Netgear READYNAS NV+ RND4250 Network Storage Server - RND4250-100NAS
NETGEAR ReadyNAS NV+ 1TB Gigabit Desktop Network Storage (2x500GB)

The box works all right, not a speed demon by any means. Setup was confusing, since they still haven't worked out the documentation bugs from the purchase of Infrant, the original manufacturer of the ReadyNAS boxes. Check online for passwords and such if you're having trouble logging into the box. I bought this box thinking the five year warranty was a plus. Shortly after buying it the LED panel (bright green) on the front quit working. Just my luck. I called and was told they couldn't repair the NAS because "we're not equipped to handle that kind of repair," but they would could send out a refurbished unit (I pay $20 shipping charge), that possibly/probably would have cosmetic damage, dings, scratches, etc. Excuse me? I paid nearly $1000 for a brand new NAS box, and now they can only send out a refurbished unit. Refurbished and previously used units that typically sell for 25% to 50% off retail prices from new? It still has the five year warranty transferred from the other, but somehow this doesn't seem fair considering the high price I paid for the new NAS. What if you bought a car, would they give you one that was owned by someone else rather than repair yours? I am very disappointed with Netgear support and how they handle their RMA's on such expensive hardware. I expected more from their company, but will not in the future.
 
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I found the set-up really easy and transfer speed is pretty quick (unless you accidentally go over wireless - not so fun moving many gig, so plug in cat 5 for this task). No complaints. It is quiet, small and hasn't crashed. What more could you want? I am no using it as a print server, so I cannot comment on this aspect.
 
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The ReadyNAS is great. It's more expensive than others with similar storage, but worth it. The buy.com price was much better than other places. That meant I was able to buy two more 500 GB drives and add them for the same total price as the base 2 drive configuration from other sellers. I used to have a Lacie NAS drive. It was slow. The ReadyNAS is about 4 times faster when writing data. The only complaint I have is that it is a little noisy.
 
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Yes, this device is packed with advanced features, but unfortunately, extremely slow CPU will not allow you to use all of them...<p> By default, it comes with jumbo frames enabled. If your other devices cannot support it, you MUST disable it (or your transfer rates will be in kilobytes)<p> Could not use it as a print server. Everything was configured properly and test pages were going through, but every time you bring up a print screen, I would have to wait for several minutes. When printing, more offten than not, job would time out. I have Minolta PagePro 1350, behaviour *could* be different with more traditional HPs and Xeroxes...<p> Though the bandwidth is good when you have it connected via ethernet, transfer rates are ridiculously slow (<300K) if you try accessing the device via WiFi. I have Dlink G router (for WiFi and firewall) and a TrendNet Gigabit hub, to which REdiNAS and all computers are connected. When attempting to copy anythig off the device to a WiFi laptop, transfer rates are extremely slow. At the same time, transferring the same file from one of the computers connected to the same gigabit switch is running normally...
 
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What a wonderful product! Extremely easy setup, worked right out of the box. Added two more identical WD drives, and within a few hours both had been incorporated into the Xraid. However, I'm taking one point off for performance as I have full cat 6 connections from the NV+ to my iMac (through a GigE Airport Extreme) and am having some intermittent hiccups playing movies within Front Row. Netgear's (infrant's) tech support and user forums are top notch, too. Expensive, but worth it.
 
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Bought the model with 2 500s and added 2 more 500s of the same WD make and model (total of 1.3TB). It recognized them instantly using X-RAID and brought them up and online. So far everything is running nicely... had a few issues with finding the right Canon printer drivers for OS X printing through the Airport Express, but all is working now.
 
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Performed just like what the reviewers (magazine, this website) said. Easy to set up, recognized the network right away. I was up in less than 30 minutes. Took a little time because Zonealarm was blocking access from my computer and then had to learn a bit about setting up the drive as shared or by specified users. Highly recommend this, even for a non-IT experienced person. The price is a bit high but I would say well worth it. Incidentally, with Netgear as the owner, the warranty has been extended to three years.
 
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I could not be more satisfied! I bought ReadyNAS NV+ with two 500gb drives, because that was the best deal I could find. Then I purchased four Seagate Barracuda 1TB drives and put them in the ReadyNAS, using the two 500gb drives in my desktop computer. Fortunately I backed up my desktop to the ReadyNAS using the Retrospect backup software included with the ReadyNAS, because I lost my data on one of original desktop hard drives. Retrospect and ReadyNAS restored my entire desktop computer to my two new 500gb drives faultlessly. The setup of the NAS device is simple. It works quietly and flawlessly. With 4 1TB drives in X-Raid I am confident about being able to recover from a crash. The ReadyNAS works as an excellent print server. The only deficit is that it will not serve as a scan server, so I still must plug my scanner into my desktop computer. Netgear support for ReadyNAS is fast, efficient and user friendly. This equipment and support is the best that I have ever found in computer equipment. Retrospect software is a little complicated, but their website has some excellent tutorial videos and I was able to navigate through it so that I did not have to call Retrospect tech support. You cannot lose on this package if you want the ideal security for all your home office computers and data files. I recommend ReadyNAS NV+ without reservation.
 
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I have a Win 2003 Server network with Active Directory at home. I was running a second server for backup and minor communication functions. I've replaced the server with Netgear NAS NV+ (comm functions transferred to main server). The build quality of the NAS NV+ is top-notch and installation went very smoothly. I've replaced the two 500GB drives with four WD 750GB GP drives in a RAID 5 array. I'm very pleased with this purchase.
 
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I had an older version (ReadyNAS 600). It worked great for almost 2 years. When I did start having problems, Infrant (now Netgear) had good support through forums, phone, and online submissions. The firmware upgrades solved the problems. This new unit (ReadyNAS NV+) is better, faster, cheaper, smaller, and has more features than my old unit for half the price. I have run tests to check the read/write speeds of this unit, as well as read the forums for all their tests. The ReadyNAS performs quite fast when it is direct connected or using the proper networking equipment. The only performance bottlenecks seem to come from network cards, switches, and cabling. There doesn't seem to be any other product on the market that can compete with ReadyNAS for overall features. This unit is OVERKILL if you just want backup storage for 1 PC (just buy an external USB HD). But if you want backups, storage, and sharing of your small network, and you want access via the internet to your data, ReadyNAS is the way to go. The RND-4250 1TB seems to be the best deal right now. You can easily make it 2TB for less than $300 in extra HDs.
 
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I was looking for a place to backup all of my pictures, videos and documents, but I use it to store and run my live copies of these items now. I pointed my Windows Media Center to it, my XBOX uses it, it connects VERY well with all the devices I tried, including my wife's Mac. The feature set is pretty amazing, different RAID options, one-button backup, print server. Make sure that if you plan on streaming media that you get yourself a gigabit switch. I am very happy with this NAS. BTW, I did a lot of price searching, and buy.com was definitely the best.
 
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