Airport and time capsule

AirPort Extreme is a wireless router

Time Capsule is an AirPort Extreme with a built in hard drive.

Compare here: http://www.apple.com/compare-wifi-models/

The Time Capsule is an AirPort Extreme with an internal hard drive.

(122664)

An Airport is just a wireless router. A Time Capsule is a Wireless router plus a hard drive for backups (through Time Machine for instance).

The latest Airport Extreme and Time Capsule are identical.. except the TC includes a hard disk internally.. the AE doesn't.

However upgrade is not possible.. AE left off the board plugs which are special type.. to plug in the hard disk.

See http://www.ifixit.com/Device/Apple_Time_Capsule

There is a strip down of the TC AC model but linked to the AE which is fuller description.

Edit

🙂😁Wow.. 4 answers in 5min from the regulars.. must be record.😝😉

You know it is a slow day on forums when the regulars are answering the easy questions.

The AirPort Extreme and the AirPort Time Capsule are both an Apple wireless router, meaning that using a connection to your modem they emit a wireless network. Both are setup using AirPort Utility and even have the same innards as one another. Both have an internal 3.5" Hard drive bay. The only difference between the two is that the AirPort Time Capsule has an included hard drive in it's hard drive bay while the AirPort Extreme does not.

The only difference between the two is that the AirPort Time Capsule has an included hard drive in it's hard drive bay while the AirPort Extreme does not.

As long as you realize an upgrade of an Extreme to a TC is not possible because Apple left off the socket.. and the plug is non standard and unavailable.