Ethernet disk for Mac

A

artov

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I am thinking on buying new external disk, maybe 1TB. I am thinking on buying an ethernet disk, so I could use the disk even with via WLAN. Since my current external disk is Lacie Big Disk (600GB), Lacie Ethernet Big Disk seems fine (I guess they are same size, so the fit side by side). I could also add the current disk to Ethernet disk's USB-port.

But, has anyone used the Lacie ethernet disks with Mac? Are there better (read: faster, cheaper) disks?
 
artov said:
I am thinking on buying new external disk, maybe 1TB. I am thinking on buying an ethernet disk, so I could use the disk even with via WLAN. Since my current external disk is Lacie Big Disk (600GB), Lacie Ethernet Big Disk seems fine (I guess they are same size, so the fit side by side). I could also add the current disk to Ethernet disk's USB-port.

But, has anyone used the Lacie ethernet disks with Mac? Are there better (read: faster, cheaper) disks?
Click to expand...
I've got an ethernet disk mini on my mac network for the last 6 months or so and have had loads of problems. Originally the disk kept hanging and I ended up reformatting it several times (losing the data which thankfully I'd backed up elsewhere but a pain nonetheless!). Now, a few months down the line it's starting to play up again and it's going to be far more of a problem if I have to lose the data again. In fact, I came on this site to post a question about it! This is the second Lacie device that I've had problems with and wouldn't personally recommend one to anyone else.
 
I would suggest that you return the drive to LACIE and have them fix it or better replaced. If you are not willing to do that, than replace the drive itself.

Lots of people are happy with lacie and normally you only see unhappy people complaining. I do not get the impression LACIE is that bad, but trust only your own judgement as you have the handle the problems which arise.

I sell drives from IOMEGA for ETHERNET and they work fine. I have no idea how their pricing is compared to LACIE, but IOMEGA certainly is a well-known brand with good support.


Good luck, Kees
 
I agree with you that Iomega are a good brand. I've had several zip and jaz drives which worked well. In my experience, Iomega's support is better than LaCie's. I think I waited a couple of weeks for a reply to the last support question I posted to LaCie (they claim to respond within 24 hours). I posted another one yesterday. Let's see how long they take to get back to me this time...

I know my unit is still under warranty and I therefore should be able to send back to LaCie for repair. But that's an absolute last resort because their support FAQs say that they wipe all of your data in the process.

I'm not sure that Iomega do an equivalent drive or how they compare price-wise. But personally I'd look into that option before getting a LaCie again.
 
I also had Iomega Jaz. I had two disks, one had plastic internal and the other metal (you know, the place that the drive used to rotate the disk). When I took backups using the metallic one, the drive made so much noise I had to close the room door and go elsewhere; it sounded like a jet plane !
 
I purchased a LaCie Ethernet Drive Mini in Jan 2007. The manual gives instructions for formatting the drive to HSF+ using Apple's Disk Utility. I experienced many drive failures and spent a year with their tech support who gave more instructions for using Disk Utility. Finally, they informed me that the drive will never work correctly if I format the drive using Disk Utility! They refuse any further help and instructed me to return the drive to the reseller, knowing they would not accept the drive after such a long period of time. I would not recommend LaCie products for any use as they are not a reputable company and do not stand behind their products or eroneous documentation.
 
It's now 3+ weeks later and I still haven't resolved my LaCie Ethernet Disk problems. It's taking about 4-6 days for them to respond each time with suggestions that haven't helped so far. It's incredibly frustrating but at least they're responding eventually I suppose! This could take a VERY long time... I only hope it doesn't take as long as your experience Ivan or I'm stuffed!

My ED Mini came with IP Configurator software which allows you to set up your disk and reconfigure, reboot, etc through your web browser - a handy tool if only I could access it right now!! I'm using it on OS 10.4 and wouldn't be surprised if you can download it from their support section (although I'm sure you've probably covered that route already).
 
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