2TB Time Capsule - Need advice from people who use(d) it.

Hello!

My wife and are photographers and we use my iMac to process and store all photos for the business. Recent surge in business has given us the need for a 2nd iMac to handle processing needs while the other can double on processing or handle the business/paperwork end. I'd like to be able to use the 2TB Time Capsule as a shared hard drive so we can access images at anytime no matter which computer we're using. I know it's primary function is as a back up..but would it work as a dedicated hard drive as well? I've read conflicting reviews on Apple's website. Some people swear it's the greatest device ever and others claim it has let them down with over heating, slow response and so on. However, the reviewers were ranging from young professionals to grandparents looking to back up their iPads.

Anybody here use it as a dedicated, networked hard drive? I'd like some feedback before we plunk down another 500 bucks. Thanks!

-Brent

I am using a 1st gen 1TB TC. It is way beyond the time all the reports say it was suppose to die. I run a 2nd wifi network in the house with it, backup of two Macs and a little spare storage. It has been a great device with zero issues for the 3 years I've had it. I really have nothing negative to say about it.

Having said that, if you're not looking for a new router, I'd be more inclined given your profession to recommend a good NAS device.

Not recommending this one in particular, just one example I found on a quick search - a WD with 2TB - mirrored, so you're also maintaining a backup simultaneously - you're prepared when one drive dies - and they will... You can grab two of these, for a total of 4TB for only $430 at newegg.

There are a lot of other options out there. We have a few members using D-Link devices. I actually use a Windows Home Server (you must have a Windows box in the house to go this route and probably not a good option for your situation).

I am using a 2TB Time Capsule in just the way you describe. It is at or beyond the two year point where others have reported problems. I haven't noticed any real slow downs very often though I am usually accessing it from one machine at a time.

Until recently I had it set to load as a login item so it was always ready. I also have two external drives attached to it. One is my Time machine Backup and the other is an archive of the files on the Time Capsule. I like the device particularly for its ease of setup but Bob's right a NAS might be a better option. If you go that route choose carefully though. The one I bought was a waste of time and a giant pain.

I had a 1TB original like Bob - and it did fail on me. I kept it cool with a chill pad and it still failed. That being said - I took the drive out - put it in a cage and bought the 2TB version. It has been fine but I've only had it for half a year.

I use it as both a NAS and as a backup drive for time capsule. All my music and movies for itunes is stored on it. Playing any of the data off of it works fine. I have gigabit ethernet everywhere and 802.11n. It should work fine for what you want to do - keeping pictures.

Also as Bob said - you are probably better off getting a dedicated NAS if you don't need a wifi access point or gigabit ethernet switch. Since you are using it for business purposes I would look for a raid type solution. Speed and redundancy. Depending on your budget - I like the specs on the Synology. They have a range of products.
Synology NAS - Products

Thanks for the help!

I'll look into a NAS device and hopefully not scratch my head too much on the set up.

Thanks again..much appreciated!

-Brent

I have a Drobo and it has been great. The good thing about it is that it will grow with you. When you need additional storage you can pull a smaller drive and add something bigger. It rebuilds on the fly as you continue to work. I have 4 500GB drives in my unit now and it can expand up to 16TB on my model. You can get a network option if needed, but the main unit connects via USB or Firewire 800.

When funds get a little better I am going to take a look at Drobo again. Since it can connect via USB I wonder if I could get most of the benefits of their network units by attaching one to the USB port on the Time Capsule.

I like the idea of the drobo - my only issue is it uses some form of proprietary raid. Meaning if your drobo dies - you need another drobo to access data. With regular raid solutions you can plug in your raid array into any raid controller. There are advantages to the drobo raid though.
Data Robotics, Inc. | What is Beyond RAID?

Thanks for reminding me of that. I did a bit of research a while back on them and I had the same concern.

brentD300 said:

Thanks for the help!

I'll look into a NAS device and hopefully not scratch my head too much on the set up.

Thanks again..much appreciated!

-Brent

Click to expand...

I recently replaced a 1TB time capsule with a 2 TB WD NAS.

One of the worst decisions I have made in a long time.

I cannot get the time machine to run consistently on it, the drive has a habit of going to sleep and then mounting slowly causing time machine to hiccup.

I have 5 machines in the house and they all backed up to the time capsule without issue, the WD will only recognize one machine and I cannot figure out how to authorize or register more accounts on the "hidden" partition.

I cannot mount the drive on any of the machines so have not been able to wipe it clean of the miserable software that WD installed on it to re-format it and start over.

It has been truly awful. If I can't get it going by this weekend, it's going on eBay, I'll take my loss and go buy another time capsule.

My 1st Generation TC is still working (until I finish this post!) but along with the others, I'd recommend a NAS. I use an IOMEGA ix2.200 which is basically a box with 2 disks (RAID 1) - it's sold with various disk options (1T, 2T, 4T) but the disks are very easy to change/upgrade as they slide in and out on trays.

The software is pretty good, and I haven't found anything I can't setup yet - I principally use it for storage and FTP.

The aftersales service (something a lot of people forget) is top notch with IOMEGA (Well, at least here in Europe) and when I had problems with another device, a new one was shipped (free) in a couple of days and once I'd managed to copy all my data off the old unit, they came and picked that up free too. I know we don't expect problems, but it's nice to know they're dealt with promptly when they do occur.