KitGuru KitGuru.net – Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards
While once elusive toys of the rich, NAS systems are becoming more popular, especially as prices drop and people become more aware of the benefits they bring. Having one connected to your home network means that you can access files from multiple machines in any room and they also make for a good option when backing up sensitive data and important files.
The only issue to this point has been the price, when KitGuru reviewed the excellent Synology DS710+ NAS Server a while ago, we were inundated with emails asking if we could find something more affordable. Fear not, for Buffalo have a model to fill all your budget needs – the LinkStation Duo which features 1TB of storage and can be purchased in the UK for around £150 inc vat!
Buffalo are not new to the NAS arena, they have been building them for many years now … the original Terastation was a big seller as it combined small physical dimensions with low levels of acoustic noise.
The Linkstation Duo as the name might suggest is a two bay NAS system which is available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB configurations. These are set up in either Raid 0 or Raid 1 or with each drive as an ‘individual unit'.
| Supports RAID levels, 0, 1 and Standard |
| Active Directory Support: Works as a client in an Active Directory domain allowing the LinkStation™ Duo to utilise the domain users and groups. |
| Apache web server, full featured enhancement modules included |
| PHP5 Scripting language, fully supported by the web server |
| MySQL database with phpmyadmin interface |
| WebAccess – allows you to store, share and access files from any web browser via PC, Mac or iPhone |
| In-Built DLNA/UPnP CERTIFED™ media server – for easy playback of multi-media files to any DLNA certified device |
| Schedule backups to a USB storage device or another Buffalo Network Attached Storage device |
| In-Built BitTorrent™ Client |
| Supports Apple® Time Machine Back-up with multiple clients |
| Supports Apple® Bonjour® |
| Integrates with iTunes® |
| Auto Power ON/OFF with your PC or MAC |
| Eco Friendly scheduled Power Saving Mode |
| One touch transfer of media files from digital camera/camcorder with Direct Copy feature |
| Easy to install and set-up |
| 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet port |
| 1 USB port |
| Supports UPS connectivity via USB port |
| Supported OS: Windows7 (32/64bit), Windows® Vista™, Windows® XP, Windows® 2000, Windows MCE 2005/2004, Windows Server 2008/2003, MAC OS X 10.3.9 or later |
| 2 Year Warranty |
| Available as 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities |
| Includes NovaBACKUP® Professional with 5 licenses – protects data on workstations locally or online. Regardless of theft, user error or hardware failure NovaBACKUP® protects and restores your data. |
Well this seems like a really good low cost way to get into NAS systems 🙂
Yeah its not the fastest unit, but for the price, its really a good buy, especially for more casual users, rather than hardcore guys.
Thats such a good price, the Synology tempted me, but with 1tb of storage its over 500 quid. thats a lot of money. I would be willing to live with lower performance.
Wow I was stunned at the price. the drives alone are almost half of the asking price. Can you upgrade the 1TB unit later with bigger drives?
Funnily enough I was looking at this unit last week with the possiblity of upgrading my own ancient NAS system which is falling apart. I tend to backup documents and videos. I just ordered one , thanks for the review
Read performance is decent, write is a little slow. I like the price, but im not sure how it would handle bigger files. that might be painful to wait at times.
The controller is obviously not an expensive model, which means its not able to saturate the network, but its still quite decent really.
It is not fast enough for me unfortunately, I copy over a lot of files at 10GB or more, 1080p MKVs/ the wait would be painful. but I agree, its a nice pricing point.
That is really inexpensive, didnt think you could get a full NAS system for that price. It would be fine for me, im not into mega network speeds, my network is crappy anyway 🙂
Hey Zardon maybe you could write an article on how to set up a gigabit network, yours looks rather impressive!
Performance is average but the price point is hard to complain about 🙂
I just ordered two of them, one for my brother for his birthday and one for myself :p
Thats a really inexpensive option ! I shall pick one of these up for backups over the network, when speed isnt really that critical.
great review, many nice tests which are real world and useful. I think this is a good option, really cheap too. shall get one.
I was a little disappointed with performance, but I saw the price and its really so little money for a NAS system. with USB option too? Think I might pick one up too for a present for my cousin.
try the speed tests again with differnt hardrives in there? some WD black’s
junk, the onboard controller is trash and creates trash out of your data
Thanks for a great review. Looking to buy one of these to replace a Buffalo Linkstation Live that has recently died. I have been pleased with the Linkstation so it sounds like this will provide similar service. Not the fastest around but great for the price.