Is there a way to use the time capsule as an external hard drive only and disable the wi-fi function ?

Yes.
1) Connect an Ethernet cable from one of the LAN <--> ports on your existing wireless router to the WAN "O" port on the Time Capsule
2) Go through the standard configuration suggested by the setup "wizard"
3) Then manually turn off the wireless function using AirPort Utility

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Can I use a Time Capsule as an external hard drive only?

I want to use a Time Capsule just to back up my Mac every so often, but I don't want to use any of its wifi features or plug it into my modem. How can I do this?

If you do not use the network and you do not use wifi.. then the TC is only going to work by ethernet.
I gave a long description here how to do this setup.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4817218?tstart=30
But just so you know.. a USB drive plugged into the computer would be faster and much more reliable than a TC.. which you may as well sell off.

Can I use my time capsule as a external hard drive as well

I want to use my time capsule as a external hard drive as well as a back up disk. Is that possible?

You Can!! But Should you??
Can and Should are different.
Here are the issues.
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

Hello, how would I go about using my time capsule as an external hard drive for my Mac book pro?

Anybody know if I can use my time capsule as an external hard drive for Mac book pro?

Just recognise the following.
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

How do I use my time capsule as an external hard drive?

I am trying to use my time capsule as an external hard drive but can't figure it out... can anyone help me out?

1. Run AirPort Utility
2. Click on your Time Capsule
3. Click Edit
4. Click on the Disks Tab
5. Click on Enable file sharing
6. Choose the way you want to control file sharing access, whether it is by the Time Capsule password, an independent disk password, or accounts for different users.
7. You should then be able to access your Time Capusle drive from Finder.

I use My Time Capsule as a external hard drive, can I transfer files other than wirelessly?

I use My Time Capsule as a external hard drive, can I transfer files other than wirelessly?

will TC appear on My desk top?
It will, if you do the following:
Open Macintosh HD and locate the Time Capsule icon under the SHARED heading on the left side of he window.
Click on the Time Capsule icon and a folder representing the drive will appear to the right
Double click the folder and the drive icon will appear on the desktop

Windows not recognizing my time capsle - I just purchased a new computer that runs windows 8 and it doesn't want to recognize the time capsule as an external hard drive (ie doesn't show up under my compter). I've downloaded airport utility...

I just purchased a new computer that runs windows 8 and it doesn't want to recognize the time capsule as an external hard drive (ie doesn't show up under my compter). I've downloaded and run airport utility, but it seems to have a hard time finding the time capsule...maybe one out of 10 times it will find it.
What's more, when I look under network infrastructure under the control panel, it shows my Broadcom ADSL centurylink Router...so I'm wondering if my modem/router combo is overriding the router function on my timecapsule and the time capsule is not being used as a router...
Any help much appreciated!

In this case the TC should be in bridge mode.
Win8 is still problematic. Try using ethernet instead of wireless. I think the drivers are poor still and it is well worth having a try via ethernet if you haven't already.
Otherwise you will need to wait for apple to release bonjour for windows 8 and airport utility.. which is not out yet.
Also make sure the windows is set to home, not work or public.. even turn off the firewall.
Open windows explorer and type the TC ip address into the address bar.. (none of which is perhaps the same.. I gave away windows at vista.. shudder)
\\TCIPadderss.

How can I use my Time Capsule as an external Hard Drive for my PC? My PC can't find it.

Hi, I just bought this Time Capsule for my home. I've got the internet access for all my devices (Mac, iPad, PC, iPhone) and I've got the Mac backup working through Time Machine. I'm supposed to be able to use the Time Capsule as an external drive for my PC, but I can't figure it out. My PC doesn't recognize the Time Capsule as a Network Place. I called AppleCare, but they don't have all the answers for "PC issues." They tried to get me to Map a Network Drive, but my PC popped up a window asking for a Username and Password. It looks like something similar to when I VPN into my company network from home.
I'm using Windows XP Professional, Version 2002, Service Pack 3.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks!

Download and install the airport utility for windows.. it isn't strictly necessary but the bonjour service makes life easier.
The request for username and password is correct. Username is whatever you like.. but windows needs it.. so admin.. being the common router one.. password by default is public unless you changed it.
Now to get the TC to work properly..
1. The names should be SMB compliant.. by default they are wrong.. use short names, no spaces no special characters.. pure alphanumeric. That is for TC name and wireless names.
2. Wireless passwords should also be same use WPA2 private.
3. In the disk sharing page.. manual setup.. put in the windows workgroup name.. ie WORKGROUP.. this helps the discovery process.
4. In the same area, turn on the guest account to read and write.. not necessary but helps with later versions of windows particularly.
5. Access the drive by using the direct IP address. ie in Windows Explorer address bar, \\10.0.1.1 (or whatever IP the TC is at).

Can I use my Time Capsule as a External Hard Drive (through Ethernet) ONLY?

Here is my situation:
I am a college student and have been using my Time Capsule to create a wireless network (or extend a previous one) and also to store my iTunes library content (kind of like a wireless hard drive). I just moved into a new apartment and they already have a wireless network and it works just fine how it is. I know that I can extend the network through my Time Capsule (wirelessly because I don't have a long enough ethernet cord to connect into the existing modem), but I don't need/want to because it would just add another path of access for data to go through. I don't mind just having my computer connect wirelessly to the existing wireless router rather than sending it wirelessly through the Time Capsule which would then just need to send the data to the existing router. It just seems like it would make things slower and I don't want to even deal with it. I hope that makes sense.
This is what I want to do and I'm wondering if it is possible and if so how to do it. First, I want my computer to be connected to the current wireless network (as if I didn't even have a TIme Capsule extending the network) so I can access the internet BUT SECOND, I want to access the iTunes library content I have saved on the Time Capsule through a direct ethernet connection. I have too much content (i.e. movies, music...etc) to be able to save it all on my laptop and so that is why it is on the Time Capsule. So simply, if the Time Capsule is plugged into my laptop, can I have it so it ONLY acts like a normal ethernet connected external hard drive?

TC can be set a number of different ways.. Just run it as a router for now.. ie exactly at default.. The fact that you don't have WAN address or connection is irrelevant.. we can tell the TC to ignore the problem. At default the TC is 10.0.1.1
The only issue you can have is if the wireless network is also 10.0.x.x. if it is change the IP of the TC to 192.168.10.1 (or whatever you like.. as long as it isn't the same).
Use static IP settings for the network in the Mac.. you can use exactly the same IP and subnet the TC passed by dhcp. Just no router (gateway) or dns.. so as to not confuse the main network.
You seem to be worrying to much about getting everything right..
Start.. learn.. it is faster to do it and see what happens.. than keep asking questions.
If you run into a snag disconnect the TC.. or reset to default and ask the specific question.

Is it possible to setup the time capsule as an external hard drive (wireless)

Hi, I have purchased a time capsule and looking to use it to automatically backup my data but also would like to see it on my mac book pro as an external hard drive (wireless); is that possible????????????? if yes how???

OK.. the TC is really designed for wired connection.
There is a hidden option.. hold the option key, when you select wireless mode, to join a wireless network. This is hidden because it is poor.. you join the TC to the mifi myfy and then yes, you can access it over wireless network.. but it is now half the speed of direct access due to double hop wireless. The TC is also going to not allow access directly by wireless or ethernet. So the option is there .. it is hidden due to being bad.
You will particularly notice what happens now is during backups your internet will crawl.. because you are saturating the local connection.
If I was in your situation.. I would buy thunderbolt to ethernet adapter and plug directly into the TC.. or scrap the TC and plug directly into a hard disk. The TC now gains you nothing.. it is unsuited to this sort of network.
But another solution is to buy USB wireless stick.. these are tiny things.. and cheap and plenty are Mac OS compatible. Plug it in and use it as a secondary wireless client.. with fixed IP you can now connect directly to the TC .. single hop wireless.. much faster and no interference on the myfi link.
You also don't have another wire plugged into your laptop which is messy.
OR
Scrap the myfy for a proper 3G router with ethernet.. you can usually just swap the sim over.. this is a much better solution as you put the TC back to its native correct operating mode..
Well there are some possible solutions.

Question about the Time Capsule as an external hard drive...

i know this might be a kind of dumb question, but does the time capsule also work as an external hard drive where i would be able to just drag and save whichever files i want...or does it only save files through backing up in time machine??? thank you in advance

You don't need to consider FAT32 formatting for PC access.
The closet thing to a "format" of the TC disk is via "erase" command in the Airport Utility. There's no consideration of truly formatting or in what format the disk would be laid out. For the USB attached drive the same applies when it is attached to the TC, but of course it can be formatted when directly attached to a PC or Mac.
It is, in fact, often recommended that a USB attached drive be formatted as HFS+.
The fact that the drive (either the TC drive or a USB attached drive) are accessed via network protocols as a network disk insulates the useing machine from the physical drive format details to a large degree.
I have a TC with a USB attached drive. Both the TC drive and the USB attached drive are formatted as HFS+ but appear on Windows XP machines as:
Type: Network Drive
File system: FAT32
There has been a lot of discussion of this in this forum:
<http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=7540393#7540393>
Message was edited by: Steve Holton
Message was edited by: Steve Holton

Will the USB port from the Time Capsule power an external hard drive?

I am interested in purchasing an external hard drive (Iomega 1TB Helium Portable or G-Technology 750GB G-DRIVE mobile)
to connect to my time capsule, expanding my wireless storage, but I want to know if the Time Capsule has a powered USB port or does the drive I purchase need to have its own power source? Also, Is there any compromise to using a drive that is USB powered, vs one that requires a power source?
Thanks!

Even if the hard drive that you choose has its own power supply, you usually need to use a powered USB hub with the Time Capsule.
Reason....the USB port on the Time Capsule is under powered. You should not really rely on this port to power anything except a single printer.

Can i use my time capsule as an external hard drive ?

Hi,
I just bought and installed a 3To Time Capsule, to replace a 6 years old one which was dying. On the old one I had (do not remember how but easily, i am no specialist), partitioned the TC, with one part for backing up and one part for storage as a regular external drive, to store videos, photos,...
I can't find on this new one, which is set up all right as router, TM and printer hub, how to do the same
Any idea ?

As far as I am aware you cannot partition a Time Capsule drive
This is actually possible, but not practical since the Time Capsule must be opened up, the hard drive must be pulled out, then placed in a separate SATA to USB enclosure or caddy.
Then, the enclosure must be connected directly to a Mac and Disk Utility must be used for the formatting procedure.
Then, the drive must be reinstalled back in the Time Capsule.
In addition to a lot of work....best done by a good technician.....this will void the warranty on the Time Capsule.
All in all, this is another one of those situations where the fact that you might be able to do something does not mean to imply that it would be a smart thing to do it.

HT201250 Can I use my time capsule as an external hard drive?

Will my time capsule act as an external hard drive? I would like to move my iTunes from my MacBook Pro to my time capsule. Is this possible?

Yes, but it shouldn't be done; the Time Machine backup will eventually take up all the free space on the drive, and if the drive fails, all the copies of it will be wiped out. You're better off moving it to a regular external drive and setting Time Machine to back it up as well.
(81254)

Is possible to use Time Capsule as a external hard drive for my MA ?

Hi,
I wondering to know if i can use the time capsule as a external hard drive for my MACBOOK AIR i mean i dont want a backup i just want to be connected when i'm at home and transfer the data to the time capsule or simply uses data from there.
Thanks!

Yes, you can.
(60321)

Is there a way to use the time capsule as an external hard drive only and disable the wi-fi function ?

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