Want a really cheap way to build your own NAS rig? Enter Addonics' NAS Adapter, a $55 (£37/€42) dongle that connects any USB hard drive to your network.
OK, it's not going to be a full replacement for a Netgear ReadyNAS or somesuch, but the tiny NASU2 does provide a handy way of adding an existing drive to a network.
Addonics …
If it is the same, then it's a bit misleading, as it's claimed on the Amazon reviews, it#s not a true NAS, only allows one person at a time to access the drive..
"The device does work, but the description is quite misleading. I thought that I'd be getting something that would allow me to use my USB hard drive as a network drive so that all the PC's on my home network could access it. No the case. This allows only ONE PC to access the storage at a time, which means that if someone else was looking ay photos, for example and I wanted to listen to some music, I'd have to run downstairs, and ask them to disconnect, then run back up stairs and click connect. I could just as easily carry the hard drive up and down the stairs with me and save myself £25!!! This is not a replacement for a proper, shared network storage."
""the NAS Adapter provides FTP access for up to 8 simultaneous users anywhere in the world with an internet connection. In addition, the NAS adapter can also be used as a print server or as a Bit-Torrent downloading appliance.""
sounds(ok; reads) like it supports more than one concurrent user to me?
We bought the Newlink version to evaluate in work. Yes, it only supports one user at a time. We tried it with various USB storage devices and plugged it into wired and wireless routers - we even tried streaming video wirelessly, but the device isn't quick enough, so complex scenes were jittery. It's an interesting and possibly useful gadget for some application... we just couldn't think of one that doesn't already have a better alternative.
Can you let us know if this device allow the USB drive to appear as an item on the "Network-View Workgroup Computers-xxx" WinXp menu dialogue or just as a UPnP device on the local network ?
If the former, then this device will allow music streaming to devices such as Sonos and can provide a real cheap NAS replacement.
If the latter, then this device is only as good as other so called "Network Drives" (e.g. the Freecom Products : http://www.freecom.com/ecproduct_detail.asp?ID=3402&CatID=8020&sCatID=1146266&ssCatID=1147446). These can only be mapped to a local PC drive and not accessed by Sonos (as they don't use the normal SMB/CIFS)
I bought the Newlink version from scan a couple of days ago. It seems to work as a proper samba shared drive - from the web interface you can set up users for it. I've had more than one computer use it simultaneously, no problem.
However, the firmware does seem a bit dodgy. I can't use the bittorrent client because when I go to that page on the interface it shows me the raw html for the page rather than showing me a web form. I've also not managed to get the media serving stuff to work yet - neither the Xbox or iTunes seem to be able to browse it for media files.
I've found one place which may have a firmware update for it (http://www.embeded-systems.net/firmware.htm) but there's very little information on that site so I've not had the courage to try it yet.
There is another similar newlink device which has 4 ports which I thought did the same thing, but instead as others have mentioned it can only serve one machine at a time. I had to send that one back.
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Want a really cheap way to build your own NAS rig? Enter Addonics' NAS Adapter, a $55 (£37/€42) dongle that connects any USB hard drive to your network. OK, it's not going to be a full replacement for a Netgear ReadyNAS or somesuch, but the tiny NASU2 does provide a handy way of adding an existing drive to a network. Addonics …
Rubbish
I believe this is the same as the NewLink product that Amazon sell (looks the same, and several sources say it's identicial).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/NEWLink-Single-Port-NAS-Donlge/dp/B001FB6WPA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1229092126&sr=8-3
If it is the same, then it's a bit misleading, as it's claimed on the Amazon reviews, it#s not a true NAS, only allows one person at a time to access the drive..
"The device does work, but the description is quite misleading. I thought that I'd be getting something that would allow me to use my USB hard drive as a network drive so that all the PC's on my home network could access it. No the case. This allows only ONE PC to access the storage at a time, which means that if someone else was looking ay photos, for example and I wanted to listen to some music, I'd have to run downstairs, and ask them to disconnect, then run back up stairs and click connect. I could just as easily carry the hard drive up and down the stairs with me and save myself £25!!! This is not a replacement for a proper, shared network storage."
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!
@Rubbish
Pssh! Is this Slashdot? Over here we read the articles..
From the linked manufacturer's website:
"Once on the network, the USB storage can be shared by any network user, just like an ordinary NAS device."
Hmm.. who to believe - the people that make the device, or some guy on Amazon writing about a different product that looks the same..
I HAVE CAPSLOCK!!!
when 8 becomes 1 ?
""the NAS Adapter provides FTP access for up to 8 simultaneous users anywhere in the world with an internet connection. In addition, the NAS adapter can also be used as a print server or as a Bit-Torrent downloading appliance.""
sounds(ok; reads) like it supports more than one concurrent user to me?
Newlink NAS Dongle
We bought the Newlink version to evaluate in work. Yes, it only supports one user at a time. We tried it with various USB storage devices and plugged it into wired and wireless routers - we even tried streaming video wirelessly, but the device isn't quick enough, so complex scenes were jittery. It's an interesting and possibly useful gadget for some application... we just couldn't think of one that doesn't already have a better alternative.
Newlink NAS Dongle
@Jeff
Can you let us know if this device allow the USB drive to appear as an item on the "Network-View Workgroup Computers-xxx" WinXp menu dialogue or just as a UPnP device on the local network ?
If the former, then this device will allow music streaming to devices such as Sonos and can provide a real cheap NAS replacement.
If the latter, then this device is only as good as other so called "Network Drives" (e.g. the Freecom Products : http://www.freecom.com/ecproduct_detail.asp?ID=3402&CatID=8020&sCatID=1146266&ssCatID=1147446). These can only be mapped to a local PC drive and not accessed by Sonos (as they don't use the normal SMB/CIFS)
Thanks
Newlink version works (kinda) okay
I bought the Newlink version from scan a couple of days ago. It seems to work as a proper samba shared drive - from the web interface you can set up users for it. I've had more than one computer use it simultaneously, no problem.
However, the firmware does seem a bit dodgy. I can't use the bittorrent client because when I go to that page on the interface it shows me the raw html for the page rather than showing me a web form. I've also not managed to get the media serving stuff to work yet - neither the Xbox or iTunes seem to be able to browse it for media files.
I've found one place which may have a firmware update for it (http://www.embeded-systems.net/firmware.htm) but there's very little information on that site so I've not had the courage to try it yet.
There is another similar newlink device which has 4 ports which I thought did the same thing, but instead as others have mentioned it can only serve one machine at a time. I had to send that one back.