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Is it worth it... (Time Capsule)

Will it work...

Im a current PC users looking to get a MB for school. Is there a way to set up a "Time Machine" using my existing network and another product? I dont have the money to buy an official Time Machine.

Any help or links to set up guides would me tremendously.

Thanks.
 
I think you are confusing Time Machine with Time Capsule. Your MB will have Time Capsule--then you just need an external drive to connect to your MB for TM to use.
 
So can I just buy any usb HDD and hook up to my existing wireless network or is there more I need to do? I want wireless backups...
 
Youll need to check that your current router will work with a USB HDD over a network and if it does then you should be good to go!
 
acearchie said:
However I have read very many disappointing reviews on the US apple store?

Should I be concerned, the majority of them say its a floored product and I should wait for an update (which I doubt will come!)
Click to expand...

I'm also wondering this. I've been considering buying a Time Capsule but I don't know, after reading the reviews, if it's worth it. People are saying it's not as seamless as advertised. Any thoughts?
 
forafireescape said:
I'm also wondering this. I've been considering buying a Time Capsule but I don't know, after reading the reviews, if it's worth it. People are saying it's not as seamless as advertised. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I don't know why anyone would doubt that an update is coming for Time Capsule, since it has been updated once already.

Looks like I need to link this review again:

http://www.macintouch.com/reviews/timecapsule/
 
Having only just found this thread, I may be too late. But it's worth reading. I did a considerable amount of research before making my own decision. This is the conclusion I came to:

I'm not at all convinced by TimeCapsule. With only one drive, no fan and Apple's one year warranty, it's as much of a liability as it is a rip off. Expensive paperweight imo. It sure as hell isn't a viable back-up solution. Not even the Iomega 1TB jobs are as good as their advertising. But I do like the enclosures.

If one regards 50% redundancy as acceptable, then two server-grade HDDs in a RAID 1 or mirrored Array, employing a fan cooled FireWire enclosure is the minimum one should consider.

But this solution is only really viable if that too is covered by an off-site online back-up.

Real single unit back-up only begins with RAID 6 that offers Striping and Parity, where you can afford to lose two drives. And then you've still got the risk of theft and fire etc. Scary isn't it?

The other thing you need to bear in mind is that although Steve Jobs described TimeCapsules as having "server grade hard drives", Apple are only offering the usual 12 months guarantee. Why is this significant? Well, server grade hard drives or enterprise drives as they are described in the trade, leave the manufacturer with a five year guarantee!

Wireless back-up isn't exactly a foolproof option either. There are always security and stability issues to consider. All professional solutions use cables. You have the choice of USB, USB2, Firewire 400 and Firewire 800.

As a very sensible alternative, there's online storage. £150 will buy you a hefty amount of online storage. Google it and see what you can find.

Finally, remember you're dealing with a hard disk drive that's running all the time your Mac is. Yes it's vital you back up. But any advice you get from anyone who's only had one for two weeks, two months or even twelve months... isn't worth a great deal, other than to assess set-up issues, compatibility and early glitches. All hard disk drives have a finite life. There are no long term tests yet.


acearchie said:
Yes this is good, a few people suggested buying an airport extreme and an external hard drive but they forget that although the time capsule has the inbuilt hard drive it can also accomplish this task aswell with an external hard drive making the possibilities endless!
Click to expand...
 
Making redundant backups with Time Capsule isn't at all difficult. See the linked article (yes, for the fourth time).

Believe it or not, very few computer users back up regularly or at all. Suggesting that everyone needs an iron-clad backup strategy or nothing, instead of one like Time Capsule, which works seamlessly and without complexity, seems like short-sighted advice to me.

As for the price, it appears to be a bargain if you can use the drive and the router. I plan on buying one as soon as I upgrade our Macs to Leopard.
 
Fair comment, but to be fair right back, I didn't suggest it was "an iron-clad backup strategy or nothing". One alternative I suggested as an was an online back-up service, which would actually be much cheaper.

And the wireless issue is still there big time, as is the guarantee.

Now I'll check out the article you mentioned. Haven't actually seen a link yet.


IJ Reilly said:
Making redundant backups with Time Capsule isn't at all difficult. See the linked article (yes, for the fourth time).

Believe it or not, very few computer users back up regularly or at all. Suggesting that everyone needs an iron-clad backup strategy or nothing, instead of one like Time Capsule, which works seamlessly and without complexity, seems like short-sighted advice to me.

As for the price, it appears to be a bargain if you can use the drive and the router. I plan on buying one as soon as I upgrade our Macs to Leopard.
Click to expand...
 
G58 said:
Fair comment, but to be fair right back, I didn't suggest it was "an iron-clad backup strategy or nothing". One alternative I suggested as an was an online back-up service, which would actually be much cheaper.

And the wireless issue is still there big time, as is the guarantee.

Now I'll check out the article you mentioned. Haven't actually seen a link yet.
Click to expand...

It sure appears like you're saying it's worth less than nothing. I'm not sure what my first clue was. Maybe it was you calling it a "rip-off" and a "paperweight" and a "liability."

The article was linked several times, including in the post right before yours.
 
i think the time capsule is a terrible idea...


Personally i got a bunch of old computer parts, hard drives laying around, stuck a NIC card into it and BAM! I got myself a personal NAS :D

Connected it to my router by a ethernet cord and it has become 20x better than whatever time capsule can ever be.


I can access my files from anywhere in the world, i can stream my music from the drive, it doesnt bog down my network, anyone can access my drive and im able to choose what they can and cannot look at, size is expandable not only with USB, and it costs a fraction of time capsule...

Only drawback of this is you cant use time machine and it sucks more power since its a computer itself... oh and if aesthetics is really your thing, but i guess since we all are apple owners it is Oo
 
I reckon the user ought to have the option if he so wishes to plug the Time Capsule into his computer directly with USB or FireWire, as all hardisks do.... as wel as teh online backup which i by no means discount but still the option shd exist
 
Yeah...

pinktank said:
you can build a linux fileserver for that price
Click to expand...

Yeah, but that pretty much kills the whole 'simple' thing.

I could build a computer cheaper than what they sell macs for, but it's not worth it to me.
 
do you honestly need your NAS to be looking pretty in a nice little box with an Apple logo on it?
 
Time capsule is the hard drive equivalent of Apple ram, AFAIC. Still, lots of people will buy it in the same way (and for the same reasons) lots of people upgrade memory through Apple. For the rest of us, there's Newegg.

1 TB drives currently start at $200. Might pick one up in a day or two.
 
I've had my TC for a couple of weeks and finally took the time to get it up and running. Personally, I love it. As an ex-win user, I just can't believe how easy this thing backs everything up. I didn't have a wireless router (or any router for that matter) so now I have both in a small very nicely designed package. What more can you ask for?
 
The big benefit to me is the simplicity. I have a family of 5 sharing 4 Macs. If one of the kids deletes a file by mistake, THEY can retrieve it. I’m out of the support loop and the homework gets turned in on time. It helps to keep the family stress level low… This is very much worth the price of admission, even though there are no RAID drives or off-site storage.
 
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