Buy or wait for upgraded Time Capsule?

[sbk1799]

I'm running out of storage space on my 1 TB Time Capsule purchased 2 years ago. My backups are only kept for 2 or 3 months back (less than 20 GB or so available). It's only a matter of time until there's just not enough space on the Time Capsule drive to completely back up all the drives that use it.

I'm considering whether to upgrade now or wait a few months. I have read the rumors that Apple will adopt the ac standard this year, but I'm wondering if that or other features on the horizon are likely to be worth waiting for my situation. For video streaming, my HTPC and AppleTV use cat-6 ethernet, not wi-fi. The current Time Capsule wi-fi is used for basic internet use (i.e., web reading, uploading photos on computers and iDevices). Range isn't really an issue for us since we live in a modest-sized urban house.

I would choose a 3 TB Time Capsule from the current lineup so I would have plenty of space to grow.

Based on these uses, does it make sense at all to wait for an upgraded TC?

 

[waw74]

why not just get an external USB drive?
you'll get the space for less money.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Who knows when the 11ac Time Capsule is coming. Me personally I would wait because the speed advantage of 11ac is great and it's backwards compatible.

Hopefully Apple doesn't make us wait too long.

 

[sbk1799]

why not just get an external USB drive?
you'll get the space for less money.

I am also considering that. Would the backup speed (and therefore the length of Time Machine backup sessions) slow down using an external USB 2.0 HDD?

 

[iAppl3Fan]

you should just buy now. if you have a more advanced router it still wouldn't be supported by your system as your mac/pc would not have the ac compatible card and would still run similarly to how the current time capsules perform.

additionally, the ac standards have not been ratified yet. of course that wouldn't stop manufacturers from releasing the 'standard'.

 

[theSeb]

why not just get an external USB drive?
you'll get the space for less money.

And it's faster. I would second this recommendation.

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I am also considering that. Would the backup speed (and therefore the length of Time Machine backup sessions) slow down using an external USB 2.0 HDD?

No, backing up via USB 2.0 is the same speed as backing up to a Time Capsule, even if you're connected to the TC via Gigabit Ethernet.

Here is the thread where I explained why

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1365527/

 

[sbk1799]

I didn't disclose that I have two Macs - HTPC and a MBP. I like the ease of wireless backups of the MBP. So when I asked about the speed of backing up with USB, I meant to ask about the speed of an external USB 2 drive hanging off the TC. How well does that work?

 

[theSeb]

I didn't disclose that I have two Macs - HTPC and a MBP. I like the ease of wireless backups of the MBP. So when I asked about the speed of backing up with USB, I meant to ask about the speed of an external USB 2 drive hanging off the TC. How well does that work?

Oh. I thought you meant if you were connecting the external hard drive directly to the computer. If you connect it to the USB port on the TC, then it will slower to backup by more than 1/2.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4577/...nd-time-capsule-4th-gen-review-faster-wifi-/7

The SATA II benchmarks are when the hard drive is connected directly to the SATA II controller in the TC. The USB benchmarks are when the hard drive is connected via USB.

But if you're doing this via wireless, as opposed to via ethernet, then you won't notice the difference if the hard drive is connected to the TC via USB. (wifi is slower than the max speed the USB port can provide so the backups will seem to take the same amount of time regardless of whether you're backing up to the TC's internal or external hard drive )