Customer Reviews

Iomega Home Media 500 GB Network Attached Storage 34336

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is an awesome drive (I bought the 500 GB model), but it can be very slow. I notice that connecting to the drive causes my laptop to freeze for about 45 seconds, then it comes back up. Don't get me wrong, I really love my drive, but it is very slow.

It was also a bit tricky to install, but I didn't have too many problems. BE ABSOLUTELY SURE TO READ THE SETUP PART OF THE MANUAL INCLUDED! IT WILL SAVE MUCH FRUSTRATION! (sorry for caps, but I think this part is extremely important)

The drive has excellent security features. It will automatically find all the user accounts on your computer and put those accounts on the drive. You can also manually add accounts via the web-based setup, which is excellent if you have multiple computers using the drive. I would recommend locking this drive down as tight as you possibly can. This way, if a peeping neighbor comes across the drive, they can't get into your files (even by mistake). Post a comment if you need help securing your drive, I would be happy to help!

As far as the noise goes, I don't notice any, but my drive is in my basement with the home theater and a dehumidifier which drown out any noise it may make.

This part will sound very hypocritical: I know I said that it can be slow, but that's for connecting to it. Even with Wireless-G (54.0 Mbps all over in my house), transfer speeds are good.

I have not tested the software that comes with the drive for automatic backups, I use SyncBack (Google it, 2BrightSparks makes it). This combined with the drive make for good transfer speeds.

TIPS FOR SUCCESS WITH YOUR DRIVE:
- As stated above, lock the drive down tight. This prevents neighbors from seeing files, or even dropping their own in the drive. It uses basic security, but it's very difficult to get around it.
-Secure your wireless network. If you don't have remote access enabled, this makes it about 10 times more difficult to get into the drive.
-"User Accounts" on the drive:
~Be sure to create a folder for everyone in the web-based setup. (Login using the IP address of the drive and click 'Folders' on the left-hand menu panel.)
~Make an account for everyone with each having a unique password. If you have a user account for each person on your computer, then attach each folder to the computer on the individual account to prevent users from seeing each others' files.
-Be sure that you use a STATIC IP address for the drive. (Login -> Click "System" icon on the left -> Click "Network" at the top -> set it to MANUAL, not automatic -> give it an IP address that you will remember.) This makes it alot easier to have it connected to user accounts since it won't be hopping all over your network addresses.
-Obviously, never tell anyone the drive's password. Write it down if you think you won't remember it, then hide the password somewhere safe.
-Put the drive in a locked closet that only you have the key to. This prevents someone from pressing the RESET button and wiping the drive completely (no way to recover these lost files!)

Best of luck to you and be sure to comment if you need help!

UPDATE (11.15.09): I am getting extremely fed up with this drive. It is giving me more headaches than it is worth. I attempted to use the Print Server feature on the drive, and it knocked my drive offline. I couldn't figure out was wrong at first because my network said it was there, but my PCs wouldn't find it. Then when I went to reset it, I couldn't tell when it was resetting because the LED light wasn't changing at all. Furious at the time, I pulled the power cord out of it and plugging it back in and then it decided to work. The manual specifically said that it has a print server and that all you had to do was plug the printer into your drive; needless to say, that didn't work. Neither of my PCs would connect to the printer. And the "best" part of it: my printer didn't work correctly when I plugged it back into the computer! Then I had to spend more time figuring that out. Another "wonderful" part of this drive: if you don't connect to it very often, it disconnects itself, but it doesn't disappear from your computer so you can't re-mount it unless you restart your computer altogether. Now I need to go take an aspirin because I am very angry after having just edited this review! I know I originally said the drive was great, but spend the extra money to get a better one. The original rating of this drive was 4/5, but now it is down to 2/5.

UPDATE (1.20.10): I regret to have to say that with less than 5 months, my drive failed. The network port on it died and iomega wanted to charge me to replace it. I am so very disappointed with this company. Their customer "service" is atrocious, the online representative decided to take an attitude with me. They have lost the very little respect I had for them and they have also lost a customer. I hope you heed my warning--do not buy this product. It's much much more trouble than it's worth. I am so infuriated with iomega and their support. The rep I spoke to is lucky I did not contact his manager--I would have made sure he lost his job.
Rating dropped from 2/5 to 1/5, but I wish I could give it 0/5. I attempted everything I could think of to fix it, then I ended up destroying the hard drive with a hammer to prevent any data from being pulled. So thanks iomega, you've cost me money and my data. I really appreciate it. I might as well have burned $112 or threw it out the window on the highway.

~Gonnie

The Iomega Home Media Network Storage device is an external hard drive that connects to a network. If you have a wireless router connected to the internet, you have a network. The advantage of a network drive is that multiple computers can access it at the same time. A standard external USB or Firewire drive can only connect to a single computer at one time and does not afford any real security.

The drive comes in a nice aluminum case that can be mounted horizontally or vertically. Connect the power supply and network cable (to your routers extra hub ports) and it's ready to configure. The network interface is auto configuring. If you have a newer router or switch, it will do gigabit. In practice, gigabit speed is about 3-4 times faster than 100mb.

Installation of the Iomega drive was made easy by the supplied software. If you're a knowledgeable IT person, you can skip using their software and just map a drive to it. Once configured with an IP address, you can use Internet Explorer to get into the management software. The management software allows you to set up multiple shares (folders with permissions on them) . This way you can have personal folders that only a single person can access as well as folders that multiple users can access. I set up 2 folders that have single user access (one for each of the two of us). Then I set up folders that everyone (on my network... not the internet) could access... one for music , one for pictures, etc.

A network drive makes it easy to backup important files. Copying the files up to a share provides insurance in case your hard drive fails or laptop is stolen. The drive comes with backup software which works well.
This is not a drive to carry with your laptop when you travel (there's no USB port), but if you need a good reliable drive to access at home this fits the bill very nicely.

I bought this last May and it worked fine through the beginning of November. Then it wouldn't boot up anymore! It turns on and gets stuck in the start up. The drive appears to be dead. Iomega will replace it, but any data is gone. Fortunately, this was my backup drive. Not a great comfort to know that my backup dies in less than a year.

While it was working, it was pretty decent, but very noisy compared to my other drive (SimpleShare - a great drive they don't sell anymore).

I would not buy another one. They should not fail this fast.

I have been looking for a solution of how to network my home computers, including a couple of desktops, and laptops. Music particularly, and also pictures and videos have been hidden from view because having different computers has meant lugging zip drives, photo cards and media all over the house. In short, it doesn't happen often. Wow, things have changes from the days of ONE Apple II in the living room.

I was very happy when I received this item, because it looked like the solution to my problems. This is what I found:
Pros:
1. Package: Nice looking, fairly small and fairly quiet. Not a ugly addition to a desktop at all.
2. Price: the price for this item and the larger 1TB is very minor compared to the ability to network home computers.
3. Set-up: I found the set-up to be fairly easy in that you essentially hook up the drive to your router through a standard (and provided) DSL Ethernet cable. You insert a CD for the drivers and you should be able to see the network drive listed on your computer. Next, add your media and your ready to go. Set-up went easily, much better than expected.
4. Size: 500GB is the size of the drive I received. Though 500 GB seems to be impossibly large, it could be that 1TB might be better. But, given a few years ago when 1GB was a lot of information, this is still a great deal of space.
5. Itunes capable: if your like me and you have a lot of music in your itunes library, this feature of being able to share a library across your network is a significant feature and would be a deal maker for me.
I can't comment on the total ease of use because I have not had the item long enough, but it sure seems to work very well thus far.

Neutral:
1. The instructions are not very clear and specific. If you are not computer-literate, you may have some problems with set-up because their are not tons of instructions in the manual you receive in the package, although you do get a more comprehensive manual on the CD,
2. The drive does stay on 24/7. It seems well ventilated with a fairly quiet fan. Who knows about long-term use, i.e. will it last at least four years when I figure a 2 TB drive will be under $100?
3. Print server: I have no idea how this function works because I already have a network ready printer so this function was not needed.
4. There is a USB port in the back which I have not messed around with, so I have no idea if you can link up a computer directly in this manner, but it does exist. Given the lack of a power down/powersave function, I hope this is a capability for a software update.

Cons:
1. Long-term: as mentioned above, the drive does not spin down and there is no power down mode I could find. I would hope that this could be addressed in a software update.
2. Fan noise: Some reviewers have mentioned an issue with the fan noise. You can hear the fan, but it is quiet. You certainly do not notice it in a office or home setting where there is other noise. If you require absolute quiet you should be aware of this issue. Slight for me, it may drive some nuts. Then again, this is a hard drive and it needs to be kept cool.

Overall, this is a very well made item. A great solution for those looking to network media in a easy and most importantly inexpensive manner. I will update this review in the comments with issues long-term, but so far (one week) this item has worked well.

This drive is packaged well, is heavy due to its metal enclosure, and features a dark grey brushed metal surface.
It comes with a short ethernet cable (3ft), a stand, quick installation guide, software CD, and power adapter. It is a good thing that a stand is included because there are no rubber feet on the metal enclosure.

Setup requires a network connection to a router. Once it is plugged into your router, you are required to run the software CD. I chose the custom installation, which allows you to pick the install location and whether or not to install the Retrospect backup software.

The installation takes less than five minutes. I installed the contents of the CD on Vista, which blocked the Iomega network discovery tool. Vista then prompted me to unblock or continue blocking. The user guide noted this would occur. Five drive letters were automatically assigned and I then chose to configure the drive, which launched the browser-based utility. Inside you can configure security, additional folders (which apparently means more drive letters), admin password, DHCP, etc. This drive understands iTunes and DLNA as well for media streaming. iTunes recognized it as a Shared drive across my network with no issues.

CONS: This drive is not silent by any means, but is not loud enough to be heard if you computer has a loud power supply fan. It appears that Iomega wants you to install the software on every client computer, but on my MAC I used Finder's Go To Server menu option and entered smb://(drive_ip_address). I was able to connect easily. The only other con is the fact that it installs Mozy online backup without any indication.

PROS: Setup was quick and easy. As a 500 GB drive (484GB available), this will make a great backup drive for my household. It is also comes with a MAC compatible copy of Retrospect, but I chose only to use it on Windows at this time.

Worked great out of the box. After 3 months the hard drive failed. They use Seagate drives in these, maybe it's just me but I have had three seagate drives fail in the last year. I have since switched to WD drives and haven't had a moments trouble.

I live in Alaska so I'm sure it isn't an overheating issue. I had this drive sitting all by itself on a shelf with good air flow and very little dust. It was never dropped or moved while running. After the failure I disassembled the drive and found very little dust inside(since it was out of warranty already). Buyer beware.

I had the earlier model of this drive running for four years non-stop in our basement, connected to a small home network. Never had a problem until finally the drive motor started sounded rough, so I bought this new model. I use this network drive as the main storage location for family files -- by saving their work to the drive, my kids can do their homework from either of two PC's connected to the network. Setup is easy. The new model is quieter than the old one. Price seems very good for what you get.

First off, this hard drive gets 5 stars. This is a black or dark charcoal color, not silver as it might appear. The way I use hard drives is to just drag and drop or copy/paste. I never use the software/programs that come with the hard drive. I've always despised them. Okay, so I plug in the drive to my little router or whatever it's called, plug in the power, and my Mac immediately picks up a hard drive! I didn't have to do anything else. I first copied some word documents from my desktop over to the drive and they transferred no problem. I've always heard that transferring files over the network to the hard drive would take such a long time, so I scheduled my hard drive backup to right before bed time. I have 216GB of pictures, movies, and music and documents. I started my transfer, cleaned up my house and when I finished 90 minutes later, the transfer was done! I thought that at first something was wrong, but now I can boot up from the drive also. I don't usually boot my computer that way, but it's a great way to have a back up. I haven't tried playing music or movies from the drive as that's not my norm with back up drives, but it transfers very well.

A couple of bad things: I'm used to portable back up drives so this is a bit big for my liking. Since I'm leaving it at home, though, I don't mind. The other thing is the price: The 1TB version is about $10 more. It's not that great of a value, but such is the wave of technology!


**Edit: I can now print using this server. My rating has increased to 7 stars!

This is a wonderful hard drive. It does just what it promises to do. My information is now available over my wireless network, and remotely over the internet. It was a snap to set it up, although setting up the wireless router to accommodate remote access was a bit complicated. I highly recommend this hard drive to anyone who is looking to access files wirelessly.

Great idea, fast and easy set up (took about 20 minutes for multiple computers) and fast to use. Excellent back up for a house like mine with a bunch of pictures and video and a bunch of wireless laptops in the house. Even has it partitioned for types of media. My only negative is that it could be larger.