Buffalo 2TB LinkStation Duo

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

This is an effective network storage product for the small home environment. Two separate 1TB drives can be run independently or in a RAID configuration. I found the setup very easy and had the unit up and on the network in less than an hour. So far performance is good and there have not been any issues. I have given this a 4 Star only because the unit has been in service for less than a month. I'll revisit the review in 6 months.

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

This is one of those 3 or 4 star ratings, depending on what you want to do. If all you want to do is share files with no restrictions, then this is a 4 star plus device! Share files with restrictions, 3 stars.

I give it 3 stars on the latter because the restricted files and folders must be shared at the same level as the main share folder and not below it. In other words, we couldn't find a way to restrict access to folders below the main share. They had to be above. We use Cobian for backups so this made things a little more cumbersome. Setting permissions and users was also not easy and the manual doesn't do a good job of explaining this. It certainly makes you jump around. Oh, it's default RAID 1 out of the box. That will save you some time! :-)

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

The 2.0 GB Linkstation Duo has proven over the years to be the most reliable backup device I have ever used. I have 10 drives backing up all of my historical architectural digital drawings and my entire photo library's from a lifetime of travel. I have them set to RAID 1 with multiple linkstations holding identical data. I have never had a device fail, I have had 1 hard drive fail out of 20 over the past 10 years and the device is so easy you remove the bad drive and install the new drive, the linkstation automatically formats the drive, then you restore the RAID. Your back up and running. I have never lost any data using these devices.

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

[...]was easy to set up. I've had unit for lessthan two weeks but have had no major problems.I noticed while handling the unit that therewas something loose inside, I opened it up and there was a screw loose. It was one of two screws that held part of the insidessecurely. I replaced screw and tighned the otherone.

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

I use the device for archival of family systems' user data. It has plenty of capacity for my needs and as it's a backup device with occasional need for config changes, performance is sufficient. It's a great option for a novice. Intermediate and advanced users would probably want more device management features (e.g. log viewer, RAID 5, etc.).

In addition to its basic NAS function, I like its simplicity and compact size.

It has several access features that I've yet to use. They might be more bells and whistles than is practical.

There are a couple of bugs that Buffalo Techs have yet to resolve, but all-in-all I feel good about the purchase.

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

THIS PRODUCT WILL BE USED FOR LOCAL BACKUP FOR THREE MACS AND ONE PC. WHICH WILL REDUCE THE NEED FOR ON LINE STORAGE EXCEPT FOR THE PRIMARY COMPUTER. THIS WILL SAVE ME UP TO $150.OO PER YEAR.

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

I spent a lot of time and effort researching options for a home NAS to centralize all of my data storage for use among the 6 PC's and 1 mac in my house.

I looked at many different options and saw a wide variety of reviews for each. I decided to take the plunge on the Buffalo LinkStation Duo. Having been a Network Administrator for more than 17 years, I figured I should have no problem getting this to do what I want even with the low price point and oversimplified design. (I have had a professional 4 TB NAS on my office network for the last 6 years and have just upgraded to a 8TB)

I have this configured as a 1TB with RAID redundancy in place to protect against disk failure. I have also configured this to store all of our iTunes libraries (for 3 iPhones, an iPod and an iPad) as well as being the centralized repository for all of our outlook pst files (so mail can now work from ANY of the computers in the house - without an actual exchange server).

I have also taken all of the old USB External Hard Drives away from the PC's that used to host them and attached each to the USB port (needed a hub) allowing each of them to be additional network storage locations.

This device is absolutley worth the price and seems to be leaps and bounds beyond every other option.

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

I just installed my new NAS (BTW, thanks B&H for a great packaging - the item arrived in perfect condition and on the expected day). I have 3 PCs and a printer in my house, all networked. The Buffalo is seen by everyone. I copied about 137 GB of data in few hours. The only issue is that because I didn't have enough ports in my router (next purchase...), I had to use the NAS as a Printer server, making the printing process a little slower.

Comments about Buffalo LinkStation Duo (2TB):

We have a small digital company, and we've had 6 guys writing huge files all at the same time. Handles great, no issues, and is fast. I'd recommend it, and we will be getting another. Wish it had an eSata port on the back though, USB 2.0 is good, but wish it was a bit faster.