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Lacie network assistant replaced5/10/2023 It works cross platform with Windows, Linux and Mac and supports FAT32, NTFS and HFS+ non-journalized file systems.Īs a NAS, it supports up to six users. It supports UPnP, DLNA, iTunes and Time Machine. The Wireless Space actually has a decent feature set. In any case, by not following the directions, I was finally able to get the device connected to the network and the wireless AP functionality enabled. It's designed to be a one-time use application to automate the initial configuration, but the instructions are convoluted. I got frustrated not only with trying to reset, but with using the Wireless Space setup. I if I were a consumer who had just purchased this device I would have been packing it up to return it at this point. I called the LaCie engineer-who was very patient and helpful who informed me that actually you have to reboot and then do the reset, which is not mentioned anywhere in the documentation. I had no way of knowing whether the box had just rebooted or reset to factory default-at least not from this light show, anyway. It turned green and then the box shut off. The problem was, the light on my unit never blinked red. The directions advise pressing the button again quickly when the red light starts to blink-and that resets the device. To reset, you hold the power button as the light on the device shuts offs and then release when it turns red. The problem is, the reset instructions in the documentation don't match what actually happens when resetting the Wireless Space. So I consulted with a LaCie engineer, who said that a factory reset might set things straight with the Wireless Space. My solution, while workable, isn't one that the average consumer-who is the target user-will reach. Once I was in the interface, I was able to configure the device with my network's settings and set it to run as a NAS and wireless AP. The setup software would not communicate with the device.įinally, I put my laptop and the Wireless Space on an isolated switch, not connected to my network and was able to access the Wireless Space through its Web-based interface-something the user guide explicitly says not to do you're only supposed to use the setup software for the initial configuration. I opted for a more simpler mode-NAS with wired Ethernet-but I still ran into the same issues. ![]() I use the same testbed for all NAS devices I test in the lab, and this was the first time I could not get a solid connection from the endpoint laptop. ![]() Unfortunately, setup was unable to find the Wireless Space. The setup guides on where to connect which wire and then tries to connect to the NAS. Setup asks if you want to enable wireless (which I did). There are five modes in which the device can be configured: NAS Ethernet – Wired only NAS Wireless Client NAS Wireless Access Point NAS Router-Wired Only or a NAS Router + Wireless Access Point.īecause I have a Wi-Fi router on my network, I opted to set it up as a NAS Wireless AP. You enable or disable Wi-Fi and then choose which mode you want to run the Wireless Space in. Setup involves following a set of printed instructions and using the Wireless Space Setup on the CD. I didn't know it then, but this sound was a bad omen for what was to come during the setup process. It's not the kind of noise you want to hear from a brand-new device. The sound was obviously made by the drive inside. Upon booting up the device I noticed an odd, unsettling chugging noise. On the front are two USB expansion ports and an additional USB port on the front for connecting external devices. There are four Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, as well as one WAN/Recovery port. Instead of the typical LED lights of most NASes, the Wireless Space has one light underneath that turns red, green or blue depending on the state blue means that wireless connectivity is on, green means that it's powered up and running and red indicates it's powering down. As mentioned, it's on the small side, weighing 2 pounds and measuring 7.6 by 4.6 by 1.8 inches (HWD)ĭrive status is displayed in a unique way. Since it's not geared for business, I'm not going to fault it for lacking RAID capabilities. ![]() ![]() The Wireless Space is aimed at the consumer market. If it worked well, the combined NAS/router functionality would be worth the price, but that isn't the case. At a price of $229 for the 1 TB model and $350 for the 2 TB it's not a pricey as Apple's Time Capsule. Difficult setup and reboot process lousy bandwidth and a buggy interface are some of the major problems I ran into. Unfortunately, the beauty of this NAS masks the ugly user experience I encountered during testing.
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