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Shared storage for your home network
Lacie’s Ethernet Disk Mini did well in our group test of Nas drives, and this latest version is still a good option for anyone wanting to add some shared storage to their home or office network.
The term Nas stands for networked attached storage and, like most Nas drives, the Ethernet Mini has an Ethernet port that allows you to connect it to a network router. The disk’s 500GB storage capacity can then be shared by anyone that’s got a computer attached to the network. This version of the drive now supports Gigabit Ethernet for faster data transfer.
The Ethernet Disk Mini also has two USB ports. The first one allows you to connect the drive directly to a PC, so you’ve still got the option of using it like an ordinary external USB drive. The second USB port allows you to connect additional USB drives to the Ethernet Disk Mini, which can then also be shared by everyone on the network.
The tricky bit with Nas drives, though, is making the initial connection so that your PC can locate the drive on the network, and then creating a series of shares – a set of folders on the drive that allow individual network users to keep their stored files separate from other users’ files.
Lacie’s IP Configurator software handles the initial connection easily enough; it automatically locates the drive on your network and adds it to your Network Places window. However, the manual doesn’t do a very good job of explaining how shares work, so people unfamiliar with networking could get a little confused here.
The manual could be a little clearer, but at just £259 for 500GB of shared storage the Ethernet Disk Mini is good value for money and one of the more straightforward Nas drives available.
Also consider:
Nas group test
We test out the latest Nas drives on the market
Buffalo Drivestation Duo
Not a Nas drive, but an excellent external hard drive nevertheless
Maxtor Onetouch III Mini Edition
Easy to set up and good for anyone who needs a portable backup drive
Read more reviews
Pros: Competitively priced shared storage for your network
Cons: Poor documentation
Overall: An affordable and easy to use Nas drive, though the
manual could be better
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Lacie very noisy and not reliable
Hi, I Bought the Lacie Minidisc some time ago and I regret it. The first I encountered is the terrible noise this device is making. Unfortunatly I do not have the luxury of putting the device on a place were I cannot hear it. But besides this I have to reset the minidisk about once a week because the shares suddenly become unavailable. Also ping-ing the device gives a failure. If you are planning to buy yourself a NAS, I strongly recommend you to buy a different brand.
Posted by FSSE, 27 Mar 2007
Regrets
I never had a so bad hardware in my life. The USB mode could not be used. After a powercut on ethernet mode, it doesn't mount and i can't ping or see it with their ipconfigurator software. The support is at a level near zero (they ask me if it was plugged and to change ac adaptator!). I don't know still if I throw it by the window. DON'T BUY THIS !
Posted by Jean-Paul, 11 Feb 2008
Spend more, get more
The material of this device gives me the impression someone felt like putting some crappy coating on it. It does feel like it's not easy to break though (heavy, no plastics, don't throw this at someone). The webinterface of this LaCie product is ugly, and the device is quite noisy when in use. But enough about the looks and the outside, everything works here like it's supposed to, I'd just expect Windows XP to recognize the device as a USB mass storage device, but it won't. It needs LaCie drivers (which isn't that much of a problem) but it won't allow you to use the drive directly through My computer. The drivers seem to create some extra virtual LAN connection over the USB interface. This almost makes it as much of a pain to use as over Ethernet, which requires another program to assign an IP address to it. So, using the drive from My computer will require you to attach the drive as a share to a drive letter. Not a very good NAS for this money.
Posted by Brandon Segal, 05 Mar 2008
LACIE ETHERNET DISK MINI - Junk!
I try to use this with Mac OS X. Now on my secondone after the first went pop (literally). I seem to have to re-configure it to get backups onto it - but I find myself backing up elsewhere too as its so unreliable. It's junk. Don't buy one!! Buy iomega or invest in DVDs.
Posted by julian, 25 Mar 2008