Old‘ish Macbook as an „always on“ Hazel machine?

Hardware
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I would like to have a Mac that is always on and for example runs all my Hazel rules (among some other things). I own a ca. 2014 MacBook Air which is still going strong in general. As I just bought an iPhone XS and am pretty close to dropping even more cash on a new iPad Pro, I do not want so spend even more to get a Mini.

My question therefore is, if there is a way to have my MacBook Air always on, running automation for me?

Any help is much appreciated. Many thanks.

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That article has IMHO bad advice to have the computer auto login. Especially in the case of the Philly where the computer will have access to many files because of the Hazel automation, there is a need for security. The computer will only have to be logged in after a power failure. FileVault should be enabled. The keyboard should be locked when not in use. Then if the Macbook is stolen there will be no accessibility to any information.

I think the article was most likely addressing always on use where security is not a concern.

1 Like
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What advise you are looking for here? I believe any Mac can run as always on. Mac Air in general is low powered devices, that should help you controlling the bills as well.

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I use a 2012 MacBook Pro for this purpose. It is a Plex server with 30TB of movies and runs my Hazel rules. It even runs Logic Pro X well enough for my daughter to practice piano.

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Many thanks for the responses so far. Much appreciated.

@Rob_Polding: So do you have your MacBook Pro running all the time? Or is in something like a sleep mode and only activated, when there is a task to do , for example a hazel Rule? (hope you understand how I mean this question)

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@mina: I am looking for people who actually have a similar setup and for advise.

Are Macbook Airs really capable of running 24/7?

Or alternatively: Most of my automations do not need to run instantly, so it would probably be sufficient for my purpose. Is there a way to have the macbook “sleeping” and only automatically have it waken up on a set schedule (i.e. every 30 minutes or every 60 minutes or so), perform my automations and then go back to sleep?

Many thanks @all

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Hi Philly,

It is on all the time but is hardly ever in use. I’ve not noticed any issues.

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Yes, you can do that, check the Power Nap feature: