We've all become very familiar with most of the types of external storage available to us. All the major hard drive manufacturers offer an external hard drive and there are more external enclosures made by third party companies then I could even try to remember. Among all the enclosures, probably the least common type is a unit that allows you to access your storage through a network and mobilize that unit and access the data through a more portable means.

     Typically, a Network Attached Storage, or NAS, device is just that -- a storage unit that must be connected to a local area network in order to be accessed. While most NAS units have USB ports, they are usually used to connect more storage to the NAS,  either for backup or expandability.  

     Likewise, most USB external hard drives may have some other type of interface, like eSATA for example, but are primarily used to make your data more portable. While eSATA units do have the edge on speed, the USB interface is almost a 100% guarantee to work at your destination.

     Klegg Electronics has devised an external storage solution that offers the best of both worlds; local area network access and the conveniences of USB portability.  They call their solution, the NetDisk. The NetDisk is offered as either an empty enclosure where you use the drive of your choice, or it comes in a wide variety of sizes with a pre-installed drive. Klegg sent us a 320GB model to test and to share our results with you.

     The features and specifications are pretty much what you would expect from a performance based external hard drive. Features like a 7200RPM drive with a 16MB buffer enclosed in an aluminum frame which dissipates heat while offering protection for the drive housed inside. Of course we've already said it's a NAS with a USB interface, so you know there will be an RJ-45 and USB type-B connector. 

     From a cold start, the drive can be ready for access in approximately 7 seconds. Data Transfer rates will largely depend on the interface you choose, but the drive itself has an 8.9 millisecond response time with an average Latency of 4.17 milliseconds.