Apple Intelligence is now available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac!
My AirPort base station / Time Capsule is at end-of-life and I need another backup option that's NOT in the cloud. I have a 2021 iMac M1 as well as an older MacBook that need backups. I'm currently manually backing up with a Lacie USB-C 2TB SSD. Is there a way to configure this so that both the iMac and MacBook can back up to the Lacie as seamlessly as they did with the Time Capsule or am I stuck getting a plain old NAS device?
iMac (M1, 2021)
Is there a way to configure this so that both the iMac and MacBook can back up to the Lacie as seamlessly as they did with the Time Capsule
Sorry, but no.
or am I stuck getting a plain old NAS device?
That is one option.
Another option.......if you are also looking for a new Wi-Fi router......would be the Synology router or one of the upper end Asus routers. These products support Time Machine backups to a hard drive connected to the USB port on the back of the router, so you can back up your Macs over the Wi-Fi network.....or.....connect the Macs directly to the router using an Ethernet connection.
The down and dirty option......Pick up an AirPort Extreme for $50-75 from Ebay and don't use it as a Wi-Fi router at all. Connect it to your existing router using an Ethernet connection and then connect the Lacie drive to the USB port on the back of the AirPort Extreme. The Macs can back up over your existing router's Wi-Fi network.
Backups will be slow with this option because the AirPort Extreme's USB port is USB 2.0.
Is there a way to configure this so that both the iMac and MacBook can back up to the Lacie as seamlessly as they did with the Time Capsule
Sorry, but no.
or am I stuck getting a plain old NAS device?
That is one option.
Another option.......if you are also looking for a new Wi-Fi router......would be the Synology router or one of the upper end Asus routers. These products support Time Machine backups to a hard drive connected to the USB port on the back of the router, so you can back up your Macs over the Wi-Fi network.....or.....connect the Macs directly to the router using an Ethernet connection.
The down and dirty option......Pick up an AirPort Extreme for $50-75 from Ebay and don't use it as a Wi-Fi router at all. Connect it to your existing router using an Ethernet connection and then connect the Lacie drive to the USB port on the back of the AirPort Extreme. The Macs can back up over your existing router's Wi-Fi network.
Backups will be slow with this option because the AirPort Extreme's USB port is USB 2.0.
Thanks Bob,
Only after I posted the question did I find your helpful comments. I think I'll just get a new Wifi router and go that route. Is there a particular Synology model you recommend?
Peter
Synology RT-2600 is the only model that I have used myself. Flawless with Time Machine for the past 6-7 months. But, I would expect other models to perform the same.
Time Machine Backups
