Iomega StorCenter ix2-200

The new StorCenter is a compact box with two 3.5-inch SATA-II hard drives. The design is sleeker and more suited for home use. The ix2-200 has front-mounted USB port, quick-transfer button (that automatically sucks the contents of a drive hooked up to that USB port onto the internal storage) and useful indicator lights. Round the back there are further two USB 2.0 ports, which can be used to plug in additional hard drives, printers for network sharing, or Iomega’s optional Bluetooth dongle for wireless transfers from cellphones. It comes with a gigabit Ethernet port, along with power input and a Kensington lock slot. You can also see the two drive bays, now user-accessible.

The ix2-200, however, makes replacing the drives more straightforward. Two screws (on the underside of the NAS) hold each in place, and once removed the caddies pull straight out. Unfortunately, there is no support for hot-swapping, but the ix2-200 will automatically rebuild the standard RAID-1 array. The fact is that Iomega insists on you to use their replacement drives rather than any generic SATA-II 3.5-inch hard drive.

The set-up is comparatively easy, especially if you are satisfied with the default settings (which most home users should be). A single network connection and power connection gets the ix2-200 running, while a set-up CD loaded in one of the networked computers locates the NAS and opens up the webserver-based UI.  The User Interface is reasonably unchanged from the first-gen model. As the ix2-200 gets all the ix2’s skills and more, it means you have a choice of UPnP DLNA and iTunes media server functionality, standalone BitTorrent downloads, folder quotas, Remote Access and Active Directory support. Apple users will find the ix2-200 compatible with Time Machine for  straightforward integration, while Windows users get EMC Retrospect Express Backup (with unlimited client licences) to handle automated backups. The scheduling support is a welcome feature, which means that you can copy files to and from the StorCenter at preset times to other NAS or USB drives (using sync or CIFS). Small offices might find its ready integration with Microsoft Server useful. As for the latter, that is much more appealing. The ix2-200’s drives automatically spin down when not in use, and the NAS is paired with an Energy Star certified PSU. Iomega has picked a pair of Seagate low-power HDDs, which are reasonably less noisy.

The NAS can work with up to five IP webcams – for instance, by supporting recording and monitoring without a client PC.  Iomega had made Bluetooth support standard and integrated it with the Bluetooth chip, rather than demanding a separate USB adapter.
1. Ease of use:
• Simple four step set-up process
• User-friendly web-based management interface
• Accessible in 11 supported languages
2. Software Compatibility:
Compatible with today’s most common backup software, web browsers, media devices and computers
3. Software Included:
EMC Retrospect Express Backup Software including unlimited client licences, Iomega QuikProtect Software and StorCenter Manager.
Warranty: 3 years (with product registration)