Labs

Network attached storage drives

There are several factors to consider when choosing a NAS appliance, but the main one is to decide how it will be used. If many users will need to store, back up and share sensitive data, the ability to provide user and group access rights is critical. Also, if those users are connecting from different operating systems, support for various clients will be important. Where data isn't sensitive, but multiple users will need access to large files (such as video), performance will be more important.

Simple management is also a factor, so we examine every option in the web interface as well as assessing how intuitive it is to navigate and alter settings.

Performance

We test the performance of each appliance by writing 1.3GB of both large and small files to a share and then reading them back. Where devices can connect via Ethernet and USB, or Ethernet and Wi-Fi, we test both interfaces for speed. Our setup comprises our usual Labs test rig with a Gigabit Ethernet controller and a Netgear GS608 Gigabit switch. Each appliance is connected to the switch using a CAT-5e cable, and we use a second cable to connect the switch to the PC. This setup ensures there are no bottlenecks that could reduce performance.

For the USB tests, we simply connect the device to one of our PC's USB ports and run the tests for a second time. The Freecom is the only appliance to offer Wi-Fi, and we rerun the read and write tests using an 802.11g Wi-Fi adapter attached to the PC.

Quietness

Unlike any other UK magazine, we send every NAS drive to Intertek Research & Testing Centre to find out how noisy they are. Testing is carried out in an acoustically treated listening room using a precision sound-level meter with an "A-weighted" audio filter. The results are in dBA, but bear in mind they aren't comparable with our usual PC measurements, since recordings are taken at 10cm instead of 50cm in order to obtain a meaningful spread of levels. Full results are detailed in the technical report, which can be found in the Editorial folder on the cover disc.

Features & Design

We reward drives for their main functions, including print servers, FTP servers, media servers, backup measures and client support, as well as for management features such as hibernate and user quotas.

Likewise, interfaces are allocated points, with Wi-Fi and USB connections gaining reward, and USB ports for printers or additional disks also receiving credit. Other physical features such as status LEDs, internal power supplies and any security measures (such as Kensington lock slots) are also examined and rewarded. Finally, warranty, the quality of documentation, bundled software and cables are taken into account too.

Value for Money

The Value for Money score is based on a weighted average of the Performance, Quietness and Features & Design scores; we then factor in the price (including delivery) to give a bang-per-buck result.

Overall

The Overall rating is a straight average of the Performance, Quietness, Features & Design and Value for Money scores.