We mentioned the Addonics USB NAS adapter in mid-December, and I’ve just finished playing with a review unit. As you can see from the photo, this thing is small! There’s a lot to say about this simple little device, so read on for the whole scoop!
It’s got a USB port, an RJ-45 port, and a small socket for the power cord. Along one side are two status LEDs, and a reset button. It would be great if this thing could be driven by Power-over-Ethernet, but I don’t suppose many home switches and routers include that feature yet. The power adapter itself isn’t too big, and is thankfully not a gigantic wall-wart.
Setup
In the box you get the NAS adapter, a power cable, a short Ethernet cable, a CD, and an instruction pamphlet. A complete user manual is on the CD, though chances are you’ll never need to read it. Using this device is extremely intuitive.
On the CD is also a little Java application, SDisk.jar that you use to locate your NAS adapter the first time. As a Linux user, I was glad to see a plain ol’ JAR file, rather than a Windows executable. I ran the application, and instantly it told me the IP address that had been assigned to my adapter.
If you don’t have a DHCP server on your network, the NAS adapter will automatically start a built-in DHCP server, and assign itself an address.
Once you have the IP address of the device, simply key that into your web browser. You’ll be prompted for a login — the initial credentials are admin/admin — and then you’ll see the status overview page.
Click the Identification link on the left, and you’ll be able to set some basic info for your configuration. You can give the device a friendly name, as well as define the Windows workgroup which will be used. Here, too, you can set a new admin password.
Visit the IP Config link to change the networking parameters. It’s probably best to assign this thing a static IP within your network.
Storage
The installation pamphlet says, somewhat cryptically
Any external USB storage device that you connect to the NAS adapter will initially be required to be formatted. This means, if you are connecting to an external USB drive with data on it, the hard drive will be formatted erasing all information.
That’s not entirely true. I was able to connect both a USB stick and a USB hard drive — both of which were already formatted and contained data. The catch is that none of the data on the media will be available to or through the NAS adapter. When you connect media to the adapter, it creates a PUBLIC directory, which is the default location for the data it presents to the world. If you create a PUBLIC directory first, and stick data in there, and then connect the media to the NAS adapter, it will detect and make available that data.
File Sharing
Click the SMB Server link to define what and how directories are shared to your local network. By default, the PUBLIC directory is made available for read and write operations to the whole world.
Click the Add button to define a new user. You can assign the user a password, and then specify whether that user should have read-only or read/write access. When you add new users, a new directory is created for that user. Initially, this user only has access to their own directory (using their credentials: the default PUBLIC share should still be accessible to them as a guest user). You can specifically assign access to other directories, if they exist.
SMB speeds on my network weren’t stunning, but they were acceptable. I have the NAS adapter plugged directly into my Linksys WRT54G router, to which my laptop is connected via 802.11g.
FTP
The NAS adapter also includes an FTP server, so you can easily share files outside of your local network. You’ll need to set up port-forwarding on your router, but that shouldn’t be too great a hurdle.
Out of the box, the device allows anonymous read-only FTP access to the PUBLIC folder. It’s important to keep this in mind: if you use the PUBLIC share for your local network and then setup port forwarding, anyone in the world can access all of the files in your PUBLIC folder.
Just like with the SMB server, you can create specific FTP accounts. It’s mildly annoying that SMB accounts don’t automatically become FTP accounts, and vice versa, but that’s not too big a deal. As with the SMB server, FTP accounts create a directory for that account, and by default the account only has access to that directory. If you want an FTP user to have access to the PUBLIC directory, for example, you’ll need to explicitly make that available to the new user.
FTP speeds were as fast as expected. The upload speed on my home DSL line is acceptable, but not wonderful. It took about 8 hours to transfer a 2.2 GB file from me to a friend who uses AT&T’s U-Verse.
Remember, though, that FTP is a plaintext protocol. So anyone who can watch your network packets will see your password as well as the files you’re downloading. If you’re planning to use the Addonics NAS adapter to engage in copyright violation, be aware that it’ll be trivially easy for a snoop at your ISP to identify what files you’re infringing.
Media Server
On the Media Server page you can define the location of directories to share with several external media applications. The page sub-title says “X-BOX360 Media Server”. I don’t have an X-BOX 360 so I couldn’t test this. Basically, you’d select a folder containing photos and make it available to your XBox for display on your television. The same for videos. Neat! The middle option, for a Music Folder, says underneath “Note: support iTunes”.
Unfortunately, I was never able to get iTunes or Rhythmbox to access my music. Both applications saw the Addonics NAS on my network, but neither ever allowed me to access music. iTunes just spun and spun and never connected. Rhythmbox spit out an error almost immediately.
BitTorrent
Perhaps one of the most interesting features packed into this little NAS adapter is a BitTorrent client. You can define which directory you want downloaded files to be stored — again, the default is PUBLIC — as well as the port to use. You can also specify an upload limit, if you want to throttle how much you share back with the world. The Mail Notification option allows you to receive an email when a torrent has finished downloading.
You can’t feed the NAS adapter a BitTorrent link, you need to upload an actual torrent file. You can upload more than one file in order to access multiple torrents at once. The lower portion of the screen will show the status of the torrent(s). This page will automatically refresh every couple of seconds to show you the current status of your downloads.
You can pause and resume, as well as stop and remove torrents. You can also get detailed info on the individual torrents you’re downloading by clicking the “Show” button.
In-progress torrents are stored in a BT directory which, by default, is not shared with any users. You can manually assign access to the BT directory to SMB and FTP users if you want, but there’s no real reason to do so. The torrent chunks are stored inside sub-directories of the BT directory, and when the full file has been downloaded it is moved to the target directory specified on the BitTorrent client page.
There’s one big caveat to know about the NAS adapter’s BitTorrent client: it terminates torrents as soon as it has finished downloading them. This is fine for leechers, but if you’re worried about maintaining a ratio, or just want to do your civic duty to share back the files you’ve snarfed, this is not the client for you. Hopefully a future firmware update might remedy this major shortcoming.
Other Stuff
You can elect to use the NAS adapter as a network print server by plugging in a USB printer. I didn’t try this, as I don’t think it’s the kind of feature for which most people will buy this gadget.
I also didn’t try plugging it into a USB hub. It might work, but I assumed that the NAS adapter wouldn’t know how to expose multiple USB drives connected to the hub. If you buy one of these and connect it to a USB hub, please share your experiences in the comments.
You can remove media from the NAS adapter without disconnecting power. If no media is present, the device will continue to function. This means you can juggle disks or memory sticks on the fly. For example, my Philips DVD player has a USB port and can play a variety of media files from USB media. I can put a USB stick into the Addonics NAS adapter, download some media, and then move the stick to my DVD player.
Bottom Line
For $55, this thing is a winner. It’s small, silent, draws little power and generates little heat. If you want some network storage but don’t want to fuss with a full desktop — or even something like a Linksys NSLU-2 — the Addonics NAS adapter is a great choice.
If you want to be able to access files remotely, or make files available to folks far away, the built in FTP server is super easy to use.
Hopefully future firmware updates will fix the problems I experienced with iTunes, as well as make the BitTorrent client a little more robust. But if those are the only complaints I can make against this $55 gadget, then Addonics is really on to something!
From the sound of it I think the only thing that is missing is the Gigabit speed. The interface looks like an adapted Addonics version of FreeNAS.
nice review, especially on the clarification that it won’t format the drive. i plan on buying this but would appreciate if you can answer a few questions:
– the manual mentions that it will format the drive into a fat32 partition. is this able to read/write to other filesystems (NTFS, ext3, etc.)?
– i have read a comment on this device that it can only accept one connection at a time. have you tried connecting to the device simultaneously from multiple devices (with the same or different user)?
– the manual also states that if the unit is powered down, all existing torrents being downloaded is going to be removed. Is this correct? Is there a way to delegate a folder that will be read by the torrent client upon startup?
– would you be able to measure how much electricity this hardware sips (with and without an attached USB HDD)?
thanks.
ciao!
Thanks a lot for the review! I purchased this product the same day it came out and I have been having trouble with it every since. I emailed the support team and they have never responded.
My only problem is the Bittorrent Client. I have Windows Vista and I have tried uploading torrents via Firefox which ended up having trouble uploading the file. It was able to do so only once. So I decided to use Internet Explorer and to my satisfaction I was able to upload torrent files with no problems.
The issue now however is that the torrents won’t download. They stay at 0%. Even torrents with 1000’s of seeders. I am not sure what to do. Any help would be appreciated.
Another problem is the Media Sharing Function. Xbox 360 doesn’t recognize my NAS drive at all.
I am seriously thinking of scrapping this product and checking out another NAS.
Hi,
I´ve bought this adaptor and I have same torrent problem. Its stuck in 0%. Anyone can help?
Thanks
I have had this device for four weeks now and am very happy with it. I have tried all aspects except the print and DHCP server. The bittorrent client works great however the only thing I can’t get working is movie streaming to my xbox360. photos and music work fine. In future firmware updates I would like to see the option for https (when accessing the device management page from the internet) aswell as an option for FTPS or SFTP. R/W access to NTFS would also be great but not as important.
How many drives dose it support?
Like if you have 4 USB drives attached to a hub and than connected the hub to the Addonics USB NAS adapter?
Thanks,
Douglas
Martin,
Where did you buy adapter ?
Thanks.
Selim,
I live in the UK and got it from…
http://www.aimtec.co.uk/
It looks like the drive needs to be FAT32. I hope that they will support NTFS in a future firmware update.
Scan.co.uk has these for £32 inc vat and postage, much cheaper than aimtec.
scancode: LN24810
mine on its way….
Actually, arrived today… Not addonics (though looks like same device, but with extra usb on/off switch). Oem branded, and addonics software (like java app metioned above) doesn’t work with it, obviously has different firmware, claims ntfs support though. Will have to use supplied drivers…hmmm, intriguing.
DON’T order the scan.co.uk device I provided info for. It is just a nas device, no ftp server, or bit torrent etc. Its not a bad thing, supporting NTFS and sharing all data already on my usb drives as a drive in explorer. But not the same thing at all.
It looks the same, but obviously different firmware/hardware. I’ll probably keep it, but still want an addonics for the bitorrent and http://ftp...
Apologies.
Anybody able to provide a link to the firmware for the addonics? Its not available anywhere online, but if someone could post a backup somewhere, I could do a little experimenting!
Thanks,
p.s. found a NEWlink clone on amazon if you search for “NEWLink Single Port NAS Donlge”, but bad reviews. But At least if does all the addonics reviewd does. again a firmware swap might be the way forward judging by reviews.
Check out this article, it has details about the internals and a link to the 1.34c firmware.
http://www.blogofrevelation.com/index.php?entry=entry090123-181604
Thanks Sky. Will report back if I get anywhere interesting.
conrad, could i ask.. does scan’s model need drivers (you said something about using the supplied drivers). Also can multiple machines access it simultaneously?
im sereously thinking about getting the scan one, just want to hear a bit about your experience with it if possible?
p.s any luck with the addonics firmware?
thanks
soory to be slow getting back psyman, yes scan needs drivers for xp and a utility to see drive, and no, one user at a time.
If it hadn’t been for ntfs support I’d have returned it, but I have a largish ntfs usb drive and its been flawless at accessing it…
no luck with addonics firmware either…just can’t get it in. There’s a few other options cropping up with other devices.. there’s an interesting micro cosmos of emerging low cost tech around similar devices.
others seem to be having success with:
http://www.cdlmicro.co.uk/html/show_product.php/pid/621
…claiming multiple users, but I have not tested or seen it confirmed. This might be the next one for me to mess with though…!
My addonics nas device arrived last week and I put it through a host of test. Everything worked except for 2 thing. The xbox 360 streaming media server doesn’t work at all. The device appears on the xbox, but it will always say that no movies were found. This device also does not work for networked time machine backups. You will always get an error when trying to copy a osx sparsebundle. I tried to ftp the sparsebundle over, but it was not recognized as a valid time machine backup. The same sparsebundle works fine when copied to a vista share.
For me the following shortcomings were a showstopper:
- Necessity of FAT32 reformat for full access/functionality.
- Inability to read multiple (non-spanned) drives in a single USB enclosure (4-Bay).
So very close. Don’t even mention PogoPlug, the last thing I want is a private/proprietary remote host between me and my data.
Despite what the manual says, a FAT32 reformat is not necessary if you are already formatted with FAT32. I know because I attached my external that was FAT32 preformatted and all was well. Probably doesn’t change things for you, but worth mentioning for clarification.
Twister Sister ? Oh dear….
Little late on this one, but posting any way, lol
Conrad:
I think the device you have might be a NDAS instead of a NAS device. NDAS uses a driver on each connected computer plus you have to use a software program to mount/dismount the drive (what clued me in). That’s why it can do NTFS, any computer using it just thinks it’s a local drive instead of networked. So no extra features, plus it adds more over head so transfer speeds are slower.
As for everyone else:
Sounds like the Addonics device is running a very very thin Linux client, which would explain the Fat32 limitation as well as all the added functions. What they would be using as a processor I’d have no idea for a device that size. It’d be interesting to take apart.
So I think firmware might be able to correct any problems and add new functions (PS3 support?) Don’t know if that means NTFS support since Linux distros have only just been given NTFS write support. Might be a no go on that one.
As for using more then one usb drive at a time? All depends on how the device identifies devices I guess. If I remember correctly Intel came up with usb because it needed a cpu to work (unlike fire-wire). Having the ability to mount more then one usb device at a time might be too much for whatever it uses so either won’t work, or will but poorly.
Interesting doodad, might get it, have to think about it. :)
2 major things stopping me from getting this.
1. No NTFS support.
2. Gigabit speeds are missing.
Still looking for something that offers both. If Addonics adds this, I will buy in a second.
I have a NTFS HD with 2 partitions and tons of data in it that I want to share via the NAS adapter.
I’ve created a PUBLIC folder in both partitions, but of course it is not working. =( (Can’t create user accounts).
I am trying by all means to avoid having to transfer all my data in order to do a FAT32 formatting.
Any suggestions? or is resignation my only option ?
Thanks
Claudia.
Watch out people. I found out that the “Format” utility of the NAS adapter DELETES all previous NTFS partitions you may have had in the hard drive you want to share.
I thought that format utility of the NAS adapter would respect the 2nd NTFS partition I had in my hard drive and FAT32-format only the first partition. But NO! in a mater of a few seconds it deleted my 2nd partition and turned my disk into only one big FAT32 partition.
Try the Hitachi Simpletech one. This supports NTFS, however still no gigabit =(.
I´ve bought this adaptor and I have same torrent problem. Its stuck in 0%.
It is plug in router D-Link DIR-330, with all ports opened.
Anyone can help?
Hi,
I’ve an Addonics NAS Dongle. Been using it for several months with minimal problems, as a Network Attached Storage Device. I’ve got a Maxtor 320GB USB drive attached and it works well. The speed of file copying etc seems excellent to me. I have noticed the same problem as others with iTunes, it shows up, as a device in iTunes, but never shows any of the music that is actually in the folder.
My other big problem is with Windows 7, both the Beta and now the final RC releases. I can not access any of the SMB shares on the NAS! All I get is a bad username / password error every time I try to access the NAS device in Windows Explorer. I can access the NAS Web Management fine, it is JUST the SMB shares that are not working!!! The SMB Shares are all accessable from all other OS’es that I’ve tried, it’s just Windows 7 that has an issue. Has anyone else come accross this problem, and if so have you managed to solve it?
Otherwise I’m really happy with this device.
Jonathan.
for Windows 7 login issue on this adapter, follow the steps below :
1. In Windows 7, open the Control Panel
2. Switch to “Classic” view
3. Double-click Administration Tools
4. Double-click Local Security Policy
5. Or Secpol.msc
6. Expand “Local Policies” and select “Security Options”
7. Alternate : Type secpol.msc to get editor up then
8. Locate “Network Security: LAN Manager Authentication Level” in the list and double-click it.
9. Change the setting from “Send NTMLv2 response only” to “Send LM & NTLM – use NTLMv2 session if negotiated”
10. Network Security: Minimum session security for NTLM SSP Based (including secure RPC) Clients
11. Change the setting from “require 128 bit” to unchecked (No Minimum)
12. Click OK
I have this little device for a long time now (about a month after it was released here).
Do not buy this adapter if you are using it for the torrent downloading… it’s to limited, but it worked well with the publicly known torrent torrent sites… (at least for me it did)
The real strengths of this little wonder for me was:
- having personal online storage space, with good upload speeds. (if I download files from the NAS when I am at work, I get 500Kb/s+ download speeds) This all depends on the connection speed, but it shows that de NAS can handle good upload speeds.
- Media share with the Nintendo Wii, now this thing really kicks butt, just setup GeexBox on the HBC correctly and setup your media shares on the NAS and way you go. The Wii (Geexbox) perfectly recognizes my NAS shares and you are able to play everything when it comes to .avi and such (not HD quality movies though, the Wii cant handle that).
- share files with others, no more messing around with online file sharing sites. Just make and account for a person / group upload the file(s) and send a link to desired person. (you are only restricted by the size of the size your HD).
Fat 32 restrictions means no files higher then 2GB and less secure/stable. But then again, no more USB hassle for me when I am at work, just open up totalcommander CTRL + F > connect to my NAS and copy what I need to my NAS…. PERFECT.
Like the review pointed out, it takes very little space, doesn’t consume that much energy and it can just about any external HD in a NAS.
This thing is SWEET when it comes to personal online file storage!!!!!!!!
Shame it doesn’t have a web server built in.
Something like this, combined with a flash memory stick would make a great low power web server.
Where can you the NAS dongle in the UK? And, does bittorrent work properly with the new firmware?
The adapter DOES have some form of NTFS support:
http://www.gadgetreview.com/2009/04/gadget-review-addonics-nas-adapter.html
I tried it, I copied a 4.6GB HD video file over the network and it seemd to go without problems, the video could be played through the network without problems.
The Addonics USB NAS adapter saved me money on buying more RAM for my computer. It originially chose it because it was cheaper than other backup storage devices. Now I am impressed by the additional capabilities it carries with it such as FTP and Media Server.
For windows 7 login error problem follow the steps below. you should be able to access :
1. In Windows 7, open the Control Panel
2. Switch to “Classic” view
3. Double-click Administration Tools
4. Double-click Local Security Policy
5. Or Secpol.msc
6. Expand “Local Policies” and select “Security Options”
7. Alternate : Type secpol.msc to get editor up then
8. Locate “Network Security: LAN Manager Authentication Level” in the list and double-click it.
9. Change the setting from “Send NTMLv2 response only” to “Send LM & NTLM – use NTLMv2 session if negotiated”
10. Network Security: Minimum session security for NTLM SSP Based (including secure RPC) Clients
11. Change the setting from “require 128 bit” to unchecked (No Minimum)
12. Click OK
Has anyone figured out how to connect to the samba share with OSX Snow Leopard? It was working under Leopard and broke after I upgraded. I’ve tried everything I can think of.
I had similar issues with this same Addonics unit. I had to get another one sent to me. The iTunes support was/is abysmal, and the unit would often hang. I still have it, and am looking to get rid of it. The worst part is dealing with Addonics customer service. They made me pay for the shipping on an RMA to them for *their* faulty device! They may have slick deals, but I’ll never deal with them again.