Easily Add A Storage Hard Drive to Your Home Network

[posted by Liberty on 23 October 2007]

The 'NetDisk Enclosure' from xiMeta appears to be an easy and cheap way to add a Hard Drive for network-connected storage. The difference between this product and most 'USB HDD Enclosures' you can buy is that you can plug this one into your network using an Ethernet cable instead of having to have it connected directly to a computer using a USB cable. And unlike some other networked drives, this one provides a device that's (supposedly) 'plug-and-play' (no IP config). And it even supports RAID!

Here's the marketing description (slightly modified by me):

NetDisk Enclosure is a single drive Ethernet/USB 2.0 combination enclosure that allows you to use the internal (3.5" IDE) hard drive of your choice. Each model includes advanced 'NDAS' technology for central, simple and secure network storage -- with no IP configuration or server required!

• 3.5" IDE HD Drive Enclosure
• External network storage for home and office
• Fast Ethernet (100-BaseT \ 802.3u 100Base-TX) and USB 2.0 interface
• RAID 0,1, and JBOD
• Use for backup and/or media storage

http://www.ximeta.com/products/ndenclosure1_en.php

http://www.ximeta.com/products/ndenclosure4_en.php

Buy direct: ($80): https://www.ximeta.com/ecommerce2/

You might be interested in the Linksys "NAS" (Network Attached Storage) product instead... The "Linksys Network Storage System with 2 Bays (NAS200)" will let you put in two drives, supports 802.3u 100Base-TX, and sells for $130 -- but be sure to check out the user reviews at amazon.com before you decide.