connecting TC directly to the mac?

[macchiato2009]

sorry for asking but everytime i'm looking, most answers say that time capsule should be connected to a router

i was wondering if the TC would work directly connected to my mac using the ethernet, not the usb

thx

 

[admwright]

Yes. That is how ours is connected - ethernet cable direct from Mac to TC.

 

[macchiato2009]

ok thanks a lot !

i guess that with the ethernet, it is way faster than usb or firewire ?

 

[dXTC]

WiFi N = 150 Mbits/second (or 300 , depending on MIMO).
USB 2.0 = 480 Mbits/sec.
FireWire 800 = 800 Mbits/sec.
Gigabit Ethernet = 1000 Mbits/sec.

In this case, Ethernet FTW. Many people will connect their Macs to their new TC via Ethernet for a speedy first backup, even if they plan on backing up wirelessly later.

 

[macchiato2009]

ok great

my only concern is about the reliability and durability of a TC

most of them seem to die after 18 months...

 

[vincenz]

ok great

my only concern is about the reliability and durability of a TC

most of them seem to die after 18 months...

That affected only the older models. The new ones that came out in 2009 should be OK.

Mine is 13 months old now, so 5 more to know for sure.

 

[skorpien]

Just to clarify a few points:

1. The Time Capsule is a router, and thus does not need a router to work. It can work connected to a router and having DHCP turned off, but it's not necessary. It does, however, need to be connected to a modem to be able to share an Internet connection.

2. The USB port on the Time Capsule is to connect HDDs, printers, or a hub with HDDs and/or printers attached. It cannot be used to access the TC's HDD directly.

3. The only ways to connect to the Time Capsule to be able to access the hard drive are through Ethernet or Wi-Fi. As others have stated, Ethernet is best for the first backup and Wi-Fi is adequate for subsequent backups as they are usually small in size.

4. 802.11n (Wi-Fi N) can get theoretical speeds of ~170 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and ~300 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. That being said, you won't get these speeds accessing the TC's HDD as the hardware Apple uses inside the Time Capsule creates a bottleneck.

 

[balamw]

That being said, you won't get these speeds accessing the TC's HDD as the hardware Apple uses inside the Time Capsule creates a bottleneck.

You still won't get these speeds even over Ethernet for the same reason. The Time Capsule's controller itself is a bottleneck.

B

 

[dXTC]

...That being said, you won't get these speeds accessing the TC's HDD as the hardware Apple uses inside the Time Capsule creates a bottleneck.

You still won't get these speeds even over Ethernet for the same reason. The Time Capsule's controller itself is a bottleneck.

This makes me kinda relieved I use a locally connected external hard drive for my TM backups.