February 24th, 2009

Computer-in-a-plug platform looks to shrink network-connected devices

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 5:44 pm

Categories: SOHO Networking

Tags: Marvell, Network, Storage, Computer, SheevaPlug, SheevaPlug Platform, Productivity, Sean Portnoy

We’ve recently seen a computer in a keyboard, but Marvell is going one better and releasing a new hardware platform that promises a computer in a plug. The SheevaPlug platform consists of the company’s Kirkwood processor, 512MB of DRAM, 512MB of flash memory, a Gigabit Ethernet port, and a USB port, all of which can fit in the size of a wall-wart-style power adapter. SheevaPlug devices run on Linux, and Marvell claims they use only a tenth of the electricity that a typical home server unit taps.

Obviously, SheevaPlug’s form factor is designed to connect to external storage, rather than hold any of its own. Using the plug computer and a drive with a USB port, you can quickly roll your own network storage with the computer attached to a router. While the platform may appeal to Internet and TV providers, there’s already a consumer device announced that uses SheevaPlug. The Pogoplug (pictured) costs $79 for pre-orders and will ship in March. In addition to letting you locate the attached USB storage on Macs and Windows computers, it lets you access its files via a Web browser or even your iPhone.

Marvell is also offering the SheevaPlug development kit for $99, which includes the SheevaPlug computer. Whether this whole concept will fly is still to be determined, of course, but you have to give Marvell credit for “plugging into” something a little bit different.

February 19th, 2009

Western Digital updates My Book World Edition with "green" drives, continuous backup function

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 6:27 pm

Categories: SOHO Networking

Tags: Western Digital Corp., Network-Attached Storage (NAS), Backups, Storage, Networking, Hardware, Sean Portnoy

Another day, another NAS device. This time, it’s storage giant Western Digital stepping up to the plate with a revamp of its My Book World Edition network drive. In addition to larger capacities (1TB or 2TB), the new version comes with a couple of features that may help set it apart from the ever-growing pack.

If it works as well as it sounds, My Book’s new continuous backup function is just the type of simplicity people demand out of network storage: you can set it up to automatically save a copy of every new file on your network to the drive. This compares favorably to having set up a backup routine of some kind, even if it occurs at regular intervals. WD also uses its Green Power Drives in the new My Book; they run cooler and are a third more power-efficient than other drives.

The drive, clad in Mac-friendly white plastic, also comes with the usual gallery of features today’s NAS devices should offer: iTunes and DLNA server capabilities, browser-based remote access to files, a USB port to attach an external drive for additional storage, Gigabit Ethernet port, etc. The 1TB version of the My Book World Edition is available now for $229.99, while the 2TB version will ship next month for $449.99. Yes, the extra terabyte will cost you an additional $200+, but remember that’s a single drive, rather than just WD inserting another terabyte drive into a second bay. (As a point of reference, a Western Digital 2TB internal Caviar Green drive costs $299.)

February 18th, 2009

CyberPower introduces Atom-powered Windows Home Server 100

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 4:28 am

Categories: SOHO Networking

Tags: Cyberpower, Microsoft Windows Home Server, Microsoft Windows, Storage, Operating Systems, Software, Hardware, Sean Portnoy

We already have both networking and storage companies flooding the market with network storage, but now it looks like boutique PC makers are getting into the act as well. CyberPower, best known for its gaming computers, has just announced a unit based on an Intel Atom processor and running Windows Home Server server.

The CyberPower Windows Home Server 100 comes in a nondescript mini-ITX case with 2GB of RAM and a single 500GB hard drive. It includes built-in high-definition audio processing and an S-Video port to connect to a video source or TV. No word on whether there are any USB ports to add external storage. On the CyberPower Web site, it appears you can change the storage amount (even downgrading to 320GB or upgrading to 1TB) and add a DVD burner.

The base price for the 500GB Windows Home Server 100 is $399, though you can move to 1TB for an additional $49. You can throw in a memory-card reader for another $10. That’s far less than HP’s Windows Home Server units, but they have a lot more panache and added functionality.

February 12th, 2009

Tax Refund Special: Home networking

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 7:25 am

Categories: SOHO Networking, Taxes

Tags: USB Port, NAS, Router, Network, Home Networking, Internet Radio, Tax, Network-Attached Storage (NAS), Networking, Storage

You’d have to be pretty hardcore about networking to drop a $2,500 tax refund completely on your home network, but you can do it if you really try. Here’s how you can put together a great networking setup with a supersized budget.

Router

You obviously have to start with a good router, and with this budget, you don’t have to go bargain hunting for the lowest priced 802.11n out there. Instead, you can splurge on something like the Linksys WRT610N Simultaneous Dual-N Band Wireless Router, which can work over 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies at the same time. It’s perfect if you have legacy 2.4GHz devices, while the 5GHz performance is impressive. You even get a USB port so you can attach an external hard drive and have instant network attached storage. You’ll also want to grab a Linksys Wireless-N USB Network Adapter with Dual-Band for another computer on the network.

[Read the review] [check prices]

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February 8th, 2009

Iomega adds four-bay StorCenter Pro ix4-100 to its NAS lineup

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 5:55 am

Categories: SOHO Networking

Tags: NAS, Iomega Corp., Storage, Network-Attached Storage (NAS), Hardware, Sean Portnoy

The other day I posted about a new four-bay business-oriented NAS device from QNAP. Now, Iomega expands its lineup of network storage with a four-bay solution of its own. But unlike the QNAP, which doesn’t come with any storage, the StorCenter Pro ix4-100 is offered with 2TB or 4TB of storage included.

While the ix4-100 has advanced features like RAID Level 5 and 10 capabilities, virtual environment support, and the ability to capture real-time video from up to three surveillance cams, it also comes with consumer-oriented specs like UPnP AV Media Server and Bluetooth support. Four USB ports are available for additional storage from external drives and to attach a printer for sharing over the network, though no eSATA are included. For online backups, Iomega bundles Mozy Home, which gives you 2GB of online storage for free; that’s not much, so you can get unlimited storage by upgrading to a $4.95 monthly plan.

Considering the QNAP TS-439 Pro Turbo probably will cost around $700 for just the bare device, the 2TB StorCenter Pro ix4-100 seems like a pretty good deal for $799.95, though the 4TB costs a whopping $500 more for an extra two 1TB drives that you could buy yourself for about $100 apiece.

February 4th, 2009

QNAP taps the Atom for its new four-bay TS-439 Pro Turbo NAS device

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 6:01 pm

Categories: SOHO Networking

Tags: NAS, Q-Nap, Network-Attached Storage (NAS), Storage, Hardware, Sean Portnoy

Intel’s tiny low-power Atom CPU is the chip that powers almost all of the popular netbook market, and it’s starting to emerge in ultra-cheap desktops as well. But the processor is also a natural for network-attached-storage (NAS) devices, many of which have used Intel Celeron CPUs in the past. QNAP, a name known to NAS enthusiasts, is the first to offer an Atom-based four-bay network storage solution in the TS-439 Pro Turbo.

If you’re looking for a cheap NAS drive, this probably isn’t the one for you. For one thing, the base unit doesn’t come with any storage, though you can pack up to 6TB of data across four drives. You can add more storage by attaching an external drive to the TS-439’s five USB ports (which also let you connect a printer for sharing across your network) or two eSATA ports. You also get a pair of Gigabit Ethernet ports. Extensive RAID support is also standard; not only do you get Level 0 and 1 capabilities, but also Level 5 and 6 options for greater storage amounts while maintaining redundancy. While the TS-439 is clearly designed with office use in mind, it can function as a UPnP/DLNA media server or an iTunes server for consumers with hardcore storage needs.

There’s no pricing info yet from QNAP on the TS-439, but its TS-409 predecessor costs a little less than $600. You’ll probably pay a bit more for the new unit, though keep in mind that the price doesn’t include hard drives, which will jack up the total cost even more.

February 2nd, 2009

Verizon Hub next-generation home phone system is now on sale

Posted by Sean Portnoy @ 5:52 pm

Categories: SOHO Networking

Tags: Touch Screen, Phone, Verizon Communications Inc., Handset, Verizon Hub, Keyboards, Telecom & Utilities, Cellular Phones, Monitors & Displays, Hardware

Give Verizon credit for trying something different. As fewer people rely on residential landlines for phone service, and more of those remaining people switch to VoIP service from their cable TV providers, the whole concept of the home phone needs a fresh look. The Verizon Hub is a new communications system that combines the company’s wireless and VoIP plans with cordless handsets and an Internet-enabled touch-screen unit.

To use the Hub in your home, you need to have a Verizon Wireless account, as well as subscribe to its Digital Voice plan, which costs $34.99 per month for unlimited calling to the U.S. and Canada. You’ll also need a broadband connection and a router; those who don’t own a router already can buy one from Verizon for $69.99. As the above picture shows, you get a cordless handset that sits in the Hub base station with the touch screen. That hardware combo costs $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and with a two-year service agreement; additional handsets are available for $79.99 apiece.

The costs add up quickly, as you can see, so what advantages does the Hub offer consumers? The “command center” gives you access to an array of Internet services, including news, weather, and sports updates, traffic info, movies listings and ticket purchasing, and visual voicemail. You can also create a Contacts list that syncs between each of your handsets and the command center. It also has a couple of handy features if you subscribe to the Chaperone and VZ Navigator services through your wireless plan. The former can locate your cellphone-wielding children from the command center just by selecting the Locate Now button, while the latter lets you beam turn-by-turn GPS-based directions to a mobile phone after you look up an address on the center. The center can even be used as a digital photo frame.

When it comes to Internet access, however, the Hub seems to be something of a closed system. There’s no Web browser or e-mail app, both of which seem like obvious features considering there’s built-in 802.11b/g. You also don’t get a built-in camera to use for video chatting, though you get two USB 2.0 ports. Verizon could roll out new services and features over time, but the price is quite high to sit and wait for them to arrive, especially in this economy. For consumers, the best hope may be that Verizon’s concept spurs competitors to come up with similar offerings of their own that they price more reasonably—or maybe just wait until Verizon realizes there’s little demand for the Hub at this price and starts offering it at a more affordable price point.

For some early impressions of the Hub, check out Engadget and Yahoo Tech. Then let us know what you think of the Hub in our Talkback section.