Jazmin Li
Apple's Time Capsule, introduced in 2008, is a two-in-one device that combines a wireless AirPort Base Station and an internal hard drive. Time Capsule devices are now discontinued, but you can still find them on the used market and use them for Time Machine backups on a modern wireless network. This article will explore the question: Can you back up to Airport Time Capsule wirelessly?
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Select Time Capsule as the backup disk
Apple's Time Capsule is a two-in-one device that acts as a Wi-Fi router and an external hard drive that automatically backs up all the computers on your wireless network. Time Capsule acts as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device and allows users to manually back up their data by using a Time Capsule as a NAS volume, as well as by using the Time Machine app to automate backups.
To select Time Capsule as the backup disk, first, plug in Time Capsule's power cord into an AC power outlet to turn it on. Next, open the Finder app on your Mac. This is the app with a blue and white image with a smiley face. In the Finder window, click on Applications in the sidebar on the left. In the Applications folder, double-click on the Utilities folder. This is the blue folder with the icon of a wrench and screwdriver. In the Utilities folder, double-click on AirPort Utility. This is the app with a blue Wi-Fi symbol on a white background. In the AirPort Utility app, click on "Other wireless devices" in the upper-left corner.
Now, you need to mount your Time Capsule's hard drive on the Finder's Desktop. To do this, select Go -> Connect to Server from the Finder's menu bar at the top of the screen. Click the Browse button in the Connect window and you will see your Time Capsule in the list of networked devices. Double-click the Time Capsule's icon and you will be prompted to log in. Enter your name and password for the Time Capsule. Once logged in, the Time Capsule's hard drive will mount on the Finder's Desktop on your Mac just as if it were a local drive.
After mounting the Time Capsule's hard drive, open the Time Machine app in your Applications folder. The Time Machine app will walk you through the process of setting up a disk for Time Machine and give you the option to use your Time Capsule drive to store backups. During this process, you may be asked to select the maximum space used for backups and choose whether to encrypt backups. If you choose to encrypt backups, you will be asked to create a backup password. Make sure to note down this password as you will need it if you attempt to restore files from the backup. Once you've set the Time Capsule volume as the new backup target, your Mac will begin making backups immediately.
Pringles: Airport Security Clearance?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Time Machine wireless backup
Apple's Time Capsule, which was discontinued years ago, combined a wireless AirPort Base Station and an internal hard drive with the macOS Time Machine backup software. Time Machine is a backup software application included with macOS that allows for easy and automated backup of your entire Mac system, including all files, applications, and settings, to an external storage device.
To use Time Machine with an AirPort Time Capsule on your network, you can follow these steps:
- Connect your Time Capsule to a power source by plugging it into an AC power outlet.
- Use the AirPort Utility app (found in the /Applications/Utilities folder on your Mac) to connect your Time Capsule to your Wi-Fi network.
- Open AirPort Utility and select your base station, then click "Edit" to view its settings.
- Click on the "Disks" tab in the settings window.
- Select your backup disk from the list of partitions and enable "file sharing."
- If multiple users on your network will be backing up to this disk, you can use the "Secure Shared Disks" menu to ensure that each user can only view their backups.
- Select "Share as a Time Machine backup destination" and click "OK."
- On your Mac computers, open Time Machine and select the shared folder or storage device as the backup disk.
Note that some users have reported issues with backup files becoming corrupted and unreadable when using Time Capsule. As an alternative, you can use a Synology NAS, which has built-in support for Time Machine backups and can back up multiple Macs.
Airport Lighter Rules: What You Need to Know
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Using macOS's AirPort Utility app
Apple's AirPort Time Capsule is a two-in-one device that acts as a Wi-Fi router and an external hard drive, allowing you to automatically back up all the computers on your wireless network.
To use macOS's AirPort Utility app to connect your Time Capsule to a network over Wi-Fi, follow these steps:
- Open Finder on your Mac and go to Applications.
- Double-click the Utilities folder.
- Double-click the AirPort Utility app. It's the app with a blue Wi-Fi symbol on a white background.
- Click "Other wireless devices" in the upper-left corner of the AirPort Utility app.
- Click AirPort Time Capsule.
- Click "Next" in the lower-right corner of the AirPort Utility app.
- Restart your modem by unplugging it for about a minute and then plugging it back in.
- Once your modem has fully restarted, your Time Capsule should be connected to your network over Wi-Fi.
You can also use the AirPort Utility app to perform other tasks, such as checking for firmware updates, erasing and renaming the Time Capsule's internal hard drive, and disabling Wi-Fi functionality if you prefer to use the Time Capsule as a wired external hard drive. Additionally, you can use the app to set up your Time Capsule as a backup disk for Time Machine and access the data portion of your Time Capsule.
Uber at Ontario Airport: Can I Request a Ride?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Time Capsule without a router
The AirPort Time Capsule is a wireless router sold by Apple Inc. that features network-attached storage (NAS) and a residential gateway router. It is essentially a version of the AirPort Extreme with an internal hard drive.
Apple's Time Capsule was discontinued in 2018, but you can still get them to do your Time Machine backups on a modern network. Time Capsule acts as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device and allows users to manually back up their data by using a Time Capsule as a NAS volume, as well as by using the Time Machine app to automate backups.
If you want to use your Time Capsule as a backup drive and not a router, you can do the following:
- Open the AirPort Utility app on a Mac (Applications -> Utilities -> AirPort Utility).
- Select your Time Capsule and hit Edit.
- Go to the Wireless tab and set the mode to Off so that it doesn't create a WiFi network anymore.
- Go to the Network tab and set it to Off (Bridge Mode) so that it doesn't run a DHCP server/NAT anymore.
- Connect a network cable from your main router to the Time Capsule's WAN port (not the LAN ports).
By following these steps, you can prevent the Time Capsule from acting as a WiFi access point or router, and use it only as a backup disk.
It is important to note that if you have a separate WiFi network using something like eero, you will need to disable the WiFi part of the Airport Extreme and put it in "Bridge" mode to avoid conflicts.
Additionally, if you are using a different mesh network, you may need to refer to specific instructions for that network to set up your Time Capsule accordingly.
Traveling from Gatwick? Grab a Taxi at the Airport
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Setting up a new network
Firstly, connect an Ethernet cable to the Time Capsule and your broadband modem or router. The Time Capsule should be plugged into a power outlet using the AC adapter. On your Mac, open Finder and go to Applications. Double-click the Utilities folder, then Airport Utility to open the app.
Click ''Other Wireless Devices' in the upper-left corner of the app, then select Airport Time Capsule. From here, you can select ''Create New Network'. You will then be prompted to name your network and create a password.
If you wish to enable a guest network, you can check the box next to 'Enable Guest Network' and name it accordingly. This allows guests to access your network without being able to access all the computers on the network.
Once you have configured your network, you can open the Time Machine app and set up a disk for Time Machine. You will be given the option to use your Time Capsule drive to store backups. To do a manual file backup from your Mac, you will need to mount your Time Capsule's hard drive on the Finder's Desktop.
If you want to restore your Time Capsule or update its firmware, it will need an internet connection. You can reset your Time Capsule to its factory settings by depressing the small recessed button on the back, near the power port. Once reset, run macOS's Airport Utility, and Control-click on your Time Capsule when it appears in the utility app window.
It is recommended that you plug the Time Capsule into a surge protector to prevent any damage in the event of an electrical surge.
Traveling with THC: Airport Edition
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Airport Time Capsule is a two-in-one device that acts as a Wi-Fi router and an external hard drive for backup.
Yes, you can back up to an Airport Time Capsule wirelessly. You can set up your Mac computers to save their Time Machine backups to the Airport Time Capsule hard drive wirelessly when they are connected to your home network.
To set up an Airport Time Capsule for wireless backup, you can follow these general steps:
- Open the AirPort Utility app.
- Select your base station and click Edit.
- Click the Disks tab and select your backup disk.
- Enable file sharing and select "Share as a Time Machine backup destination."
- Connect your Time Capsule to your Wi-Fi network.
While the wireless backup feature of the Airport Time Capsule is convenient, there may be security concerns with older models as they have been discontinued by Apple and may not receive the latest security updates.
