Time Capsule Worth the Cost?

[Printerman]

I have been thinking of buying a time capsule for my iMac7, 1, since it is getting a little bit old I'm thinking that I really need to start backing up my files (I have been on all of my other Macs because they have more important memory like pictures), but looking at the reviews of the Time Capsule, it seems that it stops working at about 18 months of use, have any of you experienced this problem too? Or are all of the reviews full of bologna?

 

[IvanLasston]

I had my first time capsule fail. I was able to extract the hard drive and saved all my data. I actually bought a second time capsule, put the old time capsule hard drive into a usb cage, and connected it up to the new time capsule. I now have 3 TB of storage but I am still concerned. Even though the point of failure wasn't the hard drive I am thinking of putting together a raid 5 solution.

I obviously went and got another one and the solution is quite simple but the fact that it isn't really easy to take apart and debug - and you are counting on it to back up your data, I'd wish it was more robust.

 

[chas_m]

I believe Apple has already addressed the issue, but you may wish to wait until you can get confirmation of that.

 

[bobtomay]

I have one of the original Time Capsules (1TB) that has survived long past the "reported" failure point. It is still going strong. For me it was only worth it because I needed a 2nd router/wifi network and 2nd backup device. It sits in my primary entertainment center and has worked splendidly for my intended use.

 

[Printerman]

Thanks guys, I think I'll go and buy a different one from an official apple dealer store we have here, they have good quality ones, and I think I only need about 500 GB of storage

 

[Slydude]

I probably could have saved myself a few bucks by getting the 500 GB model and simply attaching external hard drives as needed rather than getting the 1 TB version. Haven't had mine as long as Bob has had his but my use is similar. When my primary router dies I will likely convert the TC to my primary router rather than fight configuration of some of the junk I have had in the past.

 

[IvanLasston]

Well if you want the "addressed" one you don't want to get a 500GB. The originals are 500GB and 1TB - and those are the ones (including my own) that could die in 18 months. The new ones are 1TB and 2TB - so if you are worried about failure you want to get a New Type 1 TB And make sure it is a new type 1TB and not a refurbished old type 1TB. You can tell because the new types have 2.4G/5G dual wireless radios.

 

[Calistoga]

I also have a first generation Time Capsule and so far no failure. I have Time Machine turned off. I decide when it's time to back up. I was listening to Steve Gibson and he said that external hard drives were not made to be left on all the time. If they start to fail it is because they get too hot. Maybe the same is true with Time Capsule (hard drives spinning).

 

[Slydude]

I also have a first generation Time Capsule and so far no failure. I have Time Machine turned off. I decide when it's time to back up. I was listening to Steve Gibson and he said that external hard drives were not made to be left on all the time. If they start to fail it is because they get too hot. Maybe the same is true with Time Capsule (hard drives spinning).

While excess heat might be causing the failures I am not sure that is the problem. If I am not mistaken the Time Capsule hard drives "spin down" when they are not in use. A better analogy might be servers. Remember that hard drives in servers are left on for extended periods of time without failure.

Ultimately it boils down to one thing. Hard drives are mechanical devices and some of them are going to fail from time to time. With "spin downs" for periods of inactivity many drives can last for years.

 

[cheesedog]

I also have a first generation Time Capsule and so far no failure. I have Time Machine turned off. I decide when it's time to back up. I was listening to Steve Gibson and he said that external hard drives were not made to be left on all the time. If they start to fail it is because they get too hot. Maybe the same is true with Time Capsule (hard drives spinning).

If you look around, you'll find that most older TC die because of heat problems, blown power supply. There's a lot of good links out there on how to repair and modify the heat problem.