my Airport is getting flaky along with Time Machine.. it works for a week or so and then stops backing up. I think it is time to move on. I don't need a Mesh Network, just something to replace the Airport and a way to do automatic backups from my MBA to an external drive.

I'm having a hard time finding an affordable router that has a USB connection for the drive and I am not even sure what software to use as the alternative to Time Machine (or if there is a router that supports TM reliably)

Suggestions?

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

carbon Copy Cloner for the alternative.
I don't make a bootable with it. Just the "data" for the MM running BS.
The other 2 are on HS. They are bootable b.u's.

[www.amazon.com]

pretty well reviewed/. But I don't know how the USB port is used. Updates or an actual connect

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!#$@@$#!

never do yesterday or today what you can put off til tomorrow or next year.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2022 02:34PM by Fritz.

I have a QNAP NAS as my TimeMachine backup location. Works pretty well these days. Once in a great while TM decides it needs make a new backup. I don't know whose fault that is.

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Any Mac running a modern Mac OS can host a network Time Machine backup.

You just turn on Sharing, add the folder to the Sharing list, control-click on it in the Sharing window and from the Advanced options opt to make it a Time Machine backup destination.

Do this with a folder on an external drive.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2022 02:40PM by Tiangou.

Try a Synology RT2600ac

We have one, very happy with it. Haven't used it for Time Machine

Here are some links on using it with Time Machine:

[discussions.apple.com]
[forums.macrumors.com]

[forums.macrumors.com]

Doing a net search reveals that there were problems, but it seems to sporadically crop up over the years. In my particular case, I had enabled the "hibernate" function for disk devices on the router's configuration. It would seem that Time Machine couldn't wake the drive; after disabling "hibernate" it now seems that Time Machine on the network is working OK... for now.

Quote
Tiangou
Any Mac running a modern Mac OS can host a network Time Machine backup.
You just turn on Sharing, add the folder to the Sharing list, control-click on it in the Sharing window and from the Advanced options opt to make it a Time Machine backup destination.
Do this with a folder on an external drive.

This. My imac has a small portable 4 TB drive that is set to backup the MBAs in our house. Kids open and away it goes. Nothing to do.

If you like TM, dont switch. I found CCC over complicated, and confusing for basic backup. And its "TM" function wasn't like TM at all. ..

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2022 03:06PM by jdc.

Quote
jdc
If you like TM, dont switch. I found CCC over complicated, and confusing for basic backup. And its "TM" function wasn't like TM at all. ..

Really? Select source drive, select backup drive, hit Clone button. How is that over complicated?

Sounds like you're in the market for a new router as well.

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Quote
mattkime
Sounds like you're in the market for a new router as well.

Yes.

Trying to find a reliable, reasonably priced one with USB to connect a hard drive.

So far I'm looking at ASUS 1750
TPLink AX1800
EnGenius AC1300

All are in the $50 range, which I find to be pretty cheap. I don't mind doubling that for better quality, but no need for $250+ system

I'm leaning toward ASUS as it is the only one that explicitly gives Time Machine directions.

---

“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/04/2022 04:44PM by Ombligo.

Quote
rz
Really? Select source drive, select backup drive, hit Clone button. How is that over complicated?

For a clone, sure. But for TM like functions, and TM like interface functionality, not so much.

In my personal workflow, I actually use TM as intended, to pull previous versions of files, CCC safteynet just confounded me.

And the drain on my system was a bit much. backing up 2 drives, a 1TB and a half full 6 TB every hour like TM does would slow my system down... and took 25 minutes to process. CCC 6 is faster, for sure, but I had already moved on.

I own a copy and use it for clones, its great for that. but for me it wasn't what I wanted. YMMV. ;)

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Edited 999 time(s). Last edit at 12:08PM by jdc.

Quote
Ombligo
Trying to find a reliable, reasonably priced one with USB to connect a hard drive.

So far I'm looking at ASUS 1750
TPLink AX1800
EnGenius AC1300

All are in the $50 range, which I find to be pretty cheap. I don't mind doubling that for better quality, but no need for $250+ system

I'm leaning toward ASUS as it is the only one that explicitly gives Time Machine directions.

I think your logic is good, but my search for explicit time machine support has been frustrating.

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Recent article from TidBITS on Time Machine and some solutions to no Time Capsule.

[tidbits.com]