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If you're looking for an external hard drive that can do more than simply store data, Plextor’s latest Network attached storage (NAS) will definitely be of interest.
A NAS is a hard drive housing an Ethernet port that’s designed to be hooked up to a router. It will then be accessible from any PC on your network at all times.
Setting up the hardware isn't a problem. The drive comes with a lengthy flat Ethernet cable and it's just a case of hooking it up to your router.
Looking rather elongated, the 400GB PX-EH40L sits vertically - although it looks like it will sit horizontally, the manual advises against this.
The software interface, which is accessed via a web browser, isn’t particularly intuitive. When accessing the Administrator section, you're presented with a heft list of options down the left side of the screen and very little guidance as to what everything does.
Experienced NAS users will probably be able to breeze through the options, but novice to intermediate users may well come unstuck.
Plextor would do well to completely revamp the interface and give it a much more user-friendly feel.
However, you can't fault the PX-EH40L in terms of features. Two USB2 sockets at the rear allow for external hard drives to be attached.
You can also attach a USB printer and run the PX-EH40L as a print server. Should you want to access your files from afar, an FTP server can be set up, while it can also perform regular backups.
Multiple users accounts can be set up, complete with passwords, and shared folders assigned.
If Plextor wants to see the PX-EH40L being used by the mass market, it will need to start the interface from scratch, but there’s still a lot to like about this high-capacity NAS.
It’s not cheap, but if you want to spend a little less a 250GB version is available for £249.
Hear more about the Plextor PX-EH40L in our
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