Customer Reviews

Cubeternet NAS Network Attached Storage Enclosure for Multiple Drives or Printer Sharing + Bit Torrent

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have this unit on my network connected with a 1.5TB drive (see warning below) to both a couple of Windows XP machines and a couple of Mac OS X (Leopard) machines. The NAS share is recognized correctly under both operating systems, and I have been able to read and write from both.

However, as a print server I can only get it to work on Windows (which is very nice btw since I can now print over WiFi, since I have this NAS box connected to my WiFi router). From OS X it simply doesn't work (and the manual that comes with it only gives instructions for Windows printing, so maybe OS X is simply not supported). This is a pain because now if I want to print from OS X I need to manually disconnect the printer from the NAS and connect it to my MacBook directly. I'm getting around it by printing from windows-within-OSX using Parallels Desktop, but there are things for which I simply need to print from OS X (i.e.: special files which Windows or windows programs cannot understand to open and print).

One note of caution: If you're planning on using a drive larger than 1TB, do NOT use the web interface to format the drive, as it can only format drives up to 1TB. If you have this problem, the solution is to connect the NAS via USB to your windows machine and format the drive there first.

Another thing is that for Windows users it's easy to find the NAS web interface, as it mounts itself with a local DNS name so all you have to do is go to http://NAS on your browser. For OS X however you need to know the IP address.

There are at least 2 ways I can think that you can find the NAS IP address:

1. Open the command (DOS) box in windows and type this (this is assuming that from windows you setup the nas box name as "nas"):

ping nas

That will return a set of numbers like for example 192.168.0.222, in which case open up your mac browser and go to the address http://192.168.0.222

2. Login to your local router or WiFi box and somewhere in the settings you should see the IP addresses of all connected devices.

One final thing is that the manual makes absolutely no mention of how to install the drive (not even a simple diagram), so non-tech users could be very confused. Here are some tips:

1. Unscrew the 4 bottom screws (weird enough, the drive actually sits at the bottom of the unit, not on top), and open the case to reveal the interior. Inside you will find a base which you can use to stand the unit sideways once you're all done.

2. Unscrew the side screws and slide out the black side panels.

3. Insert the drive and connect the 2 cables that came with the NAS box to the only 2 places inside the drive where they fit.

4. Use the little screws that probably came with your hard drive to attach the drive inside the box by screwing the sides.

5. Close everything.

TIP: Do not screw the drive and close everything until you test the USB and netowork (LAN) connection first. Once you make sure all is fine, put all the crews back on.

HELP: If anyone can figure out the official website for this product from where I can download firmware updates, please reply to this review so I get an email alerting me. My (little) hope is that a newer firmware update will allow OS X printing...

Pros
* I bought this 2 years ago, it has been running non stop.
* I plugged it in to the network, set it up 1 time, and all systems (windows) have been able to map a drive to it with no software or settings change.

Cons
* It seems to operate in half-duplex mode, i can copy a file to it, copy a file from it, but trying to open a file on it or launching an install from it, will not work. It errors saying lost connection to file.
* The speed is very slow, and strangely if I copy a file from a USB drive connected to a computer thru the network to the drive it is 10 times slower than if I copy it to the desktop then the drive.

Opinion
I would not buy it again, it has been functional as a file server, which is all I want. however it is too slow. Also being a single drive, I have to worry about loosing the data.

Action
I am now getting the ReadyNAS duo

NETGEAR ReadyNAS Duo 2-Bay (Diskless) Desktop Network Attached Storage RND2000

Low review because of poor documentation.

Pros:
Reads and writes to NTFS and FAT32. Supports multiple partitions. The large cooling fan is very quiet. FAT32 formating and single partition can be done via unit configureation panel. This is good because windows no longer supports FAT32 fromating for large drives.
Cons:
Has 2 lights, power and network activity, no disk activity light. VERY VERY VERY poor documentation. Security settings for NTFS is root level only. Havent been able to find support site to check for firmware updates if updates exist (control panel does allow firmware updates). Can't use both usb and network link at the same time. Partitions and NTFS formating must be done externally (via usb connection).

Details:
I am using a 1.5TB drive. Because of poor documentation, especially using NTFS and multiple partitions, I spent several hours experimenting to understand the limitations. I haven't used the printserver feature of bittorent, nor am i using the ftp. I have setup 3 ntfs partitions (due to root level security). It appears to set up a small 4th partition for bittorent which i haven't been able to remove (can disable but not remove). Control panel does have an area for firware updates, but i haven't been able to find any firmware posting on the web. The fan is so silent that i can hear the drive clicks more.

Summary:
Nice unit for the price. Its quiet and does support NTFS along with multiple partitions. Very poor documentation. Unable to locate any possible firmware updates. Low review stars due to poor Documentation.

Works pretty well but documentation is very little.
Could never really set-up the ftp/samba share to be used via network. Could'nt save files and error messages lead to nowhere. No support anywhere.
Don't know if UPNP works.
Using it as back-up with USB.

- I just received the unit last week and there was no mention in the enclosed manual (or even a small diagram)to tell me about the correct screws that need to be unscrewed in order to install the hard disk inside , but a few seconds after I had removed all of the screws , I figured it out.
- Hard disk (1 TB) installation inside was easy and quick.
- Using it to transfer files (over the USB connection) was repetitively fast and it works fine under Windows XP , Vista and Ubuntu Linux.
- Connecting it to the router was successful and it automatically configured itself with an IP address , making it accessible anywhere from the Network and of course giving me access to its web interface.
- The web interface was easy to use although there were some occasional time-outs during the configuration (using the web interface) TIP: you gotta be careful if your not using an empty hard disk as you can accidentally format it in the process - There is a displayed warning in the relevant section / menu Anyway.
- Using it as a back up drive or a shared storage over the network works fine with most types of files but I haven't yet tried to transfer or copy any file larger than 30MB over the network.
- I am yet to figure out how to mount it as a drive to my dreambox using its IP address in order to record FTA shows on the HD, all attempts have failed but I guess that is due to my lack of knowledge about the OS of the Dreambox (Gemini Project)
- Lack of proper documentation is certainly a bad point but I can live with that - I believe the best approach is to fiddle around with all the options until you get it right.
- There is an embedded torrent client that I haven't used as I prefer using the PC for that.
- And I haven't used the print sharing option mainly because I put this unit under my TV and I do not want to put a printer there.
- The unit gets quite hot after a few hours of operation , but I am not worrying because it has a built-in fan , which is not that much noisy in the normal living room environment.

I would also like to know the manufacturer and where I can get support and warranty from (when needed)

I am quite pleased with this unit and its performance during its first week but it would be much nicer if it had better documentation.