Scott, I've had two NetGear ReadyNAS units to date, Having previously used DroBo ones.
I started out with the 4 bay unit, I think called the ReadyNAS NV+ and sold that recently and upgraded to the newer model of the same unit. The new model supports both iScsi and regular FS at the same time, so really handy if you have one machine on all the time and do a lot of file movements to your NAS... But, it also supports FS at the same time, so you get the benefit of your iOS devices and other computers on your network having access to the unit. The latest model supports the full Sata2 speeds and is notably faster with my WD RE4 2TB drives. It also can backup to either a USB hard drive connected to it, or over the network / internet to another location. I have an old DroBo in a different building from here with some old drives running RAID0, i.e. stripe rather than any form of mirroring, this means that I get a complete copy of my data off of my NAS, so the likelihood of both failing at the same time is remote to say the least. My main NAS runs with X-RAID, NetGear's version of Beyond RAID running on it, and thus I have expandability to 3TB dries if needs be, as the system is hot-swapable, and also redundant by one drive. Effectively RAID5. There are no nasty auto refresh sections of the NetGear ReadyNAS HTML interface, it works very well, and I found it very easy to setup... You have the usual sort of options ranging from, I'm a pro, to, just manage it all for me. Well made, solid unit with a real feeling of build quality to it. Not sure when DroBo started putting magnetic flaps on, I've bought DroBo up and until the end of last year, buying one of their 5 bay FS machines, whilst yes the front removable cover is magnetic, and always has been with DroBo. The plastic flaps which seal the hard drive bays when not in use, are plastic and of poor quality and design, with a single side spring metal clasp to keep them shut... I've broken quite a few, and reading online, so have many others. Regards, Neil Barnfather Talks List Administrator Twitter @neilbarnfather TalkNav is a Nuance, Code Factory and Sendero dealer, for all your accessible phone, PDA and GPS related enquiries visit www.talknav.com URL: - www.talknav.com e-mail: - [email protected] Phone: - +44 844 999 4199 On 22 Mar 2012, at 09:45, Scott Howell wrote: Neil, Ok, sorry if I misunderstood your message. Btw, I understand that Drobo has gone to some sort of magnetic solution for the door flap. Which Netgear did you choose? I am not as familiar with their products, but I would be curious how accessible is the interface and what made you choose the Netgear. THe WD's interface is really tricky just because of the fact it refreshes at odd times and things just behave in a really curious way. :) THanks, On Mar 22, 2012, at 5:20 AM, Neil Barnfather - TalkNav wrote: > Scott, > > Absolutely, it was not my intention to say that, just bevause it is not > accessible, we should give up on it... Or like wise, as it is expensive. > > The DroBo is a good product, when it was unique in the market place, as in > the Beyond RAID technology and the hot swap drive solution it was worth every > penny. > > Now though most venders have a solution that is comparable, and in every case > I've found, notably cheaper too. > > I have bought 4 DroBo's over my time, they are nice units in terms of the > actual box, very Apple-essk in their feel and build. I do have issues with > the drive bay flaps, which cover the bays when not in use, these are poorly > made fin bits of plastic that are easily broken off, and have a single sided > flimsy bit of metal to make them spring mounted. > > The NetGear on the other hand is entirely metal, and far better build > quality, and is more feature rich... > > With droBo you have to choose either a FS (file server) or an iScsi > connection, or USB. The NetGear ReadyNAS solutions at the higher end of their > range, which are still half the price of the DroBo equivalent, has two RJ45 > connections for both FS and iScsi duel interface, as well as a host of other > options. > > Anyway, I'm not here to sell you a NetGear solution, but can tell you that it > works, and is notably more cost effective than a DroBo. > > > Regards, > > Neil Barnfather > > Talks List Administrator > Twitter @neilbarnfather > > TalkNav is a Nuance, Code Factory and Sendero dealer, for all your > accessible phone, PDA and GPS related enquiries visit www.talknav.com > > URL: - www.talknav.com > e-mail: - [email protected] > Phone: - +44 844 999 4199 > > > > On 21 Mar 2012, at 23:13, Scott Howell wrote: > > Neil I hear you, but there is no reason not to explore the possibility to > make the dashboard accessible as well. I have a WD solution that has a pretty > difficult html interface and it gets the job done as well. However, I would > certainly not discourage anyone from using a solution just because of the > price or interface if that is what they really wanted to use. I do not know > much about the Net Gear products, but I assume they allow you to hotswap > drives as well? > > On Mar 21, 2012, at 8:30 AM, Neil Barnfather - TalkNav wrote: > >> No, the DroBo dash board is not accessible, from both an accessibility and >> cost point, the NetGear ReadyNAS appliances are both accessible, using an >> HTML based interface, but also far cheaper and just as reliable in my >> experience. >> >> They also take advantage of a sort of expandable flexible RAID solution >> NetGear call X-RAID, essentially the same as Beyond RAID which DroBo uses. >> >> >> Regards, >> >> Neil Barnfather >> >> Talks List Administrator >> Twitter @neilbarnfather >> >> TalkNav is a Nuance, Code Factory and Sendero dealer, as well as an Apple >> iOS, Macintosh and Android accessibility specialist. For all your >> accessible phone, PDA and GPS related enquiries visit www.talknav.com >> >> URL: - www.talknav.com >> e-mail: - [email protected] >> Phone: - +44 844 999 4199 >> >> On 20 Mar 2012, at 22:35, Scott Howell wrote: >> >>> All, >>> >>> I was talking with someone today about nas devices and some issues I have >>> been having. He mentioned the Drobo which I know is pretty expensive and he >>> was explaining that you access the Drobo via a dashboard app that also >>> requires you to install java. I asked if he had ever thought to see if it >>> were compatible with VoiceOver, but he did not. So, I was curious if anyone >>> on the list has used a Drobo and can comment on the accessibility of the >>> Dashboard. >>> I'll post my other issue in a separate post regarding my nas problem. >>> >>> Thanks, >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
