[m021478]

I posted this question on a different forum a while back, but now that I've actually received my Time Capsule device and have it my possession, I have to bring up the same question again, because NOT using the suggestions offered in the thread above are specifically mentioned on the single page 'Need-To-Know' documentation that came with my Time Capsule...

This documentation says,

Put Time Capsule in Charge
If you add the Time Capsule to an existing wireless network, you'll want to set it as your primary base station, rather than as a network client. That way you'll get the best performance, and the fastest backups

Does anyone have any thoughts about this? Is it still advisable to use the Time Capsule for remote backup only and have it run as a network client and not my primary router, despite the fact that Apple's Time Capsule documentation recommends not doing so...

One important caveat here is that I will not be using the time capsule device wirelessly...I will have it hard wired directly to a gigabit switch at all times...my thinking is that Apple recommends having the device as your primary router and not a network client for situations in which people will be using the device wirelessly...

However, given some of Engadget's negative critiques of the Time Capsule in their recent review, I think that using the 'QoS' feature of my D-Link DIR-655 router to prioritize the network activity of the Time Capsule's backups so that its listed slightly lower in the hierarchy than any/all network activity that's coming in/going out of my primary desktop & laptop computers might be a nice strategy - so that I never actually notice any network performance dips during times when either of my two computers is backing up...Any thoughts on this?

One final question...here is a link to a SmallNetBuilder.com comparison chart between the Apple Airport Extreme (which is basically the same router as the Time Capsule, as far as I know) and my current D-Link DIR-655 router....Given my lack of advanced network jargon comprehension, is it even worth my continuing to use the D-Link as my primary router? Is the Time-Capsule's router more advanced and more capable?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated... Thanks!

[Sherman Homan]

I think the problem is that if you have an existing router and just turn on Time Machine you will have two routers in an electronic fist fight over DHCP, DNS and NAT. You have to assign one or the other as the primary. But given that TM has both wired and wireless capability along with its router function you might just toss the D-Link.

[elx]

Decided not to put up a new thread for this. I'd like to know if I can use the TC as a backup for one computer AND an external drive for another one at the same time. I believe a review said that it's possible to partition the drive somehow, but I don't want to do that. Thanks