Which Route should I take?

Well it looks like Mrs. 'ZOMG' needs some accessories to go with her brand new purchase. She contacted me and inquired if I could advise her about purchasing a wireless router to connect her new iMac and her 2 Windows laptops and as well as an external hard drive for backup storage.

This is what I had in mind for a router... As it works well with both Macs and PC's with good reviews all around.

AirPort Express Base Station with 802.11n and AirTunes

• Lightweight and compact, AirPort Express is built for mobility, so you can create an instant wireless network at your hotel, job site, or wherever you need one.
• 802.11n Wireless with easy-to-use AirPort Utility — Available for both Mac OS X and Windows. Ability to Print without wires, print documents, photos, and more from any room in the house to one central USB printer.
• Play the music from your computer's iTunes library through a set of speakers or stereo in just about any room in your home — wirelessly.

Some of the best storage back up systems I have read about to date are:

The Seagate FreeAgent

Inexpensive, great value for price (range of products and prices vary - The 320GB FreeAgent starts at $100.) The FreeAgent Go drive provides plenty of capacity for comfortably storing all your files. It’s formatted for Mac and is Time Machine-ready, so you can get up and running in a flash. It offers lightning-fast transfer of your digital content with FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 interfaces.

Plus, it’s the world’s first portable drive that includes a convenient desktop dock and travel case. Simply pop your drive into the FreeAgent dock whenever you want to access your files - no more fumbling for cables.

"Sleek design for easily carrying photos, music, and data everywhere. Lightning-fast data transfer with FireWire 800 and USB interfaces for convenient travel with durable carrying case and compact FireWire and USB cables. Quick installation and operation with Mac formatting and Time Machine-readiness. Energy savings by using one small drive for both mobile and desktop needs; also supports."

DroboSimple, easy to use, but pricey at $400 to $500.

One to four 3.5” SATA I or SATA II hard disk drives with FireWire 800 (FireWire 400 compatible) and USB 2.0.

• Dimensions: 6.0” width x 6.3” height x 10.7” length.
• Weight: 6 lbs. 11.3 ozs. (without power supply, hard drives or packaging).
• Includes: Drobo storage robot, external power supply (100v-240v) with U.S. 110v power cord, FireWire 800 cable.

"Drobo takes the pain and confusion out of data protection and lets you tailor and expand the drive according to your needs. This so-called storage robot works exactly as promised and is the most innovative storage device we've seen in a long time - Cnet."

SimpleTech Signature Mini 320GB


Good price. Compact. Is it a nice design? Meh.

SimpleTech's range of products and prices also vary. They have large capacities for a travel drive, are very compact and light; bus powered with good bundled backup software. They are also cool and quiet in operation. It comes with a three-year warranty and two free gigabytes of online storage.

• Portable, stylish 320 GB Hard Drive with USB 2.0 connection.
• Stylish design by Ferrari designer Pininfarina.
• Powered by USB bus; no AC adapter necessary.
• 320 GB capacity, USB 2.0 (4-pin B), 2.5 inch long form factor.
• Data transfer rate: 480 Mbs / Rotational speed: 5400 RPM.
• Dimensions: 3.0 x 0.625 x 5.0 inches (W x H x D).

My recommendation?

You all may bark at this, but I recommend the Apple Time Capsule.. A combo wireless router / back up storage device. I like convergence and although I usually worry about things like combo TV/DVD's... I like this idea.

Apple's Time Capsule

• The combination wireless router and external hard drive provides backup for Mac OS X Leopard automatic backup with Time Machine.
• Time Capsule's server-grade storage works automatically with Time Machine in Mac OS X Leopard to create the the perfect no-hassle backup solution.
• There are no cables, so you can back up all the computers in your home to a central location.
• The massive 500GB or 1TB server-grade hard drive gives you all the capacity and safety you need for backing up all your Macs.
• Connect your DSL or cable modem to Time Capsule and quickly create a new wireless network — or extend an existing AirPort-based network — using the easy-to-use AirPort Utility for Mac and PC.
• Time Capsule uses next-generation 802.11n wireless technology to deliver up to five times the performance and up to twice the range of 802.11g wireless networks.
• Time Capsule also works great as a wireless hard drive whether you have a Mac or PC.
• It sets up in a snap, giving you a networked hard drive you can use for storing and sharing any kinds of files.
• Print without wires, Print documents, photos, and more from any room in the home or office to a central printer connected to Time Capsule via USB.
• Strong security and access control.
• Protect yourself with the built-in firewall and industry-standard encryption technologies including WPA/WPA2 and 128-bit WEP.
• Works with iPhone, Apple TV and more.
• Time Capsule works flawlessly with Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch, and all your other Wi-Fi devices that use the 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n draft 2.0 wireless standards.
  
  "Apple's new Time Capsule incorporates both a wireless router and a hard drive into the same product. The Time Capsule, which comes in 500GB (for $299) and 1TB (for $499) varieties 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." - CNet
  
  It works with Windows and Macs and will automatically back up data from the Mac machine and works as a print & music server.

What more could you want or need?