How to make Time Machine work?

[Eldiablojoe]

Up until a couple of months ago, I was very happy having Time Machine perform overnight backups over the air (well, over WiFi, actually), from my 1 TB 2020 MacBook Air to my Apple Time Capsule (not sure the size). Well, a lightning strike to the house killed a few things, one of which was my Time Capsule. Fried the ethernet port with which it was connected to my household router.

Now I can't get Time Machine backups. I've tried doing it manually to a connected external hard drive (1TB), but it says I don't have sufficient capacity - and that was after the third try. The first two tries resulted in some kind of failure error.

How do I cleanly, easily, reliably, simply, and preferably inexpensively, set up an automatic Time Machine backup overnight via WiFi?

 

[HDFan]

from my 1 GB 2020 MacBook Air

I've tried doing it manually to a connected external hard drive (1TB),

How much data is being backed up?

TM disk is too small. It should be 2-3x larger, more if you want to keep longer history

It should also be no more than 1 backup in the recommended 3-2-1 backup strategy.

 

[ChrisA]

Up until a couple of months ago, I was very happy having Time Machine perform overnight backups over the air (well, over WiFi, actually), from my 1 GB 2020 MacBook Air to my Apple Time Capsule (not sure the size). Well, a lightning strike to the house killed a few things, one of which was my Time Capsule. Fried the ethernet port with which it was connected to my household router.

Now I can't get Time Machine backups. I've tried doing it manually to a connected external hard drive (1TB), but it says I don't have sufficient capacity - and that was after the third try. The first two tries resulted in some kind of failure error.

How do I cleanly, easily, reliably, simply, and preferably inexpensively, set up an automatic Time Machine backup overnight via WiFi?

Get an external disk that is about 2X larger than the data you have on the Mac. A USB disk is fine. Then inside the TM preferences panel you select that disk as the TM disk. Do not use this disk for any other purpose. Then TM will do a first-time backup that might take hours. After that backups are quick and typically are done every hour.

If you want to use WiFi, then you have to connect the disk to some device that can share over WiFi. Some router can and Macs can. But really try USB first as it is easier.

Remember TM is only the first line backup. You need at least one other backup that is off-site.

 

[Eldiablojoe]

Get an external disk that is about 2X larger than the data you have on the Mac. A USB disk is fine. Then inside the TM preferences panel you select that disk as the TM disk. Do not use this disk for any other purpose. Then TM will do a first-time backup that might take hours. After that backups are quick and typically are done every hour.

If you want to use WiFi, then you have to connect the disk to some device that can share over WiFi. Some router can and Macs can. But really try USB first as it is easier.

Remember TM is only the first line backup. You need at least one other backup that is off-site.

I have a 1TB HDD, but I have about half of that still available. So, should I try a USB-C 1TB flash drive?

 

[ChrisA]

I have a 1TB HDD, but I have about half of that still available. So, should I try a USB-C 1TB flash drive?

TM will eventually fill the entire disk and then it will delete the oldest version of your files to make room for the newer versions. A larger disk allows more history to be kept. All TM disk eventually get to 100% and stay at 100%. That is normal.

You can also use two TM disks and then TM will "ping pong" them and swapping which disk is used every hour. THis means you still have a backup after the TM disk fails. So adding a second is not a bad idea. But keep the current one

 

[gilby101]

should I try a USB-C 1TB flash drive

I would not use a flash drive for TM backup. Performance is not great and question marks over long term reliability. Better to use an SSD or HDD - 2TB or more.

 

[MajorFubar]

I think it's high time Apple offered cloud-based Time Machine backups to subscribers of its iCloud service. I actually thought it would have been a thing as long as 10 years ago when the subscription-based iCloud replaced Mobile Me. iDevices already backup to the iCloud, only Macs continue to be excluded. (And no the iCloud Drive is not the same as a backup.)

 

[BrianBaughn]

I think it's high time Apple offered cloud-based Time Machine backups to subscribers of its iCloud service. I actually thought it would have been a thing as long as 10 years ago when the subscription-based iCloud replaced Mobile Me. iDevices already backup to the iCloud, only Macs continue to be excluded. (And no the iCloud Drive is not the same as a backup.)

If they offered it today I'd have to wait at least one year of observation to see if it was a fit for me. I'm still waiting for iCloud email to rise to my standards.

 

[Fishrrman]

If tm doesn't "work", try either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper.
Better yet, download and try BOTH of them.

They both do the same thing -- create cloned backups of your primary drive.
SD is easier to use, but CCC offers more options and features.

 

[Eldiablojoe]

Based on all the great input here, I will have to invest in a larger USB-C SSD drive for Time Machine then. I was hoping for a cloud based service, similar to the way my old Time Capsule handled the backups. Zero effort from me and automatic as opposed to setting aside time and setting up the external and waiting for it to complete. CCC and others I have used in the past, but I'm less concerned with a catastrophic loss (photos etc are in the cloud, important docs are backed to a thumb drive, as I am concerned with replacing an old MacBook with a new one. The restore from TM option makes my new one exactly like my old one and with little issue and effort. Yes, I am a bit on the shocked side that an iCloud TM backup isn't an automatic option - I mean, not only is it very convenient, but an easy way to sell iCloud storage services for Apple.

How does a device like this fit the bill for Time Machine purposes? Sandisk 2TB

 

[MajorFubar]

I'd go 4TB. And if that's too expensive as an SSD, buy a 4TB HDD. That's what I did. The slower access times of HDDs are completely immaterial for time machine backups once you've got over the time-consuming hurdle of the first full backup, and in this case it's more important to have a bigger drive than a faster drive. You may or may not be able to get away with connecting one directly to your router, many of which have USB sockets that are really intended for pen drives. But sometimes HDDs and SSDs work in them as well. That would allow you to access it wirelessly.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Based on all the great input here, I will have to invest in a larger USB-C SSD drive for Time Machine then. I was hoping for a cloud based service, similar to the way my old Time Capsule handled the backups. Zero effort from me and automatic as opposed to setting aside time and setting up the external and waiting for it to complete. CCC and others I have used in the past, but I'm less concerned with a catastrophic loss (photos etc are in the cloud, important docs are backed to a thumb drive, as I am concerned with replacing an old MacBook with a new one. The restore from TM option makes my new one exactly like my old one and with little issue and effort. Yes, I am a bit on the shocked side that an iCloud TM backup isn't an automatic option - I mean, not only is it very convenient, but an easy way to sell iCloud storage services for Apple.

How does a device like this fit the bill for Time Machine purposes? Sandisk 2TB

OP, TM is not meant to be manual- no "setting up" efforts (after a one-time, first setup). "Zero effort and automatic" IS how it works.

It's not really an "overnight" service but an hourly one, roughly every hour your Mac is connected to it.

I suggest saving money on the SSD and getting yourself a BIG HDD external. The same money will buy much more capacity. I see 6TB on that same website as the SSD for only $20 more, buying you 3X the storage. For $90 more, you can buy 5X the storage.

Either direct connect to your Mac or connect it to any hub that you direct connect to your Mac and set it up as a TM drive. Then just "forget about it" so you can have "zero effort" backups. Generally, the wait for a non-manual backup should be no more than 1 hour from when you make the connection. It's all "zero effort" and "automatic" like you desire.

Yes, you can manually trigger a backup too by choosing "backup now" but it will do it automatically if you are connected for at least an hour.

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING LIKE TIME CAPSULE
Check your router. Does it have a USB port? If so, connect the (already set up) TM drive to it, connect to it over your network with your Mac and then re-choose it as your TM backup drive (because now it's network attached instead of direct attached) and you can backup your Mac to a Time Capsule-like drive connected on the home network. This will generally "just work" very much like TC worked: network TM at a distance over wifi.

If your router does NOT have a USB port, buy yourself a NAS drive (such as this example with 2X the targeted storage for only about $35 more) and connect it to the router with an ethernet cable. Then it becomes very much like your Time Capsule network-based TM backups.

If you happen to have a Synology NAS already, it has a Time-Capsule-like, TM-supporting feature built into it. Turn that on and use it like you did with Time Capsule.

ONE MORE THING TO REALLY SECURE YOUR FILES
While it is wise to get yourself a good backup option in place like TM (and many/most people do NOT do this and then suffer the terrible consequences), it is wiser to at least duplicate the backup and store one recently-updated backup OFF SITE... to protect against fire/flood/theft scenarios. This involves at least TWO drives set up as TM backup drives. One is used the usual way and the other is stored off site (I use a bank safe deposit box but any secure option away from your home is fine). In my case, every approx. 30 days, I switch the two... so the one deposited OFF SITE is completely up to date and the one now about 30 days out of date goes back to my office and becomes the new TM backup disc for the next 30 days.

Worst case scenario with a 2-disc setup like this is losing 29.99 days of most recently added new files. That involves a fire/flood/theft at nearly the very last minute before I exchange the drives. If 30 days is too:

• many for you, swap more often.
• aggressive, swap less often.

What I ACTUALLY do is also include a NAS drive- Synology in my case- backing up to both Synology and one of two bare drives... the latter of which will be exchanged with the other bare TM drive at the bank every month. I also do a lot of work on a laptop and so I'm regularly synching new files from desktop Mac to/from laptop Mac all throughout the month... so the overall risk of file loss is minimized with what amounts to nearly 5 backups of files:

1. Files stored on the Desktop
2. Within the last 2 hours (automatically to) Synology TM
3. Within the last 2 hours (automatically to) Bare Drive TM
4. Within no more than a few days to/from laptop
5. Within 30 days: One Bare drive TM stored at the bank

Odds in catastrophic loss are very long this way. Generally, when I'm OUT of the office, the updated laptop goes with me... so at that time, I have 2 backups offsite (one very recent: laptop and one aging but no more than about 30 days: Bare drive). Amazon has plastic cases for bare HDDs and bare HDD docs for the R/Ws are well under $100.

In your case, since your Mac is already a laptop, you could "get by" with only #3-#5 in the above list: Freshest files on laptop, one fresh backup to local TM, one aging backup on off site TM. If laptop generally goes out with you too, you'll also have 2 backups off site and one fresh backup at home on the local TM. It would be hard to lose all in that kind of scenario... even in a fire/flood/theft catastrophe.

 

[Eldiablojoe]

HobeSoundsDarryl,

Thank you for such an incredibly detailed and thorough write-up. This is exactly the information I was seeking. My router does have a USB port, so I will pursue that. I really appreciate the extensive back-up strategy description you provided, you made it clear and simple how to follow a simple but comprehensive policy to protect one's data. This should be a sticky!

Thanks again!

 

[Eldiablojoe]

Would something like this work to attach to my router's USB-A port for TM backups via wi-fi network?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1691591-REG/samsung_mu_pe2t0k_am_2tb_t7_shield_portable.html

 

[MajorFubar]

Dunno. It's an edge-case scenario. Your router mfr won't say yes and nor will Samsung. Buy from somewhere with a no quibble return policy if it doesn't do what you want.

 

[gilby101]

Would something like this work to attach to my router's USB-A port for TM backups via wi-fi network?

Unlikely to work reliably (if at all) unless your router explicitly supports TM. You need to talk to your router vendor.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Gilby, where do you get that from? While I certainly didn't test all routers, I never had problems hooking any old hard drive up to USB ports on non-Apple routers.

If OP hooks any hard drove to that USB port and it shows up on the network so his Mac can see it, it is likely it can be used as a TM drive. The USB port is generally not on routers to NOT work. TM doesn't have some special element to it that only select routers USB ports can work with it.

Update: on a fresh look around, I see references that some routers will NOT connect for TM. However, the notes seem to imply that this is specific routers, not whole brands so, it works fine on some routers by <specific brand> but not on other routers by <same brand>.

However, as offered in #15, try it and see. If you can connect with your Mac, it should be just fine. If it doesn't, try another and/or buy a NAS external drive that connects with an ethernet cable to your router. That will almost certainly work as a TM drive. I'd choose a NAS anyway if I was trying to get something like this going now. In fact, that is exactly what I have for a "at a distance" TM backup myself.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Would something like this work to attach to my router's USB-A port for TM backups via wi-fi network?
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1691591-REG/samsung_mu_pe2t0k_am_2tb_t7_shield_portable.html

OP, do you need to mount this outside for some reason? Else why pay the extra for that? Here's one for only $20 more that will give 3 times the TM storage space. If you don't want to pay that extra $20, there's an open box on there for only $5 more.

For $40 more, you can buy 4 times the TM Storage space.

For about $23 more than the Samsung, you can buy 5 times more as a bare drive from Amazon and then put it in an enclosure yourself for $24. So about $47 overall for 5X more TM storage than that Samsung. Putting a bare drive inside of an enclosure like that is simple.

TM space should ideally be about 3X the size of the drive in the Mac you want to back up. And if you have a multiple Mac household, add up the total storage on the various Macs and multiply that by at least 3. And having "too much" storage per that metric is far better than having too little. It just means that more will be backed up before it starts deleing the oldest copies to free up space for new backups.

 

[gilby101]

Gilby, where do you get that from? While I certainly didn't test all routers, I never had problems hooking any old hard drive up to USB ports on non-Apple routers.

1. Many routers only support SMB v1 - particularly those provided by ISPs.
2. Even disk is visible in macOS, it may not work with TM which is picky about the precise SMB v3 functionality which is supported.
There is a good reason that reliable network TM is restricted to decent NAS vendors (e.g. Synology) or other Macs.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

So if OP tries it with theirs, it works or it doesn’t. If not, return it and buy a NAS drive and use that instead. As an Ethernet connection device, it basically bypasses any router and thus should work with ALL of them.

And OP, if you haven’t purchased yet, consider just skipping the “just try it” step and going NAS like the one offered in the earlier reply.

 

[MajorFubar]

Unlikely to work reliably (if at all) unless your router explicitly supports TM. You need to talk to your router vendor.

This is really not true. From 2013 I had my iMac backing-up via TM to a separate partition on a wifi-accessed NAS (SMB) for over five years. Maybe it's more true to say that with something that does not explicitly support TM the likelihood of success is the toss of a coin, but it definitely worked in my case.

 

[Eldiablojoe]

I really appreciate the informative responses here. No, I have not purchased yet. We have two MacBook Airs now, one is 1GB, the other is 256GB. I think this 4TB Buffalo NAS that HobeSoundDarryl recommended in post #12 https://www.amazon.com/Buffalo-Link...e-Included/dp/B00JKM0ES2?tag=mrforums-20&th=1 is probably the best way to go. I'm a simple non-tech guy so I don't have storage and server racks, so this external unit looks like the best bet.

 

[HDFan]

I have never been successful in backing up to a NAS even though I have fast 10 GbE and thunderbolt direct connections. The backups are extremely slow to create and update (taking maybe 6 hours for an update), likely due to network overhead. Eventually they get corrupt and have to be discarded. This is on both QNAP and Synology NAS units. It may have something to do with my backup size (2-3 TB).

 

[Eldiablojoe]

A quick peek into the thread to thank everyone that responded. I took the advice from HobeSoundDarryl about the Buffalo NAS 4tb external drive. While it took a little bit of guidance on the phone from Buffalo support (which was a guy named Alex and was excellent walking me through), it now works perfectly!! Now, the 3-4 days it took to very S L O W L Y complete the first TM backup over wifi was painful, but the subsequent backups have been completely automatic and flawless.

Very appreciate, thank you!