Most of these Nas devices are similar in terms of their basic hardware features, and it tends to be the bundled software (or lack thereof) that determines the overall versatility and ease of use of each product.

However, Freecom’s Storage Gateway WLAN is a different beast altogether. As well as providing 160GB of network storage, the Storage Gateway also includes a full-scale wireless router.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t include an ADSL modem, so you’ll still need to hang on to your existing modem/router and then connect the Storage Gateway to your router. Once that’s done, you can use the Storage Gateway to provide wireless access to the network. It also has three Ethernet ports for PCs that don’t have wireless capabilities.

Throw in no fewer than four USB ports, which allow you to connect a network printer or additional storage devices, and a Serial ATA (Sata) connection for external Sata drives and you’ve got an extremely versatile network-storage device.

Freecom’s Gateway Assistant program provides easy configuration options for setting up user accounts and shared folders, and there’s a copy of the Acronis True Image backup program as well.

It’s a shame the Storage Gateway doesn’t have its own ADSL modem built in, as that would make it a truly complete network/wireless/storage system, but perhaps that’s asking a lot for £210.

Of course, adding in all those extra features does push up the price a bit, so some people may prefer to opt for a more barebones device, such as the low-cost La Cie drive.

However, the Storage Gateway becomes more cost-effective when you look at the 250GB and 500GB models, and its versatile networking and expansion options make it a very attractive choice for both home users and small businesses.

This article is part of a group test of network-attached devices.
See also
Adaptec Snap Server 110
Buffalo Linkstation Multimedia Home Server
Buffalo Terastation Home Server
Iomega Storcenter Network Hard Drive
La Cie Ethernet Disk Mini
Linksys EFG120
Maxtor Shared Storage II
Plextor PX-EH25L
Western Digital Netcenter 500
Living with NAS
DIY NAS

The table of features can be read via our pdf download.