Customer Reviews

LaCie Network Space 2 Ethernet Network Attached Storage (301516KUA0

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

March, 2012 update:
My network space 2 is still running perfectly. I got at least 3 firmware upgrades and 4 for interface software. I really like the support that LaCie is offering and more importantly the continuous improvements they are making.

Sep 22' 2010 Update'
I got the driver upgrades (from Lacie website) a few weeks ago. The drive now can stop down (no spinning noise) after a few minutes' idle, which could lead to longer life span and reduced failure rate. I like the settings. And the interface is better than before. I added one more star for their listening to consumers and their effort to improve their product.

July 06, 2010 Update:
Just now, the "GENIE Backup Assistant" software in the Lacie package ruined my partition on another backup hard drive attached to the Lacie USB port. All the directory and data on that partition are messy now. I hope that I can get something back. My original plan is to back up the data on the Lacie regularly and automatically to the attached hard drives and on daily operations I just need to work on the data located on Lacie openshare.
So the evaluation drops to 3-star now. My conclusion is that if you want to work seriously on important data and rely on Lacie networkspace, you are in danger. Maybe there are problems with the "GENIE" software per se( backup failed many times) but I found occasionally I could not access to the networked drives (especially those attached to Lacie). The bad connection could cause backup failure too.
Buy professional ones if you want to use the backup function seriously.
S. Huang.

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Pros:
1. Attractive design; fanless operation (thought some noise from the disk spanning); nice light (and you can switch it off in its software).
2. Easy to set up. (Both in XP and Win7). Just plug-in and install the software, and you are almost done.
3. User friendly interface. I especially like the wake-up function and deep-sleep option.
4. The USB to external disk is very useful to do the backup (you can backup files on Lacie to the external drive or the other way round).
5. Access over internet is also OK.
6. Currently (one month use) no problem at all.
7. I just put all the data on the Lacie and use different PC/laptops to access to and edit them. Under this working situation, I don't see any limit on the transfer speed. (Actually the speed and reliability of your router is more or less the bottle neck.)

Cons:
1. User account creation and setting is easy, but you might not access the user account if your OS has accessed the Lacie using guest settings (this is by default what most Windows would do to visit "network places"). Just google for more information about this. While this problem is caused by OS (and correcting this is not easy for non software engineers) and I assume most other consumer level NAS have the same problem, Lacie should have login and logout interface to avoid this problem. So I would say if you don't care about the user accounts and privacy against other users on Lacie, this would be a 5-star product. More frustrating is, I spent almost two days to figure out what problem it is. Lacie should have mentioned or even give solutions for this problem in their manual.
Update: I found that the manual downloaded from Lacie website has solution on how to solve this problem (on Page 22). A little awkward but workable. So I should give this product a FIVE Star!)
2. You cannot partition the Lacie 1T drive. This might increase the risk of your data or you need another drive to backup your data to minimize the loss due to possible virus infection.
3. Eco mode is good but it seems that the disk as well as the external attached backup drive are still spinning. This leads to the concern about the lifespan of the drives since most of the time those drives are in this mode.
4. Auto backup software can only be implemented when your computer is running. Theoretically it would be perfect if the drives can do this by itself independent on the PCs linked to it.
5. Could not wake up Lacie through internet.
6. User manual with the product is too simple. You need download from their website.

This is our 2nd Lacie NAS drive (1st we had the LaCie Home). This one is better! I like the fact that this drive is dead easy to set up, interesting interface to manage your settings, and it is 1TB. As others have written, it looks stylish and is very quiet.
Some things to be aware of:

1. Technical support on this is not offered by phone (you have to post a query on their site then they reply. If it is not resolved, then you can phone). I did not really like this option, but it did solve my little initial problem I had due to Windows Vista and passwords. By the way, once on the phone, the LaCie team are GREAT!

2. There is no web-interface to access the drive from the internet (if say you are traveling). You need to FTP into the drive, which is fine for me, but I am sure some maybe put off by this. The older LaCie Home version had an easy web-interface.

3. Fantastic that it has the Media Server option built in. Once I had it up and running ALL of my wireless media players (DLink, BlueRay player, etc), all found the drive and would play films or music from it. This is the best advantage as we store all music and films there for easy access.

Overall, very happy with this device!

NAS: Network Available Storage.

I previously owned another companies' network hard drive server for usb external hard drives. It was a pain in the butt. This one installed and configured easily and have not had any problems with it yet.

I don't expect to have problems either. A friend of mine works for a corporation whose IT group tested this unit. The IT group subsequently installed several in the corporate network. That was all I needed to know before I made the purchase.

Oh, these were far more expensive a month earlier and came down to prices lower than all the other brands.

I have been using for Backup, Media Streaming, Torrent Download and Time Machine.
Read/Write is bit slow because of slow NAS, however everything works just fine.
With latest firm update Time Machine now works with Lion :)

This NAS works great for backing up my PC's and Mac with sno leopard. Also it works great as a media server for all computers. Ive been very satisfied once I got it to work. Just had to run application on 1 computer to set up. Time machine was so easy, just a click on a box. The only problem I have is that it runs very hot. I had to make sure nothing flammable around. Actually runs cooler if set up on its side. Overall I would suggest this for people running pcs and macs on their networks. Speed seemed ok. Took 2 hrs to back up 90GB on mac time machine using wireless N. Took 3+ hrs to backup 45GB on pc using wireless G.

This drive is plug and play if you hook up the usb from the back.

If you want to use it as a NAS with the ethernet cable you need to install the LaCie Network Assistant that comes with the drive.

On Mac OSX the utility resides in the icon tray and the drop down allows you to wake up the device, quit the assistant, configure the device and see the shares you have on the devices.

The LaCie Network Assistant has a Preference Pane that allows you to manually assign an IP address. DHCP is the default setting. You don't click on the icon in the left hand panel to see the settings for the NAS, instead you click on the link next to "Web configuration page:" That will launch a number of windows.

I will post screen shots of the configuration utility.

It has eco-management, to turn off the light, and to set sleep modes, also based on time of day.

You can set up users too, with passwords and different "shares" on the drive.

You can set the drive up with an FTP service.

You can enable the front USB and connect printers or other drives. I connected another 1TB LaCie and I can browse the device.

The drives both appear in my "Shared" lists in the Finder on Max OSX.

The only real problem with the LaCie drive is that it chatters, and you can hear the fan. I have a couple of western digital drives that make almost no noise, but they are usb only: Western Digital WD Elements 2 TB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive

Apart from the Chatter, I can see the FTP service to be useful when I am visiting my parents, but I will have to report on that later.

Sharing via this network attached drive is much easier than mounting other macs, and windows machines can see it too.

Also, you should know that I have connected this NAS to a power line adapter that is sitting downstairs and across the house from my Time Capsule, to which the power line host is connected.

I wish it can in a larger size as 1TB is not really enough for a mature music library, a large number of iTunes TV shows, and my photo library. All that means is that I will need to manage what I keep on there.

The next test is to see if I can see if from the AppleTV.

***Update*** 9/17/2011

Upon restarting my MAC OSX Lion the following error message appeared:

"There was a problem connecting to the server "name of my server". The version of the server you are trying to connect to is not supported. Please contact your system administrator to resolve the problem."

The problem is an Apple issue:
Apple disables support for the "DHCAST128' in OS X 10.7 LION , which is commonly used by NAS boxes. Apple thinks is it insufficiently secure. So all the Vendors must work with Apple for Lion compatibility.

To turn on "DHCAST128' support please do the following:

1) Launch /Applications/Utilities/Terminal enter first Line 1 and then return, then Line 2 and return. You may need to type in the admin password for your MacOS:

Line 1:
sudo chmod o+w /Library/Preferences
Line 2:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AppleShareClient afp_host_prefs_version -int 1

Now restart your computer.

2) From Finder, select an AFP server, or use "Connect To...". This will cause the AFP Client to create the full preferences file

3) Launch Terminal again and do Line 1, Return, then Line 2, Return:
Line 1:
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AppleShareClient afp_disabled_uams -array "Cleartxt Passwrd" "MS2.0' "2-Way Randnum exchange"
Line 2:
sudo chmod o-w /Library/Preferences

Now restart your computer.

If you change your mind and want to disable the connection add DHCAST128 to the disable list:
To add a "DHCAST128' to the disable list, use
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AppleShareClient afp_disabled_uams -array-add "DHCAST128'

A number of users have said this works, and it worked for me.

This is my second Lacie Network Space Drive. I bought a 1TB Lacie Network Attached storage. It's the first version of this product. This model allows you to download torrents directly to the hard drive without having to leave your computer on. Works well. If you need storage space, I would highly recommend this drive. It's user friendly and easy to set up.

the product is great for video streaming and music. I had purchased this to be used with my WD player and works flawless. The only downside is that all Lacie drives get kind of hot so it is recommended to place it on a laptop cooler as I have done to minimize drive damage due to heat. the product works good as far as home use is concerned for sharing pics, FTP, torrent and movies

The key is that you must use this first in networked mode to set up the USB partitions, which I must have missed it from the instructions. Very compact unit otherwise and good transfer speed. but i must say it took me hours to get it to work. Another major issue is that it is quite unclear when the unit is up and running or not from the blue LED. I have almost given up using it in networked mode with my Mac as i just could not get it to run properly - probably more of an issue with the software backup on the Mac but unclear. On the other hand I just hooked up using USB (which makes it act as an external drive) and it worked quite nicely.
I have given it 4 stars as it is probably my stupidity that is making this not work properly in networked mode. I also have had this only 1 month so i cannot comment on product failure rates. I did do a lot of research prior to purchase and it seems that this unit was viewed as one of the most reliable. I really did not need software rich functionality associated with an office grade NAS - simplicity is good enough for the home.

Easy to install and convenient for work. I've no problems connecting it to my home network, it was very straightforward. The drive provides easy access to the files from any computer on my home network, and they can also be accessed remotely when needed. The NAS works great with DLNA-compatible devices. I would recommend this to anyone without reservation.