Add to your order

  • Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
  • 24/7 support when you need it.
  • Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
2-Year Data Recovery Plan $12.99
 2-Year Data Recovery Plan $12.99
3 year Data Recovery Plan $14.99

Add to your order

  • Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
  • 24/7 support when you need it.
  • Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
$179.99
FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, May 8. Order within 14 hrs 4 mins
In Stock
$$179.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$179.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Support
Product support included
What's Product Support?
In the event your product doesn't work as expected or you need help using it, Amazon offers free product support options such as live phone/chat with an Amazon associate, manufacturer contact information, step-by-step troubleshooting guides, and help videos. By solving product issues, we help the planet by extending the life of products. Availability of support options differ by product and country. Learn more
Support
Product support included
In the event your product doesn't work as expected or you need help using it, Amazon offers free product support options such as live phone/chat with an Amazon associate, manufacturer contact information, step-by-step troubleshooting guides, and help videos. By solving product issues, we help the planet by extending the life of products. Availability of support options differ by product and country. Learn more
Include
Add a Protection Plan:
Add to your order

2 Year Data Recovery Plan

from After Solutions
  • Your Rescue Plan documents will be delivered to you via email only to the address associated with your Amazon.com account and can be found in your account message center within the Buyer/Seller Messages.
  • If your drive stops working, the Seagate Rescue data recovery plan will recover the data from the failed drive and return it to you on a new piece of external storage
  • Covers new single-disk external hard drives of any brand when purchased within 30 days (receipt must be retained for purchases not on the same transaction). Not eligible on enterprise class or multi-drive devices
  • Free shipping for in–lab data recovery; 24/7 online case status tracking
  • If your data isn’t recovered, you get your money back

2 Year Data Recovery Plan

from After Solutions
  • Your Rescue Plan documents will be delivered to you via email only to the address associated with your Amazon.com account and can be found in your account message center within the Buyer/Seller Messages.
  • If your drive stops working, the Rescue data recovery plan will attempt to recover the data from the failed drive and recovered data will be returned on a media storage device or via secure cloud-based data storage.
  • Covers new single-disk external hard drives of any brand when purchased within 30 days (receipt must be retained for purchases not on the same transaction).
  • Free shipping for in–lab data recovery; 24/7 online case status tracking
  • If your data isn’t recovered, you get your money back

3 Year 16GB Data Recovery Plan

from After Solutions
  • Your Rescue Plan documents will be delivered to you via email only to the address associated with your Amazon.com account and can be found in your account message center within the Buyer/Seller Messages.
  • If your drive stops working, the Rescue data recovery plan will attempt to recover the data from the failed drive and recovered data will be returned on a media storage device or via secure cloud-based data storage.
  • Covers new single-disk external hard drives of any brand when purchased within 30 days (receipt must be retained for purchases not on the same transaction).
  • Free shipping for in–lab data recovery; 24/7 online case status tracking
  • If your data isn’t recovered, you get your money back

Mediasonic Raid 4 Bay Hard Drive Enclosure - USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps USB Type C Raid 0/1 (HFR7-SU31CH)

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 3,967 ratings

$179.99 with 5 percent savings
Typical price: $189.99

This is determined using the 90-day median price paid by customers for the product on Amazon. We exclude prices paid by customers for the product during a limited time deal.
Learn more
FREE Returns
4 Bay Raid USB 3.1 Type C
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$179.99","priceAmount":179.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"179","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"JK%2BzUeUr5G0Uta8HkKkJgLtIxFM1dTHxm5cWB3zhkPGL8g42G8s3tbCBNHkeyo1qlSeSAGuXFRwbl1HJyG7IPIonoSFZV1kbRkxar9P4PI8hkH%2B6JPtVQvZjodxmoKciCn%2FlJSp9KRIuAnytVWqCQOI%2BTdnKVkvALmO8uFC6nnBl6RHOJlbrGA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Hardware Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2
Brand Mediasonic
Product Dimensions 6.77"L x 5.03"W x 8.85"H
Hardware Platform PC / Mac
Material Metal

About this item

  • Hardware embedded raid controller built-in on board with one-button control, support Single Drive Mode, Raid 0 / 1.
  • Built-In USB Hub provides easy access to additional USB Type A and USB Type C connection for expansion
  • Transfer rate up to 10Gbps via USB 3.2 Gen 2. USB-C to USB -C with E-Mark IC cable is included. (3.3ft)
  • Support 3.5” SATA I / II / III hard disk drive up to 18TB per drive, and 2.5” SATA SSD / HDD
  • Support UASP, S.M.A.R.T, Smart Fan, and Power On / Off in synchronization with computer (Does not support auto Power-On due to power failure)

Frequently bought together

$179.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
In Stock
Sold by Mediasonic Store and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
$11.99
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
In Stock
Sold by Mediasonic Store and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers.
Choose items to buy together.

Compare with similar items

This Item
Mediasonic Raid 4 Bay Hard Drive Enclosure - USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps USB Type C Raid 0/1 (HFR7-SU31CH)
Mediasonic Raid 4 Bay Hard Drive Enclosure - USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps USB Type C Raid 0/1 (HFR7-SU31CH)
Recommendations
MAIWO 4 Bay Hard Drive RAID Enclosure for 3.5 inch SATA HDD with HD-MI Port, 64TB Capacity, USB3.1 Type-C 5Gbps Speed, RAID 0/1/3/5/10 Clone Large Normal
dummy
Mediasonic PROBOX 4 Bay 3.5” SATA Hard Drive Enclosure – USB 3.0 eSATA Support 18TB HDD (HF2-SU3S3) 2022 New Chipset
dummy
ACASIS 2 Bay External Hard Drive RAID Enclosure for 2.5/3.5" SATA HDD/SSD with USB 3.0,Support RAID 0/1/JBOD/SPAN,Max 6Gbps Under UASP,36TB Capacity Raid Enclosure
dummy
SABRENT USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay Flat Docking Station with Built in Cooling Fan for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD, SSD [Support UASP and 22TB] (EC-DFFN)
dummy
Dual Bay Raid Enclosure for 3.5” SATA HDD,MAIWO 10Gbps SATA Docking Station with Adajustable Fan, 4 Raid Modes,Type C SATA Enclosure for 36TB Capacity Expansion
Details
Added to Cart
Details
Added to Cart
Details
Added to Cart
Details
Added to Cart
Details
Added to Cart
Details
Added to Cart
Price-5% $179.99
Typical:$189.99
$129.99-17% $99.99
List:$119.99
$89.99$31.95$89.99
Delivery
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 8
Customer Ratings
Value for money
3.8
3.9
3.8
3.3
4.3
3.7
Easy to use
4.2
4.0
4.2
4.4
3.7
Quality of material
3.9
4.1
3.9
4.1
4.7
Tech Support
3.3
3.3
3.3
3.6
3.0
Easy to install
4.5
4.9
4.5
Sold By
Mediasonic Store
MAIWO STORE
Mediasonic Store
ACASIS Direct US
Store4PC
MAIWOASIA

From the manufacturer

Banner

4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0

4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0

4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0

4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0

Smart Fan

  • 3 Level of fan speed. Auto or Manual mode fan speed selection
  • Built-in temperature sensor to control fan speed in auto mode

USB Hub Feature

  • USB Type A Female Connection: USB 3.1 Gen 1 5.0Gbps with Power Output: 5V / 1A
  • USB Type C Female Connection: USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps with Power Output: 5V / 3A

Power Sync & UASP & SMART

  • Power On / Off in synchronization with computer. (Does not support auto power ON due to power failure.)
  • Support S.M.A.R.T
  • Support UASP

USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps Type C

  • Super fast and reliable data transfer rate up to 10Gbps
  • USB-C to USB-C cable (3.3ft) with e-mark IC included.

4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0

Raid Mode Configuration:

Setting up Raid

  1. This unit can only create TWO sets of Raid array of 2 drives each. It does not have Raid 5 feature nor ONE large volume of drive. Raid Configuration info can be downloaded at Technical Specification (Application Guide) below
  2. Default Setting is set to 4 independent drives. This means your computer sees 4 drive volume in "My Computer"
  3. 6 Types of Raid mode configuration
  4. Convenience: 4 x Single Mode
  5. Convenience & Security: 2 x Single + Raid 1
  6. Convenience & Performance: 2 x Single + Raid 0
  7. Best Performance: Raid 0 + Raid 0
  8. Ultra Security: Raid 1 + Raid 1
  9. Security & Performance: Raid 1 + Raid 0
  10. You can download the User Manual at the Product Guide section below

Important Note:

  • 4Kn Native Drive is supported
  • Power Disable Feature hard drive is not supported. Example: WD Enterprise Drives, and HGST Drives
  • Mediasonic strongly recommend user to install same capacity / model / brand of hard drive when you are setting Raid Mode. (Except 4 x Single mode)
  • After selecting the Raid mode desired, you will need to press the raid mode confirmation button at the back of the unit.

Important Note:

  • Setting up Raid will erase all the data in the hard drive. Please back up your data before setting up raid mode.
  • If you are using new drives, you will need to partition the drives after set up.
  • Please contact Mediasonic Store for Service and Return issue before returning the product to vendor.

Operating System and Hard Drive Support:

  • Support Window 10 / 11 (32 / 64bit)
  • Support Mac OSX 10.12 or Later
  • Support Up to 18TB 3.5" SATA Hard Drive
  • Support 2.5" SATA SSD / HDD (Bracket Adapter required, Search Amazon ASIN: B073R51B3Y)
  • Due to complexity of the product, Please READ user manual before operating the product
4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0 4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0 hf7-su31c usb 3.2 gen 2 4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0 4 bay hard drive enclosure sata to usb 3.1 gen 2 10gbps usb c usb c hub docking station ssd usb 3.0
HFR7-SU31CH HFR7-SU31CD HF7-SU31C HUR5-SU31C HUR6-SU31C
Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
3,967
3.5 out of 5 stars
35
4.0 out of 5 stars
3,967
4.0 out of 5 stars
3,967
4.1 out of 5 stars
166
Price $179.99 $299.99 $169.99
Number of Bay 4 4 4 2 2
Hardware Raid
Interface USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C
USB Hub Feature
Power Delivery 3.0
4K HDMI Extender
SD Card Slot
Smart Fan & Power Sync

What's in the box

  • Main Unit + Accessory
  • Looking for specific info?

    Product information

    Warranty & Support

    Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here

    Feedback

    Mediasonic

    Mediasonic Raid 4 Bay Hard Drive Enclosure - USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps USB Type C Raid 0/1 (HFR7-SU31CH)


    Found a lower price? Let us know. Although we can't match every price reported, we'll use your feedback to ensure that our prices remain competitive.

    Where did you see a lower price?

    /
    /
    /
    /
    Please sign in to provide feedback.

    Product guides and documents

    Product Description

    Hard Disk Drive Support
    3.5-inch SATA I / II / III hard disk drive up to
    18TB per drive
    2.5 inch SATA I / II / III hard disk drive up to 10TB per drive (bracket adapter required, not included in the package, search Amazon ASIN: B073R51B3Y)
    Support hard drive transfer rate up to 6.0Gbps.

    Interface Support
    USB Type C connection transfer rate up to 10.0Gbps via USB 3.2 Gen 2

    USB Hub Features
    USB Type A Female Connection: USB 3.1 Gen 1 5.0Gbps can support Flash Drive, USB Card Reader, single bay external hard drive, charge smartphones, keyboard / mouse receivers, Bluetooth adapters, USB Fan, and USB LED light, etc.
    Power Output: 5V / 1A

    USB Type C Female Connection: USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps can support flash drive, card reader, single bay external hard drive, and charge smartphones, etc.
    Power Output: 5V / 3A

    RAID Mode Features
    Single Mode: Computer will show up as four independent drives
    JBOD Mode: Raid 0 Spanning mode.
    Raid 0 (Stripping Mode)
    Raid 1 (Mirroring Mode)
    Please check user manual for all possible configuration
    Note: Mediasonic strongly recommend user to install same capacity / model / brand of hard drive if you are using Raid feature. Initial raid set up will erase all the hard drive content please back up your hard drive before the set-up.

    Supporting Operating System
    Window 10 / 11 (32 bit and 64bit)
    Mac OSX 10.12 or later

    Package Content
    HFR7-SU31CH x 1
    USB 3.2 Type C to Type C Cable with E-Mark IC x 1
    User Manual x 1
    Power Adapter x 1 and Power Cord x 1
    Hard Drive Handle x 4 and Hard Drive Screws x8
    Screw Driver x 1

    Technical Support and Warranty Service
    support@mediasonicusa.com

    Warranty Period
    2 Year Warranty from Mediasonic Store

    Customer reviews

    4 out of 5 stars
    4 out of 5
    3,967 global ratings

    Customers say

    Customers like the speed of the hard drive enclosure. For example, they mention the USB3 is fast and the content loads quickly from the unit. That said, some complain about connectivity issues. Opinions are mixed on value, performance, noise, and quality.

    AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

    516 customers mention459 positive57 negative

    Customers find the setup of the hard drive enclosure reasonably easy. They say the instructions are fairly easy to follow and complete. They also mention that the box is self-contained and plug-and-play, requiring no drivers. Customers also say that installing the drives was painless, simple, and reliable. They mention that it was relatively painless to do the transfers.

    "...The box is self-contained and plug-and-play; it requires no drivers and adds little or no extra load to the host PC...." Read more

    "...Setup was very easy - after mounting the pull fixtures to the drives, I slid them in, turned in on...." Read more

    "...Product arrived two days after ordered. Install was simple. I don't have an ESATA port so I used USB as planned...." Read more

    "...appreciated Amazon Prime 2-day free shipping, and the very simple setup and configuration, I am giving this product a 5 star review without..." Read more

    392 customers mention274 positive118 negative

    Customers are mixed about the value of the hard drive enclosure. Some mention that it's great for the money, and a great inexpensive way to increase storage capacity. However, others say that it is not the cheapest controller, and is not a commercial grade product. Some customers also say that the enclosure is too expensive to just collect dust.

    "...WHAT IT IS NOT: You do get what you pay for. This is a very economical / cost-effective unit (for a multi-interface RAID unit)...." Read more

    "...be a small company focused on providing quality products at a reasonable price point with good customer service...." Read more

    "...I cast scorn upon those who would loose such an ill created, shoddy product upon the unsuspecting...." Read more

    "...All in all, a good purchase for the price.-P" Read more

    376 customers mention278 positive98 negative

    Customers like the speed of the hard drive enclosure. They mention that the USB3 is fast, the data uplink seems to be fast, and the content loads quickly from the unit. They also say that copying is blazing fast and that the throughput has been very good. Customers also appreciate the three set speeds and the auto speed setting for the cooling fan.

    "...I like the multiple speed options for the cooling fan, three set speeds and an auto speed setting...." Read more

    "...It's compact and easy to carry around.* USB3 is fast - I haven't actually used USB3, but it is backwards compatible with USB2..." Read more

    "...USB 3.0 and e-SATA work great. Was getting excellent speeds (over 100MB/s, limited by my motherboard)-..." Read more

    "...Might be a slight performance loss, but certainly merits further testing...." Read more

    1,104 customers mention742 positive362 negative

    Customers are mixed about the performance of the hard drive enclosure. Some mention that it works well, has great features, and runs great, while others say that it doesn't work properly with their laptop, the USB 3.0 interface is unreliable, and the drives within the box fail to recognize.

    "...I have also found the manual "high" fan setting works pretty well and is still pretty quiet -- not really noticeable if sitting under the desk...." Read more

    "I bought this unit because it did hardware RAID5, had USB3, eSata, supported 4 drives, and was little...." Read more

    "...Linux would not even recognize the hard drive and, when testing it later, it would not even initialize and the heads kept seeking as it tried to..." Read more

    "...The second drive was now recognized by drive manager and everything working fine. I guess the the second drive I had has something wrong with it...." Read more

    822 customers mention532 positive290 negative

    Customers are mixed about the quality of the hard drive enclosure. Some mention it's reasonably well constructed, dependable, and easy to install and operate. However, others say that it'll cause their entire storage spaces file system to crash and that the connectors are poor.

    "...eSATA connections -- the Mediasonic box became absolutely solid and reliable, working predictably in harmony with the PC to which it is connected...." Read more

    "...Pros:- Looks very nice and has a nice form factor-..." Read more

    "...This is not RAID - I assume anyone reading or buying this device knows that already but it is an important aspect...." Read more

    "...Decent looks and seemingly decent build qualityCONS- As others have stated, the lights are fairly bright-..." Read more

    369 customers mention187 positive182 negative

    Customers are mixed about the noise produced by the hard drive enclosure. Some mention that the fans run great and quietly, while others say that the drives are loud. Some customers also report that the cooling fan makes an annoying ticking sound.

    "...found the manual "high" fan setting works pretty well and is still pretty quiet -- not really noticeable if sitting under the desk...." Read more

    "...In, out, in, out every few seconds. Pretty frustrating and I began to think that I had a bad controller on the box...." Read more

    "...On low it's pretty silent. The included product sheet comes with instructions for adjusting the fan screws to reduce noise...." Read more

    "...In lowest RPM, the fan still puts off a light hum, and is quite loud maxed out (but I have 4 drives in this thing, I want to keep them cool!)-..." Read more

    239 customers mention43 positive196 negative

    Customers are dissatisfied with the connectivity of the hard drive enclosure. They mention that it keeps connecting and then disconnecting, it slows down to 10-20 MB/sec, and that the ESATA connector on their box doesn't make reliable connections. Additionally, they report that in large transfers, the ProBox would lose connection to the computer. Some customers also mention that the unit had disconnected some devices, ultimately FUBARing the RAID.

    "...However, ever since I got it, I had USB 3.0 issues with intermittent disconnects...." Read more

    "...limited support*external eSata is does not support POWERED multiport..." Read more

    "...- Based on the issues I had, if you buy this and it keeps connecting and then disconnecting, it may be worth trying each drive individually...." Read more

    "...use ESATA, please understand that most onboard ESATA ports do not support port multiplier...." Read more

    229 customers mention29 positive200 negative

    Customers are dissatisfied with the power on of the hard drive enclosure. For example, they mention that it shuts itself off repeatedly, the drives don't turn off like they should, and the iMac Pro wouldn't completely shut down.

    "...even recognize the hard drive and, when testing it later, it would not even initialize and the heads kept seeking as it tried to perform its startup..." Read more

    "...Only one glitch, at some point overnight the ProBox turned off...." Read more

    "...recognize the drives within the box, as well as problems with the unit sporadically shutting off, and refusing to come out of sleep mode...." Read more

    "...(it powers down repeatedly, per other reviewers as well, if the interface is not chosen to..." Read more

    Installing the drive into the enclosure was pretty simple, just screw the handle onto the front ...
    5 Stars
    Installing the drive into the enclosure was pretty simple, just screw the handle onto the front ...
    Mediasonic makes these in several different models. They have the NON-Raid version, and the Raid version of the 4 bay enclosure. The only difference is, the hardware Raid version allows you to create an array using the box itself. The NON-Raid version won't have the hardware to do it, however, if connected to a Windows or MAC, you can use software to create your raid array in the enclosure. I only mention this to be thorough, as I have no interest in Raid.When my Western Digital Black 2TB 7200 RPM SATA III drive was in a Windows machine, I partitioned it into two, with each partition being 1TB each, actual size around 950GB. Installing the drive into the enclosure was pretty simple, just screw the handle onto the front of the drive, pop the bay doors open, luckily we didn't need HAL to do that for us. Remove the pressure plate, stick the drive in, replace pressure plate, close the bay doors. Plug in your USB cable or ESATA cable, plug in the power and go.I feel the need to mention though however, if your planning to use ESATA, please understand that most onboard ESATA ports do not support port multiplier. If you fully populate the enclosure with 4 drives, in order to see 4 separate drives load in your OS, you will need to have port multiplier ability, which usually isn't found in motherboards, so you will have to purchase an ESATA card to put in your machine that does support it.However, if your going to be using the USB connection, you don't have to worry about that. I have my drive enclosure plugged into my router via USB. This enclosure has a SYNC button and an INTERFACE button. The enclosure selects USB by default, but if you need ESATA, you will have to press and hold the SYNC button to make your choice. Also, the enclosure has a built in sleep features.By holding down the Interface button, you can select which mode you want. When the interface indicator is blue, it means that when computer is powered off, the enclosure will power off in 15-seconds. And if you turn you computer back on, the enclosure won't come back on. If you want the enclosure to be in perfect sync with your computer, press and hold the INTERFACE button until the indicator is orange.Since I am using this with my router, I need my files to be able to be accessed at all times by any computer on the network. So to make sure the enclosure stays on no matter what, I had to hold the INTERFACE button each time until I turned the indicator completely off, hence clear. This way it will stay on until I hit the power button to turn it off, or the power goes out. Another thing this enclosure has is a smart fan feature.You are offered three levels of fan modes that you can either set manually, or set to smart auto. Fan speed 1 is very loud, like a freight train, but provides the most airflow. Fan speed 2 is a lot less noisy but is noticeable. And Fan speed 3 is silent. I keep my fan setting on Auto, and it never razes the fan speed beyond fan speed 3. So lets talk about file transfer speeds...I have a Netgear N600 WND4500-V3 router. I did some research into Readyshare and learned that the software in the router has a speed limiting bug in them that limits the speed you will get in file transfers. In other words, don't expect 5GBPS on USB 3.0 cause thats not going to happen. Also, your going to loose some in the transfer link between the drive itself and the enclosure, before its sent to the router, then finally to your computer on your gigabit network.For a speed reference, when I plug my Cannon A2300 camera into my notebook computer using USB 3.0, my file transfer speed is 10 megabytes per second. When reading from my new drive enclosure, copying a 4.1GB file to my notebook, I am getting 13.8 megabytes per second. However, when transferring that same 4.1GB file to my drive in the enclosure, I get around 14.5 megabytes per second.Usually in most cases, read speeds will exceed writing speeds, at least it does with SSD drives and other based flash drive media. But with this 7200 RPM mechanical drive that has 64MB cash, it seems to like writing more then it does reading. I have got to believe that this is somehow related to the 64MB cash buffer, but I could be wrong. I also love the pretty blue lights on the drive, although they might be too bright if you have this placed in a bedroom or movie room.So far I haven't had any trouble with it, and setting up Readyshare was super simple in my router configuration. Also the build quality of the box is pretty solid, it weighs a lot more then I thought it would. No doubt most of the weight is in the PSU and the metal casing of the enclosure. Very little plastic is on this thing and thats good. As long as you know how to set this up, it should work for you.5 out of 5UPDATE: Dec 2nd 2017Since I have owned and have been running this box for a year now, I wanted to give an update on how its doing. I have still been using the same hard drive, in my enclosure, and have not added any new drives to it. This unit has been running strong the whole year, and I haven't had any problems with it. I am able to access my files whenever I want to without issue. We have had a few power outages since, and all one has to do is hit the power button to turn it back on and wait for the drive/drives to spin up.I never did cover up the blue LED's that seem to bother most people. Again the box is located in my computer room, not my bedroom, so it doesn't matter to me. I do notice a slight build up of dust, around the exterior fan casing, I have not cleaned the box out with compressed air yet, but I probably should do that soon. I run an air filter machine in my computer room, which I hope, reduces the amount of dust that builds up, in my electronics.Some have also talked about replacing their internal fan to something much quieter. You can do this, but please note that the box uses a 2-pin fan connection which is not standard. So, you would more then likely need a 2 to 3 pin fan adapter, in order to use a 3rd party fan. I still to this day highly recommend this enclosure, and I still keep it at a solid 5 out of 5 stars!UPDATE: Dec 1st 2018Here we are yet another year of use on this box. I have to say, putting aside speed limitations with my setup, I've been really happy with this unit. The most important aspect of something like this, is that its reliable, because you want your files to not only be safe, but you also want to be able to access them whenever you want. I am happy to report that after 2-years of use, this box has been very reliable, and I haven't had any issues with it.I really like those Western Digital Black drives, they seem to be reliable as well for this use. I did end up blowing out the rear fan last year, only had to do that once. And its probably about time for me to clean out the fan again since its been another year, I'll get to it eventually lol. Oh and thats another thing, I've just proven with just some miner air filtration in the room, and some once per year maintenance, that fan has been lasting 2-years without fail.Additionally, none of the lights on the box have failed yet that I can see. Sometimes when you get those cheap LED's they will fail quickly. I haven't had any problems with this box so honestly, 99 dollars still to this day, and 2-years of service with more on the way, I think that is a great deal. Someone asked me about RAID recently. Again, as I've stated in this review, you can't setup hardware RAID with this box. If you really need RAID, its best to get the RAID version of this box.https://www.amazon.com/Mediasonic-ProRaid-HFR7-SU3S2-Drive-Enclosure/dp/B0757YTWS7/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1543555136&sr=8-2&keywords=mediasonic+probox+raid
    Thank you for your feedback
    Sorry, there was an error
    Sorry we couldn't load the review

    Top reviews from the United States

    Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2014
    This Mediasonic HF2-SU3S2 ProBox 4 Bay Hard Drive Enclosure is one of the very few enclosures available that does not try to be a NAS or RAID device and is simply an external JBOD enclosure that connects to my workstation with either eSATA or USB connectors. This is exactly what I wanted, a simple JBOD enclosure that I can manage with the extensive software tools supplied by Linux.

    I installed 3TB HDDs into 2 of the 4 drive bays; they just snap in with the supplied handles that are screwed to the front-most mounting hole locations on the drive. The handle is used to sort of lock the drives in place and is used to leverage them out upon removal. I plugged the USB cable into my USB 3.0 hub, plugged in the power supply and turned on the device. Linux recognized the new drives immediately.

    I created a Volume Group from those two drives using the Linux LVM facilities and allocated a single large logical volume which gives me about 5.7TB of free space for backups. After a bit of testing, I have now been creating my backups directly onto this device for 8 days now with no problems.

    I like the multiple speed options for the cooling fan, three set speeds and an auto speed setting. The room in which I keep all of my computers and their many ancillary devices can get quite warm until I turn on the A/C. I set the fan on auto speed control and it pretty much stays on high all the time right now.

    Both eSATA and USB 3 cables were supplied with the device, as well as a brick power supply that plugs into the right rear of the enclosure as you look at it from the front. If I needed to stack a bunch of these next to each other on a shelf that might be a problem, but it does not create an issue for me at this time as I only have one of these enclosures - and I suspect that will be all I need for some time to come. This side-mounted power connector is the only reason I did not [originally] give this device a 5-star rating - for the potential issues it might cause with side-by-side arrangements. I would have given it a 4.9 if I could have.

    Overall an excellent product that does exactly what I need.

    ######################
    Update May, 10, 2014

    It pays to have good backups. Last evening, while trying to open a web site, I started getting errors with Firefox. The reason is that the 1.5TB hard drive containing my home directory had started failing and Linux, as it is designed to do, remounted the home directory filesystem as read-only to prevent any further potential data corruption. Linux would not even recognize the hard drive and, when testing it later, it would not even initialize and the heads kept seeking as it tried to perform its startup routines.

    Fortunately I had a spare drive. Without going into the gory details, I installed the replacement hard drive, created a Physical Volume, and then a Volume Group encompassing the entire hard drive. I then created a mew home Logical Volume, formatted it as EXT4 and mounted it on /home.

    At that point I mounted the ProBox on /media and simply copied the backed up files back into my /home directory. I then did the same for the other two filesystems that had been on the original drive.

    Using the USB3 connection, it took only about 55 minutes to restore the very large amount of data I have in my /home directory and the other two filesystems. We are talking a total of about 300GB of data.

    For you Linux geeks, this is why I put the OS on one hard drive and my home directory and other non-OS filesystems on a different hard drive. Makes recovery so much easier.

    So this is why I purchased the ProBox device in the first place and it worked beautifully and exactly the way I expected when I set it up the way I did. In the past, I have had to restore individual files from the ProBox, but this is the first major disaster I have had since I purchased it.

    As a result of my recovery experience I have upgraded my rating of this product to 5 stars, although I still have very minor concern about the side-mounted power connector causing problems with side-by-side installations in tight quarters.
    12 people found this helpful
    Report
    Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2019
    Model: HFR2-SU3S2Verified Purchase
    I have two of these boxes; both are configured as RAID boxes and have been in continuous use for years -- one of them since 2013. (One is RAID 10, the other RAID 5.) In that time I have had to replace three hard drives in the in-use units. At various times each box have been moved between USB and eSATA connection to the host PC. Both have always been consistent, solid performers. Neither has ever given me any trouble.

    WHAT IT IS: This is a simple and cost-effective external device. It functions well in either USB or eSATA mode. The box is self-contained and plug-and-play; it requires no drivers and adds little or no extra load to the host PC. I have never had a PC or Mac (with appropriate configuration) fail to recognize the box and "talk" to it as expected. In any RAID configuration, it appears and behaves just like any external hard drive. As JBOD, it shows up as multiple separate external devices. Within the limits of what it is and how it works with the connected computer (discussed more below), it just works and has always been extremely reliable. But you should think through what you are getting at this very economical price point (economical for a RAID box, that is).

    The device detects the power state of its connection to your computer; it will turn off automatically when you power down your computer and will power back up when you turn the computer back on. This is a FEATURE and is the intended operation. You do NOT have to turn it off and on manually. For many this is a great convenience. It is also a good thing for power and heat saving (as well as hard drive life span and reducing noise when the computer is not on). But it can also be a negative depending on your use case (more on this below).

    In either SATA or JBOD or using eSATA or USB, I have never had a lick of trouble; the box just works. Lights on the box correctly indicate drive use and will tell you when a drive has failed. Power down and replace the failed drive; when you power back up in RAID mode the box will proceed to rebuild the array with no further action from you. (In JBOD mode, the new drive shows up in your operating system -- though of course you may need to go into disk manager to partition and format it before Windows can use it.)

    In terms of value for money, the performance is great for this price.

    WHAT IT IS NOT: You do get what you pay for. This is a very economical / cost-effective unit (for a multi-interface RAID unit).

    The device talks via eSATA OR USB. Most home-user class computers will not let you use both interfaces at the same time. For example: If you connect both at the same time, a Windows PC will only recognize the device on the eSATA connection (since the SATA bus is usually initialized before USB).

    Though the device does accept SATA III hard drives and works internally at 6Gb/sec speeds, it can only sustain those speeds to your computer when configured as JBOD. When configured for RAID it can only support 3 Gb/sec speeds (equivalent of SATA II, closer to USB 2 than 3 speed). That makes it great for backup and fine for accessing files one at a time (even playing music), but maybe not really solid for video streaming or disk-intensive gaming applications.

    The ventilation system is less than spectacular and needs to be kept clean or else lint buildup will make airflow a drive-killing problem over time. When closed up properly, the automatic fan settings on this box will make the drives inside tend to run hot (using HD Sentinel to monitor individual drive SMART temp reporting). That said, I have run these units for years on end without encountering unexpected / premature drive failure. I have also found the manual "high" fan setting works pretty well and is still pretty quiet -- not really noticeable if sitting under the desk. The unit will also run just fine with the front door down (open), which will cool everything down and keep it at more "normal" HD operating temps. The box front can be opened and closed without disturbing the drives inside while the unit is running (just be careful not to jiggle or move the box itself or drives inside while running). All box functions work just fine when the front is not closed, if you want increased cooling. (Just don't forget you left the box open when you are working around it or go to move it!)

    This box will NOT magically transform all the vagaries of PC external connectivity into the reliability of permanently connected internal drives. It is NOT a high-end NAS or internal RAID system powered by an expensive and high-capacity controller. All bets are off if you move the unit and/or accidentally jar or disconnect the cable when the unit is running -- or if your computer's power saving settings turn off the connection to this unit. I have found the system works consistently as designed as a solid SATA II drive when connected via eSATA or USB (assuming the cable isn't accidentally jolted loose).

    You can use this box and it will be reliable attached to an always-on computer -- but first you need to expect to spend configuration time and might encounter some frustrations along the way. To get reliable, always-on connectivity with no unexpected disconnects, you are going to need to spend some time checking your computer BIOS and several settings in the operating system. Power saving settings that shut down your hard drives (SATA) or dormant devices (USB) will work just fine with internal and some external devices, but I hope it is obvious that they will cause this box to turn itself off. When the connection gets powered down, the device will see that as your PC turning off and in response it will turn itself off (which is exactly what it is supposed to do, as mentioned above). Since the device is driverless, there is no software to keep it alive or magically reconnect it when/if you return and want to use it. When that happens, the only recourse is to power down your PC, then restart. It took me several tries to find and disable the various PC and operating system power-saving features; once I did that -- ensuring the PC / operating system did not time out / turn off its USB or eSATA connections -- the Mediasonic box became absolutely solid and reliable, working predictably in harmony with the PC to which it is connected. Once everything was configured, it became another always-there drive that just.plain.works.

    As noted, this device does not come with external monitoring/control software. Out of the box, you need to look at the lights on the front to affirm it is configured and operating properly. There is no software pop-up or alert on your computer desktop if your RAID array is degraded -- you have to actually look at the box. If you forget to look at the box, you might not notice a drive has failed until it's too late to rebuild the RAID array. On the flip side, those lights on the box do correctly indicate hard drive activity inside the box and do indicate if a drive has failed (or, once you replace the failed drive, when a RAID array is rebuilding). The lights are accurate but do not give you much of an indication as to progress of built-in functions; you're not going to get much of a clue as to how much longer that RAID rebuild is going to take.

    However and FWIW. I have found this device does correctly pass all needed information through for most disk diagnostic applications. HD Sentinel works well and accurately to report the status of every constituent disk drive (even when configured in RAID mode so that Windows thinks its just one big drive). I have also found by trial and error that several software distributions that come with other external RAID systems will also correctly read and report status of these boxes -- thought they still won't let you remotely configure or adjust what the RAID controller is doing. (For example, the software that comes with Sans Digital units will read and report on these Mediasonic boxes when configured as RAID units.) Your mileage may vary.

    Overall, this box is everything I had hoped and I have found it completely reliable. A bargain at a $150 price tag.
    28 people found this helpful
    Report

    Top reviews from other countries

    dandy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Are my performance expectations too high?
    Reviewed in Canada on April 19, 2024
    Model: HFR2-SU3S2Verified Purchase
    This is about the RAID version, not the PROBOX (which isn't).

    I tried with four 4TB drives, and then later four 8TB drives, in a RAID-5 configuration. Performance is *dismal*. Both sets of drives gave me roughly the same performance - 2.5MB/s over USB3.0, and 5.5MB/s over eSATA (with short bursts reaching 10-12MB/s, but those never last for more than a second).

    Copying instead to an external (single) USB3 drive, on the same system, typically gives me anywhere between 60 to 120+ MB/s, so it can hardly be my system (and I did try a few, with the same results). I understand RAID-5 (in particular) has some overhead, but this *cannot* be "normal". Very disappointing, because this is otherwise a rather solid enclosure, and the RAID selection could hardly be any easier. It's the only thing keeping me from getting another one.

    I'm still not ruling out some obscure configuration problem, otherwise it'd be on its way back.

    [Edit, after a few weeks]

    I've been experimenting with RAID-10 (instead of RAID-5). I knew RAID-5 had significant overhead, when compared with other types of RAID setups, but with RAID-10 - and an otherwise identical configuration - my Write operations are now holding steady at 100+MB/s (vs 5, at best). This makes me *much* happier, even though the cost in terms of storage means I get one fewer drives worth of space. At least this is *usable*. 5MB/s just isn't.

    I expected overhead with RAID-5. Just not on that scale. Be forewarned, unless you want to invest *days* of experimentation.

    With this, I'm increasing my rating from 3 stars all the way to 5. I mean, if I wanted faster still, there's models with USB 3.1/3.2. I honestly have nothing else I can complain about right now.
    Luco
    5.0 out of 5 stars Inexpensive solution for decluttering many USB drives
    Reviewed in Canada on March 19, 2024
    Model: HF7-SU31CVerified Purchase
    I got this to declutter the shelf where my home media server lives. Instead of having 4 USB drives sitting on the shelf I now have this one box connected via USB-C to a mini-PC with no internal storage beyond an NVMe SSD.
    It's very quick and works perfectly well but does NOT support hardware RAID. One could make a software RAID using Windows 10/11 Professional, note that the specs state this enclosure does not work with Linux. I have not tested it with Linux.
    The sync button is interesting. With sync turned on the enclosure powers up and down with the computer to which it is attached but will not recover from a power failure, that requires a human intervention to push the power button on the front.
    I cannot really fault this enclosure, for the price it is a great deal.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
    imfallen_angel
    5.0 out of 5 stars I've had 4 Mediasonic 4-bay boxes for over 10 years, and only had to replace one.
    Reviewed in Canada on August 2, 2023
    Model: HF2-SU3S3Verified Purchase
    I got my original boxes that were USB 2.0 and eSATA and have used them non-stop for over 10 years... they are simple to use but required a esata card with port multiplier to use, which made them a bit complicated to set up. The only situation I had for all those years was a power supply for one that died and had to be replaced. When COVID hit, one of the boxes died and I replaced it with a newer esata/USB 3.0 model but it was used as all new stock were impossible to find. And 2 years later, that is the box that has now died on me, but it is possible that it's due to power surges and such as these last few months, the city has had a lot of problems due to many storms and such, and it may have also damaged my UPS that should have prevented damage to my devices including these boxes... I'll never know.

    But that said, this box is replacing that other one (and is the exact same) and I will hope that it will last as long as my other older boxes that are still going strong so far.

    These boxes are simple to use, with only one annoyance of needing a small handle to be installed on the drives. The fans are very silent and aside the situation that requires me to get a replacement, have been very solid and working very well for a lot of year.

    In time I will most probably need to replace them for a more modern setup as the old boxes are supposedly limited to 4TB drives (while the newer ones are able to use much larger drives) and will switch to USB 3.0 (or better) and leave the eSATA in the past so to prevent the headaches I've had due to that.

    I almost went with the 8-bay boxes, but reviews have been alarming in reference to the number of issues that people have had compared to the 4-bay ones, so I'll have to see when the time comes.

    But for now, these boxes have been great, have been through constant use (24/7) and I've enjoyed them greatly, and for a price range that left all competition far behind.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
    ....
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Quiet, Works with S.M.A.R.T Data
    Reviewed in Canada on January 10, 2022
    Model: 4 Bay Raid USB 3.1 Type CVerified Purchase
    This is a very nice unit. It's the quietest of the 4 I've had and it allows the S.M.A.R.T. data to be read from the drives, which some do not. Would definitely buy again.
    Peter Linehan
    4.0 out of 5 stars Simple Straightford BUT
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 26, 2024
    Model: HF2-SU3S3Verified Purchase
    The unit itself seems good BUT the inserts for 2.5" disk are special and expensive. Each is 11.00 odd so that needs to taken into account when you buy