Time Capsule: how long does it last?

[Jakobben]

I read some time ago that the Time Capsule had a tendency to run hot a simply crash/overheat, resulting in a lot of nervous and angry customers.

How are the newer gens of TCs doing in this regard?

Was it only the first gen that had this problem?

Thanks in advance!!

 

[vincenz]

Yep, after they came out with the dual band time capsules, they seem to have fixed the HDD problems. Mine's almost 2 years old and still going strong, fingers crossed. It's been on 24/7 since the day I got it.

 

[Dhelsdon]

How does the time capsule compare to a conventional NAS unit?

 

[southerndoc]

Mine lasted 2 years.

 

[skorpien]

How does the time capsule compare to a conventional NAS unit?

It doesn't. The Time Capsule was never intended to be a full featured NAS. It's meant as a router with an HDD built in for Time Machine backups. The transfer rates, either wired or wirelessly, are significantly lower than that of a NAS. Not to mention NAS units come with features that aren't a part of the Time Capsule (uPNP, iTunes Server, FTP, etc.)

If you need a router and a Time Machine drive, the Time Capsule is a perfect solution. If you need a NAS, you should get a NAS. There are even NAS units out now that support Time Machine backups too.

 

[Moocher]

Get a cheap USB fan, plug it into a Time Capsule, aim it at the TC, and it'll last a long time. My gen 1 TC always had a fan on it and it's still running like a champ (now with a 1.5TB WD green drive).

Mooch

 

[scarred]

It doesn't. The Time Capsule was never intended to be a full featured NAS. It's meant as a router with an HDD built in for Time Machine backups. The transfer rates, either wired or wirelessly, are significantly lower than that of a NAS. Not to mention NAS units come with features that aren't a part of the Time Capsule (uPNP, iTunes Server, FTP, etc.)

If you need a router and a Time Machine drive, the Time Capsule is a perfect solution. If you need a NAS, you should get a NAS. There are even NAS units out now that support Time Machine backups too.

A quick Google search not only came up empty, but noted that Lion and NAS and Time Machine don't play nicely together at all.

Do you have a NAS in mind that supports Time Machine, iTunes Server, etc.?

 

[skorpien]

The Synology DS211j supports Time Machine and is a very robust NAS from what I've heard. I can't speak for Lion compatibility, but I can't imagine Synology would tout Time Machine support as a feature and not have a fix either in the works or implemented.