Performance
As for its performance, we're happy enough with the Time Capsule's
capability as a storage device. Results will vary depending on what
kind of connection you use, but when you connect a system to the Time
Capsule via a Gigabit Ethernet cable, you should feel comfortable
knowing that its data transfer speeds lie within the range of what we
expect from other network attached hard drives.
Although we're satisfied with its storage performance, as a wide-bandwidth 802.11n wireless router, the Time Capsule is decidedly mediocre. On the 2.4GHz performance, the Time Capsule fell behind by a full 20Mbps on our max throughput test compared with a NetGear RangeMax router.
It's also on the lower end of the spectrum when compared on our long range and mixed throughput tests. We don't show 5.0 GHz frequency scores for brevity, but our results on those tests scaled in a similar fashion. Anecdotally, backing up and moving data back and forth between the drive and various systems felt reasonably fast, but if you need your network to be especially speedy, our tests show that you have several faster options out there.
Conclusion
In its niche, then, the Time Capsule is the most advanced product on
the market. Its price is also fair compared with a separate router and
network-attached hard drive. Mac owners and the space or
design-conscious should consider the Time Capsule if they're in need of
a router upgrade. Windows PC owners should look elsewhere for more
advanced storage capabilities, as should anyone that demands fast
wireless performance.
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday
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User reviews1
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Anonymous 14 August 2010
Good: Wireless, looks great, easy to set up
Bad: expensive, can't connect via USB, it's the old Apple white casing
Comment: Solid and stylish looking product which is a breeze to set up. It may not be the quickest backup option around but for laptop users it really is the best way to back up I've come across - with Time Machine in OS X backing up happens automatically at hourly intervals as long as you're within signal reach of the time capsule.
Biggest draw back has to be the price - there are many cheaper external disks around which look just as good, and if the internal hard disk fails (which I guess they all do at some point) it just starts to feel like an even more expensive option
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