Is the Time Capsule what I need?

[kyle1320]

I bought a 2TB AirPort Time Capsule yesterday in hopes that the wireless backups would help me backup data from my laptop more regularly. I went for the TC instead of the LaCie Fuel in hopes that it would be faster (802.11ac instead of n) and possibly more reliable / compatible. My issue is that I'm going off to college in the fall, and I'm not sure if the TC is going to work well for me there. I can't even get it to "extend" my home network, so I doubt I would be able to make it work with the campus Wi-Fi. The Fuel looks like it broadcasts its own network while being connected to another Wi-Fi hotspot, which seems better suited to my needs.

Do you guys think I can make the TC work? Or should I go for something else (Fuel or otherwise)?

 

[Altemose]

I bought a 2TB AirPort Time Capsule yesterday in hopes that the wireless backups would help me backup data from my laptop more regularly. I went for the TC instead of the LaCie Fuel in hopes that it would be faster (802.11ac instead of n) and possibly more reliable / compatible. My issue is that I'm going off to college in the fall, and I'm not sure if the TC is going to work well for me there. I can't even get it to "extend" my home network, so I doubt I would be able to make it work with the campus Wi-Fi. The Fuel looks like it broadcasts its own network while being connected to another Wi-Fi hotspot, which seems better suited to my needs.

Do you guys think I can make the TC work? Or should I go for something else (Fuel or otherwise)?

If you have an Ethernet port in your dorm you can set it to create a network in bridge mode.

 

[kyle1320]

If you have an Ethernet port in your dorm you can set it to create a network in bridge mode.

I just asked, and there is ethernet in the dorms. I still have a few concerns though:

• Security: Routers are notoriously insecure (in my mind); will exposing it to the public be safe if I have different passwords for the router and drive?
• Power loss: With my current router, a common thing to do if it isn't working is to just unplug it and then plug it back in. Could this cause damage to the disk / backup if it were backing up when it got unplugged?

 

[Altemose]

I just asked, and there is ethernet in the dorms. I still have a few concerns though:

• Security: Routers are notoriously insecure (in my mind); will exposing it to the public be safe if I have different passwords for the router and drive?
• Power loss: With my current router, a common thing to do if it isn't working is to just unplug it and then plug it back in. Could this cause damage to the disk / backup if it were backing up when it got unplugged?

Keep it secure with a good WPA2 Personal password. Keep the base station and wireless passwords different.

Could it damage the disk? Yes, it is like force shutting down a computer. However, I never have to restart my Extreme or any Time Capsules I manage and you could usually do a soft reboot in AirPort Utility.

 

[Weaselboy]

I just asked, and there is ethernet in the dorms. I still have a few concerns though:

• Security: Routers are notoriously insecure (in my mind); will exposing it to the public be safe if I have different passwords for the router and drive?
• Power loss: With my current router, a common thing to do if it isn't working is to just unplug it and then plug it back in. Could this cause damage to the disk / backup if it were backing up when it got unplugged?

Before you spend money on this you might want to call the college's IT staff and ask if they will allow you to run your own router like this. Even in bridge mode, some colleges will block this for the security reason you mentioned.

 

[robgendreau]

I dunno. You could perhaps make it work, depending on what the school provides, but the simplest method would be to use an external hard drive. Another advantage is that you could use the hard drive in instances where you are using another computer. I don't know how often that might occur, but even if you just wanted to haul a bunch of videos or songs around without your laptop that could be helpful. And there may be situations where you're doing a lot of work away from home and want to back up. And I would think any college would have the wifi internet thing covered already without a need for you to bring anything to the party, although I could be wrong.