Original Time Capsule died, help with options

kbutler84 · Sep 15, 2012

My original 500GB Time Capsule crapped out on me this morning. Won't power up no matter what I try. I just thought I'd see what others thought would be the best solution/replacement. Here are some options I was thinking (price is a factor):

1. New Time Capsule (probably 2TB)
2. Airport Extreme plus External Hard Drive
3. Airport Extreme plus Backblaze subscription
4. Airport Extreme plus Synology NAS (not cost effective)

Any one of those heads and shoulders above the others?

Gizmo22 · Sep 15, 2012

kbutler84 said:
My original 500GB Time Capsule crapped out on me this morning. Won't power up no matter what I try. I just thought I'd see what others thought would be the best solution/replacement. Here are some options I was thinking (price is a factor):

1. New Time Capsule (probably 2TB)
2. Airport Extreme plus External Hard Drive
3. Airport Extreme plus Backblaze subscription
4. Airport Extreme plus Synology NAS (not cost effective)

Any one of those heads and shoulders above the others?

Would need more info on the specific use intended. If for Apple backups and as a router, then I find it difficult to beat the Time Capsule. Clean, small package that contains everything you need.

I typically do backups once a week or so with a 2.5" external drive (plug in to one computer Friday night, another Saturday night, etc.) and have a NAS for media streaming. The Time Capsule wouldn't quite work for me due to issues with DVD and Blu Ray ISO packages.

Brian33 · Sep 15, 2012

All four approaches seem reasonable to me, although #2 may generate quite a bit of argument about whether it works reliably enough or not. #1 (and maybe #3) would probably take the least amount of fiddling to set up, if that's important.

Personally, I'd go with a new TC. I've got a 1st-gen TC too, and while it's still working wonderfully, if or when it dies I'll get another because I believe Apple has fixed the problem that led to so many 1st-gen units dying. (Defective capacitors in the power supply.)

If your died due to the common 1st-gen problem, remember that the hard drive inside the TC is still good (and still has your data on it).

kbutler84 · Sep 15, 2012

Uses would strictly be for backup. As of now, I (was) only backing up my iMac to the Time Capsule. But if I moved up to a 2TB model, I could start backing up my MacBook Pro as well. However, I don't really store any important info on it.

My music collection is stored on my iMac hard drive, while my movies and TV shows are on an 2TB external drive (of which I have a duplicate drive for a backup).

I guess I need to decide which is more important to me: Either a compact packge (Time Capsule) or flexibility to add more backup storage as needed but gaining more clutter (Airport Extreme plus external hard drive).

carlgo · Sep 15, 2012

I replaced the capacitors and improved the cooling. So much cooler-running now. This was a real form over function decision as the unit ran way, way too hot because the fan control would only turn it on in extreme conditions and only stirred the air around a little. Evidently to keep it quiet.

The mod involves actually drawing in new air and blowing out the old hot air and this obviously works better. Some people said it was cheap components, but that isn't true. They are top of the line, but even the best capacitors won't last in a furnace.

The original Apple TVs also ran way too hot, again form over function. The new ones are fine.

Weaselboy · Sep 15, 2012

kbutler84 said:
I guess I need to decide which is more important to me: Either a compact packge (Time Capsule) or flexibility to add more backup storage as needed but gaining more clutter (Airport Extreme plus external hard drive).

The AE with an external drive is not supported by Apple for Time Machine backups. Lots of users says it works fine for them, but many users also report is just stops working sometimes. I would not trust my backup to an unsupported solution.

I think the Time Capsule is the most reasonable option given your budget concerns.

kbutler84 · Sep 15, 2012

Weaselboy said:
The AE with an external drive is not supported by Apple for Time Machine backups. Lots of users says it works fine for them, but many users also report is just stops working sometimes. I would not trust my backup to an unsupported solution.

I think the Time Capsule is the most reasonable option given your budget concerns.

Is the general consensus to not use a service like Backblaze as my primary backup solution?

Weaselboy · Sep 15, 2012

kbutler84 said:
Is the general consensus to not use a service like Backblaze as my primary backup solution?

You certainly can, but normally those services only save your data and not the OS and applications. So if you have a complete hard drive failure you would need to get the OS and all apps installed back on the replacement drive before you could pull your data back from Backblaze. That can be a bit of a hassle. If you don't mind dealing with that if you have to, there is nothing wrong with using Backblaze as your primary.

The advantage to having a local Time Machine backup is if your drive dies, you just pop a new one in and boot from a Lion/Mountain Lion recovery USB key (or firmware if you have a newer machine) and click "Restore from Time Machine"... and everything is put back on the new drive.

What I do is use a Time Capsule for Time Machine backups and also subscribe to Crashplan for offsite data backup in case the house burns down.

kbutler84 · Sep 15, 2012

Ended up getting an open box 2tb Time Capsule. Has same apple warranty as brand new. Hope it lasts!

Thanks for the help fellas.

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