Netgear RND4450 ReadyNAS NV+ 2 TB Desktop Network Storage (4x500GB)

It seems 2 do all it is supposed 2 do though a little slow as far as I am concerned. Yet after less than a year the power supply unit failed & after checking on line this is a common problem. There is no quick fix or replacement. This makes me very nervous about the stability of this product.

The ReadyNAS NV+ is not cheap when compared with other storage options, but you may not be comparing apples 2 apples. The number of built-in features on the NV+ is quite impressive, & the ease of setup & use is fantastic. First, the NV+ is a real NAS, equipped with gigabit ethernet, so if you plan 2 share your storage device among multiple computers, keep that in mind. Some other storage devices have only a USB connection 2 hook 2 a single computer, or may include only the somewhat slower 100 megabit ethernet connection. Many modern computers come with gigabit ethernet by default these days, & it makes multi-gigabyte backups much faster. I personally am backing up two Mac laptops via Time Machine, & one Windows desktop through NT backup (when I remember).

Second, the NV+ includes support 4 multiple network protocols. It has SMB, AFS & NFS support, 4 seamless integration with Windows, Mac, & Unix systems out of the box. It also contains FTP & HTTP support so you can access your files remotely, & the rsync command, so you can easily schedule backups of Unix systems. In addition, although I haven't personally used any of them yet, it can act as a streaming server 4 iTunes media or other media servers.

Third, the expandable X-RAID setup is amazing. I bought my NV+ pre-loaded with 2x500Gb drives, which gave me plenty of usable space 2 start with. I recently found myself with an extra 500Gb SATA drive that I didn't actually need, so I decided 2 add it 2 the RAID. I simply flipped open the front cover, slid out the drive tray, attached the drive 2 the tray, & then slid it back in. The NV+ started rebuilding the RAID as soon as I slid the drive all the way in, & when it was finished, notified me that the new storage would be available after a restart. I restarted the NAS, & it now contains 916Gb of usable space. Incredible! This gives me great confidence in the expandability of the device 4 future use.

Finally, there are many other great touches 2 the NV+. It will interoperate with UPS devices connected via USB, & can automatically power down in case of an extended power outage. You can attach & share a printer or USB storage device 2 the included USB ports. There's a one-touch backup button on the front of the device that you can press 2 backup selected shares 2 an attached USB storage device. The NAS is quiet enough 2 keep in a home office, & so small that it will easily fit anywhere. It's dwarfed by my small desktop machines, & too quiet 2 be heard over their fan noise.

Overall I would recommend the ReadyNAS NV+ 2 anyone who needs a networked storage solution 4 multiple computers. It's easy 2 use, has a great feature set, & is expandable 4 the future.

I have 2 be honest in saying that I was excited 2 receive this & get it setup on my home network 2 server as my central backup. Within days of operation one of the drives started complaining & the 'smart' errors starting increasing. A call 2 Netgear's customer support & a new drive was on its way - no charge - not even shipping.

It is now working great. It took some time 2 get it setup & configured they way I need 2 use it, but not it is working great!

I would recommend it 2 anyone.

I have attached this 2 our home network with an iMac, a PC & a Mac Mini attached 2 our TV. I use it 2 store music, photos & video. I got a sony hi def video camera at christmas so I already have an enormous amount of hi def video (imported through imovie). My network is connected with gigabit ethernet using an apple airport. The last NAS I had did not stream the HD video fast enough (using SMB) 2 the computers or the TV. This NAS works perfectly. I can stream HD video from it through the mini 2 the tv with no delays or glitches in the sound or video. I got it with 2 500 GB drives & added two 320 drives I had from the old NAS. It works perfectly but unfortunately when you mix different size drives & use the default x-raid setting, it sees all of the drives as the same size as the smallest. So I am not utilizing 180 GB (500-320) from the two 500 GB drives. My total storage capacity is approximaetly 900 GB while the raw capacity is 1,640. I do not yet need even the 900 GB so it isn't that big of a deal. I will just keep my eye open 4 2 more 500 GB drives on sale 2 increase the capacity when needed. All other functions work great. As I mentioned I am in a mac centric network so the AFP file sharing protocol is great - probably why the trasnfer rates are high enough 2 support HD video.

This device is very functional, great pricing, robust, full of features & add-ons. Maybe not the fastest NAS on the block, but 4 home use, holding huge amounts of data, & streaming media back 2 us, was always great. Reasonable web-based interface as well. Right up until NetGear took over & brought out the latest firmware upgrade. Never had a problem before, but this upgrade, which should not touch your data volume, messes with the volume format without warning, irreversibly, & large numbers of people have had problems with their units afterward. Mine won't boot with the new firmware, & if I go back 2 the old version I can no longer access my data. Essentially turned my NAS into an expensive brick, & tech support is unhelpful as they have no real resolution.

Save yourself some headaches & Do Not Buy. Was a great company, oh well.

The industrial design & ultra compact form factor of the ReadyNAS makes it perfect 4 any home office or small business. Standing only 8" tall & 5" wide, it can fit just about anywhere without taking up much space or making much noise. ReadyNAS also offers low power consumption & a special energy-saving mode that allows you 2 automate startup & shutdown. With an easy web browser interface & setup wizard, ReadyNAS NV+ can be configured with minimal effort. Automatic alerts give you peace of mind because if trouble should arise, you will be notified. ReadyNAS's X-RAID technology ensures full data redundancy with protection against hardware failure. It also automates the volume expansion 4 you as you scale from 1 hard drive 2 4 hard drives. ReadyNAS allows you 2 start with one disk then add the additional drives over time without reconfiguring the system or shuffling the data. With the help of EMC Retrospect backup & recovery software, you can set automatic backups of all of your network clients 2 your ReadyNAS. Additionally, ReadyNAS includes an integrated backup manager that enables one-button backup from your NAS appliance 2 external USB hard drives 4 offsite rotation or 2 remote servers. 3 USB 2.0 ports 256MB PC2700 DDR-SDRAM SO-DIMM Embedded 64MB Flash Memory Supports Windows, Mac, Linux or UNIX Clients DHCP server & print server Setup wizard & easy browser-based interface Hardware X-RAID single volume auto expansion Multiple volume support 4 RAID 0, 1, 5 Power saving mode 92mm ball-bearing chassis cooling fan Fan failure alert High temperature email alert with auto-shutdown option FCC, UL, CE, C-tick, RoHS compliance Kensington lock security hole Web Browsers Supported - Internet Explorer 6.0, Netscape Navigator 7.0, Opera 7.0, Safari 1.22 & Mozilla Firefox 1.03 Dimension - Height 7.9 x Width 5.2 x Depth 8.7 (200x132x222mm) Weight - 10 pounds (4.6

The ReadyNAS NV+ by NETGEAR is a compact & attractive four-bay Network Attached Storage (NAS) device that can easily handle the storage needs of a home or small office. After putting the ReadyNAS NV+ 2 the test, we have concluded that it is an ideal storage solution 4 small offices or work groups with limited IT resources that require networked expandable RAID storage & advanced "server" features such as print & media servers, system monitoring with email alerts, & integrated backup management capabilities.

250 align="right"> 2>What We Think2> Overall Rating: Pros: Compact design, easy-to-use, built-in RAID capability including X-RAID, provides media streaming 4 wide variety of devices, excellent online forums 4 add-ons & support Cons: Insufficient user manuals, add-on software does not always have complete feature set 2>At a Glance2> Capacity: 2 TB (4x500GB) Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 8.7 inches (HxWxD) Warranty: 5 years

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The ReadyNAS NV+ houses four drive bays in one compact, attractive enclosure. View larger.

Out of Box Impressions & Design Features
Taking the ReadyNAS NV+ out of the box, we couldn't help but be surprised at how compact & solid feeling the device is. Imparting an air of quality workmanship & sturdy reliability, the NV+ measures a compact 7.9 x 5.2 x 8.7 inches (H x W x D) & is a hefty 10 pounds without the disks installed.

The styling is attractive, with a metallic "cheese-grater" look that is reminiscent of Apple's Mac Pros, a design that also allows 4 heat dissipation. A door panel opens 4 easy access 2 the four drive bays, each of which is on its own tray with an easy-to-load push-button mechanism, making disk installation a cinch.

Below the panel door is a backlit LCD display that shows status info such as the IP address & drive capacity. The power button sits on the upper left of the front face, next 2 four LEDs that give the status of each hard drive, a USB port, & a button labeled "Backup." The back of the NV+ sports a carrying handle, two USB ports, an Ethernet port, the system reset switch, power connector, cooling fan, & Kensington Lock security hole. Overall, the design is attractive, smartly laid out, & clearly labeled. Unlike many other NAS devices that you want 2 hide in a corner or in a closet, the ReadyNAS NV+ adds a handsome touch 2 the work area.

Initial Setup & Configuration
Our test unit had four pre-installed 750 GB hard drives 4 a total of three terabytes of disk space. The drives are hot-swappable, which means that they can be swapped out one-at-a-time without shutting down the NV+, & which also means that upgrading or replacing the drives--if necessary--will be easy.

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Share your files, USB disk, & printer with all your computers & networked media player with the NV+.

The NV+ supports the industry standard RAID 0/1/5, as well as NETGEAR's own proprietary X-RAID, which supports single volume auto expansion with redundancy against a single drive failure. X-RAID makes the device future-proof, as you can simply swap out a smaller capacity installed drive 4 a larger one, & X-RAID will automatically copy over all the data.

The initial hardware set up was as simple as plugging the AC cord into the wall & connecting the Ethernet cord into the local network. Installing the included RAIDar software let us find the drive on our network, from which we were able 2 bring up the Web-based control panel. Set up required an easy jaunt through the Setup Wizard, & once completed, the drive appeared on each of the networked computers as expected.

20> The unit is pre-configured in X-RAID mode, which worked fine 4 us; we were literally up & running in minutes. The only snag was that the manual gave the wrong user/password 2 log into the machine, but a quick online search revealed the correct input information.

After we had the X-RAID running successfully, we reconfigured the drive 2 a RAID 5 configuration. Like X-RAID, RAID 5 reduces overall storage capacity by about 25% but offers redundant protection so everything continues 2 function even if one of the drives fails. The actual reconfiguration through the control panel took only a few minutes, though the entire process took over eight hours & necessitated deletion of all the existing data on the drives. (Don't worry! The ReadyNAS NV+ did all the work itself after we left the office 4 the day.)

The one complaint we had during the set-up procedures was with the documentation. In fact, the manual is the weak link of the package. The NV+ has a lot of functionality that is not very well explained or simply not mentioned. Fortunately, the ReadyNAS has its own NETGEAR-supported community Web site (www.readynas.com) with FAQs, forums, firmware updates, add-ons, & other goodies. We found the process of downloading firmware updates & add-ons quick & extremely easy.

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NETGEAR's FrontView web-based control panel makes configuration & administration simple. View larger.

Web-based Control Panel
The Web-based control panel gives the administrator full control over the system. From it you can check the status of the machine, set the security settings, create user & group accounts, configure streaming services, update firmware, & much more. With processes that took more than a few minutes 2 complete, the ReadyNAS NV+ sent us email notifications at the completion of the tasks so we could continue with our other work in the meantime.

The control panel is clean & intuitive, eliminating the need 4 administrators 2 fiddle with a Unix command line 2 check status or change settings. Though some configuration & management issues can arise that better documentation could easily address, as long as the administrator is comfortable searching out information online when necessary, he or she should find managing the ReadyNAS NV+ relatively easy.

Our Performance Review
We ran the NV+ as our primary file server in our small workgroup -- consisting of both Macs running OS X & PCs running Windows XP -- without any problems or complaints of performance. We were able 2 access the server 2 work with, copy, & move files around seamlessly, with no hiccups 2 speak of. Our computers were all able 2 connect easily via CIMB and/or AFP protocols. Additionally, the ReadyNAS has support 4 the Network File System (NFS), but we did not test this as we do not run a Linux/Unix environment.

However, our one caveat is that we do not work heavily with media files such as large video files, so we cannot say 4 certain if the performance would be acceptable 4 use in, say, a high-performance video lab or similar setting.

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Hard disks are installed on separate drive trays, making upgrades simple. View larger.

One important feature we needed was the ability 2 work remotely. To do so, we downloaded a WebDAV add-on from the ReadyNAS community Web site that allows 4 drag-and-drop file access 2 the ReadyNAS NV+ through an Internet connection via HTTPS. While we were easily able 2 connect 2 the ReadyNAS NV+ remotely, an apparent limitation or bug in the current firmware resulted in some problems with privileges. Specifically, when we revised or created files & folders remotely, they became "read-only" & required permissions 2 be manually changed through the control panel. A post on the ReadyNAS message board confirmed this behavior, which, while not a deal breaker, is certainly inconvenient.

Though the RAID configuration we chose has built-in redundant storage, we nonetheless decided 2 create nightly backups 4 even more peace of mind. We connected an external USB drive 2 the front USB port, & once the drive was recognized, it was a matter of seconds & a simple push of a button 2 schedule a daily backup of our main work folder.

Built-in FTP, iTunes, & Other Features
The NV+ features many add-ons & extras that we were able 2 easily install, either through the control panel or by downloading software updates & documentation from the ReadyNAS community Web site.

The ReadyNAS includes a built-in print server & an FTP server that were easy 2 set up. It also features a built-in Web server, which we successfully tested by creating simple Web pages. The built-in iTunes streaming server worked like a charm. After copying over MP3s into the designated folder, the songs automatically showed up in the iTunes folder of the networked computers.

The ReadyNAS NV+ also has built-in support 4 Squeezebox music players, UPnP AV devices, & streaming playback of videos, music, & photos from networked DVD & media players. Based on the ease of use with the iTunes server, we assume a similarly uncomplicated process. The ReadyNAS also has a built-in BitTorrent client, add-ons 4 a photo slideshow application, SSH access, & much more.

Included Back-Up Software
NETGEAR bundles a five-user license 4 EMC Retrospect Professional 4 Windows & a five-user license 4 EMC Retrospect Desktop 4 Macintosh. After installation on a desktop, we could easily automate & schedule backups of our desktops onto the NV+. EMC Retrospect is a pro-grade backup software offering powerful features superior 2 many bundled backup programs.

20> Conclusions
The ReadyNAS NV+ is a powerful, attractive, & flexible Network Attached Storage device that would work great in a home setting or even a small-to-medium office setting. It offers much of the functionality of a dedicated server, while requiring a small amount of space. Since set up is mostly plug-and-play, it does not require a dedicated IT personnel 2 manage, which is a huge bonus 4 home use or 4 a business on a budget.

As noted, the manual does not give all the answers. Fortunately, the strong online community & Web forums offer excellent support & services. And finally, the ReadyNAS NV+ is backed by an industry-leading 5-year warranty, so you can rest assured that you'll be protected should anything go wrong.

Whisper quiet, & about the size of a shoebox, the NETGEAR RND4450 ReadyNAS NV+ 2TB Gigabit Desktop Network Storage device offers homes & small businesses an easy-to-configure & cost-effective way 2 store your data & serve your digital media. With its several advanced server features, you will have true peace of mind knowing that your irreplaceable data is safe & secure.

The ReadyNAS NV+ offers an easy-to-configure & cost-effective way 2 store your data & stream your digital media. View larger.

Use the ReadyNAS+ 2 stream music & video, share network printers, & share files across multiple platforms.

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250> The NETGEAR ReadyNAS NV+: Store & protect up 2 4 terabytes of data Serve files easily across Windows, Mac & Linux platforms Back-up data automatically Stream music & video across multiple devices Share network printers

Not much bigger than a shoebox, the NETGEAR ReadyNAS NV+ 2 TB Gigabit Desktop Network Storage device is compact, but powerful.

True Protection 4 your Data
Chances are that you've got a huge portion--if not all--of your business data or personal life digitized. Your kids' birthday videos, photos, important tax records, customer files, music--it's all digital. Until recently an external hard drive has done the job. But your storage solution is near capacity, & you now realize that it won't be long before your 24/7 usage burns it out. And when that happens, you will either have 2 kiss everything you've ever created good-bye, or pay a pretty penny trying 2 retrieve it all.

The NETGEAR ReadyNAS NV+ is an ultra-compact box filled with four 500 gigabyte disks, designed 2 fit easily on your desktop. NETGEAR also offers the Ready NAS NV+ in the ReadyNAS 2x500GB Drives (2 Open Bays), ReadyNAS 4x250GB Drives, & several other configurations. Once connected 2 your network, you can store & protect all of your digital data & stream your digital media. What truly causes heads 2 turn with the ReadyNAS NV+ is its RAID functionality, along with its own X-RAID technology. Combined, these two features that are normally found only in high-end servers will ensure that your data will never be corrupted or lost due 2 hardware failure.

The device's RAID functionality, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, copies, splits & shares your data across the hard disks within the device, so that should one of the drives fail, the data can be rebuilt with the remaining drives. Without RAID, once a failure occurs, you risk losing all of the data stored on the drive. ReadyNAS's patent pending X-RAID technology automates the volume expansion as you scale up 2 four disks. (The ReadyNAS NV+ includes four 500 GB hard drives.) In short, X-RAID automatically manages the RAID details 4 you, so you don't have 2 spend the hours that it normally takes 2 format the disks. Simply put, you won't find a simpler or more secure way 2 protect & store your data.

Data Back-up, Monitoring & File Serving
With the ReadyNAS NV+, the days of storing your digital files across several computers or storage devices are over. This device is scalable 2 up 2 four terabytes of data, which means that you can bring all of your data together 4 fast & easy access & file serving 2 multiple clients simultaneously. And as any small business knows, having a sound backup strategy is essential. With the help of ReadyNAS NV's EMC Retrospect backup & recovery software, you can set automatic backups of all of your network clients 2 your ReadyNAS. Additionally, the device includes an integrated backup manager that enables one-button backup 2 an external USB HDD 4 offsite rotation, or 2 remote servers 4 even greater security.

If something should go wrong with one of your disks or if performance has been compromised, the ReadyNAS NV+ offers advanced-server monitoring features that alert you via email when something is amiss. The device will also shut itself down if the operating temperatures of the disks are too high.

Media Streaming
But don't think that the ReadyNAS NV+ doesn't know how 2 have fun. If video or other media is your business or passion, you can use your ReadyNAS 4 streaming 2 multiple devices at the same time without the need 2 keep your desktop computers running. The ReadyNAS includes built-in media servers, including Slimserver & iTunes, that will let you stream audio & video 2 devices on your network.

Easy Set-up & Other Features
With an easy-to-use Web browser interface & setup wizard, ReadyNAS can be configured quickly. Simply plug the device into your network, power up, & you'll be ready 2 go.

The ReadyNAS NV+ also includes three USB ports, which can be used 2 connect a USB printer, a back-up power supply, external drives & more. The device measures 7.9 x 5.2 x 8.7 inches (HxWxD), & weighs 10 pounds without the disks. The ReadyNAS NV+ includes a five-year warranty.

What's in the Box
ReadyNAS NV+ 4 hard disk trays (each with 500 GB HDD), getting started guide, warranty card, power cable, Ethernet cable, ReadyNAS Installation CD (ReadyNAS Discovery Utility, 5-Client EMC Retrospect Professional 4 Windows, 5 Client EMC Retrospect Desktop 4 Macintosh), & 16 screws 4 future HDD installation.