Time Capsule: Which One?

[IgnatiusTheKing]

I have an iMac with a 320GB hard drive (not even close to full) and a MacBook with a 120GB hard drive (also not full) that I want to start backing up with Time Machine. I have the older Airport Extreme UFO base station as my primary router with an Airport Express extending the network.

First question is, given these specs, would the 500GB Time Capsule be enough for my needs or should I be looking at the 1TB model? I do a lot of freelance design (print and HTML, so not a lot of massive files) work on my iMac and the MacBook is basically just a secondary machine for internet/email/etc. and occasional work on the road.

Second question, can I use the old AEBSn as a way to hook up my printer to the wifi network (it is in a different room than my router) but NOT have it broadcast a wifi signal (as it would be a slower "g" signal)? I currently have my printer shared through my iMac but I'd love to free up that USB port.

Thanks

 

[waw74]

You can have the express wired to the network, and not broadcast a signal.
You could also have it join the network, but since it is a G device joining a N network, your speeds will suffer.

as long as each file don't change too much, the 500 should be fine, but if you're constantly updating the same file, you'll might want more space since each update is stored separately.

if you do with the 500, you would just start to loose older copies of the file, so as long as you don't care what a file looked like 3 months ago, you'd be ok. you would still have a current backup.

 

[IgnatiusTheKing]

You can have the express wired to the network, and not broadcast a signal.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately they are in different rooms and I don't want to run a wire in the walls/attic.

You could also have it join the network, but since it is a G device joining a N network, your speeds will suffer.

That's my dilemma. If I'm buying a new router with wireless-n, I'd like to get the full speed out of it.

as long as each file don't change too much, the 500 should be fine, but if you're constantly updating the same file, you'll might want more space since each update is stored separately.

if you do with the 500, you would just start to loose older copies of the file, so as long as you don't care what a file looked like 3 months ago, you'd be ok. you would still have a current backup.

That's the way I'm leaning (esp. because of the price). I see there's a USB port on the TC. Does that mean I can attach another HD to it to essentially add to its size?

 

[yippy]

Connecting the old Airport wirelessly will bring the whole network down to G speeds just like connecting a G only computer to the network would.

That's the way I'm leaning (esp. because of the price). I see there's a USB port on the TC. Does that mean I can attach another HD to it to essentially add to its size?

Yes, the USB port on the TC is for printers or for extra hard drives. However, when you add a second hard drive that way it will show up to computers as a second, separate network drive, not as a larger TC drive.

I should also note that people have successfully and reliably upgraded the TimeCapsule internal drive with a larger one they bought aftermarket. So you could get the 500Gb now and in a year or two spend $100 to get a 1.5TB internal computer harddrive (prices will probably come down to that) and put that into your TC.