Home > Consumer Reviews > Linksys EFG80 EtherFast Network Attached Storage (80GB/PrintServer)

I agree with some of the criticisms leveled against the EFG80. Yes, its not exactly cheap (but quality has a price), the fan is a bit noisy (but there's no chance this baby will ever overheat), and it would be nice if it supported some RAID functions like mirroring (though the built in backup does essentially the same thing). However, after installing the EFG80 in my home network, I am now firmly convinced that the positives far out-way any negatives.

First, quality, reliability and stability: this unit is built to last and, with its firmware Linux OS, it's practically bulletproof! Second, performance: Its fast! Boots up fast, shuts down fast, and file transfers are actually faster than to a PC. The supplied hard drive is so quiet (Seagate Barracuda V) that the fan is the only thing you hear. Third, ease of use: the administrative controls are very straightforward and functional. I just plugged it in and had full interoperability with my network. Since I'm running W2k, I haven't noticed any of the connectivity problems reported by XP users (just one more reason to avoid XP IMHO). Finally, it just looks cool: it's consistent with the Linksys color scheme and looks great sitting next to the rest of my Linksys network stack! All in all, I am extremely pleased with this NAS.

The firmware of the EFG-80 is based on a hack of some open source code, mainly linux and samba. It is not properly tested and even moderate use I have discovered a few bugs, one of them critical.

The documentation is very shallow technically, and gives no insight as to how to best use the device or good troubleshooting tips.

I have discovered a crippling bug in the firmware (among others) and couldn't get Linksys customer service to escalate it to engineering. All they did is repeat the same troubleshooting steps listed in the user manual. When I suggested they escalate the bug to engineering, they answered that they "would mention it to their training department"!!!

In a nutshell, dealing with Linksys customer support for this device is a nightmare.

For those interested, the bug exhibits itself when more than 5 or 6 shares are created from the "default location". The web-based administration module crashes for good, and the administrator can never login after that.

I cannot recommend this device for any serious business use.

I own an EFG80, which is an outstanding device to use on a SOHO network for backup. I bought extra drive trays from Linksys to
easily be able to exchange drives. The device was so useful,
I decided to add a second, bringing my storage capacity to
1/2 terabyte. That was when the hassles began.
Amazon listed the item as being in-stock, but sold through their
marketplace (troygift.com). Apparently there is some ambiguity
about what "in-stock" means. My understanding of "in-stock" is
one has direct control of at least one item and is ready to
deliver it. If YOU have that same expectation of what the term
means, find another distributor who shares your opinion, because
apparently Amazon and troygift.com (should be TRYgift) don't.

I have been running the EFG80 since shortly after it came out several years ago and have not had any problems previously noted. The problems I have seen previously noted here (on Amazon reviews) appears to be user problems. I support a business network of 25 machines and two seperate servers in addition to this NAS device and it has worked without a hiccup since installation. First, it is an NAS. It was not designed as a server. We use it for storing the various MS Office documents and application specific data for our clients (approx 2500). We would not run server applications off of it because that is not what it is designed for. We also use the second drive to backup the first drive and serve as primary backup to our NT servers. Secondary backups are then made from the Gigadrive. My only objection to the device is that is does not come with Gigabit functionality. Otherwise it is perfect. In response to two previous posts, I think the user who said there is a firmware bug has other problems. I have 12 share created and have not had a single problem and my root account is still accessible. Secondly, the user who said it is too slow, the problem is who he has it hooked up. First, wired, I guarantee the the router he has it hooked up through is only 10mbps. I would not run any device that I needed to access files through on 10mbps. Secondly, I certainly wouldn't be expecting speed over a wireless network. We don't run wireless in our office because all the current protocols are just too slow. Even if you were able to achieve the supposed 54mbps, our tax application wouldn't run at that speed. It doesn't suprise me that the Gigadrive is unusable trying to access from a wireless device. This device works perfectly for what it was designed....Network Storage....

I bought one of these for about $500.00 and added a second hard drive. It worked beautifully for almost a year. One day the 2 drives no longer appeared in MY COMPUTER. After 5-6 calls to support, No one seemed familiar with the product. They sent me a new one. I had the same problem. I called support and they said a technician familiar with the product would call me back. They never did. I called several more times and finally gave up and threw the unit in the garbage. I will say this: Linksys products are the best, I use their products exclusively, routers, hubs, etc. I recommend them highly, but if a product fails, you may as well throw it out as their support people have no knowledge of their products and only a small amount of English speaking skills.