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SINGAPORE : With the exploding amount of digital assets, an external storage drive is no longer just a backup but an invaluable necessity. That's why network attached storage (NAS) devices, like the D-Link DNS-343, are gaining popularity - they allow easy access and file sharing through local networks at home and in small offices.
The D-Link DNS-343 (S$599, excluding hard drives) is a four-bay enclosure that supports up to four 1TB SATA hard drives, with Gigabit Ethernet for data transfer and a USB port for printer sharing.
You simply pry open the faceplate of the enclosure and slot in your hard drives. To eject a drive, flip a lever at the rear of the enclosure. But I find the faceplate a bit flimsy as I have unintentionally "opened" it a few times while moving it around!
There is an OLED screen in front that displays vital information like IP address, drive capacity and temperature but it goes into screensaver mode too fast for my liking. Also, its cooling fans are not particularly quiet.
Setting up the DNS-343 is a quick and effortless affair; just plug in the Ethernet cable, power on, load the installation CD, click setup, format the drive, configure it and you are good to go.
However, the amount of options might be intimidating. The drive has a host of features with acronyms that can confuse the layperson, such as DHCP, FTP, UPnP (for AV appliances), LLTD and iTunes server.
Luckily, all configurations are done via a web user interface with intuitive menus and straightforward navigation. There are also explanations on the sidebar about what each feature (or acronym) does.
You can set user groups and run RAID server at level 0, 1 and 5. You can even do custom configuration, such as RAID 0 + JBOD. Only BitTorrent remote support is missing.
Since the software is Windows-based, I expected connection from a Windows PC to be intuitive, and it is. But I was surprised to find it works seamlessly on a Macintosh platform, too.
The DNS-343's volumes show up on my wirelessly connected MacBook Pro's Finder when I power it on. The iTunes library also appears immediately on my Mac's iTunes. Streaming videos or music from the NAS never seems to miss a beat.
Transferring 17.4GB worth of data from my PC to the DNS-343 on Ethernet via my ageing router took around 26 minutes, with a good average speed of 11.1MB per second.
From my Mac to the DNS-343 on wireless, transferring 340MB of pictures yields a pretty decent speed of 1.8MB per second.
Overall, the D-Link DNS-343 is a no-frills, simple-to-use and affordable NAS that will meet the needs of the modern data hoarder. -TODAY/rs
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