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Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo (LS-WTGL_R1)

REVIEW DATE:04.03.08

Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo (LS-WTGL_R1)
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REVIEW

By Oliver Rist

Dual drives began showing up near the end of 2007, and we'll be seeing a lot more of them throughout 2008. The idea is to offer a lower-cost and simplified alternative to three- and four-drive RAID 5 arrays while still maintaining some semblance of hardware redundancy via RAID 1. It's a sound enough concept for home users; but the Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo (LS-WTGL/R1) NAS falls a bit short on features, performance, and ease of use.

red arrow Read the Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo (LS-WTGL_R1) full review

Company

Buffalo Technology (USA) Inc.

http://www.buffalotech.com

Spec Data
  • Price as Tested: $349.00 List
  • Device Type: Fixed Home NAS
  • Storage Capacity: 1000 GB
  • Rack-mount or Standalone: Standalone
  • Hard Disk Configuration: Fixed Dual
  • Hard Disk Manufacturer: Samsung
  • Hard Disk Model: Spinpoint HD501LJ
  • Wired Network Speed: 10/100/1000
  • Network Medium: Wired

Bottom Line

The Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo (LS-WTGL/R1) is a functioning NAS box, but it's ill-suited to serving multimedia in the home, and it lacks the features and reliability needed for SMB file serving. This is a device that could use additional software engineering.

Pros

New NAS management software supports Web Access.

Cons

Mediocre performance. Hardware failed during drive reliability test. No USB print server. Can't handle more than one USB drive via a USB hub.

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