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Product Description
From the Manufacturer
The FreeAgent DockStar network adapter allows you to share your digital life with anyone, anywhere. Dock a FreeAgent Go drive or connect a USB storage device to the FreeAgent DockStar network adapter and your content will be accessible by any networked computer in your home. Following service activation, access content on your FreeAgent DockStar network adapter remotely through a clean web-based interface and invite friends to view your files or upload theirs. Simply type in their email addresses and they will receive an email linked to the folders you chose to share with them through your FreeAgent DockStar network adapter. Integrate with your favorite social media sites and keep your friends in the loop with easy-to-publish RSS feeds.
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Product Description
The FreeAgent DockStar network adapter allows you to share your digital life with anyone, anywhere. Centralize your files to a single location and access them with any networked computer in your home. Create a shared space for your friends to download content you designate and to upload their own content.The FreeAgent DockStar network adapter is a compact dock which allows FreeAgent Go portable drives and most USB storage devices to be shared on your local network or accessed remotely via the internet, after service activation. The FreeAgent Go drive simply slides into the FreeAgent DockStar network adapter, making it easy to remove when you want to take the drive with you while on-the-go. All other USB storage devices plug into one of the two rear-mounted or one side-mounted USB ports. The FreeAgent DockStar network adapter simultaneously supports up to four storage devices, so you will never have to worry about running out of storage space. Simply plug in two cables (Ethernet and power) and visit the web activation page to activate and automatically configure the network adapter. Once activated, you can access all your files with a clean, web-based interface. The same interface is used to view files from any networked computer in your home and outside of the home when accessing files remotely. The user interface displays all the files on all of the drives you have connected to the FreeAgent DockStar network adapter, along with all of the files shared with you by other FreeAgent DockStar network adapter owners.You can easily navigate the user interface with thumbnail or list views, search by file name or filter by media type. The FreeAgent DockStar network adapter also appears like a local drive on your computer, so that you can easily navigate and drag-and-drop files just like a folder on your desktop.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
137 of 137 people found the following review helpful
By FloridaMatt
You can use this as a home network server for windows without signing up with pogoplug or installing any software.
Plug your USB drive into your computer, format it (preferably with NTFS) and create a file on it named .ceid
Using notepad, or your favorite text editor, put these lines in the file (replacing yoursharename with a name of your own choosing). Note the mode=rw allows reading and writing.
servicename=yoursharename
xcode.metadata=never
xcode.thumbnail=never
xcode.stream=never
cifs.mode=rw
Plug the usb drive into the Dockstar, and you're all set. The drive will be available as
\\fadsMMMMMM\yoursharename (where MMMMMM are the last 6 letters and numbers of the Dockstar's mac address, which is on the label on the bottom).
Note you can plug up to 3 regular usb drives and one Seagate Go drive into this. You do not need a go drive.
For maximum security, I recommend using your internet router's firewall to block all internet access from whatever ip address gets assigned to the dockstar.
Plug your USB drive into your computer, format it (preferably with NTFS) and create a file on it named .ceid
Using notepad, or your favorite text editor, put these lines in the file (replacing yoursharename with a name of your own choosing). Note the mode=rw allows reading and writing.
servicename=yoursharename
xcode.metadata=never
xcode.thumbnail=never
xcode.stream=never
cifs.mode=rw
Plug the usb drive into the Dockstar, and you're all set. The drive will be available as
\\fadsMMMMMM\yoursharename (where MMMMMM are the last 6 letters and numbers of the Dockstar's mac address, which is on the label on the bottom).
Note you can plug up to 3 regular usb drives and one Seagate Go drive into this. You do not need a go drive.
For maximum security, I recommend using your internet router's firewall to block all internet access from whatever ip address gets assigned to the dockstar.
62 of 67 people found the following review helpful
By R. Scott
Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought the Dockstar and a GO drive for use with my home network. I liked the idea of using it as a portable USB drive when away from home, and also sharing it with the computers on my home network without needing a host computer always on. The ability to access it over the internet was not important to me.
Like many of the other reviewers, I was surprised that there was virtually no documentation. It was very easy to setup and it worked right out of the box. However, I was surprised that I had to go to the Pogoplug website to activate and configure it. Like others, I am concerned about how secure this arrangement is. Even though I don't intend to access my drive from the internet, it seems that the only way to configure it is to do it from this website. I would feel better if there was a way to configure it without accessing it from the internet. Also, a note of caution: make sure you type https when typing in the web address. If you don't, you'll be typing in your password over a non-secured connection! I can't believe their web site allows this.
The Pogoplug service is free for the first year, but there is a charge after that. However, it appears that you can still configure the Dockstar from the website even if you don't pay for the Pogoplug service. Here's how to use the device on your private network without using the Pogoplug service and software:
1. Register the Dockstar with the strongest password you can come up with. Remember that during the first year, your files are accessible on the internet if someone can crack your password.
2. Log into the Pogoplug site and click on Settings in the upper right corner. Then click on the WFS (Windows File Sharing) link on the left side. Click the "Change workgroup" link, and enter the workgroup name that you use on your network. Then set the drive to "Read and write" and sign out.
3. On your computer, click on your network and refresh the list to display all the devices on your internal network. You should find a new device with a nonsense name. This will be your Dockstar drive. You can map it to a drive letter if you like. Now you can use your drive like any other shared drive on the network, without installing the special Pogoplug software. The only time you should have to log back into the website is if you change your workgroup name (so don't lose that password!)
Note that there is no way to restrict the drive to certain users on your network. It will be available to everyone. If you want to store anything private, download TrueCrypt and learn how to use it (probably not a bad idea anyway, since the drive is portable!)
For my purpose the device works fine and I am happy with it. Before you buy the device, you should evaluate whether it will meet the purpose you have in mind.
UPDATE: After writing my review, I ended up returning the Dockstar. I learned that you cannot even eject the drive from the Dockstar without logging into the website and doing it from there. Also, I learned that there are now routers that have a USB port and allow you to share a drive on your home network that way. That approach seems closer to what I want to do, without the hassle and security concerns.
Like many of the other reviewers, I was surprised that there was virtually no documentation. It was very easy to setup and it worked right out of the box. However, I was surprised that I had to go to the Pogoplug website to activate and configure it. Like others, I am concerned about how secure this arrangement is. Even though I don't intend to access my drive from the internet, it seems that the only way to configure it is to do it from this website. I would feel better if there was a way to configure it without accessing it from the internet. Also, a note of caution: make sure you type https when typing in the web address. If you don't, you'll be typing in your password over a non-secured connection! I can't believe their web site allows this.
The Pogoplug service is free for the first year, but there is a charge after that. However, it appears that you can still configure the Dockstar from the website even if you don't pay for the Pogoplug service. Here's how to use the device on your private network without using the Pogoplug service and software:
1. Register the Dockstar with the strongest password you can come up with. Remember that during the first year, your files are accessible on the internet if someone can crack your password.
2. Log into the Pogoplug site and click on Settings in the upper right corner. Then click on the WFS (Windows File Sharing) link on the left side. Click the "Change workgroup" link, and enter the workgroup name that you use on your network. Then set the drive to "Read and write" and sign out.
3. On your computer, click on your network and refresh the list to display all the devices on your internal network. You should find a new device with a nonsense name. This will be your Dockstar drive. You can map it to a drive letter if you like. Now you can use your drive like any other shared drive on the network, without installing the special Pogoplug software. The only time you should have to log back into the website is if you change your workgroup name (so don't lose that password!)
Note that there is no way to restrict the drive to certain users on your network. It will be available to everyone. If you want to store anything private, download TrueCrypt and learn how to use it (probably not a bad idea anyway, since the drive is portable!)
For my purpose the device works fine and I am happy with it. Before you buy the device, you should evaluate whether it will meet the purpose you have in mind.
UPDATE: After writing my review, I ended up returning the Dockstar. I learned that you cannot even eject the drive from the Dockstar without logging into the website and doing it from there. Also, I learned that there are now routers that have a USB port and allow you to share a drive on your home network that way. That approach seems closer to what I want to do, without the hassle and security concerns.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
First I was also not happy with it as it needs pogoplug service. But after finding more & knowing how it works, I am very happy with it.
* You can use it as NAS without installing any software on computers in home network or using pogoplug. Dockstar get netbios name as FADS<Last six digits of MAC address>. But instead of this, assign static IP using router & use that IP as thats much easier.
1. Before connecting any usb drive to dockstar, create file named ".ceid" in root directory of each partition with following entries. You need to create this file on unix as files created on windows have ^M as end-of-line character which may cause issue (not sure about that).
servicename=yoursharename
xcode.metadata=never
xcode.thumbnail=never
xcode.stream=never
cifs.mode=rw
2. connect usb drive to docstar
3. mount any drive/partion as local disk using on home computer using
net use x: \\\<your share name>
e.g.
C:\Users\home>net use r: \\192.168.0.99\desk1
The command completed successfully.
Or in windows explorer, simply type following in address bar to see all available shares
\\192.168.0.99
* It can be used without pogoplug service as described above. So people having concerns about sharing content over internet can simply disable pogoplug by any of following method
1. Assign static IP to docstar and Add following rule in home router to block traffic to internet
Action Name Source Destination Protocol
Deny docstar LAN, WAN,* *,*
2. Login using ssh & create /etc/hosts file with following entry,
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost pogoplug pogoplug.com my.pogoplug.com www.pogoplug.com service.pogoplug.com upgrade.pogoplug.com service.cloudengines.com upgrade.cloudengines.com schema.cloudengines.com
* Since it supports SMB (samba), sharing files as WFS (Windows File Sharing) is very easy. Dockstar might need restart when configuration changes are done using pogoplug, so just keep that in mind.
The samba configuration is stored in /tmp directory as follows,
-bash-3.2# ls -al /tmp
drwxrwxrwt 4 root root 200 Jan 1 00:01 .
drwxr-xr-x 14 root root 0 Jan 1 1970 ..
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 100 Jan 1 00:00 .cemnt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 448 Jan 1 00:00 hbplug.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 21 Jan 1 00:00 resolv.conf
-rw------- 1 root root 24576 Jan 1 00:00 secrets.tdb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 320 Jan 1 00:00 smb.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 151 Jan 1 00:00 smb.conf.xce_efeDGBvRB3d6nwwMERA4TEf
-rw------- 1 root root 0 Jan 1 00:00 smbpasswd
For each partition, unique id is assigned e.g. efeDGBvRB3d6nwwMERA4TEf. And it creates file named, /tbp/smb.conf.xce_<unique_id> e.g. smb.conf.xce_efeDGBvRB3d6nwwMERA4TEf. All these files are then included in main "smb.conf"
It also create file named ".ceid" in each partition
You can create advance permissions using configuration file, refer to [...]
* Supports various file systems FAT, FAT32, NTFS, EXT, EXT2 etc
* Extensible, add more services/utilities like sftpd for file transfers over WAN/internet
refer [...]
* You can use it as NAS without installing any software on computers in home network or using pogoplug. Dockstar get netbios name as FADS<Last six digits of MAC address>. But instead of this, assign static IP using router & use that IP as thats much easier.
1. Before connecting any usb drive to dockstar, create file named ".ceid" in root directory of each partition with following entries. You need to create this file on unix as files created on windows have ^M as end-of-line character which may cause issue (not sure about that).
servicename=yoursharename
xcode.metadata=never
xcode.thumbnail=never
xcode.stream=never
cifs.mode=rw
2. connect usb drive to docstar
3. mount any drive/partion as local disk using on home computer using
net use x: \\\<your share name>
e.g.
C:\Users\home>net use r: \\192.168.0.99\desk1
The command completed successfully.
Or in windows explorer, simply type following in address bar to see all available shares
\\192.168.0.99
* It can be used without pogoplug service as described above. So people having concerns about sharing content over internet can simply disable pogoplug by any of following method
1. Assign static IP to docstar and Add following rule in home router to block traffic to internet
Action Name Source Destination Protocol
Deny docstar LAN, WAN,* *,*
2. Login using ssh & create /etc/hosts file with following entry,
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain localhost pogoplug pogoplug.com my.pogoplug.com www.pogoplug.com service.pogoplug.com upgrade.pogoplug.com service.cloudengines.com upgrade.cloudengines.com schema.cloudengines.com
* Since it supports SMB (samba), sharing files as WFS (Windows File Sharing) is very easy. Dockstar might need restart when configuration changes are done using pogoplug, so just keep that in mind.
The samba configuration is stored in /tmp directory as follows,
-bash-3.2# ls -al /tmp
drwxrwxrwt 4 root root 200 Jan 1 00:01 .
drwxr-xr-x 14 root root 0 Jan 1 1970 ..
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 100 Jan 1 00:00 .cemnt
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 448 Jan 1 00:00 hbplug.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 21 Jan 1 00:00 resolv.conf
-rw------- 1 root root 24576 Jan 1 00:00 secrets.tdb
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 320 Jan 1 00:00 smb.conf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 151 Jan 1 00:00 smb.conf.xce_efeDGBvRB3d6nwwMERA4TEf
-rw------- 1 root root 0 Jan 1 00:00 smbpasswd
For each partition, unique id is assigned e.g. efeDGBvRB3d6nwwMERA4TEf. And it creates file named, /tbp/smb.conf.xce_<unique_id> e.g. smb.conf.xce_efeDGBvRB3d6nwwMERA4TEf. All these files are then included in main "smb.conf"
It also create file named ".ceid" in each partition
You can create advance permissions using configuration file, refer to [...]
* Supports various file systems FAT, FAT32, NTFS, EXT, EXT2 etc
* Extensible, add more services/utilities like sftpd for file transfers over WAN/internet
refer [...]
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Impossible to use!
Can't get this product to connect my hard drive! i've searched the Internet for solutions (it's a common problem is you don't want to use Pogoplug which is cloud based) and the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Diane N. Medcalf
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works as advertised ... if you can figure out how to set it up.
PROs:
This device does allow you to share files on your home network and over the internet. Read more
This device does allow you to share files on your home network and over the internet. Read more
Published 18 months ago by K. Lin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great product by itself, but its breed with Pogoplug is awful
If you forget about Pogoplug, DockStar is a great product, maybe the best on the market today.
Pros:
- true plug'n'play if the network settings are correct and if you... Read more
Pros:
- true plug'n'play if the network settings are correct and if you... Read more
Published 20 months ago by OldPossum
1.0 out of 5 stars
Does not work with Windows 7 x64, new version exposes your PC to...
I purchased the Seagate Dockstar to use the Pogoplug's promise of accessing my data easily on the home LAN and anywhere on the Internet. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Ray
1.0 out of 5 stars
crap
I am sorry to all of those who continue to defend this product, but it is rubbish. The bottom line is that users are caught off guard by the whole dockstar.seagate > my. Read more
Published on February 28, 2011 by Brian Haines
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent media sharing over web, including web site for what is is...
As other reviwerers have noted, the Dockstar, and related Pogoplugs, are excellent for what they are designed:
- low volume sharing of multimedia files over both a local... Read more
- low volume sharing of multimedia files over both a local... Read more
Published on February 6, 2011 by M. R. Smith
3.0 out of 5 stars
It was Ok.
This adapter works great within your network, yet, accessing your files outside your network via the Pogoplug program is somewhat difficult. Read more
Published on January 25, 2011 by Tony Gonzalez
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not a pleased experience after all!
The only problem that i found was the customer support of Seagate with this DockStar Networki Adapter. It wasn't referred in the website and was a little confusing experience. Read more
Published on January 16, 2011 by Julio C. Montiel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Go for it!
The network adapter seems to be working fine and it is offered for a great price. Please do not let the negative reviews scare you. Read more
Published on December 15, 2010 by T. Robinson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hackers Delight
The Dockstar is a nice little box in its own right. If you purchase it for its intended use, you will be quite satisfied. Read more
Published on December 10, 2010 by Brian Shensky
