Seagate Ups the Ante With Two Terabyte NAS, Wi-Fire Stretches Your Wireless Reach
Have important data? Of course you do. Are you protecting it? Backing it up, storing it safely, maybe using RAID to prevent catastrophe when one hard drive crashes? If surveys are to be believed, you probably are not doing so regularly, and likely have suffered data loss. Aimed at small businesses and professionals, but perfect as well for the gadget-lover at home, Seagate has released the latest addition to their Black Armor line, bringing enterprise-level software and hardware to a consumer-level price.
The Seagate Black Armor NAS 220 comes in either a two terabyte or four terabyte version. We’ve been testing the smaller of the two, and despite our best efforts, never managed to come close to filling it up. Looking like it stepped out of 2001, the monolithic black box looks appropriately imposing. It isn’t quite as silent as a big hunk of stone would be, but luckily the fans purr pretty silently, with only the drive noise being noticeable during heavy use. You could put it under a desk and not worry too much. The black and blue scheme looks nice, and compared to many other high-capacity network attached storage devices, it features a nice compact footprint. It certainly can’t compare to the FreeAgent series that we’ve enjoyed in the past, but measures a scant 8×8×4 or so.
But, let’s face it, you’re not buying backup hard drive space for looks. We do rigorously test transfer speeds and the like, but have found enough variance between setups and even within individual models to avoid boring you with graphs. Suffice to say, we were impressed- the drive offers sustained and burst transfer rates better than any other NAS we’ve tried. There isn’t any wireless built-in, and only a single gigabit ethernet port, but they helpfully added two USB 2.0 ports for added external drives or even printers. The basic software is similar to the others in the series, offering a range of options, with a Discovery tool that should find the device quickly on your network, and web management and configuration tools that are both simple and reasonably comprehensive. We liked the easy iTunes support which worked quickly, almost out of the box, as well as the decent DLNA media streaming- just turn them on in the web management, set up the directories, and you should see the device show up in iTunes or other media programs (or your PS3 or 360).
In terms of the backup software, it’s similar to other BlackArmor drives, like the ones we tested a bit ago. One highlight is the easy continuous backup of multiple computers, with easy client scheduling and installation, for both Mac OSX and Windows PCs. We haven’t even touched some of the more advanced features- Active Directory capabilities, event email notifications, hardware encryption, user-replaceable drives, pretty easy remote access. We should mention that the 2TB quickly becomes 1TB of space with RAID 1 turned on, basically simply mirroring your data between drives. And the device does get a bit warm, typical for NAS devices. We should also mention potential conflicts or trouble for those who are already running other BlackArmor USB drives, as one of our machines failed to recognize the NAS at first. Generally, though, this device exceeds even the high standards of their previously-reviewed Replica drives. And at under $400, it packs pretty great value for your money.
Speaking of which, we certainly wouldn’t endorse relying solely on publicly accessible wireless internet hotspots. Sure, it may be convenient to skip the bills, and there are definitely some circumstances while traveling when a wifi access point can be a lifesaver. Generally, though, we suggest using the Wi-Fire to enable you access to your own, personal, well-protected router from a much farther distance. Basically a souped-up USB 802.11 b/g wireless access card, the updated hField Wi-Fire HFWFG200 features a large, directional antenna that helps boost the signal. They claim 3x the range, and support for Linux, Mac, XP and Vista. How did it hold up?
In short, quite well. It blew every other wireless card out of the water, including 802.11n devices, in our tests and we had to use an even larger antenna unit like the Cantenna (which does not have a built-in network card) to find anything better. We didn’t quite manage the 1000 foot range they suggested would be possible, due to obstructions, but came fairly close at 750-800. The dull grey of the antenna won’t win any awards in the looks department, and the clamps aren’t anything special- your laptop, especially a Macbook, might look like it sported a cancerous growth. But if it’s wi-fi distance you are looking for, until 802.11n routers are more standard, you’d be wise to choose Wi-Fire. The software is easy to install, and the unit feels pretty sturdy. At $60, it’s just a tad pricey, but think of all of the internet you’ll be able to slurp up- from your own router, of course.
