Seagate FreeAgent DockStar Network Adapter

[soypancho]

How well does this thing deliver on all these features? How many of which are OS X friendly? Thanks!

[mboverload]

@kerneltrap

is this USB 2.0?

Woot writers have failed the wootopolis today. Forgetting a spec as critical as the USB specification? Tsk tsk.

(I’m sure it’s USB 2.0)

[LEM]

Oh boy… This seems so confusing… here I go:

1. Does provided Android/iPhone/etc app allow access to local files from within the local network (e.g. when connected to the same wi-fi net), or the world? Or I need to actually plug the device into the unit for this (physically)?

2. Does it make your mobile device visible to the PC’s on the network?

3. How about a little security? Seems like it may be exposing your network to the outside world if you’re not careful?

4. Does it play well with the hardware firewalls?

Anyone?

[editorkid]

@mvsopen

Works well, but read the PogoPlug site’s privacy statement. Even though your data is encrypted to you via SSL, it still has to go through their servers to reach you - You have to log on to the Pogoplug website in order to access your drive’s data. This may be fine for pictures and music, but would you really want your financial data going through a third-party server?

How quickly can you break SSL encryption, assuming you can find me?

[embyr]

@plim809

A similar version of this without the usb ports was on sale last week at OD for $1

This one was on sale a couple months ago at OD for $1 (After being on sale for over a month at $50). I bought 3 then.

[Piratesmoker]

Does this support any encryption? If I don’t sign up for their service will it still report itself and, more importantly, my files to their server?

[CaptainWes]

Can this be used without pogoplug? Does it require a subscription of any kind?

[sixdolla]

woot! i am in need of at least a 1tb external hard drive. if the seagate 1tb hard drive would sold yesterday, then today would’ve been a for sure sale for most. especially myself. so close woot! so close

[embyr]

@NateHowe

I would love this if it wasn’t specifically for the portable FreeAgent, which I have found to be pretty slow on my USB-only dock (similar to this one, but without a network plugin).

A universal network drive adapter would be lovely.

It can actually be used by any USB drive. The docking station is for the FreeAgent Go’s speficially, but it has 3 other USB ports in it, that you can plug any USB drive (whether a portable hard drive, an external hard drive, or a thumb drive) into, and they’ll be networked and accessible over Pogoplug as well.

[NightGhost]

TigerDirectBlog on YouTube

And a hands on video from NewGadgets DE (in German)

Here’s another review in English

[sircruizer]

Okay I’m rather confused but that maybe due to the tiredness. Can ANY USB drive hook up to this or do I have to have a FreeAgent Go™ drive hooked up first before hooking up the other three?

[Buck_Mulligan]

@thekatt

All I could think of when I read the name:

Hey now, you’re a dockstar get your game on, go play
Hey now, you’re a dockstar get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold

palmface ~////[

[embyr]

@CaptainWes

Can this be used without pogoplug? Does it require a subscription of any kind?

You can access over your home network without using PogoPlug. In that case it’s like an NAS. It comes with a one year subscription to the PogoPlug service, which is $20 a year after the first year, I believe.

That’s actually one of the few things that make it different than a PogoPlug. If you buy a PogoPlug, you get lifetime access to the service, with this it’s merely a subscription.

[NightGhost]

@kerneltrap

is this USB 2.0?

Yes…confirmed.

[sixdolla]

You know most of the external HD’s have very similar dimensions. I wonder if it would work with another besides seagate if it fit that dock. I don’t see why not. But then again who am i to say?

[zombiekicker]

@halflifesales

SATA SATA SATA SATA!
Poor move seagate. had to go with the proprietary docking station instead of creating a device that can be used by %99 of the other, regular hard drives.

The visible plug sticking out of the dock appears to be a standard mini-USB connector. Granted, it would likely void any kind of warranty, but just take some sort of rotary tool to it. Shave down the sides and back, and I’m sure nearly any kind of USB-powered 2.5" external HDD would work just fine with this dock. And if that fails, just use it as a cheap USB-connected NAS (as I likely will).

[kerneltrap]

@NightGhost

TigerDirectBlog on YouTube

And a hands on video from NewGadgets DE

I need to brush up on my german.

[embyr]

@sircruizer

Okay I’m rather confused but that maybe due to the tiredness. Can ANY USB drive hook up to this or do I have to have a FreeAgent Go™ drive hooked up first before hooking up the other three?

There is the dock, which will only take a Seagate FreeAgent Go drive. There are 3 USB ports around the dock which will take any USB drive, at all, not just a Seagate portable one.

If you have a FreeAgent Go, you can use this with 4 different drives (the FreeAgent in the dock, and 3 others in the various USB ports). If you do not, you can use it with 3 USB drives (just using the USB ports).

[whitentegra]

Can I use this with a WD my passport portable HD?

[mvsopen]

@embyr

You can access over your home network without using PogoPlug. In that case it’s like an NAS. It comes with a one year subscription to the PogoPlug service, which is $20 a year after the first year, I believe.

That’s actually one of the few things that make it different than a PogoPlug. If you buy a PogoPlug, you get lifetime access to the service, with this it’s merely a subscription.

The Woot page says “Lifetime subscription”…