Outwardly this appears to be a limitation of New Zealand’s low upload speeds, and to a point that’s true. However, trying to watch a 2.5 minute 720p video clip over the internet took almost an hour of buffering before I was able to play it. The online video streaming is ridiculously easy to configure – perhaps the simplest thing on the device altogether. Or, for that matter, what an IP address even is. The service also works over the internet, with Seagate’s servers handling the routing: you don’t even need to know your own external IP address. In addition to DLNA, UPnP AV and Windows Media Connect for streaming media to your game console or media player, the GoFlex has a media sharing system with a web front end, including a video player in Flash – like your own personal YouTube. The drive is also suitable for Windows or Apple Time Machine backup services. Files are automatically backed up as they’re changed: no scheduling is required. The included Memeo Instant Backup software is easy to use. It can all be configured through desktop software, or from any computer (with or without the Seagate software) via the GoFlex’s browser-based interface. Security setup is comprehensive: the GoFlex allows multiple user accounts, and lets you control which accounts can add, modify and delete user accounts themselves. Once connected successfully, drive configuration proved slow, with many “please wait” screens on the PC between steps. I’m still not sure precisely what the issue was, but it gave me a bad first impression. However, it took half an hour of restarting my router, restarting the GoFlex, then eventually changing the DHCP settings on my router before the Seagate Dashboard software would recognise the drive. The bundled CD installs Seagate Dashboard and Memeo Instant Backup software. Software setup is simple in concept, but can be rather complex in execution. As we were focussing on storage, I didn’t test the print functionality: success will vary based on your printer’s make and model. Alternatively, connect a compatible printer to that USB port and print remotely from any computer on your network. The GoFlex includes a single USB port to which you can connect further external storage. It’s slightly more complex than something totally all-in-one, but I can’t see a way to get things wrong: the drive only fits in the dock one way, and snaps obviously into place. Physical setup is simple – connect Ethernet and power cables to the dock, plug in the drive, and press the power button. Seagate’s GoFlex Home is a single-drive NAS unit separated into a ‘dock’ and removable drive, allowing you to upgrade your storage capacity in future.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2023
Categories |