Backup over Wifi?

[ChrissyAA3]

Hello all,

I am wondering about solutions for backing my MBP up, specifically over wifi. I have a couple of questions I hope you wouldn't mind answering:

a.) I have read various websites that claim backing up over wifi isn't really advised due to reliability and speed, does anybody have thoughts on this?
b.) If wifi backups aren't really seen to be an issue is there a software solution that will enable me to make the first backup with the disk attached but all changes there after will be made over wifi, rather than backing up a whole new image each time?

If you guys feel the same, and that backups are probably best made via physically connecting the device ill purchase a USB3 disk, otherwise ill look at wifi options. I should however state that I am not interested in Apples Time Capsule.

Thanks for your time,

Chris

 

[RadDave]

Hello Chris - you've been on the forum since 2011 and likely have seen backup recommendations suggested for Apple computers. Most of us use Apple's app Time Machine (TM) which requires a cabled external backup drive (HHD or SSD) for our initial backups - for myself, I have two external HHDs w/ Thunderbolt cables attached to my iMac (both doing TM - just like redundancy) - these are scheduled to do automatic backups. For my two laptops, I used two external USB HDDs which I cabled once a week for TM backups. TM backups are not bootable.

In addition, I using cloning software, i.e. for me Carbon Copy Cloner, an app that needs to be purchased - the clones are put on another external HDD(s) - these can be booted and offer additional security. As a third tier of protection, I back up my wife's personal files on the iMac to Carbonite online, and my personal MBPro files to a SSD drive. Some of us also keep or alternate backups 'off site' - never know when your place my burn down or gets flood (I live in NC and hurrican Matthew really HIT the eastern part of our state w/ flooding rivers). Hope this gets you started and others may have already or will 'chime in' w/ their comments. Dave

 

[Slydude]

Just to put a bow on Deve's excellent advice and maybe clarify something here's my two cents.

For me backups over wifi have been reliable and I'm using Time Machine as my primary backup software purely for convenience. If you do the initial backup by wifi most people find that slow. The best solution for that is to connect your Mac to the network via an ethernet cable and do the backup that way.Time Machine does not do a different image each time unless you connect directly to a hard drive one time then do a backup over the network the next time. It does treat those as two different types of backup.

 

[ChrissyAA3]

Chaps,

Apologies for the delay in replying. Between the two of you you have bang on answered my question. What I will have to do however is purchase a USB to ethernet adapter for the initial backup.

Thanks a lot!

Chris

 

[pigoo3]

a.) I have read various websites that claim backing up over wifi isn't really advised due to reliability and speed, does anybody have thoughts on this?
b.) If wifi backups aren't really seen to be an issue is there a software solution that will enable me to make the first backup with the disk attached but all changes there after will be made over wifi, rather than backing up a whole new image each time?

If you guys feel the same, and that backups are probably best made via physically connecting the device ill purchase a USB3 disk, otherwise ill look at wifi options. I should however state that I am not interested in Apples Time Capsule.

I know that you said you weren't interested in the Apple Time Capsule (which is ok). But since the Apple Time Capsule does back things up via WiFi...there really shouldn't be any issues with WiFi related backups (with an Apple Time Capsule or other WiFi storage device).

I agree. if you're in a hurry...using a cable connection for the initial backup would be faster. Then you can do future smaller incremental backups via WiFi. Or if you're not in a big hurry (such as doing the backup overnight)...then do the whole backup via WiFi.

- Nick