Price : Too low to display
BUFFALO TECHNOLOGY HD-H160LAN -- The LinkStation Network Storage Center offers an easy to use, affordable solution to your network storage and sharing needs. Add 160GB of network attached storage via wired or wireless connection, for instant sharing of music, videos, images and other files via web browser from both PCs and Macs. One year warranty
This review is from : Buffalo LinkStation 160 GB Network Attached Storage HD-H160LAN
Great Product . We have a small network of 4 macs and 2 windows pc's. It works great for us.
We use this network drive mostly to store archived project files and to store all our media files such as music and movies. iTunes allows us to centralize the location of our music. All the computers in the network can access the music and videos from the network drive.
We have been able to set up the network drive so that we can authorize people to access only specific folders.
The drive also has a great sleep feature and is very energy efficient. the drives only consumes a few watts per hour during active use.
This product is also very small, and is perfect when space is a problem. The drive has been very easy to set up and use web administration so both macs and windows can do administarion.
Great Product . We have a small network of 4 macs and 2 windows pc's. It works great for us.
We use this network drive mostly to store archived project files and to store all our media files such as music and movies. iTunes allows us to centralize the location of our music. All the computers in the network can access the music and videos from the network drive.
We have been able to set up the network drive so that we can authorize people to access only specific folders.
The drive also has a great sleep feature and is very energy efficient. the drives only consumes a few watts per hour during active use.
This product is also very small, and is perfect when space is a problem. The drive has been very easy to set up and use web administration so both macs and windows can do administarion.
Buffalo LinkStation 160 GB Network Attached Storage HD-H160LAN Reviews
Buffalo Tech 160 LinkStation . Once it got the LinkStation installed, it has performed flawlessly. I have copied Gigabytes of data to the device with NO problems at all.
The installation when well, but the device kept disappearing from my PC. After some frustration, I called Buffalo. I was connected with a Tech in a few minutes. The tech understood my problem and sent a link to the current firmware. This resolved the problem. BTY, Firmware should be 1.47 or laster. Apparently, earlier version do have the disappearance problem. Also, not that there are two versions of the machine. The older version has a switch in the back that selects either crossover or straight thru to allow you to attach either directly to a PC or to a switch. The newer version autodetects the attachment type. I have the older version, but suggest that you RETURN older versions with the switch since they are less flexible for non-techies.
Buffalo Tech 160 LinkStation . Once it got the LinkStation installed, it has performed flawlessly. I have copied Gigabytes of data to the device with NO problems at all.
The installation when well, but the device kept disappearing from my PC. After some frustration, I called Buffalo. I was connected with a Tech in a few minutes. The tech understood my problem and sent a link to the current firmware. This resolved the problem. BTY, Firmware should be 1.47 or laster. Apparently, earlier version do have the disappearance problem. Also, not that there are two versions of the machine. The older version has a switch in the back that selects either crossover or straight thru to allow you to attach either directly to a PC or to a switch. The newer version autodetects the attachment type. I have the older version, but suggest that you RETURN older versions with the switch since they are less flexible for non-techies.
Buffalo LinkStation 160 GB Network Attached Storage HD-H160LAN Opinions
Easy to configure worked no problem . I read the other reviews and haven't experienced any of the same problems, but I'm running firmware 1.44 and haven't used the device more then a few hours.
I received the LinkStation tonight and was eager to get it working. I usually don't read instructions, so I quickly hooked up the power, ethernet and a USB printer (rear port). Plugged the ethernet cable into my linksys wireless router using the default straight through cable setting. I downloaded from www.buffalotech.com the latest manual and drivers. You really don't need any drivers or even the installation disk if you know how to check for a leased DHCP address from your DHCP server (in my case the linksys router). Just simply type in a browser http://assigned-dhcp-ip-address. The user name is equal to root and password is blank.
Next, I went in to configure the date and time, configure a new static ip address (I don't recommend ever using a Dynamic IP on a network server). Then change your administrative password. If you are going to user the product as a FTP Server, enable this and set up some more shares. For security reasons I recommend disabbling anonymous log on. Configure user authentication and user group permissions. I didn't try the support for PDC Windows type authentication, but it looks easy to configure. If you are not going to use a windows domain, then make sure you configure your "workgroup" to match your home machines. The default on newer machines is mshome, but you can change it to anything as long as you are consistent.
The printer which I had seemed to configure itself. The most difficult part was installing the local print driver, which in Windows XP Professional was fairly simple. I pointed to the manufactures driver, which I downloaded from Brother.
My only complaint is that the LinkStation does not support Dynamic DNS. This would be a great feature for those of us that cannot afford a static IP address from our ISP's.
Easy to configure worked no problem . I read the other reviews and haven't experienced any of the same problems, but I'm running firmware 1.44 and haven't used the device more then a few hours.
I received the LinkStation tonight and was eager to get it working. I usually don't read instructions, so I quickly hooked up the power, ethernet and a USB printer (rear port). Plugged the ethernet cable into my linksys wireless router using the default straight through cable setting. I downloaded from www.buffalotech.com the latest manual and drivers. You really don't need any drivers or even the installation disk if you know how to check for a leased DHCP address from your DHCP server (in my case the linksys router). Just simply type in a browser http://assigned-dhcp-ip-address. The user name is equal to root and password is blank.
Next, I went in to configure the date and time, configure a new static ip address (I don't recommend ever using a Dynamic IP on a network server). Then change your administrative password. If you are going to user the product as a FTP Server, enable this and set up some more shares. For security reasons I recommend disabbling anonymous log on. Configure user authentication and user group permissions. I didn't try the support for PDC Windows type authentication, but it looks easy to configure. If you are not going to use a windows domain, then make sure you configure your "workgroup" to match your home machines. The default on newer machines is mshome, but you can change it to anything as long as you are consistent.
The printer which I had seemed to configure itself. The most difficult part was installing the local print driver, which in Windows XP Professional was fairly simple. I pointed to the manufactures driver, which I downloaded from Brother.
My only complaint is that the LinkStation does not support Dynamic DNS. This would be a great feature for those of us that cannot afford a static IP address from our ISP's.
Best in class - superior to Linksys Lacie others . I purchased this product to replace a Linksys Network Attached Storage Device. It's an amazing product. Key advantages:
1. Size. Device is small, not much larger than a paperback book. The Linksys comparable devices are sized more like a large shoebox or even bigger.
2. Print server. With a built in USB print server, most any USB printer can be networked. My Canon inkjet works perfectly. The Linksys devices still support only parallel port printers...not many people have these...I haven't seen one in years.
3. Quiet. The device is virtually silent.
4. Price. Price per megabyte better than many others.
The only criticism I would offer is that the documentation could be stronger. I had some trouble figuring out how to get my computer to recognize it on the network. However, not too much trouble...and once I got it working initially, it has worked flawlessly ever since. Also, the one time when I called technical support, the line was answered immediately...what a refreshing change from the usual 45 minutes or more on hold from various other vendors.
1. Size. Device is small, not much larger than a paperback book. The Linksys comparable devices are sized more like a large shoebox or even bigger.
2. Print server. With a built in USB print server, most any USB printer can be networked. My Canon inkjet works perfectly. The Linksys devices still support only parallel port printers...not many people have these...I haven't seen one in years.
3. Quiet. The device is virtually silent.
4. Price. Price per megabyte better than many others.
The only criticism I would offer is that the documentation could be stronger. I had some trouble figuring out how to get my computer to recognize it on the network. However, not too much trouble...and once I got it working initially, it has worked flawlessly ever since. Also, the one time when I called technical support, the line was answered immediately...what a refreshing change from the usual 45 minutes or more on hold from various other vendors.
Great product; Horrendous support! . Advantages:
1) Easy to configure
2) Fast and reliable
3) Print Server
4) Runs linux; Allows hacks and new features
5) Yahoo user group where people share information.
6) Tried netdisk by Ximeta; shouldn't have wasted my time and just bought this.
Disadvantages:
1) Shipping firmware 1.43 didn't work for me.
2) Support took a week and a half to let me know (that is the advantage of the Yahoo user group got the info in 10 minutes)
3) A little more expensive than similar NAS options.
4) Included connection software looks like it was written for Windows 3.1
Bottom line is once it is working it is pretty impressive and flawless. There is alot that can be done with it and alot of support beyond Buffalo making more information available!
1) Easy to configure
2) Fast and reliable
3) Print Server
4) Runs linux; Allows hacks and new features
5) Yahoo user group where people share information.
6) Tried netdisk by Ximeta; shouldn't have wasted my time and just bought this.
Disadvantages:
1) Shipping firmware 1.43 didn't work for me.
2) Support took a week and a half to let me know (that is the advantage of the Yahoo user group got the info in 10 minutes)
3) A little more expensive than similar NAS options.
4) Included connection software looks like it was written for Windows 3.1
Bottom line is once it is working it is pretty impressive and flawless. There is alot that can be done with it and alot of support beyond Buffalo making more information available!
Good concept but poor performance . I had this product only for a couple of days after which I returned it. I liked the fact that there was a separate device that served as NAS as opposed to having a PC sharing a drive. I have a DLink 802.11b router and setting this up was a snap.
The device runs Linux inside. But I guess they must be using a really slow processor. The data transfer speeds never exceeded 2-4 Mbps, making the GBs large backups a real pain. I actually connected an ethernet cable to my computer just to make sure that my wireless link is not the cause of the problem. Anyways, I had a PC before with a shared drive and that was pretty fast. So I don't think there was a bottleneck with the router as well.
Secondly, the fan in the drive makes a really loud noise. I woke up at 3 am to get some water and damn, this thing was like as loud as the pedestal fan that I used to have.
The web based configuration is too slow. Even on the same LAN, the pages take so much time to fetch that you keep wondering whether this device is right across the room or half way around the world in Siberia on a 56kbps dialup.
Functionally, this device is pretty good. However, it is too slow by any standards. You might get really bugged with it over time.
If you do get this device, enable the FTP server on it. My Dlink supports Dynamic DNS, so I opened up port 21 to tunnel it to the linkstation. That way you'll have FTP access from anywhere. All this only if you have Dynamic IP.
Personally, I think a PC with a shared drive is better than the linkstation. There sure might be other devices that are much faster.
The device runs Linux inside. But I guess they must be using a really slow processor. The data transfer speeds never exceeded 2-4 Mbps, making the GBs large backups a real pain. I actually connected an ethernet cable to my computer just to make sure that my wireless link is not the cause of the problem. Anyways, I had a PC before with a shared drive and that was pretty fast. So I don't think there was a bottleneck with the router as well.
Secondly, the fan in the drive makes a really loud noise. I woke up at 3 am to get some water and damn, this thing was like as loud as the pedestal fan that I used to have.
The web based configuration is too slow. Even on the same LAN, the pages take so much time to fetch that you keep wondering whether this device is right across the room or half way around the world in Siberia on a 56kbps dialup.
Functionally, this device is pretty good. However, it is too slow by any standards. You might get really bugged with it over time.
If you do get this device, enable the FTP server on it. My Dlink supports Dynamic DNS, so I opened up port 21 to tunnel it to the linkstation. That way you'll have FTP access from anywhere. All this only if you have Dynamic IP.
Personally, I think a PC with a shared drive is better than the linkstation. There sure might be other devices that are much faster.
Pretty good but I wouldn't buy another one . I've got a home network with a printer and a lot of music files to share, so when I discovered and bought this product, I thought it was the best thing to come out since Wi-Fi.
However, when I setup the product and wanted to get my printer hooked up, I was disappointed to find out that it's only a print server for "postscript" printers, which my Lexmark Z45 wasn't. I don't know how common or rare postscript printers are, but I felt a little ripped off by not being able to use it as a print server, which was half the reason I bought it.
Anyway, I used it for a few months without any problems except for the fact that the fan ran a lot even when it wasn't in use. But no big deal.
After about 4 months, though, it got zapped by a lightning strike through the ethernet port. I called tech support, and they said that they didn't cover that, which is expected. However, they said that they don't actually FIX these products. If anything is wrong, they just replace it. That wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that all of my music, pictures, and other irreplaceable files were on there.
So I was forced to tear it apart (not an easy thing, incidentally), and put the hard drive in another computer. Then I had to find some software that would read it's Linux partition (ext3 format) from Windows, and finally I copied the files to a Windows-formatted hard disk.
So I'm out $250 and still shopping for a NAS product that supports Windows file formats and more printer models.
However, when I setup the product and wanted to get my printer hooked up, I was disappointed to find out that it's only a print server for "postscript" printers, which my Lexmark Z45 wasn't. I don't know how common or rare postscript printers are, but I felt a little ripped off by not being able to use it as a print server, which was half the reason I bought it.
Anyway, I used it for a few months without any problems except for the fact that the fan ran a lot even when it wasn't in use. But no big deal.
After about 4 months, though, it got zapped by a lightning strike through the ethernet port. I called tech support, and they said that they didn't cover that, which is expected. However, they said that they don't actually FIX these products. If anything is wrong, they just replace it. That wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that all of my music, pictures, and other irreplaceable files were on there.
So I was forced to tear it apart (not an easy thing, incidentally), and put the hard drive in another computer. Then I had to find some software that would read it's Linux partition (ext3 format) from Windows, and finally I copied the files to a Windows-formatted hard disk.
So I'm out $250 and still shopping for a NAS product that supports Windows file formats and more printer models.
Cons Review
Poor Software Design . This product was easy to install on our small office network, but then we hit the following snag:
We wanted to set up seperate secure folders for each user, so that one user cannot access another user's folder. I checked that the Buffalo has this feature before buying it.
The problem is that this rather basic function only works if the username and password for the Linkstation are the same as the username and password for Windows XP login. While this doesn't sound like a big problem, three factors make this a real pain:
1) this is not mentioned anywhere in the product manual or website;
2) Linkstation does not allow all XP usernames and passwords; ie, most windows XP user names are, well, the user's name ("John Smith"), but the Linkstation does not allow spaces in user names, so you have to change all of your XP user names to use secure directories on the Linkstation. Also, the Linkstation only allows passwords of up to 8 characters, while XP allows much longer passwords/phrases.
3) In order to back up your computer once a month on the Linkstation, you've got to create an XP login and use it every time you boot up your computer.
Looks like a good product for single users, but beware of the issues above if you plan to use the secure folders feature.
UPDATE--January 25, 2005
After trying to use this device for a couple of days, looks like I'll be sending it back. In addition to the problems identified above, the Linkstation keeps disappearing from the network and periodically does not allow users to log in to their secure folder (all of this even after a firmware upgrade). Very disappointing.
Tom
We wanted to set up seperate secure folders for each user, so that one user cannot access another user's folder. I checked that the Buffalo has this feature before buying it.
The problem is that this rather basic function only works if the username and password for the Linkstation are the same as the username and password for Windows XP login. While this doesn't sound like a big problem, three factors make this a real pain:
1) this is not mentioned anywhere in the product manual or website;
2) Linkstation does not allow all XP usernames and passwords; ie, most windows XP user names are, well, the user's name ("John Smith"), but the Linkstation does not allow spaces in user names, so you have to change all of your XP user names to use secure directories on the Linkstation. Also, the Linkstation only allows passwords of up to 8 characters, while XP allows much longer passwords/phrases.
3) In order to back up your computer once a month on the Linkstation, you've got to create an XP login and use it every time you boot up your computer.
Looks like a good product for single users, but beware of the issues above if you plan to use the secure folders feature.
UPDATE--January 25, 2005
After trying to use this device for a couple of days, looks like I'll be sending it back. In addition to the problems identified above, the Linkstation keeps disappearing from the network and periodically does not allow users to log in to their secure folder (all of this even after a firmware upgrade). Very disappointing.
Tom
Just plain terrible . I bought this hoping it would solve my problems needing a print server and file server.
The print server has no setting besides changing the name of the printer. No documentation on it as well. I bought a linksys print server and was able to customize it so everyone in the office was able to connect with NO problems using windows, mac osx, mac os 9 and linux.
As far as the file server, the permissions are limited to folder level. I bought it to ease my pain trying to work with windows 2003 woes and permissions. When I called tech support asking how to set one user with read/write permission and everyone else with read only....they said it wasn't possible. I tried for hours thinking there was a way around it. Nope.
Use the linksys nslu2 system if you want something that is SO easy and effective. The speed may be higher on this unit due to ide vs usb2 but the interface is years behind a well polished company like linksys.
The print server has no setting besides changing the name of the printer. No documentation on it as well. I bought a linksys print server and was able to customize it so everyone in the office was able to connect with NO problems using windows, mac osx, mac os 9 and linux.
As far as the file server, the permissions are limited to folder level. I bought it to ease my pain trying to work with windows 2003 woes and permissions. When I called tech support asking how to set one user with read/write permission and everyone else with read only....they said it wasn't possible. I tried for hours thinking there was a way around it. Nope.
Use the linksys nslu2 system if you want something that is SO easy and effective. The speed may be higher on this unit due to ide vs usb2 but the interface is years behind a well polished company like linksys.
Poor product design leaves MUCH to be desired. . The Buffalo Tech LinkStation is poorly designed. While it works better under the Mac OS (there's still a problem with long file names under OS X), under Windows there are multiple problems that are unsolveable.
Forget about using long files names as the LinkStation can't handle them!
Forget about setting up password protected multiple Users unless you are prepared to change the User Names and Passwords on all your Users' PCs -- and even then you'll have problems!
The LinkStation cannot accommodate USER NAMES with a space, such as "first name" SPACE "last name" as in JOE USER. Since Windows user names typically are two words with a space, this is a problem that is unsolveable.
This product and its technical support leave MUCH to be desired. Perhaps a future firmware update will solve the very poorly designed USER Name and PASSWORD setup protocols so they coincide with typical Windows protocols. Until then, the product doesn't work, and the documentation is just as bad as the product design.
Look elsewhere as the Buffalo LinkStation is more trouble than it is worth, especially for the small business with multiple PCs. It just doesn't work!
Forget about using long files names as the LinkStation can't handle them!
Forget about setting up password protected multiple Users unless you are prepared to change the User Names and Passwords on all your Users' PCs -- and even then you'll have problems!
The LinkStation cannot accommodate USER NAMES with a space, such as "first name" SPACE "last name" as in JOE USER. Since Windows user names typically are two words with a space, this is a problem that is unsolveable.
This product and its technical support leave MUCH to be desired. Perhaps a future firmware update will solve the very poorly designed USER Name and PASSWORD setup protocols so they coincide with typical Windows protocols. Until then, the product doesn't work, and the documentation is just as bad as the product design.
Look elsewhere as the Buffalo LinkStation is more trouble than it is worth, especially for the small business with multiple PCs. It just doesn't work!
Feature Buffalo LinkStation 160 GB Network Attached Storage HD-H160LAN
- Add 160 GigaBytes of network-attached storage via wired or wireless connections
- Dual USB 2.0 ports make it easy to add additional hard drives for extra space or backup
- Simple setup and maintenance, versatile usage, and a compact design
- Minimal power consumption and scheduleable auto-power off
- Silent internal fan; internal power supply
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Product Details
EAN : 0747464109107UPC : 747464109107
MPN : HD-H160LAN
Brand : BUFFALO
Weight : 5 pounds
Height : 5 inches
Length : 12 inches
Width : 9 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Hardware Platform : Mac
Manufacturer : BUFFALO
Model : HD-H160LAN
Publisher : BUFFALO
SKU : DHHDH160LAN
Studio : BUFFALO
Where To Buy
You can buy Buffalo LinkStation 160 GB Network Attached Storage HD-H160LAN on Amazon . Click here to Read More
