Click…click…click…yep, you’ve heard it before, the sound of a dead USB hard drive crashing its depressed head into the platter. And who can blame it after a monotonous life writing data back and forth, back and forth, back…and…forth, 24/7, catering to your every whim and desire. Well, enter the Addonics NAS Adapter, the digital Prozac that dramatically injects new life into your storage device by transforming it into a honest to goodness Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. Too good to be true? Let’s take a look in detail.

Feature highlights:

• Converts any USB 2.0 / 1.1 mass storage device into a Network Attached Storage device
• USB port can be used to power most 2.5″ USB hard drives or any low powered USB storage device
• Supports Fast Ethernet 10/100Mbps
• Simple to install
• Small and light weight. Size slightly longer than a C size battery. Can be installed practically anywhere
• Can be set as DHCP server or client
• Supports Samba server for up to 64 concurrent clients
• Built-in FTP server for up to 8 concurrent users
• Built-in print server to attach any USB printer to the network
• Built-in Bit Torrent client for direct download to the attached USB storage device
• Can be set as a UPnP AV server to share photo/music files stored on the file server with XBOX 360 video game consoles connected to the LAN
• User management to allow read only or read/write access to folders
• Administrative management access via web browser with password security
• Compatible with all Windows OS, Mac OS, Linux 2.6.x and above

The Addonics NAS Adapter is a surprisingly small device measuring just under 3 inches long, yet, packing in an extensive feature set that includes a built-in DHCP server, Samba server, FTP server, print server, Bit Torrent client, and UPnP AV server, all on top of the NAS functionality. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Set-up is a breeze. Simply plug into a power source using the included power cable, plug into your router using an ethernet cable, and connect a USB storage unit into the USB port. Once that’s done find the IP address by using the provided java application on CD or look at the ‘connected devices’ section on your router config page. After logging into the Addonics setup page, click to the setup section to detect and format your USB storage device. This will completely wipe out your hard drive by formatting it into one large FAT32 partition (NTFS not supported). Some of you may be thinking, “But what about my high-def movies files that are bigger than the stupid 4GB FAT32 size limit?” To which I’m tempted to say, “You’re screwed, bub! mwahahaha” or I can more correctly say, “The Addonics adapter can read them as long as they’re copied to the storage device through the network. However, the 4GB+ files will not be recognized if you access the drive directly via USB to PC.”

If you have a USB drive already formatted in FAT32, no problem, you’re ready to go. Simply create a ‘PUBLIC’ folder and move all data into it. The Addonics should recognize the content no problem.

In actual use, the Addonics worked without a hitch. I was able to access all data and stream movies to every device on the network. This became quite a liberating experience since I could now watch movies from a wireless laptop, wired entertainment PC, Xbox 360 via UPnP, even my Wi-Fi enabled phone.

So would I recommend this device? That really depends. If you’re the average home user wanting to stream movies, access data, or connect a USB printer to the network then most definitely, absolutely, sell your firstborn to buy this device. If you’re the more serious corporate type needing a robust, high-performance NAS solution, why are you even reading this review? You’re better off buying a high-end, much more expensive dedicated device.

Pros:

• Extremely small footprint
• Streams HD content well
• Adds numerous features such as ftp server, bittorrent client, DHCP server, UPnP server, printer server
• Remote management through a web browser
• Compatible with most operating systems

Cons:

• No NTFS support
• No Gigabit ethernet support

Early last December we took a look at the Addonics NAS adapter.  In short, it enables any storage drive with a USB interface to become a NAS.  In just a few weeks time they’ll face some stiff competition from the Pogoplug.  Although the Pogoplug is $24 more and lacks a Bit Torrent server (it could be modded via Linux to include this, so says Erik), it can be plugged into a USB Hub allowing multiple drives to be accessed.  So yes, it costs more than the Addonics NAS Adapter, but you’ll only need to purchase one adapter to access multiple drives and thus the savings.  Notably, they’ve also built an iPhone application enabling easy access to your files no matter your location.

The Pogoplug will ship sometime  in March.  You can preorder one now for $20 off the regular price of $99.

From Addonics’ website:

Q: Can I attached an USB hub to the NAS adapter to have multiple hard drives on the Network?
A: No. The NAS adapter does not support USB hub

From Pogoplug’s website:

Q: Can I attach multiple hard drives to my Pogoplug?
A: Yes! Use a USB hub with your Pogoplug and you can attach multiple hard drives that all show up under your account.

[Pogoplug]

What is it: The Addonics NAS adapter turns any USB hard drive into a NAS enabled device. What does that mean? Basically, it turns your USB hard drive into a network device so you can access it from anywhere on the network

Features: USB to ethernet adapater, LED status lights, built-in bittorrent client, DHCP server/client, web-based management

• Convert any USB 2.0 / 1.1 mass storage device into a Network Attached Storage device
• Great for adding Addonics Storage Tower, Storage Rack or any Addonics USB storage device onto the network
• Great for creating a custom Network Attached Storage appliance.
• USB port can be used to power most 2.5″ USB hard drives or any low powered USB storage device.
• Support Fast Ethernet 10/100Mbps.
• Simple to install
• Small and light weight. Size slightly longer than a C size battery. Can be installed practically anywhere
• Can be set as DHCP server or client.
• Support Samba server for up to 64 concurrent clients.
• Support FTP server for up to 8 concurrent users.
• Can be set as a print server to attach any USB printer to the network
• Built-in Bit Torrent client for direct download to the attached USB storage device
• Can be set as a UPnP AV server to share photo/music files stored on the file server with XBOX 360 video game consoles connected to the LAN
• User management to allow read only or read/write access to folders
• Administrative management access via web browser with password security.
• Compatible with all Windows OS, Mac OS, Linux 2.6.x and above

Availability: Here

Price: $55

[Crunchgear]