I have an all Apple household including an iMac, 2 iPad Pro's, 2 iPhone 14 Pro's and an Apple Watch. My time capsule has served me well but I have read and am concerned that it is likely time to replace it. I have a rather small home and the Time Capsule has provided well suited coverage through out my home. I don't want a black router with antennas, rather something similar in style to the time capsule. I'm looking for suggestions for a router and back up solution to catch up to modern times.
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Time Capsule outdated? Replacement for updated router and storage
- Thread starter iono11200
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There are numerous "mesh" systems out there. These work well enough for wifi, but I wouldn't expect many of them to have a USB port for attached storage.
If you must have "attached storage", then you'll probably be looking at one of those "black routers with antennas", because they may be the only devices that offer one.
If you must have "attached storage", then you'll probably be looking at one of those "black routers with antennas", because they may be the only devices that offer one.
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"Is this a suitable device to replace the time capsule backups for an iMac?"
(referring to samsung t7 shield).
That's exactly what I use myself.
And... that's a great price.
I use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper for my backups.
But it could work with time machine as well.
HOWEVER...
Questions:
What do you currently USE your attached storage for, and HOW LARGE is the drive you're currently using?
Backing up several devices to a 1tb drive... is that going to work?
You could run out of space on a 1tb drive quickly.
It SHOULD work if you're just backing up one Mac...
(CCC or SD will not create a backup that keeps "growing and growing"...)
(referring to samsung t7 shield).
That's exactly what I use myself.
And... that's a great price.
I use either CarbonCopyCloner or SuperDuper for my backups.
But it could work with time machine as well.
HOWEVER...
Questions:
What do you currently USE your attached storage for, and HOW LARGE is the drive you're currently using?
Backing up several devices to a 1tb drive... is that going to work?
You could run out of space on a 1tb drive quickly.
It SHOULD work if you're just backing up one Mac...
(CCC or SD will not create a backup that keeps "growing and growing"...)
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Consider a bigger step: Synology NAS. It has Time Machine support (so you use it in the same way you use Apple's product now) and you can choose a model with up to many drive bays for more storage than you may ever need. It can even accommodate adding or upsizing drives on the fly so it can easily expand over time.
This will cost much more than a simple little single drive option like that Samsung but you'll probably eventually run through only 1TB, especially in a multi-computer household. Synology could grow to almost ANY size when you need more space... and bring many other nice options too like shared storage, centralized media storage, etc. I've had one for years and it works really well.
This will not cover the router want (it is not a router too), so you could continue using the Apple one until those wheels completely fall off or embrace ANY other router. Basically, you would be separating storage and Time Machine from the router as 2 distinct things.
During this time, you could leave the Apple Time Capsule functioning as Time Machine backup too. In other words, select both Time Capsule and Synology for TM backups and the Time Machine software would alternate backups between the two: TC on one backup, then Synology for the next. Since TM backups every hour, you can think of this as backing up to either piece of hardware every other hour (such as even hours on TC and odd hours on Synology). 2 distinct backups is much more secure than only 1. If TC conks, you'll still have a full TM backup on Synology at most only 1 hour, 59 minutes old.
If you still want both router and TM storage as one thing, seek out a new router with a USB port and check reviews to verify that attaching a drive to that port can deliver a good Time Capsule alternative.
This will cost much more than a simple little single drive option like that Samsung but you'll probably eventually run through only 1TB, especially in a multi-computer household. Synology could grow to almost ANY size when you need more space... and bring many other nice options too like shared storage, centralized media storage, etc. I've had one for years and it works really well.
This will not cover the router want (it is not a router too), so you could continue using the Apple one until those wheels completely fall off or embrace ANY other router. Basically, you would be separating storage and Time Machine from the router as 2 distinct things.
During this time, you could leave the Apple Time Capsule functioning as Time Machine backup too. In other words, select both Time Capsule and Synology for TM backups and the Time Machine software would alternate backups between the two: TC on one backup, then Synology for the next. Since TM backups every hour, you can think of this as backing up to either piece of hardware every other hour (such as even hours on TC and odd hours on Synology). 2 distinct backups is much more secure than only 1. If TC conks, you'll still have a full TM backup on Synology at most only 1 hour, 59 minutes old.
If you still want both router and TM storage as one thing, seek out a new router with a USB port and check reviews to verify that attaching a drive to that port can deliver a good Time Capsule alternative.
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I use an eeroPro mesh system for the home network. I use Time Machine to back up my iMac to an attached external 8TB hard drive and I in turn back up certain key document folders and photos to Dropbox. This gives me fast immediate backups in case I do stupid things or my iMac arrests, and remote backup should my home be the epicenter of a nuclear attack.
I backup my two iPads and two iPhones to the iMac, so they’re covered. I’ve considered using iCloud backups but just really don’t care that much as all important work is on the iMac.
I backup my two iPads and two iPhones to the iMac, so they’re covered. I’ve considered using iCloud backups but just really don’t care that much as all important work is on the iMac.
I apologize for all the questions, but I'm confused as to how to back up my iMac. I back up my 2 iPad Pro's, my 2 iPhone Pro's to my iMac via iTunes. My iMac has a 512 gb SSD and I have over 400 gb free. All that said, I just want to back up my iMac like my Time Capsule does. It's going on 11 years old, still works fine but who know for how long. If the Samsung is a good option for my needs I would get the 2 TB option in the event my needs change in the future.
Here is an 8TB Seagate drive for $150, and there is a 5TB one for $100. I have mine attached to the iMac with a USB-C cable and set TimeMachine to use the drive as its repository. Very easy.
Since iTunes has gone away in Monterey, iPhone and iPad backups are made in Finder…much easier and more convenient than iTunes ever was for me. iPad/iPhone photos are still saved to Photos.
Since iTunes has gone away in Monterey, iPhone and iPad backups are made in Finder…much easier and more convenient than iTunes ever was for me. iPad/iPhone photos are still saved to Photos.
If the time capsule does what you need, what do you expect to gain from replacing it? From the point-of-view of networking, it either provides adequate wifi or it doesn't. A replacement router will do the same thing if you only need the one access point, which has the advantage of being simple.
From the point-of-view of backups, you do not need to replace the router to do a different backup method. Backing up to the time capsule is slow and not the most reliable, but it is convenient (works automatically in the background). I would not rely on a single backup method, no matter what it is.
I replaced the drive in my Time Capsule with a 4GB WD NAS hard drive. There are guides on Google on how to do this. However I also backup weekly directly to another hard drive and to cloud.
btw, I see few advantages in backing up to an SSD instead of a hard drive. Most people need size, not speed. A regular hard drive is, for most people, fast enough. 1TB is not very big for a backup drive. Generally, a backup drive should be about twice the size of what you are backing up (to allow for versions history and for efficiency). I have and like Samsung T7 SSDs, but I don't use them for backups.
From the point-of-view of backups, you do not need to replace the router to do a different backup method. Backing up to the time capsule is slow and not the most reliable, but it is convenient (works automatically in the background). I would not rely on a single backup method, no matter what it is.
I replaced the drive in my Time Capsule with a 4GB WD NAS hard drive. There are guides on Google on how to do this. However I also backup weekly directly to another hard drive and to cloud.
btw, I see few advantages in backing up to an SSD instead of a hard drive. Most people need size, not speed. A regular hard drive is, for most people, fast enough. 1TB is not very big for a backup drive. Generally, a backup drive should be about twice the size of what you are backing up (to allow for versions history and for efficiency). I have and like Samsung T7 SSDs, but I don't use them for backups.
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I had a couple of LaCie Porsche Design SSDs. One was used for storage and the other was used for backups. Well of course, one failed. So I'm looking to replace it. Are most of them created equal or are some brands known to have issues? I was just looking at a 5TB LaCie Mobile Drive Secure at Apple for $164 (https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HQ4B2ZM/A/lacie-mobile-drive-secure-usb-c-5tb-with-rescue). The 4TB Samsung T7 is much more expensive (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHZQGN26/ref=twister_B0B797SJXQ?_encoding=UTF8&th=1)
I don't remember why I stopped using my Time Capsule but I just set it up to do backups so I'll probably just use the SSD for storage. Actually, I might get two incase I run into an issue where the drive dies again.
I don't remember why I stopped using my Time Capsule but I just set it up to do backups so I'll probably just use the SSD for storage. Actually, I might get two incase I run into an issue where the drive dies again.
Not looking to gain anything at all really, I love the device and if Apple still made them I'd buy a replacement in a heartbeat. While I'm obviously computer illiterate lol, I'm concerned that the "spinning" hard drive in the time capsule is likely at the end of its useful life and may fail any day. Still works fine as a router and I plan to keep it for that purpose.
Consider expanding your backup solutions. You can get a free 10GB iDrive Cloud account for your documents and photos/music. I'd also recommend two external Hard Drive's. One, a 2TB model, for a TimeMachine backup and another, 500GB or 1TB, for a Carbon Copy Cloner backup. There's nothing worse than losing all your data. You can replace a dead hard drive but if you have to send the dead drive off to get the data on it recovered it can be an expensive operation, if it can be done at all.
Embarrassingly I really don't understand most of what the good folks here have shared. I was really looking for much like a "plug and play" backup solution, After all the bad things I have read about hard drives failing I was convinced that my back up solution had to be a SSD, but I'm getting the vibe that isn't the case.
I like this setup but from what I understand the end user adds the drives? That would be way over my head.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
You can buy Synology with preloaded drives, either direct from them or from other retailers.
However, you can't really insert a drive wrong in DIY. Each bay has a "sled" and drives can slide in only one way. So if you want to save some money, you can buy bare drives, open a Synology "door" and slide each in. The system then formats them and they are ready for use.
But if not, no problem, many retailers will be happy to insert 2+ drives for you and ship it "plug & play."
However, you can't really insert a drive wrong in DIY. Each bay has a "sled" and drives can slide in only one way. So if you want to save some money, you can buy bare drives, open a Synology "door" and slide each in. The system then formats them and they are ready for use.
But if not, no problem, many retailers will be happy to insert 2+ drives for you and ship it "plug & play."
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
I’d strongly encourage more than one bay. If you only want one drive, there are cheaper NAS options. If cost is driving the decision but you still want Synology, maybe aim for a 4 or 5 bay starting with only 2 drives.
This purchase is about the future. If you have an empty bay, you can expand the storage. If you have only one bay, you are starting from scratch each time.
If cost is much of the decision, look to single disc NAS drives or even a single direct attached drive like that Samsung you referenced earlier. DAS is so inexpensive these days, I’d be thinking at least 5-10TB. Last I checked, 5TB externals were only about $100 or so. I see 10TB DAS on Amazon right now for less that that 1-bay Synology.
This purchase is about the future. If you have an empty bay, you can expand the storage. If you have only one bay, you are starting from scratch each time.
If cost is much of the decision, look to single disc NAS drives or even a single direct attached drive like that Samsung you referenced earlier. DAS is so inexpensive these days, I’d be thinking at least 5-10TB. Last I checked, 5TB externals were only about $100 or so. I see 10TB DAS on Amazon right now for less that that 1-bay Synology.
@iono11200 perhaps a different approach. Find a local tech solutions company nearby and have them suggest a simple solution to your concerns. You may have to pay for their expertise, but if they’re at all focused on CUSTOMER-oriented solutions, you should get good bang for your buck. If you like their solution, they can put it together for you as well and you’re done. I know locally some have used Best Buy’s Geek Squad for this very use, and have been pleased with the results and costs.
As of today, there is no similar replacement. You can either purchase a router and an external hard drive and make backups manually. Or you can replace the hard drive in the capsule if you're concerned about the HDD's reliability. Alternatively, you can check the HDD for its condition and use it if the tests show it's working properly.