Linksys never ceases to amaze us here at the CableModemInfo lab. We heard about the new breed of Linksys GigaDrive NAS storage devices at Comdex Fall 2002, and we were anxious to get our hands on one for testing. Linksys was nice enough to send a unit for our review recently, and we had some great fun putting the device through it's paces.

The Linksys EFG80 is a standout in the home/small office NAS (Networked Attached Storage) category with some very advanced features. Priced at around $500 street for 80 GigaBytes of storage space, It offers everything that the first 20GB model had and much, much more. You can see a review of the older EFG20 here. The EFG80 comes in a large box, bundled with a power cord, an excellent quick install guide and advanced guide, a detailed printed manual, a CD with a Windows based setup program, as well as a 12' RJ-45 networking cable and additional hardware for adding a second drive. Setting up the GigaDrive is something you do only once, and it literally takes less than 5 minutes to get it up and running. We used the quick start guide and found it very easy to follow.

The EFG80 is much larger than the EFG20, measuring 6.5" tall, 13" long and 7" wide. The size change is due to the fact that the EFG80 has the option to add a second hard disk for backup or additional storage space. The end user can simply add up to a 120GB IDE disk drive to increase storage. The IDE drive can be a 5400 or 7200RPM drive and the EFG80 will even perform a format for you. The detailed manual supplied in both printed and CD form will also guide you through the process of the installation of a second disk. Linksys even went as far to include locks on the drives and additional hardware for installing the second disk - smart thinking!

The EFG80 has the standard features like DHCP Server, Print Server, Windows File and Print sharing for a seamless connection to your network. One thing that we did notice was the older EFG20 had a long strip of LED's that showed the approx disk usage, something we thought was very nice. The EFG80 does not have the long strip of LED's, but does have several LED's to show power, LAN status, disk full, ready, error and backup status. The removable hard drive bays also have locking mechanisms to prevent theft.















The GigaDrive main screen when accessed from LAN or Internet (Click to Enlarge)

Once you plug in the EFG80, it takes a few seconds to boot for the first time. If you have it plugged directly into your router, the EFG80 will automatically obtain a DHCP address and will be ready to go. Since we were setting a static IP locally on our LAN, we continued with the CD setup and used the quick start guide to follow along. Within a few clicks you will be asked to choose from Dynamic or Static IP, choose to enable the built-in DHCP server, and finally select your local Date and Time Zone. Once you do this, your GigaDrive is ready to add or remove users, set up groups and group access, or simply leave the GigaDrive in the default state and start adding files.

We decided to use the GigaDrive as a "media server" and added our complete collection of DIVX movies, MP3 audio files and digital photos to the 80GB drive. We then used Windows File and Printer and mapped the EFG80 to each PC as a network drive

The GigaDrive Advanced Interface via a browser (Click to Enlarge)

Each PC on the local network could browse the files using Windows Explorer/File Manager, or you could use a browser and browse the files via HTML with the included web server on the GigaDrive! This makes getting files from PC to PC a snap, even if the EFG80 is not a mapped drive to the local PC! The included FTP server is also a great way to add and retrieve files from the device.

After using the GigaDrive internally, and nearly filling it chock full of great media, we decided we wanted to make this data available on the Internet so we could get back to the device when we were on the road raveling. We first started by changing the administrator and guest password on the EFG80. This secured our data from unauthorized eyes on the Internet. We then opened port 80 and port 21 in our router to allow Internet traffic to reach the IP address of the GigaDrive. Once this was done, the GigaDrive was reachable via the Internet, but only by IP address - and since we have a cable modem with a dynamic IP, it may change. We used TZO.COM Dynamic DNS to set a static domain name to our IP, and now, EFG80.tzo.com is the domain name for our Network. All of the lab employees can now download the files on the GigaDrive at any time from anywhere on the Internet by simply using a browser and using the http://EFG80.tzo.com URL in their browser - awesome! Uploading is as simple as logging in with FTP, nothing could be easier!

The GigaDrive Administration Interface via a browser (Click to Enlarge)

The GigaDrive is really a step ahead in both features and performance. We absolutely love this NAS device, and coupled with the new features like the integrated WWW and FTP server, as well as the second disk and other advanced features like Internet printing (IPP) capability, you just can't go wrong with this baby!

Features of the EFG80 EtherFast Instant GigaDrive:
- Lots of features for the price, simple and fast way to add storage
- Auto-Sensing 10/100 capability, and LAN/PC switch for connection to a PC
- Fast Boot, LED's keep you informed of activity, DHCP client and server
- Tools now included allow Defrag and Scanning activity to improve disk reliability
- Admin features such as email alerts on errors, manual or auto scan and defrag
- Outstanding documentation provided on CD, power cord, additional hardware for second disk, aluminum drive trays, super long LAN cable (RJ-45), quick start guide (included)
- Excellent WWW and FTP servers included for file sharing on Internet or LAN
- Great web based setup/configuration after initial setup

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars.
Pros: Simple way to add storage to your network. Allows file and printer sharing over the Internet. Embedded Linux OS on firmware now, making it more stable and faster. FTP and WWW servers built-in, very simple setup, *up to 240GB total storage capacity. Excellent documentation, and the end user can change the web server port - something we like to see since so many ISP's block port 80.
Cons: Windows based setup only, no way to tell who is downloading files or connecting to FTP or WWW server, no way to change FTP server port from default of 21, no log files (available in the admin interface, but shows no details)

*Note: 240GB capacity can only be reached if the original 80GB drive is replaced with a 120, and then another 120GB drive can be added in the second bay to reach a total of 240GB.

**Cool Trick: Connect the GigaDrive to a Linksys WET11 for a wireless solution! This means you can place the EFG80 in a hard to reach spot, but keep in mind that you will sacrifice file performance on your network due to limited speeds using wireless.

Linksys EtherFast EFG80 Instant GigaDrive (80GB) NAS device
Current Street Price: $500.00

Available from
PCConnection.com

Linksys, Inc.
17401 Armstrong Ave
Irvine, CA 92614
http://www.linksys.com