September 3, 2008

• A Tale of Two Time Machines

  This past Winter Apple released a very cool and sleek product called “Time Capsule“.

  

  This is an uber-awesome Hard Drive that works in tandom with Time Machine–an auto backup feature included standard with MAC OS 10.5

  This thing combined the best of the things I needed–automatic and easy backup + Wifi for my house and studio. Awesome.
  I read all about it, asked some of my techy friends their opinions, and ended up springing for the 1TB version (I have too many gigantic-size resolution SNL clips on one of my hard drives…so I needed the space).
  I was so happy.
  Now I would finally have the reassurance that ALL of my data would be backed up (including the SNL clips…) and I’d have a ton of space to spare. PLUS, this sucker backs up not only one computer automatically, but ANY apple computer that is around. So Christy’s laptop would automatically get backed up too! FANTASTIC!

  All was grand for a few months. I even set up my existing Airport Express to work together with the Time Capsule to extend my wifi network all the way out to my studio and give me excellent wifi reception. I was browsing and clicking and backing up at LIGHTNING speed…hallelujah.

  Then we ordered AT&T Uverse.

  AT&T Uverse is actually really cool. It replaced our sub-par DVR box/cable service & internet provider. It was the same price for a better deal, plus they gave us cash back and a free month’s worth of service. It’s a new technology that provides digital cable and DVR—over a wireless network–and if you choose to do so (which we did) they can flip the switch ON to provide internet through the already existing network.

  AND HERIN LIES THE PROBLEM.

  AT&T Uverse HAS to use their network router to provide the signal to the TV and DVR box. Additionally,  the internet signal MUST come from that same box–and that’s where the wireless network is automatically setup.
  Sound awesome?
  It kinda is…unless you have a Time Capsule that already does all that stuff.

  SOOooooooooooo….

  I basically had to bypass all of the functions of the Time Capsule and make it part of the network of the AT&T thing. This worked OK, except it wasn’t backing up my computers anymore OR linking to my Airport Express.

  I was deeply greived.

  I spent some time on the phone with just about every single tech support guy that AT&T has, including their “Mac guy”, who was actually very knowledgable about the whole situation, but basically told me that it just wasn’t possible to use the full capabilities of the Time Capsule AND have Uverse.

  You see…Uverse has to send a signal to the TV box…and…oh nevermind…

  Here’s the end of the story (fast-forward…) I have now taken the Time Capsule and connected it directly to my G5, wiped it clean, and started anew.  I am partly satisfied with this soultion as I can get OK signal from the Uverse router in my studio, and the most important data is still going to be backed up.

  

  Plus, we get to use Uverse’s highly superior TV service (you can tape 4 shows at once, people! FOUR SHOWS!!!!).

  That said…I probably could have plopped a few hundred less on a regular 1TB hard drive to do the same thing…

  Oh well. Live and learn.

  Now…if I ACTUALLY had a REAL time machine…

  • 2:08 pm
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