LaCie 10TB 5big Network 2 5-Bay RAID Server

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

We bought 5big Network 2 for our office. It can be accessed over the local network and remotely if needed. The unit supports dynamic DNS, DHCP and Apipa. We use 5big not only as a file server but also as a print server. And these are a just a couple of basic features that we've set up right away. Apart from that 5big has plenty of other useful features, we haven't discovered everything yet. The device works well, and is indeed great value for money.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

CONSUMER WARNING: LaCie—Where the Customer Comes Last

In December of 2010 our design company purchased (2) LaCie 5big Network 2 drives for over $2,000 to begin setup of our onsite/offsite backup and archiving system. We received the drives and completed the setup, only to find that we had terrible performance (100MB/30 minute transfer rate). We opened a support ticket with LaCie in December 2010 was asked to send our device log which they reviewed and informed us that the device log does not show any abnormal activity. We connected the drive directly to our computer and confirmed that we still had the same performance issues. After several trouble-shooting attempts we were told to reset the Network drive (which can ERASE ALL DATA). Now we have entered February 2011 and still have the performance issue, so again we contacted LaCie who informed us that the only solution would be to ship the drive back to them for a replacement drive at a charge of $50. We received the new REFURBISHED DRIVE and completed the setup only to find that transfer to the drive was fine, but retrieving files had a transfer rate of 300MB/6 hours. After several months of dialogue with LaCie we worked with an outside vendor to resolve the performance issues without any help from LaCie. We completed the transfer and setup of our backup system and the drives worked from May 2011 to August 2011.

In August 2011, we received the following message from the other LaCie 5big Network 2 drive, "Message from Server: Something wrong with the volume's CNIB, using temporary CNID DB instead. Check server messages for details." Now we have had trouble with both LaCie drives. We again opened a support ticket with LaCie and were given instructions to delete the .AppleDB file from the network drive. After completing the provided instructions access to the Shares were broken and we lost access to all of our data. We again contacted LaCie who told us our only option was to send the drive to them for a Recovery at a cost of $1,500 (almost the entire cost of the drives). We were astounded that the only solution was a complete recovery. We went ahead with sending the drive in again and were informed on August 2 that LaCie would assess the drive and contact us with the next steps. After several weeks of contacts by phone and through the support ticket we finally received a message on August 25 that the recovery was about halfway complete. We never discussed costs or other alternatives, they simply went forward with the recovery without contacting us. After several more attempts for an update on September 1 we were informed that the drive had bad sectors and the recovery was going slow. Finally on September 7 we received a message stating that the recovery was complete and if I could review the attached the attached list to confirm all files were recovered. The document we received contained a 42,000 page document with an unorganized list of all recovered files making it IMPOSSIBLE to confirm an accurate recovery. They charged us for the recovery and returned the drive.

To date we have 86 hours of unbillable time spent on getting these both of these drives to work within our office environment. We feel that it is important to inform consumers of the EXTREMELY POOR QUALITY PRODUCT and TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE we have received from LaCie over the past year. We have moved to another backup product and refuse to use any future LaCie products and would suggest all customers reviewing this product investigate other alternatives.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

In the last six months I've been using this 5big as the main media server. It has plenty of really nice features and good storage capacity. Server administration is easy. The web UI is well done and fully customizable. The data is stored safely. Very practical and very reliable!

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

This is my second LaCie purchase. Long time ago I purchased the d2 drive, and that is still running well. LaCie is doing well built, reliable units. The 5big series is no exception, it has good reputation, works great with Linux, etc. This 5big Network 2 10TB server is fast, easy to administer and comes with a great web based interface. Since I've installed the unit at our office, I have been very impressed with the performance and functionality.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

We have a lot of information that we can't afford to loose. I've heard a lot of good things about LaCie 5big and decided to give it a try. I have installed LaCie 5big network 2 six months ago and it has, so far, functioned flawlessly. The unit is quiet, efficient, and saves money in the long run. I don't have to worry about my data. I'm surprised I didn't purchase it sooner.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

I've been using LaCie 5big Network 2 for 5 months now. I chose it because it is safe. The data I store on 5big is critical for my work, so I've spent some time looking for the right device. Now after several months of heavy duty usage, I can confirm that LaCie 5big does work as advertised.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

I am a video professional and needed an expandable backup solution for my studio. After researching for what's available on the market and reading different reviews, I opted for the LaCie 5big Network 2. I think that its price/quality/features ration is hard to beat at the moment. The unit has been working flawlessly, not an issue. I'm happy I've chosen it.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

If you're looking for an good deal in terms of price/quality/features ratio in an external storage solution with RAID, eSata, etc. in my opinion this is the right product. It's great for small to medium sized offices. I'm working for a designer agency, we've installed this unit and it does the job perfectly and it perfectly fits our needs. Easy to configure and use, quiet, speedy. That's for sure the best centralized external storage solution we've had.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

Great NAS with versatile RAID configuration options and a wealth of features. It's really a one-stop-shop solution for a small office. At the same time it's totally customizable and extremely easy to use and setup. I was actually surprised how clear everything is once you are in front of the administrator interface. I give this product 5 stars without hesitation.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

It's a high quality product that comes with a wealth of features. The big plus IMHO is the ease of use and setup. You do not have to be an expert to install and manage the unit. We are a small team of photo, video and graphic design professionals sharing an office space. This device was a perfect solution for us. None of us has system administrator skills, and yet we've installed the unit in a matter of minutes. Everything is very intuitive and straightforward. LaCie did a good job on the overall design of the unit and on the design of user interfaces in particular. The performance is impressive too.

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

To start with I think this drive looks great. It's quite compact for a 10TB five-bay RAID array and almost silent. 5big was easy to set up and get running on the network without any complications on several computers. I've connected a UPS unit to it to avoid power failures. The device was immediately recognized by 5big and ready to use in a matter of minutes. I also like the Auto mode for low power consumption when the computer is off or sleeping. One other feature that is not broadly advertised but quite handy is the ability to setup alerts. You can configure the NAS to send an email in case of errors, for example power failure or network error. Great product, overall!

Comments about LaCie 5big Network 2 (10TB):

We were looking for some sort of centralized online storage for a group of design professionals working on 10 Macs in a small office. We needed something robust and fault-tolerant. Lacie 10TB 5big seemed to be a natural choice for us. It performs flawlessly, the browser-based config is relatively straightforward for an average computer user. It provides up to 10TB of storage capacity in five bays, expandable with its two USB and two eSATA ports. And the NAS itself is nicely designed, easy to add drives to and runs fairly coolly and quietly. Highly recommended!