On Tiger on iMac & Also Have a Windows Vista Machine & AT&T (SBC) DSL

Question

Does it makes sense for us to get Time Capsule (yet)?
Have iMac G5 w/Tiger - do you have to back up manually & with usb?
Ditto w/a an HP Windows Vista laptop?
Also how does this work as wireless network?
Currently have DSl from AT&T (formerly SBC) and we have a 2 Wire router & wireless network set-up already.
We are also planning to get AT&T Uverse TV inDecember & 2Wire router wll be replaced by Uverse router.
Thanks.

Answer 1

Does it makes sense for us to get Time Capsule (yet)?
Maybe, just not yet, but that would really depend on what you would like the Time Capsule (TC) to do for you. The TC was primarily designed to be that target network drive for Time Machine backups which, as you know, is not available for either Tiger or Windows. That you mean you would have to use another vendor's product that provides network backups.
If you will not be migrating to Leopard, then a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device may serve your requirements better than the TC.
Have iMac G5 w/Tiger - do you have to back up manually & with usb?
You certainly will not be able to take advantage of Leopard's Time Machine for automatic backups, but several vendors' products provide for both manual or automated backups.
In addition to a NAS device, you also have the option to directly connect either an external USB or Firewire drive to your iMac for file storage/backups.
Ditto w/a an HP Windows Vista laptop?
Yes, as for the iMac, basically the same for the HP laptop.
Also how does this work as wireless network?
The TC is fundamentally the same as the 802.11n AirPort Extreme Base Station (AEBSn) with a built-in hard drive. The AEBSn is a wireless router.
Currently have DSl from AT&T (formerly SBC) and we have a 2 Wire router & wireless network set-up already.
You would have at least two options adding the TC to your existing wireless network:
o Connect the TC directly to the existing wireless router via Ethernet, and then, reconfigure the TC as a bridge to allow the wireless router to continue to provide both NAT & DHCP services for the entire network.
o Reconfigure the TC to "join" the existing wireless network to share it's internal hard drive or external hard drive(s) and printer(s) connected to its USB port.