Is there any modern, reliable replacement for the old "Time Capsule" from Apple?
I have a home server with samba, etc where I'm pushing Time Machine backups, but I'd prefer something standalone that doesn't require much setup. What are others using for this?
I think what people do right now is an always-on Mac Mini with external drives connected. The Mac Mini strategy introduces a failure point at the USB->hard drive connection. Pretty low-maintenance, until the $3 USB thingy dies!
Apple's exit from the router business came at precisely the wrong time: they could sell an integrated smart home / mesh network / router / local+cloud backup that also provided macOS/iOS/tvOS software update caching / content caching. My guess is they didn't do it because they felt they could make more money charging for cloud-only services (they love their services revenue) rather than selling networking devices.
I have a small "normal pc-like" box with up-to date Linux. It required some initial setup but it will be supported forever and almost any software can be installed there.
I have a home server with samba, etc where I'm pushing Time Machine backups, but I'd prefer something standalone that doesn't require much setup. What are others using for this?