NETGEAR SC101 Storage Central

Cost effective networked storage

By Haonan Zhang  Jul 24, 2006 | 1 out of 1 found this NETGEAR SC101 Storage Central review helpful

Pros: bring your own hard drive, 2 slots, cost effective, mini toaster sized, quiet (no fan)

Cons: does not accept ATA5 hard drives, must install client software to configure

When my hard drive filled up, I looked around for a storage solution that could be networked and shared on my 4 computers. USB2.0 or firewire drives were out of the question since they could only be shared if the computer is on. I found the Netgear S...C101 to be a great fit. Other networked drives could not be upgraded. If you wanted to add more capacity to the network, you had to buy another one and deal with one more networked drive letter. The SC101 was perfect because it features TWO EIDE slots, which makes it upgradeable. I started with a Hitachi 250gb EIDE HD for $85. Plus $100 for the SC101, it meant that I got 250gb of networked storage for $185. This is really cheap considering that you can easily add another hard drive that you have lying around for free. Or if you happen to get a really good deal for a big hard drive. Installation was simple and straightforward. Attaching the hard drive to the SC101 took no more than 30 seconds and pluging the network cable and power was easy as well. The trickest part is the Windows installation. If you have a special network configuration, then your going to have to spend a lot of time troubleshooting. The SC101 only allows DHCP. However, like most people, the default network configuration should allow the client software to easily scan for the network drive. Once that is completed, you can format the hard drive. You can add partitions, assign passwords, share drives, etc. Once the installation is done, a regular drive letter should appear on your computer and you can start using it. Over a 100mb ethernet network, I was able to copy 17 gigs in about an hour. If you need networked storage and can buy a cheap hard drive or just have on lying around, the SC101 is the best value. Read more Less