Sachin Walls
Apple's Time Capsule, which was discontinued in 2018, was a wireless AirPort Base Station with an internal hard drive and macOS Time Machine backup software. The Time Machine app automates backups, but you can also manually back up your data using a Time Capsule as a NAS volume. To set up a Time Capsule as a backup, you can use the AirPort Utility to configure the device's network name, base station name, and login password. You can also use the AirPort Utility to erase and rename the Time Capsule's internal hard drive. If you have an older Apple AirPort Extreme, you can also use it as a backup drive by connecting it to the WAN port and putting it in Bridge Mode in the AirPort utility.
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What You'll Learn
Using an Apple Time Capsule for network backups
Apple's Time Capsule was discontinued in 2018, but it can still be used to do Time Machine backups on a modern network. Time Capsule combines a wireless AirPort Base Station and an internal hard drive along with the macOS Time Machine backup software.
To use an Apple Time Capsule for network backups, you can use either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. If you use a cable or DSL modem, you can plug the Time Capsule's WAN Ethernet port directly into your modem. Alternatively, you can plug an Ethernet switch into your modem and then plug your Time Capsule into the switch.
To do a manual file backup from your Mac to your Time Capsule, you'll first need to mount your Time Capsule's hard drive on the Finder's Desktop. To do so, 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'll see your Time Capsule in the list of networked devices.
You can also use the AirPort Utility to erase and rename the Time Capsule's internal hard drive. If your Time Capsule is connected to the internet, AirPort Utility will also check for a firmware update from Apple, and if one is available, prompt you to update.
To prevent the Time Capsule from acting as a WiFi access point or router, and to use it only as a backup disk, open the AirPort Utility app on a Mac and select your Time Capsule. Go to the Wireless tab, choose Off from the Network Mode pop-up menu, and click Update.
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Backing up your Apple Airport and Time Capsule settings
If you want to back up your Apple Airport and Time Capsule settings, you can follow these steps to ensure that you can recover from a reset with ease.
Firstly, open the Airport Utility on your Mac by going to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Airport Utility. You can also find it in /Applications/Utilities/Airport Utility.app. Once you have opened the utility, a small overview screen will appear, showing you details about your device. Click on this, and then click "Edit". You should now see the setup for your device.
Next, go to the menu bar and select File > Export Configuration File. You should then store this file in a safe place, such as Dropbox or Google Drive. This is important because you might have to set up your device again after a computer crash, and you will need the configuration file to do so.
If you are using a Time Capsule, you can also use the Airport Utility to erase and rename the internal hard drive. If your Time Capsule is connected to the internet, the utility will check for a firmware update from Apple. You can then update the firmware, and the Time Capsule will restart once this is done.
Finally, to do a manual file backup from your Mac to your Time Capsule, you will first 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. Click the Browse button in the Connect window, and you will see your Time Capsule in the list of networked devices.
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Using an old Apple AirPort Extreme as a backup drive
If you have an old Apple AirPort Extreme that you want to use as a backup drive, there are a few things you can do. Firstly, it's important to note that the AirPort Extreme is a router and does not have a built-in hard drive. However, you can connect a separate USB hard drive to the USB port on the AirPort Extreme and use it for backups.
If you have a newer model with inbuilt storage, you can check if it has available storage by opening Airport Utility on your Mac and following these steps: Finder > Applications > Utilities > AirPort Utility. Hold down the option key on your Mac while you double-click on the picture of the "AirPort Extreme" and look near the top of the window that appears to see the model and its details.
If you want to use your old AirPort Extreme as a backup drive, you can connect it to your new router using an Ethernet cable. Make sure to use the WAN Ethernet port on the AirPort and disable its WiFi. This will allow your Mac to recognise the AirPort hard drive as a resource for Apple's Time Machine.
You can also use the AirPort Utility to erase and rename the internal hard drive, as well as update the firmware if needed. To do a manual file backup from your Mac, you'll need to mount your Time Capsule's hard drive on the Finder's Desktop. Go to the Finder's menu bar, select Go->Connect to Server, and click the Browse button in the Connect window. You should then see your Time Capsule in the list of networked devices.
It's worth noting that using a USB drive plugged into an AirPort Extreme can be slow and unreliable, especially with certain operating systems. If you're looking for faster and more reliable backups, you may want to consider other options such as plugging an external drive directly into your router or computer.
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Backing up your iPhone to your Airport
To back up your iPhone to your Airport, you will need to use the Time Capsule's internal hard drive. First, connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network and go to Settings, then [your name], and tap iCloud. Tap iCloud Backup and ensure that Back Up This [Device] is turned on. Tap Back Up Now and stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process is complete. You can also back up your iPhone manually by tapping Back Up Now.
If you are using a Time Capsule, you will need to connect it to the internet and update the firmware if required. To do a manual file backup from your Mac to your Time Capsule, you must first mount the Time Capsule's hard drive on the Finder's Desktop. Go to the Finder's menu bar, select Go, then Connect to Server. Click the Browse button in the Connect window, where you will see your Time Capsule in the list of networked devices.
Additionally, you can use the AirPort Utility to back up your iPhone settings. This will allow you to recover from a reset with ease. To do this, go to Applications/Utilities/Airport Utility on your Mac. Click on the overview screen that pops up and select File > Export Configuration File. You can also store these files in a place like Dropbox or Google Drive for added security.
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Using an external backup device for your Mac
To use an external backup device for your Mac, you can use Time Machine, the built-in backup feature of your Mac. Time Machine can back up to an external storage device connected to a USB, Thunderbolt, or FireWire port on your Mac.
To set up Time Machine, connect an external storage device, such as a USB drive or Thunderbolt drive, to the appropriate port on your Mac. Use a storage device with at least twice the storage capacity of your Mac. For example, if your Mac has 1TB of storage, your backup disk should ideally have at least 2TB of storage. Once connected, go to the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose System Settings, click General in the sidebar, then click Time Machine on the right. Click Add Backup Disk, or the Add button. Select your connected storage device and click Set Up Disk.
After setup, your Mac will immediately begin using the connected storage device to make backups. To back up now, choose Back Up Now from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar. Time Machine automatically makes hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for all previous months. The oldest backups are deleted when your backup disk is full. You can also manually back up files like photos, videos, and documents by simply dragging them from your Mac to a USB drive or other external storage device connected to your Mac.
If you are using an AirPort Extreme Base Station (802.11ac model) or AirPort Time Capsule, you can connect an external USB drive to the USB port on your AirPort base station. Time Machine can back up to this drive.
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Frequently asked questions
Apple's Time Capsule allows users to automate backups. Alternatively, you can use the Time Machine app to automate backups.
First, click the Time Capsule tab and assign a name, device password, and adjust Time Zone settings. Then, change the setting for Wireless Mode to "Off". Finally, update and save your new settings and restart the network.
Yes, you can use an old Apple AirPort Extreme as a backup drive. You can also connect a separate USB hard drive to the USB port on an AirPort Extreme and back up that way.
You can back up your iPhone to your Mac and then back up your Mac to another hard drive.
