Mac mini (M1)

From £699 (plus external storage) FROM apple.com/uk

Fancy creating your own NAS using another Mac? Connect the Mac to wired Ethernet, then connect external storage you’re going to use for shared backups and storage. Format this in APFS, encrypted if you wish, using Disk Utility, giving it at least two volumes – one for Time Machine backups, the other for files.

Open  > System Prefs > Sharing, select File Sharing, and add both volumes to the list of Shared Folders with users. Turn the backup volume into a Time Machine destination by selecting it and clicking Options. In the

Options dialog, tick ‘Share files and folders using SMB’, then ≈-click the volume and select Advanced Options. There, tick ‘Share as a Time Machine backup destination’. If File Sharing isn’t enabled in the list of services at the left, tick it to turn it on.

Open Energy Saver, and ensure the Mac is set not to sleep, so it is always available for backups.

> VERDICT

Compatibility Excellent performance Optional additional services Pricey alternative