I recently picked up the CoolMax CN-350 NAS for only $20 after a $30 mail-in rebate and a $10 Google Checkout signup bonus. So far I have been pleased with the device. It comes with the following noteworthy features.
* Fast Ethernet (100Mbps)
* USB2
* CIFS/SMB or FTP access (network)
* Attached storage (USB2)
If you are using the device over Ethernet, it will both offer an IP via DHCP and make DHCP lease requests. If a DHCP server answers, it will assume the assigned IP. So you can plug it into an isolated system and an IP will be offered to the attached computer.
The SMB performance is awful. The maximum sustained speed is around 4MB/s. If your primary usage mode is over Ethernet, buy something else. (You’re also limited to about 30GB since the vfat implementation is weak, in additional to the under powered microprocessor.) The USB performance — what the device was obviously intended for — is great, at around 20MB/s.
I ultimately received my rebate quickly. For the money I paid, it’s a nice device, if you can supply your own drive and don’t care about the awful Ethernet performance.
One Comment
hey Jason, do you know how to setup this drive under windows vista, so that it can be accessible via network?