Plextor PX-EH25L 250Gb Professional Network Attached Storage

Included power cable, network cable, manual and CD ROM.

Setup

     There is nothing to installing the Plextor storage device. In fact all you really need to do to get it going is plug in the power and network cable and turn it on. By default the server will be listed under "workgroup". You can immediately map the network drive and start transferring files. Using the storage device is as simple as dragging and dropping files. It's just like having another hard drive installed in your computer, except this one is a stand alone device sitting on your network, so it's accessible to anyone on the network. If you want to change the settings or limit network access, you'll need to change the settings by logging into the storage device using a web browser.

     From the web browser interface you can change pretty much every detail from network to print server settings. I find it easier to disable DHCP and hard set an IP address. The manual on the CD ROM gives you all the information you need for making changes.

Performance

     When it comes to performance of network storage devices, they are only going to be as fast as your network. However, with an 8mb buffer and a 7200rpm hard drive, the Plextor storage device seems to be quick and without any lag or delays when accessing files and folders. Another thing worth pointing out is the device is totally silent, even when the drive is hard at work transferring files.

Conclusion

     The Plextor PX-EH25L 250Gb Professional Network Attached Storage was a huge surprise in a small package. Plextor did the right thing by keeping the device very simple, easy to use and Windows compatible without the need of special software. They also didn't hold back on the quality of the device itself. At $299, the Plextor Professional Network Attached Storage device is a real bargain. Okay, it's easy to see that Plextor has won me over, but remember I'm a big fan of QUALITY, not name brands. It's just that Plextor knows how to build a product the right way. In fact this Plextor product is the most innovative product I've seen in the ClubOC labs for years from any company. Any device that can easily replace a full tower or rack mount storage server gets my vote for product of the year! Excellent job Plextor!