Capsule tab located below the row of icons to assign a name to the Time Capsule, a device password, and adjust Time Zone settings.
Next, click the Wireless tab located to the right of the Time Capsule tab
Change the setting for Wireless Mode to Off
Click the Internet icon, then click the Internet Connection tab
Connect Using = Ethernet
Connection Sharing = Off (Bridge Mode)
Click Update at the lower right to save the settings and allow 30 seconds for the Time Capsule to restart to a green light.
You are all set

Airport TimeCapsule wireless works fine, but iMac can no longer find the time capsule disk for backups.

Hi,
I have a new Airport TimeCapsule that I set up about two weeks ago in combination with a new iMac running OS 10.9.4. It ran fine until 2 days ago, when the TC disk image disappeared from the iMac and Time Machine was not able to back up. I tried to find the TC in Airport Utility and it states the "Airport Time Capsule was previously part of your network. Check that it is still in range of your network and is plugged into a power outlet..." I've tried restarting the time capsule. I've tried restarting everything in order (modem>TC>iMac) and the iMac still cannot see the TC disk.
I've had two other issues that I will list in case they are all related somehow:
1) The time capsule took several attempts to set up when I first bought it. I had to reset the TC several times before I got all the way through the set up process successfully.
2) I tried hooking up my printer to the USB port on the airport time capsule and although my MacBook could see it and print to it just fine, my iMac was never able to see it.
The TC is hooked up to the iMac via ethernet cable. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? I'm about ready to send the time capsule back and just resurrect my old airport that worked flawlessly for years. This airport TC has been a huge disappointment so far.
Thanks

There are some real issues between Mavericks and TC .. (or just network bugginess!!)
There is a heap of things you can do but it is easier to just run through the whole lot in order. None is necessarily the cure and that is why doing all is important.
The list is in this thread.
Airport Utility shows "unexpected error - please try again" when connecting to Time Capsule
In your case using ethernet can be a problem.. let me say please make sure you have ipv6 set to link-local only in your ethernet setup. I usually only show it in wireless but for you it must be ethernet. The wireless connection seems to be utterly required now for connection.. and hidden away into the airport utility is a switch over from wireless to ethernet. When I made the manual setup instructions above this particular ability (or stupidity) of the Airport Utility was not apparent to me.
So here is typical Airport Utility (AU) v6.. but it is actually working over wireless only. (The v5 utility was wireless + ethernet).
I have an ethernet client on the network that is completely invisible.
Click on the Other WiFi Devices (wrongly named.. it should say other devices).
And you will see the option to choose ethernet.
Then the AU sees the ethernet client and none of the wireless clients.. brilliant stuff eh??
PS this is just a test setup.. never would I have any TC with such an illegal name.. But I hope it shows you what to do.
Fix the names.. most important.. keep them short.. less than 10 characters all the better.
No spaces and pure alphanumeric.

Is Time Capsule right for me?

Hello - I want to set up a LAN where I can have a printer available for the wired iMac and the MacBook and have an external hard drive available for backup. I know that TC will work for this, but I also wanted to use the TC as an external hard drive to store and access files from both the desktop and laptop. Maybe share the iTunes and iPhoto libraries.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Yes, but it really is a network attached storage device (NAS). If you haven't started a TM backup, wait until you get Time Capsule as the TM backups created on a locally attached HDD is not compatible with backups created on a NAS like TC. You mentioned you already have an external HDD. If it is USB, you can plug that into TC. If it's formatted HFS+ (Mac OS Extended - Journaled) it can also be used by TM to back up your Mac. This way your TC could be dedicated to your iPhoto and iTunes data. Or visa versa.

On the new time capsule a/c, if you lay the device on its side does it change its signal strength in any way? Does the time capsule have to stand up-right all the time?

On the new time capsule a/c, does the time capsule have to remain up-right? Can the time capsule lay on it's side and still function?
Thanks

Please remember that the Time Capsule's antennas are up at the top of the device, and have been designed to work best in that position.
In addition, the air flow pattern to help cool the internal electronics has been designed to work best with the Time Capsule in a upright position.
When I lay the Time Capsule down for 30 minutes, it is noticeably warmer. I can't tell if wireless is affected that much since my home is not that big.
You could try laying the Time Capsule down, but my recommendation would be that you do not do this. You may get a different opinion from another user, so stay tuned.

Empty External HDD Enclosure that is the size of the Time Capsule

anyone know a model for a empty Time capsule size enclosure to put a HDD in to act as a second drive sitting atop of the Time Capsule.
looking for one that is the same dimension, yes I know u can add any external HDD, looking for an enclosure that is the same size.
thanks

My first thought was to look at enclosures sold to Mac mini buyers.

Can I backup my laptop on the time capsule that is currently backing up my iMac data?

Can I backup my Apple laptop on my time capsule which is currently backing up my iMac?

Yes, assuming that there is ample room on the Time Capsule disk for all of the files on your laptop.

HT1145 I am setting up my Time Capsule for the first time, all of my connections are right but, AirPort is not recognizing the Time Capsule or my network!

I am setting up my Time Capsule for the first time, all of my connectiions are correct but, AirPort Utility is not recognizing my Time Capsule or my network?

Try connecting your iMac to the Time Capsule with an Ethernet cable to see if that allows AirPort Utility to "see" it.

Will I loose existing data on the Time Capsule if I use it now for Time Machine also?

Till now I only save photos, music and movies on my AirPort Time Capsule 2 TB. From now on I also want to use it for Time Machine Backups also. But I am not sure if it my data and the backup will exist in parallel.

You can drag and drop files to the Time Capsule using the Finder.
Open Macintosh HD or the Finder and look for the Time Capsule icon under the SHARED heading on the left side of window.
Click on the Time Capsule icon and a folder representing the drive will appear in the window to the right.
Double click the folder to mount the drive on the desktop.

Can i use the time capsule for storage or just backup?

I asked my husband to go and buy a separate harddrive so that we could use to store all of our photos on separately as opposed to the computer (as its full and we cant download any more photos!). He came back with the Time Capsule.
from what i can understand it can only be used for backups and not for direct stoarge - is this correct? Im hoping that i can use it for storage and somehow copy all my photos from my Mac onto the Time Capsule and then we can access them from the network which i just created with the Time Capsule
Or do i need to buy something else?
appreciate anyones help
Thanks

It is far from ideal. But it does depend on what you are doing. Are you going to store you iphoto library on the TC then it is not recommended.
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.
Major issues.
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.
2. The TC cannot be partitioned and mixing TM backups and data is not great.
3. The drive is slow to spin up and quick to spin down.. there is no controls.
4. iPhoto in particular can easily corrupt its entire library with wireless networking causing a disconnection to one photo. Even if you do this;;; do not move your photo library... you have been warned!!
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

Can I use the Time Capsule as a backup drive and wired network switch? I do not want to use the wireless part as I already have an ADSL 2 Wireless Router for that. Thanks.

Hi
I just went from PC to MAC. Have a MAC Mini and wanted to get a time capsule for backups. I would like to use it as a wired device instead of wireless. Would me connecting it to my router do the trick? Can I then use the LAN ports in the back of the capsule like I would a network switch? Can I just disable the wireless router part of the capsule as I already have an ADSL2+ Wireless Router.
Thanks

I wanted to run a cable upstairs from the switch downstairs so the Time capsule becomes my upstairs switch (as I only have Wireless upstairs at the moment. That will work right?
Cheers.
Yes, that is also fine.. ethernet being the cable you run.. !!
You still don't have to use a TC.. which is still a rather expensive box for the job.. an Airport Extreme would offer the same exactly minus hard disk for cheaper price and more than likely better lifespan.. TC with internal power supply run too hot.

We bought a reconditioned IMac and time capsule,about a month ago the hard drive died and only left our files on the capsule which could not be retrieved from the time capsule so it got stored as a file on the operating system

Our IMac's hard drive died and we thought great we bought a time capsule to back up the immages and files,except when we had the hard drive replaced the time capsule did not recognize the newer opperating system and would not reboot the files back,so the apple store tech loaded them into a file folder and loaded them to the main screen and erased the time capsule,the problem now is how to load this file back permenantly and watch video's that are stored,when in I Photo when I try to view video content I get a message stating that I may need to download more software to support this format.

If anyone is reading this still looking for what caused the issue and how to fix it here is what I discovered.
The antivirus program our company uses, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, was causing some of the PDF files not to open. After troubleshooting the different modules and settings the culprit was..
Scan SSL in Privacy Control Settings. Turning it OFF solved the problem and all the PDF files that previously would not open now open just fine. This issue has been sent to Bitdefender for them to review. If you use a different antivirus program and are having this issue try locating the Scan SSL setting and see if turning it off solves the problem.

Is it best to use a basic (ISP supplied) router just as a modem and use the Time Capsule for everything else?

Just feeling my way into using a Time Capsule as the main networking device for two macbooks, two iPhones and occasional vistors including an iPad. Right now the basic ADSL router provides, internet conection, Firewal, DHCP and NAT. The Time Capsule provides WiFI and backup to the MacBooks. The MacBooks and iOS devices all use WiFI and a couple of media devices use ethernet (a hub is part of the network).
Would it be better (i.e. more effective in performance or management) to limit the router as much as possible so for instance turning off DHCP and NAT then reconfiguring the Time Capsule to do that - sort of part way to a situation where the router would be replaced by a modem? Or am I just wasting effort to no good purpose?

There is no simple.. yes or no to your question.
Often modems cannot be bridged.. or if they can the TC does not have the ability to provide the correct services to connect.
What is the broadband type and what is the modem router you are talking about?
Generally the supplied modem is perfectly adequate to the speed capability of the service provided.
In some cases we do say bridge it.. eg alot of cable modem routers supplied here are very poor, Have terrible NAT tables and pathetic abilities.. so we encourage them to be bridged or replaced. Most DSL type modem routers seem to be ok.. and are easily replaced anyway.
Time Capsules are far from being giants in the router world btw.. they have absolute min of controls possible. Lots of good things might be supplied on your normal modem which are missing in the TC. eg QoS. Decent logging, NAT table connection lists.. along with all the other lists.
Overall the gain.. I think for most people will be small.. try it out.. that is the only way to know.

Quick question!! Is it mandatory that I set up my DSL through the time capsule? I'd like to leave my current modem from my provider as the primary unit for networking. So in other words can I just set up the time capsule as a back-up device for now and

Quick question!! Is it mandatory that I set up my time capsule as my DSL modem? Based on the location of my iMAC right now it would be better to just leave the modem provided by my internet provider in place. I really just want to use the time capsule as a back-up storage device for now and connnect the ethernet cable from my ISP at a later date.

Generally it is easier to bridge the TC and plug it into the router.. it then lives on the network.. it is after all, a network drive.. and you can access it via your existing connection whether wireless or wired to the existing modem.
If you really want a totally stand alone setup please tell me how you are presently accessing internet on the Mac you want to backup on the TC.

I used an ethernet cable between my iMac and Time Capsule for the initial backup. Now that initial backup is concluded, can I simply unplug the Time Capsule from my computer?

I used an ethernet cable between my iMac and Time Capsule for the initial backup. Now that initial backup is concluded, can I assume I can simply unplug the Time Capsule from my computer without any glitches and Time Capsule will then run wirelessly. Is this assumption correct?

can I assume I can simply unplug the Time Capsule from my computer without any glitches and Time Capsule will then run wirelessly. Is this assumption correct?
Yes, if the computer will be able to receive a strong wireless signal from the Time Capsule.
I did not disable wireless. So I assume the backups are occurring both with the ethernet and wirelessly.
It is inot possible to have both an "active" Ethernet and "active" wireless signal simultaneously. If an Ethernet connection is established, your computer will default to the Ethernet connection. If the Ethernet cable is unplugged, the computer will revert to the wireless connection.
I also show 2 wireless networks available through Airport. Shouldn't there only be one now?
You have a simultaneous dual band Time Capsule. That means that it will always be providing both a 2.4 GHz and a 5 GHz network.
I named my new network the same name as the old network. This enabled all of our devices to continue with their connection without entering the new network and/or passwords; however, I am afraid this may pose problems in the future somehow. Any input on this issue as well?
Things should be fine. Devices will connect to the best signal.....either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz....based on their capabilties and location in relation to the Time Capsule.

Is the Time Capsule Right for Our Family?

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