Some have better performance, same have more features, some can support more file systems.CloudEngine's Pogoplug and Seagate's DockStar are NAS (network attached storage) boxes that provide file sharing over a LAN or the Internet. USB NASes can vary in price and not all are created equal. If you need remote access and are not sure how to configure things like port forwarding or set up drive mapping to access data on drives connected to the NAS, you will want to go with more user-friendly USB NASes from Seagate, Iomega or Pogoplug. If you need remote access and you like tinker, this shouldn't be a problem. You'd have to manually open ports and configure port forwarding for remote connectivity. For example, Cirago's NUS1000 does not have native remote access like Pogoplug does with its personal cloud solution. I've yet to see USB 3.0 NASes come to the market, but USB 3.0 should give the devices a performance boost.įinally, although USB NASes are simpler devices than HDD NASes, some of them take more technical skill to use. If you are buying a NAS primarily for high-definition video streaming you'll want to think twice about purchasing a USB NAS, although most of them have streaming capability. The Read/Write speeds of USB NAS drives simply can't compete with SATA and SDD drives that HDD NASes house. You'll also take a performance hit with USB NASes. One vendor, Addonics, states its USB 3.0 Adapter can handle up to 256 TB on an NTFS formatted drive and 128 petabytes on exFAT drives! If you have storage needs that requires PetaByte drives, you probably need a more sophisticated HDD-NAS or SAN instead of the consumer-targeted USB NASes. The latest USB NAS adapters can easily hold terabytes of data. New to tthe market are USB NASes that are capable of storage sizes that would suit the typical home users or small business user very well. Business NASes also support usually support iSCSI, allowing for even more scalable storage on a network. With many HDD-based NASes, you not only have multiple hard drives, but you often have extra USB ports for more storage options. For instance, many HDD NASes have built-in, user-friendly remote access methods, advanced security and can act as Web, print, and FTP servers.Ĭons The primary drawback when dealing with USB NASes is limited storage. However, the feature set is not as extensive as you get with HDD-NASes, but still sufficient for lots of users. They can perform multimedia file streaming, work as file and print servers and be used to manage Bit Torrent downloads. Many of the USB NASes also have the same functionality as their HDD cousins. Like HDD NASes, they usually work cross-platform able to work with Windows, Apple or Linux machines and file systems. Because they use external devices for storage, USB NASes have virtually zero parts that are subject to hardware failure (besides the actual device as a whole), so they remain usable for a long time without requiring maintenance. Since USB NAS are rather small, they can sit quite unobtrusively, connected to a router. Drives can range from inexpensive memory sticks to large-capacity USB drives, which can be costly. Since you have to use external USN drives, you want to factor the cost of drives in. Typically, USB NASes are small devices as they don't contain hard drives. USB NASes are typically under $100, ranging in price anywhere from $60 for basic NAS functionality to about $130 for advanced features like cloud-based remote access. The biggest upside is that they are very affordable. Pros There are both advantages and disadvantages to USB NASes over HDD NASes. This is why they are often marketed as "USB Adapters." Users connect external USB drives (most also support USB printers, as well) to USB ports on the NAS. USB NASes differ from traditional HDD-based NASes in that they use external USB drives for centralized storage.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |