Question on if Airport Time Capsule is best type of backup to use

New to having a Mac, just ordered a 27" iMac, loaded, with a G-Drive Raid for second drive, and for backup...I ordered the 3 TB Airport TIme Capsule...as I thought that might be good idea, but...second guessing it.
     1. Neither the G-Drive nor the Airport will do RAID-1.
     2. I have an existing Wireless FireWall Router (Linksys WRT1900AC, just upgraded to it). Uncertain if it supports Time Machine, but, seems maybe all I really need is to hang a RAID-1 drive off of it, for a backup?
     3. Just hang a RAID-1 drive off of the iMac with Thunder or even USB3.
I kinda like the idea of the backup drive being remote from the computer, so maybe both won't be destroyed at same time, and, even if not RAID-1, changes of BOTH drives going south at same time are low.
What's best practice?
Thanks.

Time Capsule is designed to be used for a Time Machine backup, Apple never advised it was designed as a RAID drive so where you got that idea is unknown. Many users on these forums use redundant backups because when it comes to backing up you can never have enough. The schems I (any many similar users on this forum use) is to use Time Machine on one EHD and then use a cloning backup on a totally seperate EHD. Two popular cloning apps are SuperDuper and Carbon Copy Cloner. Both do the same, create bootable clones of your system so in the event of a HD crash you can boot from the clone and operate until you can get the internal HD replaced. Your TC is a good device as both a router and TM backup however in order to have a redudant backup you will need another EHD, one directly connected to your iMac.

Similar Messages

AirPort Time Capsule (firmware v7.7.3) has slow wifi connection to new Surface Pro 3

I got a new Surface Pro 3 i7. I have all the updates for it. I ran into a problem that many others also ran into which was very slow WiFi performance. I utilized many troubleshooting methods and sources and I am currently inclined to believe this... the new Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller drivers are not compatible with my Airport Time Capsule firmware version 7.7.3.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Is there another firmware version that works (older or newer)?
Details:
I tried all kinds of things, like changing the network drivers on the SP3 to many different versions. Many of the help forums recommended using the drivers dated 4/24/2014. This did seem to help, but not reliably. What I discovered is... if I connect using the SP3 WiFi to my network extension Airport Express on version 7.6.4, I reliably get 20-22 mbps (which is the best I can expect from my network and works great for my needs). But, when I connect to my primary network Airport Time Capsule, the best I can get is 1.5 mbps, but usually between .15 and .9 mbps. It's completely unusable in today's internet environment. At the same time, I used my iPhone and the Airport Utility to verify the connections. I used SpeedTest.net on my MacBook, iPad, iPhone and Win8.1 HP laptop to verify that every other device was getting the 20+mbps. And they did. Only the Surface Pro 3 couldn't perform when using WiFi through the Airport Time Capsule. The SP3 does achieve 20+ mbps like all my other devices, but only when connected to the Airport Express.
The articles I read said that the network drivers on the SP3 seem to require the routers to be updated to the latest versions. Both the Airport Time Capsule and the Airport Express seem to be updated. When I go into their settings using the Airport Utility, there are no updates available.
Of course this problem isn't replicated at the Microsoft store since they don't have apple routers. So, their response is to upgrade the routers. Extremely unhelpful when the Apple software is saying it is upgraded already. I can't believe this new Airport Time Capsule has to be retired because it isn't playing well with others, and I love the automatic backup it is providing for my MacBook. So, somehow, I need the Airport Time Capsule to work with the new WiFi card & drivers on my SP3, just like the SP3 is working properly with the Airport Express.

Thanks for your input!
1. No downgrade. Bummer, but understandable.
2. Completely agree!!! I did too and then I had to redo it because I couldn't install a driver. I had to start all over and reinstall Win 8 then Win 8.1 over it. It was a colossal waste of time and endless frustration. If I can just get it modestly working, I'll take it. It doesn't have to be perfect right now.
3. Great suggestion! And the Microsoft forums are also a buzz. One suggestion I tried (and it seems to be working) is to set a separate wireless network name for the 5ghz band. I haven't thoroughly tested it yet, but I'm hopeful. I t seems to have worked for some, but not others. The next thing I'll try is fixing the channel, but strangely, I didn't see that option in the AirPort Utility app on my iPhone. Is it only available through Mac/PC laptop/desktop software?
4. Yup. Sigh. I actually have an old linksys. I retired it when I went 100% apple. I was hoping that things would work smoother. And they did! Until this SP3 came into my life. Arg.
And and a few more details...
the AirPort Time Capsule is 802.11ac
the AirPort Express is 802.11n (2nd gen)
I'm wondering if it is the AC connection that is the issue. Maybe since the Express always connects with n, it is OK....
Nope. Just tested the SP3 again and it is maintaining it's connection to the AirPort Time Capsule utiling the 802.11a/n/ac mode and connecting to the 5Ghz special network name. So far so good... Fingers crossed...

Using Airport Time Capsule with CenturyLink C1000Z

I just received an Apple Airport Time Capsule (3Tb) for Christmas and want to use it as our home wi-fi. Up until now, we have been using the wi-fi which is supplied by our DSL carrier (CenturyLink) through the C1000Z router/dsl modem combo they supplied when we started service with them.
Here's how I have it set up:
1) Wall to CenturyLink C1000Z
2) CenturyLink C1000Z to Apple Airport Time Capsule 3Tb
3) Apple Airport Time Capsule 3Tb to iMac (direct Ethernet connection)
I plugged everything in as described above and everything "seems" to be working. My question is:
Do I need to configure anything special in either the Airport TimeCapsule or the CenturyLink C1000Z to make this setup work better?
When I go into the Airport Utility and select "Network" the Router Mode shows "Off (Bridge Mode)", with Network Options showing "Block incoming IPv6 connections" and "Allow incoming IPSec authentication" checked by default. The internet tab shows connection using DHCP, with Internet Options configuring IPv6 automatically using IPv6 Native mode, with "Enable IPv6 Connection Sharing" checked.
I've read in some sites that I need to configure the CenturyLink C1000Z in a special way, or my internet speeds will be negatively affected by this setup. Can someone please assist? CenturyLink tech support was of absolutely no assistance in this area, even unwilling to try. Thanks for your help--I look forward to the education!

There is nothing wrong with the setup. ADSL is never that fast.. Do the speed tests and see. Plug straight into the modem and do a speedtest.. then plug into the TC and do the test..
Is the Mac not getting full speed?
What makes you think your losing something?
No ISP can help with home network.. I can understand their reluctance to get involved.. that is the case anywhere and everywhere. Home networking can go from simple to complex in the extreme very quickly.
The most important part of this setup to your original specs is not mentioned.
I just received an Apple Airport Time Capsule (3Tb) for Christmas and want to use it as our home wi-fi.
To use it as your home wifi, it is essential that you create a wireless network in the TC.. there is no need to turn off the wifi in the Century modem router although doing so is probably a good idea if the two are sitting right next to each other.
Otherwise tell us what issues you are having.

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.
Once that is done, you can connect your Mac directly to the 2TB Time Capsule using another Ethernet cable, or your Mac can connect to the network using the normal wireless network, if you prefer.

OS X 10.8.5 - Unable to backup to AirPort Time Capsule

I have just updated to OS X 10.8.5 on a 2006 Macbook Pro - and now I cannot perform a backup on my AirPort Time Capsule.
It asks me to confirm the AirPort Time Capsule that I wish to backup to - but this does not seem to be working and I cannot currently perform the backup.
Immediately after this failure - I was able to successfully back up another iMac to this very same AirPort Time Capsule:
- so the AirPort Time Capsure appears to functioning normally.
The iMac is still running on OS X 10.5.4 - and has not been updated to 10.8.5
Is there a problem with backing up to the AirPort Time Capsule using the new OS X 10.8.5 ?

I should also add that I have previously been successfully backing up from the Macbook Pro onto the AirPort Time Capsule for many years without problem.
It is only just now that I cannot backup after having updated to OS X 10.8.5

Why does backup on airport time capsule also save on mac

I have just bought a new airport time capsule. After the initial backup of entire mac the subsequent backups are saving to my mac as well as the airport time capsule. There is a new section in in the storage as "backup" which increases after each backup. Anyone know how to stop this. Thanks

The TM will backup to local disk whenever the TC is not available.. this is per design.
Turn it off please see instructions here.
http://pondini.org/TM/30.html
I think you might also be better off controlling the backups yourself.
Set backup to off. and do it when you are near the TC.

I have a airport time capsule, an older airport extreme, and an airport express. I want to hard wire my Mac Mini to the network. What is the best arrangement of the devices? which ones should be hard wired to optimize extending the network?

I have a airport time capsule, an older airport extreme, and an older airport express. I want to hard wire my Mac Mini to the network. What is the best arrangement of the devices? which ones should be hard wired to optimize extending the network?

I am using TM Unifi with an ASUS RT-N18U Wi-Fi router. I would like to know could I use Apple AirPort Time Capsule to extend (repeater, booster) my Wi-Fi to a part of the house where the Wi-Fi signal is poor
Yes,, if you plan to connect the AirPort Time Capsule to the ASUS router using an Ethernet cable connection that will remain fixed and permanently installed at all times.
No, if you were planning to have the AirPort Time Capsule connect wirelessly and extend the Asus WiFi signal, since it would not be compatible with another manufacturer's router for that purpose.
Another way of saying the same thing here would be that if you want to extend the network wirelessly, it will take two Apple routers to do so

Have the following iMac at home and am contemplating adding a MacBook Air and a 2TB Airport Time Capsule for backup/storage and increased WiFi speeds. My question is this (1) a compatible setup, and (2) will my older iMac slow down the WiFi speeds? Man

Have an older iMac and am contemplating adding a new MacBook Air and a 2TB Airport Time Capsule to increase WiFi speeds. My question is (a) is this a compatable setup and (b) will the older iMac slow the WiFi speeds?
Thanks

Be careful about mixing Time Machine backups and other data on the TC's disk. That will cause conflicts, sooner or later. See #Q3 in Using Time Machine with a Time Capsule for an explanation and some possible workarounds.

How to connect Airport Time Capsule to WD Live TV

I recently bought an Airport Time Capsule with 2tb storage. I am wanting to access the media files I save to the Time Capsule on my WD TV Live. I have tried doing wirelessly and it works but if I shut my computer it disconnects and wont automatically connect to it even if my computer is open. I keep having to delete and readd the Time Capsule as a media share server everytime I want to access the files. What am I doing wrong???
The bigger question I had is since the Time Capsule has a USB port and so does the WD TV, can I just connect them and access the files via usb to usb??? I dont mind using wifi to connect but if it can be done I would rather connect without wifi so that if my internet goes on the fritz I can still watch movies and stuff from the time capsule hard drive.
Thank you all for any and all help!!!

The media files on the TC are in what format? WD Live can read almost any format but it cannot read iTunes Libraries.
There is a fairly long discussion already on getting WD to read movies from a TC.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5226379?start=0&tstart=0
Note the info there.
eg SMB naming for the TC.. this is most important. Standard Apple names will be problematic at best.. useless and non-functional at worst. Make sure the WD Live sees everything in the network with standard windows names.
The bigger question I had is since the Time Capsule has a USB port and so does the WD TV, can I just connect them and access the files via usb to usb???
No, you cannot do that. The USB on the TC is for plugging in a printer or a hard disk. It has no access whatsoever to the internal disk.
However the WD live can present its USB disk to the network. So if you simply plug a USB hard disk into the WD live. And you can then copy your movies to the WD over ethernet or wifi (ethernet is obviously faster) but once on the USB drive then it won't matter if the internet is off or even the local LAN and wifi is off as the WD can still play the movies. IMHO that is the best way to do it.

Airport Extreme Base Station as an wireless Extender to new Airport time capsule

After many months of time machine back up problems. (verify back up failing) I am considering biting the bullet and getting a new 2TB Airport extreme time capsule. Can I use the old (late 2013 801.11ac) airport extreme to extend wifi network?
A few other questions.
1.Does extending reduce wifi performance?
2. If using extreme as extender can I still plug in hard drive or hard drive to it?
3.
currently using imac 21.5 (late 2013) 1TB backing up to 6TB WD mybook live duo (connected to Extreme using ethernet), via airport extreme base station (ac wireless band to mac)
Any guidance appreciated.

Is it possible to quantify how much faster USB back up is compared to 802.11ac between mac and AirPort time capsule?
600GB should take 10 hours by ethernet. And it will be somewhat faster by USB3.. exactly how fast is difficult to predict as the first TM backup itself is slow due to many small files. In terms of raw speed maybe twice but it will depend on the disk used. USB you can use an SSD and get super huge speed. (not that I think you will be buying a 1TB SSD anytime soon).
In terms of raw speed it is cheese and chalk. The max speed of real world file transfer on AC wireless is around 430Mbps and that is using ideal world.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/bar/113-5-ghz-dn-c?see=MAX
This has nothing to do with link speed.. this is how fast a file actually transfers. And that is assuming the iMac and the TC are in the same room. And everything is perfect with nothing else using connection.
The real world speed of USB3 is around 100MB/s to a spinning hard disk..
http://www.macworld.com/article/2039427/how-fast-is-usb-3-0-really-.html
which may indicate the limit is the actual disk speed. In bits per second you x 8.. so the USB3 is 800Mbps. The advantage of USB direct connection is that speed is available at all time. Not when your close or the load on wireless is low.
Further to your comments when extending. Is it only the area covered by extending that has reduced performance or all the wifi signal?
The speed will depend on hops..
So if the computer is using resources on a local router.. and only one wireless hop then it is fast.
If it is using resources via a second router so wireless goes.. computer--- router2----router1-- resource.
Your speed drops 50% at best.. at worst it is really bad.
For example.. computer 1 on router 1 accesses computer 2 hard disk on router2 with everything wireless.
Count the hops. C1-R1, R1-R2, R2-C2
That gives 3 hops. So each packet is transmitted.. along that chain.. each transmission can only begin after it is received in full. Now add some other computers using resources.. say C3 is using internet via R1.. that has to be time sliced. So you get 50% of 50% of 50% of 50%. It is obvious that wireless networks have a huge handicap.. they cannot transmit and receive at the same time.. nor can they talk to more than one client at a time.. so add time slicing to wireless hopping.
Now ethernet is entirely different. It can transmit and receive at the same time.. ie is duplex. And in a switch it can talk to several computers at the same time. That is why we say.. as much as you can ethernet.. and use wireless as the last single hop to a client that needs it.. ie iphone or ipad.. or laptop if you cannot plug in ethernet.
Can the ac wifi format be extended using AirPort Extreme and time capsule.
Over very short range yes. AC wireless is only on 5ghz and is poor penetration of solids.. so this will work but maybe only to the next room.

How to extend mobile wifi LTE with 2013 AirPort Time Capsule 2TB

At my home Im using HUAWEI E5776 4G/LTE mobile wifi for the internet/wifi connection and its working perfectly
Recently I bought 2013 AirPort Time Capsule 2TB, and Im trying to extend HUAWEI E5776 4G/LTE wifi connection with this Airport Time Capsule
Im using iMac airport utility but it seems there was a "crash" when I had choose the extending option, As it went nowhere
Does this airport can only be used with internet cable ?
I also have an old version of Airport Extreme which i can actually extend HUAWEI E5776 4G/LTE mobile wifi connection
I assume perhaps there is something need to be updated?
Other questions are
- iPhoto, would it be possible or "wise" to have all of my pictures in this airport and all of my Apple products can access it?
- iTunes, the same questions As above
because i get tried to have "double/triples or more" iPhoto/iTunes libraries in every of my iMac, MacAir, Macmini etc
Thanks for your help

The instructions for upgrade install of DD-WRT are very clear.. and simple although you should always take care. I read the instructions and follow them.. It might seem like obvious but 90% of the issues people get themselves into is caused by not reading the instructions.
DIR-632 has a set of specific instructions.
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/D-Link_DIR-632
Follow them to the letter deviating neither to the left or the right.
And good results will follow.
As with any products in the domestic realm.. some are excellent .. some average and some stink real bad.
I have dealt with rotten products from all the major companies. Netgear still have plenty of stinkers out there.
Any universal wireless repeater should work.. be careful though with some products are actually not UNIVERSAL. I do take great care again to find out if people can use the Netgear with products from another brand. All wireless is voodoo .. wireless across brands is like voodoo plus plus.
My current Asus router is one of the best I have owned .. RT-AC66U.. far superior to what went before.
And I usually avoid dlink like the plague, but it is important to realise that amongst the dross there can still be specks of gold.

Airport Time Capsule as Hard Drive and Wireless Router

Hello,
My girlfriend and I want to buy Macbooks. A Macbook Pro 128 GB and a Macbook Air 128 GB. 128GB each is not enough for our needs and are also interested in buying an Airport Time Capsule with 2 TB rather than upgrading to 256GB/512GB, which is more money for less storage space.
My question is, can we use the Airport Time Capsule as a wireless router AND as a wireless hard drive?
Will I be able to keep the Time Capsule at home working as a wireless router for my girlfriend to surf the web and at the same, if I am at the library, as a wireless hard drive via internet so I can download the files i need?
If the network is down I would like to be able to use it via cable as a wired hard drive. Is that possible?
I searched for days for an answer but I could not find a definitive answer to my question.
Thank you!
Best regards,
Liviu

My question is, can we use the Airport Time Capsule as a wireless router AND as a wireless hard drive?
Yes. The Time Capsule has a built-in hard drive and you can add additional USB hard drives (via a USB hub) to its USB port. All of these drives can be shared out and will appear in the Finder as network drives.
Will I be able to keep the Time Capsule at home working as a wireless router for my girlfriend to surf the web and at the same, if I am at the library, as a wireless hard drive via internet so I can download the files i need?
Yes, that is also possible. Please check out the following AirPort User tip for more details on how this can be set up.
If the network is down I would like to be able to use it via cable as a wired hard drive. Is that possible?
If you mean if the wireless network is down can you still access the Time Capsule's hard drive via an Ethernet connection, then the answer is yes.

Airport Time Capsule will only operate in Bridge mode

Im a Verizon dsl customer and am trying to configure an Airport Time Capsule with a Westell 2200 modem. The only workable configuration I can come up with is bridge mode. Every other configuration has some sort of conflict with the modem. I have tried to set the modem in bridge mode, with DHCP service both on and off, and connect with the Airport Time Capsule, but was unable to get an internet connection ( I used the password and login for my main email account - perhaps I should have used the vzid but I don't know the password - in the modem I see it says "set by verizon").
I never had this problem with any other router I have used.
Any ideas? Thanks, Klaus
Solved!
Go to Solution.

klaus57 wrote:
Very sorry if this is a stupid question, but if I don't get the dns service from the westell 2200, where will I get it from? The routher asks for this address during the PPPoE setup.
Thanks,
Klaus
DNS should come from the PPPoE connection itself automatically. If you have to, define servers such as 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. If you have about a half an hour of time where you can leave your machine idle, I would recommend running the DNS Benchmark program from Gibson Research to choose the best (fastest) servers for you.
https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm
Pick the two consistently fast servers. The program will give you some general recommendations when it completes. I recommend setting up the Custom nameserver list when theprogram asks for that.
========
The first to bring me 1Gbps Fiber for $30/m wins!

How to use airport time capsule with multiple computers?

I'm sure there are some thread about this but i couldn't find it... so sorry for that but hear me out! =)
I bought the AirPort Time Capsule to back up my MBP
And so i did.
then i thought "let give this one a fresh start" so i erased all of it with the disk utility and re-installed the MBP from the recovery disk.
I dont want all of the stuff i backed up just a few files and some pictures so i brought that back.. so far so good.
Now i want to do a new back up of my MBP so i open time machine settings, pick the drive on the time capsule and then "Choose" i wait for the beck up to begin, and then it fails. It says (sorry for my bad english, im swedish haha) "the mount /Volume/Data-1/StiflersMBP.sparsebundle is already in use for back up.
this is what i want:
i want the "StiflersMBP.sparsebundle" to just be so i can get some stuf when i need them. it's never to be erased.
i want to make a new back up of my MBP as if it's a second computer...
so guys and girls, what is the easiest and best solution?
Best regards!

TM does not work like that.
If you want files to use later.. do not use TM.
Or do not use TM to the same location. Plug a USB drive into the computer and use that as the target for the permanent backup.
Read some details of how TM works so you understand what it will do.
http://pondini.org/TM/Works.html
Use a clone or different software for a permanent backup.
http://pondini.org/TM/Clones.html
How to use TC
http://pondini.org/TM/Time_Capsule.html
This is helpful.. particularly Q3.
Why you don't want to use TM.
Q20 here. http://pondini.org/TM/FAQ.html

How to set up AirPort + Time Capsule On the Same Network but make it so only i use it?

Ok so i am planning on getting the AirPort + Time Capsule in a few weeks, and i have seen many peole talk about how there is a right way and wrong way to set it up because apperently the bad way makes it run slow? Well i have two questions, one is how do i set it up the right way to use it to the full potential to use the new beamforming feature? And my second question which is kind of a problem is that I have internet already but my other brothers use it and i told them about pitching in buy it and they dont want to because they think its pointlesss, so what i want to know is if I can connect it to my existing wi-fi but at the same time like create a diffrent network so that only i can use it? (ex. have my wifi, 2WIRE123 for example, and then some how connect the ethernet cable to the airport + time caplsule and create a new network like 2WIRE124 so they would both basiaclly be using the same internet connection but separated to 2 diffrent networks?) Thank You.

so what i want to know is if I can connect it to my existing wi-fi but at the same time like create a diffrent network so that only i can use it?
Sorry, but no.
If you can connect the AirPort to the 2Wire router using a permanent wired Ethernet connection, then you can configure the AirPort to create a new wireless network with its own wireless network name and password.

Question on if Airport Time Capsule is best type of backup to use

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