Product on Review: Sharkoon SATA QUICKPORT PRO LAN
Manufacturer and Sponsor: SHARKOON Technologies GmbH
Price: £44



In recent years there has been a steadily growing demand for data storage capacity, whether internal hard disk drives or externally attached storage. Traditionally there has been two main types of external HDD storage – single external hard drives sealed into a caddy or multiple hot-swappable HDD's contained within a NAS enclosure (Network Attached Storage). Both have their pro's and con's.

Today we take a look at a third way which promises some of the benefits of both the traditional methods – the lower costs of the external stand-alone drive and the flexibility of the NAS solution. Please welcome Sharkoon's SATA QUICKPORT PRO LAN.


Sharkoon's SATA QUICKPORT PRO LAN

Here's what Sharkoon say about it:

“With the SATA QuickPort Pro LAN, we launch an upgraded version of the already available QuickPort Pro. However, the Pro LAN now features NDAS capability: The docking station for SATA hard disk drives now - in addition to the already included memory card slot and two USB front ports - feature a network connector to integrate it directly into the LAN. The mounting bay for SATA HDDs can house both 2.5" and 3.5" HDDs, while the card reader supports SD, SDHC, MMC and MS formats. Any USB device can be connected into the USB front hub. All media connected or plugged into the SATA QuickPort Pro LAN can be easily integrated into the local network through the device's LAN interface. Also, all settings can be configured using the included software.”

We'll have a closer look at the product and do some testing to see how the addition of LAN connectivity has changed the devices capabilities over the next few pages. Read on for more...