Time capsule or different external hdd?

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I am debating wheater to get a time capsule or a different hdd for backup.

I already have a router, so I dont really need that part of the timecapsule, but I don't really know what other hdd to get.


I have looked at the reviews from the ones that bestbuy sells and some of the reviews say it was terrible and some say it was fantastic. Does anyone have any suggestions that I can get from bestbuy? (why bestbuy? i have a gift card)

Or should I get a time capsule?

Does time machine ONLY work with time capsule or does it also work with other hdds?
 

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Time Machine will work with any external drive provided it's formatted to HFS extended journaled. Does not have to be a Time Capsule.

Since you already have a router and a Best Buy gift card, probably a good idea to go for one of the many external hard drives that they sell. WD, Seagate, and many others are suitable. Your choice.

Regards.
 
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if you can afford it ,i would go for the time capsule it works flawlessly in the background.some people say they have a hard time setting it up,opened the box ,loaded the disc,followed the instructions and viola. sorted.& no i don't work for apple.......;D
 
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If I did not already own an Airport Extreme and a LaCie external hard drive I definitely
would get a Time Capsule saves space and wires and works really well.
 
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Hello all!
I'm in a similar position with the OP in that we've already got a router (as provided by our ISP) I want to set up a backup for our two macbooks: one is running leopard the other tiger.

I know can just get any external drive to use for back-ups but i am wondering if there are definite benefits in spending the extra ££ for apple's time capsule?

for example, I understand TC will back up wirelessly. Is it possible that I could set a different type of drive to do the same via our router? I'm liking the idea of something that works in the background and I don't need to connect it to each machine once a week or something to run a back-up...particularly as we both just use our MB on the sofa and don't have 'workstations' as such.
 
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It is unlikely that the router from your ISP has the capability to wirelessly write to an external drive. The TC would probably be a good fit for you. Also, check for refurbs on the Apple site. A 1 TB model is $249.
 
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Look to the future - where do you want to end up? For example if you end up with an iPhone then a dual antenna TC may be a good choice, 11g for Ph and 11n for the MBP. If u have a partner with a Mac then backing up both wirelessly can be attractive. Also gives potential for using USB conn for printer to provide for Macs on LAN
 
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Thanks guys

Collin, we both also have iphones, though I 'm not seeing the relevance here? (sorry perhaps I'm being a little ignorant) Both phones and both macs pick up our wi-fi network at home as it is...

The more I think about it, the more I think that having something that could back both mac wirelessly and in the background is better for us; if we won't have to do it manually it will get done... if we have to connect something to each mac, then we might not do it as often as we should...

Jaygray, why do you think it is unlikely that the router could connect to a drive enable us to set up a back up to it? If the drive was wired to the router (as I don't think there are hard drives with wi-fi connectivity other than the TC, ir it's not the router that's the issue here, rather it's the drive itself), then could we not set up our mac to back up through the router to the drive? I sort of thought this is how TC works, it's a router with a drive attached to it in one box, yes?
 
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Thanks guys

Jaygray, why do you think it is unlikely that the router could connect to a drive enable us to set up a back up to it? If the drive was wired to the router (as I don't think there are hard drives with wi-fi connectivity other than the TC, ir it's not the router that's the issue here, rather it's the drive itself), then could we not set up our mac to back up through the router to the drive? I sort of thought this is how TC works, it's a router with a drive attached to it in one box, yes?

There are not that many routers out there with the capability to attach an external drive to them and write wirelessly. And they are expensive. The cost of the router + the drive would be about what the TC cost. I believe you said the router was provided by your ISP. An ISP is going to look for an economical way to get a large volume of people online with as little initial investment as possible. The router they provide is most likely going to be a very basic model. (which works perfectly for 99% of the population. I'm not knocking $50 routers. They are a great value.)

The TC is a high end router with a regular 3.5" internal drive attached to it, enclosed in a little white box. I have the 500gb model. Supposedly, I could crack it open and swap the drive with a larger 1TB model and it would never know the difference. I haven't done it, but there are some who reportedly have.
 
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And they are expensive. The cost of the router + the drive would be about what the TC cost. I believe you said the router was provided by your ISP.

yep, I did... i get it, if i was getting a router and a drive I'm sure the cost may amount to more than the TC cost. However, I am trying to save what I need to spend and just want to investigate the option of using what I have. It is possible that the router O2 have provided us with may not be up to the job (I think it's made by Thomson) but I also have a D-link router I could set up in lieu of the O2 one that may be up to the job of being used to enable us to back up wirelessly. So with that in mind would do I need to ask to find out if either router is up to the job? Because if I can do this, I could end up saving between £70 and £160 depending on the size of TC and if it's refurbished or not... it's a substantial amount and I can't spare the cash :)
 
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titina - if the Thompson is a TG 585v7 is a very basic model and having spent some time trying to configure one i gave up. Seems the Telcos have the ability to lock their settings into it.
Simply if u have one laptop then Modem connected to computer is enuff. With 2 or more computers you need a router as part of a modem/router unit or connected to modem which sends info to appropriate unit.
Apples latest TC are dual antenna models which means one can run computers on 802.11n and iPhones on 802.11g simultaneously but the TC still has to be connected to a modem but it does a good job in its own right as a router. So TC is - Router/Wireless Device/Hard Drive in one box.
 
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Let's start with this--Does either router have a USB or Firewire port with which you could physically connect it to an external drive? If so, what is the model of that router?
 
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Collin , thank you for that detailed description. Our modem-router allows for all our devices to connect simultaneously... this is the part I don't need the TC to fulfil. Though I am aware that if we did get a TC, we'd have to use it as the modem router in lieu of our current one (I vaguely seem to remember reading a question on a different post that led me to understand that our macs would not be able to connect to our current router as well as the TC at the same time) Anyway, I'll deal with that when I've decided what to do about backing up :)

Jaygray - to the point :D thanks, I appreciate that.
Unfortunately neither router has USB nor firewire. (i did silently say 'bolx' when I looked :) ). They only have ethernet ports... both of them have 4. ...is that any good? (expecting you to say 'nope, get the TC and be done with it!')
 
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When u get to sorting it all just make sure that you have the first unit in the chain handing out the DHCP and others such as TC set to bridge mode. It would work with both modem and TC handing out DHCP but not without odd results from time to time.
 
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Unfortunately neither router has USB nor firewire. (i did silently say 'bolx' when I looked :) ). They only have ethernet ports... both of them have 4. ...is that any good? (expecting you to say 'nope, get the TC and be done with it!')

'nope, get the TC and be done with it!' :D
 
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'nope, get the TC and be done with it!' :D

da*n! :)

ok, what if said drive was connected to one of the macs, then could the other get to back up to it wirelessly?

btw, i really do appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions :)
 

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