Review: Ximeta NetDisk 120 Network Attached Storage Device
In a nutshell: save your money. The combination of proprietary LPX protocol and extremely buggy drivers make this a losing proposition for your valuable data.
At first, I thought I got a pretty good deal on this puppy: $150 PPD for 120 gigs of network-attached storage. It's about the size of a standard hardcover novel, can be plugged directly into ethernet or USB. (but not both simultaneously) Requires a 100 BaseTX ethernet switch - it won't work with a hub or with 10 BaseT devices.
Unfortunately, even when you give it what it wants, it doesn't work very well. The setup routine installs Ximeta's proprietary LPX (lean packet exchange) protocol and a "NetDisk Administrator" applet. Once I'd entered the serial number and write-enable code from the sticker on the bottom, the drive appeared in "My Computer" as a normal hard disk.
Trying to use the drive was an entirely miserable experience. If you left a PC mapped to it, the PC would lock up. It worked fine when you first connected to it and as long as you kept it doing something. But if you let it sit for a few minutes and then tried to use it again, whammo - your PC would lock up. I thought at first it was some kind of power saver hosing everything up, but I couldn't find anything in the docs or on Ximeta's support site.
I've been using it as USB lately, but even that seems buggy and prone to disappear on reboot occasionally, much more than the Iomega USB drive my wife uses. The Iomega has worked pretty much flawlessly, especially compared to the Ximeta.
Bottom line? Don't waste your time or your money on this loser. I've had good luck with most of the major brands of USB drives on the market. The low price on this one should have warned me to watch my ass.
At first, I thought I got a pretty good deal on this puppy: $150 PPD for 120 gigs of network-attached storage. It's about the size of a standard hardcover novel, can be plugged directly into ethernet or USB. (but not both simultaneously) Requires a 100 BaseTX ethernet switch - it won't work with a hub or with 10 BaseT devices.
Unfortunately, even when you give it what it wants, it doesn't work very well. The setup routine installs Ximeta's proprietary LPX (lean packet exchange) protocol and a "NetDisk Administrator" applet. Once I'd entered the serial number and write-enable code from the sticker on the bottom, the drive appeared in "My Computer" as a normal hard disk.
Trying to use the drive was an entirely miserable experience. If you left a PC mapped to it, the PC would lock up. It worked fine when you first connected to it and as long as you kept it doing something. But if you let it sit for a few minutes and then tried to use it again, whammo - your PC would lock up. I thought at first it was some kind of power saver hosing everything up, but I couldn't find anything in the docs or on Ximeta's support site.
I've been using it as USB lately, but even that seems buggy and prone to disappear on reboot occasionally, much more than the Iomega USB drive my wife uses. The Iomega has worked pretty much flawlessly, especially compared to the Ximeta.
Bottom line? Don't waste your time or your money on this loser. I've had good luck with most of the major brands of USB drives on the market. The low price on this one should have warned me to watch my ass.
posted by Realist @ 4:54 PM
1 Comments:
At 7:47 PM,
Anonymous said…
I bought the 80GB version 2 years ago. Just before the one yr warranty was up it completely died on me. I sent it in for repair, and they sent me back a new one (probably reconditioned). That one is starting to fail now on me as well. I would never buy another Ximeta product ... EVER EVER EVER!!! :P
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