TM or Airport Extreme Base Station?

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Good day. I'm just awaiting delivery of my first MBP (former 15+ year PC user) and I'm looking to set up my router.

I already have a router, but it's 3 years old and doesn't have a USB slot to accomodate my external USB hard drive. I like the idea of the wireless/automatic backup of the time machine. I'm wondering if using an Airport Extreme Base Station with the external hard drive connected to it will do the same thing as the TC?

Or...to save a few bucks, is another option simply to purchase a separate router with a USB slot (I've heard about Buffalo and Netgear) and connect my external hard drive to it?

Given that I already have an external hard drive, I'm looking for easy, automatic and wireless backup without spending the $ on something like a TM if I don't have to.

Thoughts?
 
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Just to clear some things up - Time Machine is the backup software, Time Capsule is the actual hardware basestation. You were using TM and TC interchangeably in your post.

The AEBS with an external disk now supports Time Machine backups so that is one way to go. Just note - that if you get a 1TB external drive for an average cost of $90 - the cost is similar to a Time Capsule - $180+$90=$270 vs $300 for a 1TB TC.

The separate router with a USB slot may work with some plist hacking
Enable time machine backup to network drive (DNS 323) Ani's Tech Banters
I've done this before but upon thinking about it - it is your backup which is pretty important not to mess up. I haven't had any problems but it is unsupported from Apple. Any other solution - you'll have to see if it supports time machine - the network drives generally say if they do. Otherwise it may or may not work and you take a gamble.
 
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Great...thanks for clearing up the TC vs. TM.

This may be a dumb question, but right now I also have a desktop downstairs beside the router and printer. I'd replace the router with the TC. The printer is currently connected directly into the PC desktop. If I pick up the TC and plug my printer into the TC instead (to allow me wireless printer from my MBP upstairs), how do I set things up to also allow me to print from my PC Desktop?

Thanks.
 
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Thanks again.

I like the idea of the Time Capsule...easy, wireless back and additional storage space. However, there seems to be several reviews stating power failure / hard drive failure. I always take online reviews of anything with a grain of salt, but there seem to be quite a few negative reviews about the same things. I see that Apple had even announced a recall on some 2008 ones.

Anyone know if the reliability of the TC has improved?
 
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So far it has. I have had the old one and it failed in 18 months. The new dual band seems better. I bought it to replace my original TC. One of the guys here has had the original generation still running - he will probably chime in. Anyway if you get the new simultaneous dual band TC you should be fine.
 

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