Apple’s updated its Wi-Fi router and backup drive combo, Time Capsule, with a guest mode and simultaneous dual-band wireless. I was pretty surprised at how wireless performance has increased, too.
I got a new TC dual-band 500GB.
I already had a TC that I bought last year.
So got home and played with it.
I didn’t want to backup my whole disk again, so I opened both TC and swapped the drive.
Note that the previous time capsule had a true server grade 500GB drive (Seagate ES series). In the new one it’s a western digital caviar. So much for “server-grade”, just not true, this is plain false advertising. Caviar is cheap consumer grade…
For Apple to charge $300 extra for the 1TB version, if they are using a WD caviar is plain shameless (it’s a $52 difference at MSY between a 500GB and a 1TB one)..
The TC came with the 7.4 firmware. My macbook would only connect in the 2.4GHz range… After upgrading to 7.4.1, I connected in 5GHz range.
Sitting where I always sit, I always got 300Mbit/s with the previous TC (set to use 802.11N only @ 5GHz).
With the new one, it keeps changing between 170Mbit/s to 270Mbit/s.
The previous TC, would always use channel 38, the new dual-band uses 149.
In my study, where 5GHz would have problem (it would connect between 20 and 60Mbits), the new one automatically switched to 2.4GHz and connects at 65Mbit/s. So I’m quite happy there.
Back in the living room where I normally get 300Mbit/s @ 5GHz, it stays connected at 2.4GHz @ 65Mbit/s. If on the macbook I turn the wireless off then on, I’m back in 5GHz @ 270Mbit/s.
I also got a new airport express (with 802.11n) to replace my old AE that died last week after almost 4 years of travelling the world with me…
So all I have in the house now are 802.11n devices but my iPhone (which was off during those tests).
(back at 243Mbit/s, it really varies all the time with the new one)..
So is the connection speed that much better than with the previous TC? I can’t say.
I would transfer file at about 6MB/s between my file server (gigabit) back to my macbook.
There the best I get is 2.5MB/s ! But it may be a one-off
Apple’s updated its Wi-Fi router and backup drive combo, Time Capsule, with a guest mode and simultaneous dual-band wireless. I was pretty surprised at how wireless performance has increased, too.
Jean-Yves Avenard
March 18, 2009 at 8:10 PM
I got a new TC dual-band 500GB.
I already had a TC that I bought last year.
So got home and played with it.
I didn’t want to backup my whole disk again, so I opened both TC and swapped the drive.
Note that the previous time capsule had a true server grade 500GB drive (Seagate ES series). In the new one it’s a western digital caviar. So much for “server-grade”, just not true, this is plain false advertising. Caviar is cheap consumer grade…
For Apple to charge $300 extra for the 1TB version, if they are using a WD caviar is plain shameless (it’s a $52 difference at MSY between a 500GB and a 1TB one)..
The TC came with the 7.4 firmware. My macbook would only connect in the 2.4GHz range… After upgrading to 7.4.1, I connected in 5GHz range.
Sitting where I always sit, I always got 300Mbit/s with the previous TC (set to use 802.11N only @ 5GHz).
With the new one, it keeps changing between 170Mbit/s to 270Mbit/s.
The previous TC, would always use channel 38, the new dual-band uses 149.
In my study, where 5GHz would have problem (it would connect between 20 and 60Mbits), the new one automatically switched to 2.4GHz and connects at 65Mbit/s. So I’m quite happy there.
Back in the living room where I normally get 300Mbit/s @ 5GHz, it stays connected at 2.4GHz @ 65Mbit/s. If on the macbook I turn the wireless off then on, I’m back in 5GHz @ 270Mbit/s.
I also got a new airport express (with 802.11n) to replace my old AE that died last week after almost 4 years of travelling the world with me…
So all I have in the house now are 802.11n devices but my iPhone (which was off during those tests).
(back at 243Mbit/s, it really varies all the time with the new one)..
So is the connection speed that much better than with the previous TC? I can’t say.
I would transfer file at about 6MB/s between my file server (gigabit) back to my macbook.
There the best I get is 2.5MB/s ! But it may be a one-off
I do like the dual-band though
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