BUFFALO LinkStation 220 4TB 2-Bay NAS Network Attached Storage with HDD Hard Drives Included NAS Storage That Works as Home Cloud or Network Storage Device for Home

The BUFFALO LinkStation 710 8TB 1-Bay NAS Network Attached Storage is a reliable and efficient solution for individuals and small businesses seeking centralized storage and easy access to their digital content. As someone who values simplicity, reliability, and versatility in data management solutions, I find this NAS to be an excellent choice for streamlining storage and enhancing productivity. First and foremost, the storage capacity of the LinkStation 710 is impressive, offering 8TB of storage space for housing large volumes of files, documents, media, and more. Whether used for personal use or small business applications, this NAS provides ample room for storing and organizing digital content, making it easy to access and share files across multiple devices and platforms. Additionally, the performance of the LinkStation 710 is commendable, thanks to its powerful hardware and efficient software management. The dual-core processor ensures smooth and responsive operation, while the built-in DDR3 memory enhances data transfer speeds and multitasking capabilities. Whether streaming multimedia content, backing up files, or accessing data remotely, this NAS delivers consistent performance with minimal latency. One of the standout features of the LinkStation 710 is its user-friendly interface and intuitive setup process. The web-based administration interface allows for easy configuration and management of the NAS, making it accessible to users of all skill levels. With features like automatic data backup, RAID support, and remote access via mobile apps, BUFFALO has designed a NAS that meets the needs of both novice and experienced users alike. Furthermore, I appreciate the versatility and connectivity options offered by the LinkStation 710. With multiple USB ports and a built-in Gigabit Ethernet port, users can easily expand storage capacity, connect peripherals, and share data with other devices on the network. The ability to integrate with cloud storage services further enhances flexibility and accessibility, allowing users to seamlessly sync and backup data across multiple platforms. In terms of reliability, the LinkStation 710 excels with its robust build quality and data protection features. The durable chassis and fan-less design ensure quiet operation and long-term reliability, while features like RAID support and automatic backup provide peace of mind against data loss. With BUFFALO's reputation for quality and durability, users can trust the LinkStation 710 to safeguard their valuable digital assets. Overall, I am highly satisfied with the BUFFALO LinkStation 710 8TB NAS Network Attached Storage. Its ample storage capacity, performance, user-friendly interface, versatility, and reliability make it an excellent choice for individuals and small businesses seeking a streamlined and efficient solution for data management. Pros: Ample 8TB storage capacity for housing large volumes of digital content Powerful hardware and efficient software management for consistent performance User-friendly interface and intuitive setup process for easy configuration and management Versatile connectivity options including USB ports and Gigabit Ethernet Robust build quality and data protection features for long-term reliability Cons: May require some initial setup and configuration for optimal performance Higher price point compared to basic external hard drives, but worth the investment for the features and capabilities offered

The NAS just arrived a little bit ago. I found the quick setup guide to be very easy to follow mostly because all the steps are so simple. If you need more detailed instructions, the full manual is available for download. I'd say it took me about 5 minutes to hook it up to the network, turn it on, download the software, install it on my PC, and have it up and running. It took me about 10 more minutes to read about setting up folders and set up what I wanted. It was so simple I probably could have skipped the instructions. Then it took me about 15 minutes to set up the DLNA server, which I am completely new to, and have it running on my Roku TV with the Roku Media Player. So far it seems to be working flawlessly, ofcourse we will have to see if that lasts. Pros: 1) Extremely cheap when you consider it comes with two 2TB hard drives installed. 2) Super easy setup 3) Super easy and very simple web interface 4) Have it working on multiple computers and my DLNA Roku very quickly 5) EULA was super short and simple unlike some other NAS companies that I saw have EULAs requiring that you allow them the right to audit your use of the device, access your site, see your books, etc. Are you kidding me? 6) Has a USB connection for an external drive which I think will come in handy Cons 1) Maybe lacking in utilities compared to some other companies. I just wanted very basic functionality so I'm actually happy without all the extras. 2) Speeds copying data over the network to the drive so far have been about 17 MB/s for one computer and combined 24 MB/s when copying from two computers at once. I don't know how much of that is the device and how much is the other drives I'm copying from. But, it does seem a little on the slow side to me.

I gave this a chance because the price was so much better than the Synology NAS since disks were included. I have been trying to get network-attached storage set up so that I can have a location for my Time Machine backups. What I do like about it: - Disks are included which theoretically make things easier (and cheaper) - It has two drive bays and RAID 1 is automatically enabled, which is probably what most people want. - It also has some utilities for working with RAID including RAID scanning. - It has clear instructions for how to turn it on/off without damaging the disks. - The box itself is stylish and not overly large Setup was a bit worse. The Quick Start guide is sort of like an IKEA instruction booklet - not the greatest but you can figure out what they want you to do. However the user interface was otherwise a little confusing, for example they have two separate iPhone apps in addition to the laptop app, the download page is a bit clunky, there aren't any downloads for recent Mac versions (you have to go with a several-year-old Mac version), etc. On the whole the software was not confidence-inspiring. But whatever, that didn't bother me too much - I just wanted to get Time Machine setup. As long as that works, I don't care about the rest. So I followed the instructions and it seemed like it was working. But then it just cut out and stopped. This happened several times. From Googling I got the idea to ping the NAS to see if it was connected, and sure enough, the problem seems to be that the NAS and the laptop can only connect intermittently. From the record of my pings, I can see that they are connected 5-10% of the time, and disconnected the rest. That's not a great ratio. The NAS is connected to my WiFi router by Ethernet. My laptop, WiFi router, and NAS are all in the same room. I purchased my WiFi router 2-3 years ago. During the time when my laptop cannot connect to the NAS, I can still browse web pages. That's particularly confusing because it means that there's no problem with my laptop's connection to the WiFi router, and the router and NAS are connected by Ethernet. I'm not sure what I'm missing. Unfortunately this seems to be a common problem with NAS routers, and I don't really know the solution. My old Apollo had a similar problem I think. However, I think that Buffalo should provide troubleshooting instructions for attempting to address these problems. If they can't fix this problem, I think they should just stop selling their product.

The title says it all. This "linkstation" is not the most robust option out there -- the supplied hard drives aren't really server grade. And it doesn't have all of the peripheral ports one would want -- such as extra usb 3.0, micro ssd or Apple thunderbolt. But what is does deliver is a simple, solid server set up by default as raid 1, which will automatically mirror what's on the first drive. Should a problem arise on one drive, it's hot swappable. Just replace it with another one and the good drive will automatically backup again on the replacement drive. Which is really all you need for a basic home server or for a small business. System admin is a bit clunky, but manageable. If you ever tried to implement one of the "my cloud" servers, you'll understand why you really can't complain. There are two reasons you have a local server on your network, rather than relying upon the cloud alone. Security and fastest restore. Your data is kept in your hands and if you do a time machine or windows backup (both of which work flawlessly) the transfer speeds on a good network is far better than most transfer speeds over the internet. So rather than waiting a day or two for a complete system restore from a cloud backup, which is what many American internet speeds would require, you can do this from a local network server in just an hour or two. Most network professionals rely upon at least a two part backup strategy. A good local backup, which the linkstation provides, and then an identical cloud-based version, in the unlikely case your building and server happens to burn to the ground, your data remans secure. Options are included for internet access of your data, the ability to setup a ftp site, etc, but there are plenty of services like drop-box where this can be accomplished for free. $300 bucks for 4 terabytes of storage mirrored to a second 4 terabyte drive, as I said, just great value.

Set was easy and smooth. Able to transfer data to device without a problem. The only issue I do have is that my LG TV will not show it. Got a work around for it though. Would recommend

Well it has worked fine for the last 4 weeks without much sound to it at all. Watching movies from it is a breeze and zero glitches. Never stops to buffer or stutters or skips. But man it all of a sudden got crazy noisy; whiny and squeaky. I just ran out to buy a 5 TB portable Western digital to back this up really quick. I will keep you posted with an edit by next week. Update: Well it is still noisy when it starts up, but then it quiets up. But one thing that has sucked since the beginning, is that the wireless transfer is slow as sludge. I have a $300 Asus router that it is hooked up to. It takes almost a full hour to transfer 13.6 GB. I have a Western digital USB external drive hooked up to the router as well. This is USB. It is 2.0 USB. Not 3.0. it takes 20 minutes to do the same transfer on the USB Western digital. Play back is perfectly great. Would I recommend this product? Nope. I would recommend someone to buy a different product, and try that instead. Update #2 8/2/24 Everything still is working fine. Yes it is a little bit loud but it isn't too bad after you get used to it for a few days. It is now 10 months later, I had purchased an adapter so that I can hook my cat ate cable directly into my laptop. Transfers are very fast that way. So apparently the slow data transfer rate is in fact the router. I do keep my Western digital 5 TB hooked up in a raid configuration just in case there is a crash. A further note to keep in mind of my use, this NAS unit is usually on for 42 to 45 hours out of a 48 hour period. So it almost always stays on. The loudness of the fan has not increased since I first started using it. There has not been any crashes or delay issues that I have noticed. I have recently connected it so that I can access it via web browser at any location whether I am in a restaurant, doctor's office, we're just hanging out with a few buddies at the park. The configuration is only slightly confusing and there are many videos on YouTube that helps me learn how to adjust all the settings for web access. All in all, not a bad unit.

I have a small photography business as well as a techno geek. I also have a PC, but assume they will work just as well with Mac. I Believe in having at least 3 backups for my photos and other critical data so besides the cloud, I wanted to have a local copy. I started with one 4Tb drive and now have 5. All of them are Buffalo Link Stations. (Please note if I would have know how much storage I need I may have gone a different route). I have 2-4Tb drives and 2-6Tb drives. Installation was easy. I connected them to my network switch, turned them on and after a few minutes to boot, they were on line and discoverable. Besides my desk top PC, I also have 2-Surface Tables that can access the drives. The software that comes with the drives helps with any configuration you want to do, Including if you want to backup to another drive, though I found this to be a little clunky and the backup program I use does a better job. Also, you may want to go in the config and turn off the trash can storage, as this could be a pain if you delete a lot of data as it does take up space. I found that I would run out of space when I did automatic backup and cleaning. All in all a very good drive for a small home business or just to store critical data

I've been doing HD backups for my personal use and home office for 30 years. Since 2020, I've been using Buffalo LinkStations. One criterion that I used in selecting Buffalo is that it can simultaneously support both Mac (TimeMachine) and Windows (simple drive mount + copy) backups to different partitions. It does this, reliably. Workhorse backup is over WiFi, and it's slow but usually dependable. I've had a number of these drives over the years - mean time to failure has always exceeded the warranty so far. Note to casual users from someone who's been in The Business: Do not use one backup drive. The time you find out it's not working is the time you need it. I have 2-3 and swap them out every month or so. Keep one in another location if you can. NEVER EVER EVER use a backup drive as your sole repository for anything important. I also use cloud backup as an alternative just in case (i.e. a home fire, burglary), but restoration of terabytes from cloud would be extremely slow. ALL drives fail so don't let that hurt you. Quirks: Buffalo is a Japanese company. I used to work in software for a major Japanese company, and Japanese software design is, well, um.... DIFFERENT. Let's just say non-intuitive. That said, once you figure it out Buffalo's software is actually really good. In fact the best I have dealt with. Software from other manufactures is sometimes totally clueless as to what their users need or even downright hostile. Also the documentation... good luck with that. Think of it as a puzzle you are solving for a prize. I just ordered two more and thought it was about time I did a review.