So far we only discussed routers in our reviews of network equipment but this is not the only kind of such equipment the ordinary user may be interested in. Today we are going to tell you about one device that is sure to appeal to a wide user audience, especially to those who exchange large amounts of data over a network.
The problem of the rapid growth of amounts of information that must be stored somewhere is common to large organizations that have to accumulate and process some kind of data, and this problem has also become urgent for many home users as various multimedia technologies develop and become more affordable. The digital archive of every modern man contains a lot of digital photos, video clips, musical files, etc. People also want to share such materials with friends, relatives, and other network users. It is for such people that the Network Attached Storage technology, long employed by serious companies for accessing large amounts of data, is offered now. Without delving deep into the functioning of the technology, suffice it to say that for the ordinary user it is just a data warehouse that is accessible as a disk from any machine on the same network.
For this review we've got an entry-level NAS device produced by D-Link. It's called DSM-G600. Besides NAT-related functionality, the DSM-G600 carries a Wi-Fi access point and can act as a media or FTP server. Let's see how useful all this functionality really is.
Specification and Accessories
We want to tell you right away that the DSM-G600 exists in two hardware revisions, A and B, which differ not only in the electronics employed by also in the functionality of the end product. We?ll be talking about revision B below, specifically noting any reference to revision A. And here are the brief specs of the DSM-G600.
Parameter | Characteristics |
Wireless standard | - IEEE 802.11b
- IEEE 802.11g |
Encoding standard | - WEP (64/128bit)
- WPA-PSK
- RADIUS |
Antenna | One external dipole antenna |
Signal modulation | - OFDM
- CCK
- DQPSK
- DBPSK |
Operating frequency | 2.4 - 2.5 GHz |
Nominal data
transfer rate | - 802.11g: 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54Mbps;
- 802.11b: 1, 2, 5.5, 11Mbps. |
Transmit power | 15dBm (32 mW) 2dBi |
Sensitivity | -74~-75dBm@54Mbps
-87~-88dBm@11Mbps
-95~-97dBm@1Mbps (at normal temp. range) |
Operating channels | 11 for N. America, 14 Japan, 13 Europe (ETSI),
3 (non-overlapping) |
WAN | 1 RJ-45 (10/100/1000 BaseT) 10/100Mbit/s Gigabit Ethernet
port with auto crossover |
Other interfaces | - 2 USB 2.0 ports;
- 1 IDE UATA133 port. |
Power | External power supply unit |
Dimensions | 274 x 137 x 64 mm |
Additional features | - Media ser- media server;
- FTP-server. |
The box contains:
- DSM-G600
- Quick setup guide
- GPL documentation
- CD with a user manual and EasySearch
- Category 5e Ethernet cable
- Rubber feet for the device
- Screw to fasten the hard disk drive
- Power cord
- External power adapter (12V, 3A)
