Western Digital Essential Netcenter Network Hard Drive (250GB)

Not surprisingly, the Western Digital Essential NetCenter's performance was about half that of the much pricier Iomega NAS 200d (essentially a prosumer device), but it was faster writing our 400MB folder of files and 1.9GB image file than Buffalo Technology's TeraStation. It was a hair slower in reading than the TeraStation, but not significantly so.

Western Digital covers the Essential NetCenter network hard drive with a one-year warranty, which is standard for the industry. Considering the reduced reliability of external drives vs. internal units, due to rough handling and less reliable heat dissipation, one year strikes us as too short. Always back up your NAS boxes regularly to DVD or tape. Toll-free telephone support is available, but only for basic installation issues (not software) within 30 days of purchase. After that, telephone support is $14.95 a pop, unless you buy one year of phone support at that price--and why wouldn't you for the same price? Ameliorating that little piece of bad news is Western Digital's excellent online support. The copious and easy-to-browse FAQs and e-mail support will more than likely solve any issues.