Review: Linksys NAS200 networking

The Linksys NAS200 is a network hard disk that comes without a disk, so it's up to the buyer to install one or two - the unit has two easily accessible drive bays.

Setting it up didn't take long - we plugged the disks in and fired up the supplied CD, and were given the option of configuring the disks in one of three ways.

With two 500GB hard disks installed we were given the option of automatic backup (so-called mirroring), or combining the disks into a single 1,000GB disk, which can offer speed advantages, but which means that if one of the disks fails, you lose all the data stored on both. Or it can be used as two separate disks.

Although it's easy to set up, the NAS200 is quite slow - we picked up speeds of only 4MB per second, around one third of what we'd expect from a decent network hard disk. Not only does this mean it'll take ages to fill the NAS200 with files, it also made it tricky to watch video files directly from the device, with our test movies stuttering during playback.

The unit is small and unobtrusive, so it can easily be tucked away in a corner somewhere in the house. It's important to make sure there's adequate ventilation, because the fans that cool the hard disks need enough space to expel the hot air. This also leads to a certain amount of fan noise, which can be distracting.

Other features include automatic backup using a button on the unit and a pair of USB ports for adding external hard disks, should you need even more space. We were disappointed that it can't be used as a network printer server, though. Overall, it's a cheap-ish way to get storage on a network, but we reckon the D-Link DNS-313 edges it for convenience and price.

Vista compatible: Yes