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NFT: Mac/iOS users what do you use for backup?

pjcas18 : 3/14/2017 2:14 pm
I have a couple year old MacBook Air and the only backups I've done are manual to my Western Digital Passport over USB.

The WD My Passport works fine, I'm able to transfer documents, pictures, music, etc. from Mac to Windows, etc. but it's manual and has to be plugged in.

I'd like to use an Apple Airport Time Capsule and back up all our devices (MacBook, ipads, iphones, etc.)

Does anyone use Time Capsule?

It's over wi-fi which is fine with me, so it can be scheduled without having to have it plugged in and can backup multiple devices.

Any better solutions?

Thanks in advance.
I bought ...  
BronxBob : 3/14/2017 2:20 pm : link
... a terabyte drive that I use with Time Machine for backups ... a wired connection. They probably cost about 25% of what I paid for mine a few years ago.
I was looking at the  
pjcas18 : 3/14/2017 2:23 pm : link
3 TB Airport Time Capsule.

It's all wireless.

and we have 4 iphones, 1 macbook, 4 ipads, and some ipods.

I figured it would be good to back all of them up (for a while)
FYI  
MookGiants : 3/14/2017 2:27 pm : link
only the mac's will backup to the time capsule.

I have the 2TB version and back up both work computer and personal to it, but it wont back up the iOS devices.
RE: FYI  
pjcas18 : 3/14/2017 2:32 pm : link
In comment 13392896 MookGiants said:
Quote:
only the mac's will backup to the time capsule.

I have the 2TB version and back up both work computer and personal to it, but it wont back up the iOS devices.


Is that true Mook?

Look at this link on the apple site (this is 2TB, but I think I'd get a 3TB)

Quote:
Setup and Administration

Mac with OS X Lion v10.7.5 or later and AirPort Utility 6.3

iOS device with iOS 6 or later and AirPort Utility 1.3


Quote:
Easy setup for iOS and OS X.

Connect your DSL or cable modem to AirPort Time Capsule and use the built-in setup assistant to create your new wireless network in just a few taps from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. If you’re using a Mac, use the built-in AirPort Utility. Setup is just as fast and just as easy.



Link - ( New Window )
you can create  
MookGiants : 3/14/2017 2:36 pm : link
the wireless connection using the iphone, ipad, etc, but you can't actually wirelessly backup to the time capsule via the iphone or ipad.

You would have to back up your iphone/ipad to your mac every so often and then that would back up to the time capsule.

There is no time machine for iOS at all
RE: you can create  
pjcas18 : 3/14/2017 2:38 pm : link
In comment 13392909 MookGiants said:
Quote:
the wireless connection using the iphone, ipad, etc, but you can't actually wirelessly backup to the time capsule via the iphone or ipad.

You would have to back up your iphone/ipad to your mac every so often and then that would back up to the time capsule.

There is no time machine for iOS at all


I see. Thanks for explaining. That kind of sucks, but most of the stuff I'd be concerned with is synched from my phone to my ipad (rarely used) and my macbook.

My wife and kids will have to fend for themselves I guess.
Time machine and cloud  
mattlawson : 3/14/2017 2:40 pm : link
Terabyte SSD drives are cheap now.
For my Macbook, I use CrashPlan  
81_Great_Dane : 3/14/2017 2:52 pm : link
and back up to a network drive at home and to the CrashPlan's cloud site, plus Carbon Copy Cloner to make a clone of my main hard drive nightly via Thunderbolt. So I am using two backup applications and have three more-or-less current backups at any given moment, twp local and one off-site.

My wife and daughter are also backing up to CrashPlan; we have a family subscription. It's pretty transparent and we don't even have to think about it. And it's free if you don't want to use their cloud backup.

I recommend the three-backup strategy with one offsite. The strategy came from backing up removable media. The idea was: You put in your first backup, and it doesn't work, and the disk crashes. So you put in your second backup, and that crashes, and you realize it's the drive, not the disk, and your broken drive just ate two perfectly good backup disks. But you have a third in reserve.

Nowadays you don't worry about the drive eating a disk but an offsite cloud backup is still a good idea in case of natural disaster. A little paranoid, maybe, but I've had several drive failures over the years and rely on my Mac for work and can't afford an interruption. I had an interruption in December and it cost me a lot of time and effort.
Best practice  
trueblueinpw : 3/14/2017 2:58 pm : link
The Time Capsule product is very expensive for what's basically a wireless hardrive. Also, it's an on premise stand alone backup solution without disk redundancy. But, it is very simple to use and basically a set and forget solution. A great solution for your rich parents or otherwise technically challenged / uninterested.

For my money, and what I do at home, the Synology NAS is the best solution because it has disk reduncdancy (more than one disk in case of disk failure) and it has a bunch of other great features. The Synolgy NAS products aren't cheap but they are terrific devices. I use my Snyology NAS for Time Machine backups of all our family Macs. I also use Carbon Copy Clone for full disk images, clones, of our Macs. The clones go to the NAS. The NAS comes with its own backup program which I use to backup the music collection I have stored on the NAS.

In case of fire or theft I backup my severs with Carbonite and I have all our photos backed up with Dropbox. I like Dropbox because our iPhones will automatically sync photos to Dropbox.

Mook is correct that Time Capsule will not backup your iPhones. For iPhones use iTunes to backup and then follow the clone, cloud and Time Machine good practices described in the linked article.
MacWorld how to backup your Mac - ( New Window )
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