I am trying to figure out the best and easiest backup solution for my mom. She has a MacBook that she uses around the house and currently plugs it into an external HD via USB and backs up via TIme Machine.

The problem here is she doesn't do it nearly enough. Plus she seems to have problems with the external not mounting or unmounting as it should. Whether this is the drive or the enclosure or the USB cable or whatever i don't know. But I thought perhaps a nice wireless solution would be a good way to do things. That way she is ALWAYS backing up if her machine is open and she doesn't have to be plugged into anything.

So I suppose something like a Time Capsule would be in order. The other side of that solution is that she does not have broadband. So she wouldn't be using the router part of the Time Capsule. So is that even possible? Is there a cheaper solution for backing up wirelessly?

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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity

What level of backup do you want for her, full system backup, or just select data (user folder, for example)

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DRR
What level of backup do you want for her, full system backup, or just select data (user folder, for example)

I'd probably stick to something like Time Machine. A set it and forget it type thing. The less user interaction on her part, the better.

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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity

Time Capsules are insanely expensive for the storage avail. You'd be better off buying a refurb Airport Extreme and attaching a cheap USB drive and using that for Time Machine.

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rj
AKA
Vreemac, Moth of the Future

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rjmacs
Time Capsules are insanely expensive for the storage avail. You'd be better off buying a refurb Airport Extreme and attaching a cheap USB drive and using that for Time Machine.

That's why I was looking for something LIKE a Time Capsule. I doubt there's any way she'd spend that much.

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Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity

Airport Extreme and an external 500GB USB hard drive.

[www.google.com]

[www.newegg.com]

Airport Extreme will be just fine with no broadband on the other side of it, although the light on the front will probably complain. You might be able to make it NOT blink in the settings somewhere. Since you're not really using it's full routing capabilities, one of the brand new models isn't even necessary.

Jeff

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Help us find a cure for cancer, fold proteins with TeamMacOSX!
[teammacosx.homeunix.com]

Quote
bazookaman
I am trying to figure out the best and easiest backup solution for my mom. She has a MacBook that she uses around the house and currently plugs it into an external HD via USB and backs up via TIme Machine.

The problem here is she doesn't do it nearly enough. Plus she seems to have problems with the external not mounting or unmounting as it should. Whether this is the drive or the enclosure or the USB cable or whatever i don't know. But I thought perhaps a nice wireless solution would be a good way to do things. That way she is ALWAYS backing up if her machine is open and she doesn't have to be plugged into anything.

So I suppose something like a Time Capsule would be in order. The other side of that solution is that she does not have broadband. So she wouldn't be using the router part of the Time Capsule. So is that even possible? Is there a cheaper solution for backing up wirelessly?

The answer is in your own post. She "connects....but doesn't do it often enough...."

Set up the TM drive so that it is connected all of the time, on all of the time. No failure to mount problems now. Use TM manager or the like to cut down on the number of backups if needed. Take the problem out of her hands.

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Mr. Curmudgeon, on Mountain Lion.

Bazooka,

I think the best solution will be a wireless hard disk drive or a basic 802.11n router combined with a NAS drive. Wireless hard disk drives are becoming more and more common but I don't know how well they work in general and whether or not they'd work with Time Machine. There are definitely NAS boxes that are Time Machine friendly. It's just a matter of choosing the router and the NAS box.

One of the reason I'd stay away from a time capsule is that both routers and external drives can be very finicky. If one router part of the Time Capsule goes kablooey, it takes the drive with it. If the drive goes kablooey, you now have a very expensive wireless router that is likely to fail soon after.

A dedicated router and NAS drive are a better combination. If the drive fails, replace the drive. If the router fails, replace the router. Either way, it's a less expensive combination and likely more reliable and stable combination.

Broadband won't be an issue here. It doesn't even come into the picture. Mom will still connect to the Internet via her current means. Configure her computer to use wireless to access the router and drive. Set it and forget it.

Just wondering.. Does she have any broadband options? If you go with a wireless router, it may be worth investigating broadband. Basic service may not be all that much more expensive than dialup. I'm assuming she's using dialup. Please correct me if I am mistaken.

BTW, if you go with an Airport Extreme or, in this case, even a Airport Express, do not, absolutely do not, purchase a Seagate GoFlex to use as the USB connected Time Machine drive. It will not work properly. I found this out the hard way.

Robert



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2012 10:45AM by Robert M.

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modelamac
Set up the TM drive so that it is connected all of the time, on all of the time. No failure to mount problems now. Use TM manager or the like to cut down on the number of backups if needed. Take the problem out of her hands.

She has a laptop. She only backs up when she sets the laptop on her desk and remembers to plug in the external. Otherwise she is in various parts of her house writing or surfing or whatever. She's not at her desk all the time.

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__________________________________
Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity

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Robert M
Just wondering.. Does she have any broadband options?

No broadband options anytime soon. She lives just north of bumblefuckville.

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__________________________________
Never underestimate the predictability of stupidity

Quote
bazookaman

Quote
modelamac
Set up the TM drive so that it is connected all of the time, on all of the time. No failure to mount problems now. Use TM manager or the like to cut down on the number of backups if needed. Take the problem out of her hands.

She has a laptop. She only backs up when she sets the laptop on her desk and remembers to plug in the external. Otherwise she is in various parts of her house writing or surfing or whatever. She's not at her desk all the time.

Yep. Hard to keep a backup drive connected all the time with a portable system.

Quote
kj4btkljv
Airport Extreme and an external 500GB USB hard drive.

[www.google.com]

[www.newegg.com]

Airport Extreme will be just fine with no broadband on the other side of it, although the light on the front will probably complain. You might be able to make it NOT blink in the settings somewhere. Since you're not really using it's full routing capabilities, one of the brand new models isn't even necessary.

Jeff

This route, no question. Or a true time capsule.

"No broadband options anytime soon"

Find one of these:

[www.amazon.com]

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btfc
"No broadband options anytime soon"

Find one of these:

[www.amazon.com]

Except the old Airport Extreme units didn't support USB hard drives, only USB printers.

[support.apple.com]

Jeff

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Help us find a cure for cancer, fold proteins with TeamMacOSX!
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"Except the old Airport Extreme units didn't support USB hard drives, only USB printers."

You are correct; I have one. Adding one to a Time Capsule or several of the suggested solutions that do not solve the internet connection problem would work great, however.