Iomega StorCenter ix2 Review

by Jerry Jackson

The Iomega StorCenter ix2 is the latest compact network storage solution designed for consumers who need a stand-alone storage drive that can be shared by multiple computers over an internet or network connection. This compact file sharing solution allows friends, family, and coworkers to access the same files even if they work on different computers. Notebook users can also benefit by keeping important files on a networked drive at home, so a stolen laptop doesn't result in stolen data. Let's take a closer look.

Build and Design

The Iomega StorCenter ix2 is remarkably compact for a network attached storage (NAS) enclosure that contains two 3.5" desktop hard drives:

• Width: 3.15 in (80mm)
• Length: 7.875 in (200mm)
• Height: 4.92 in (124.97mm)
• Weight: 4.85 lbs (2.2 kg)

The enclosure is all black and has a very simple design with the Iomega logo on both sides. The top, bottom and sides are made of solid metal and the front and rear of the dual hard drive enclosure have vents to keep the drives from overheating. The design isn't particularly attractive, but we're talking about a NAS here. Who cares how it looks? You're going to connect this thing to your network and then stick it behind your router or in your closet.

The back of the enclosure has a dual USB slot, power button, DC plug and a LAN plug along with the cooling fan vent. There is also a security lock slot on the enclosure to deter theftr is located on the bottom along with the S/N, Mac address, series code, etc.

The construction of the Iomega StorCenter ix2 does make it difficult for accessing the drives inside the enclosure; in fact you would need to remove multiple screws and disassemble the internal framework of the enclosure in order to access the drives, making it less than ideal for do-it-yourself repairs.

Features

One of the main features of the Iomega StorCenter ix2 is that it's remarkably simple to setup and use. I honestly lack the words to describe just how easy it is to setup this device. The software engineers at Iomega deserve a great deal of praise for creating one of the easiest software installation and setup applications we've seen for a NAS enclosure in our office. Simply insert the included software CD, type your desired user name and security password, click a couple of on-screen buttons to confirm the installation and you're ready to start using your new StorCenter ix2! Network attached storage doesn't get any easier than this.

The StorCenter ix2's main configurations are all accessed through the supplied software or via a web browser by simply typing in the IP address. Through web access, users can view all the shared content, add users/groups, and manage RAID settings, network settings, disk backup, etc. from anywhere on either a Mac or PC computer.

The Iomega StorCenter ix2 also has USB connectivity for setting up a print server or adding information directly from other devices, but like most consumer NAS enclosures the built-in USB ports only support USB 2.0 Full Speed (12Mbs).

For those who might be concerned about security, the included encryption from RSA helps secure your data inside the StorCenter ix2 and protect the NAS from malicious attacks during installs and product updates.

Another feature worth mentioning is the low power consumption on the Iomega StorCenter ix2 for users who want access 24/7; the average consumption of this Energy Star qualified system is 12-15W while idle.

Performance and Benchmarks

The Iomega StorCenter ix2 drives are each 500GB separately but the RAID 1 mirroring gives the user a combined total space of a single 500GB drive.

The Iomega StorCenter ix2 is rated at a theoretical maximum of 1000Mb (megabits) transfer rate on a 1Gb network which equates to 125MB (megabytes) per second.

Atto is one of the standard synthetic benchmarks we use to test the performance of a storage drive. Below you can see the average read and write times for the StorCenter ix2 over a standard 100Mb network connection.

In short, the main thing these benchmarks indicate is that the Iomega StorCenter ix2 has more than enough horsepower to push a typical 100Mb network connection (12.5MB) to its limit. Using a 1Gb network switch will allow you to gain even better data transfer speeds. As it stands, this NAS provides transfer speeds similar to a cheap generic USB flash drive connected directly to your computer's USB port.

Of course, if you're using a NAS you didn't buy it for the fastest transfer rates (an eSATA external enclosure is better in terms of raw speed). People buy NAS enclosures so that they can store huge amounts of data in one secure location and access it from any computer with an internet connection. Notebook users should be particularly interested in this because it allows you to store huge multimedia libraries on a secure drive at home and access those files via the internet without having to store those files on your notebook's hard drive ... and without having to pay monthly subscription fees for online storage.

Heat and Noise

The Iomega StorCenter ix2 runs a bit louder than some of the other NAS enclosures we've tested. The cooling fan is extremely silent, but both the storage drives inside the enclosure produce a substantial amount of noise when reading and writing files. The twin Seagate 7200.11 hard drives inside the enclosure aren't known for being particularly loud, so we suspect the noisy "clicks" are the result of the all-metal enclosure and lack of cushioning or sound dampning. Temperatures inside the enclosure remained above 110 Fahrenheit which is still a little hot but isn't as bad as many other NAS enclosures we've tested. Bottom line, long-term stability of the storage drives probably won't be something you need to wory about.

Conclusion

After everything is said and done, the Iomega StorCenter ix2 is an excellent network storage solution for consumers and small businesses. The amazingly simple software installation and setup combined with the amount of storage and reasonable transfer speeds make the Iomega StorCenter ix2 one of the best stand-alone network storage solutions we've tested.

Like almost any networked attached storage enclosure, the Iomega StorCenter ix2 doesn't offer the same speed as an eSATA drive connected directly to your computer. Likewise, the ix2 suffers from some degree of security vulnerability unless the network is well secured. In other words, if you just plug this drive into your unsecured wireless router at home and don't use a password on the StorCenter ix2 itself then just about anyone in range of your router could have access to your files. Nevertheless, these minor issues are common to all NAS enclosures.

Overall, the Iomega StorCenter ix2 offers a remarkably easy-to-use stand-alone network drive and gives you lower power consumption than a full desktop running as a networked drive. Road warriors and netbook owners who are either worried about the security of their laptop hard drive or have limited storage space on their netbook might want to consider the purchase of this NAS for their home networks.

Pros:

• Easiest setup software we've ever used
• Fast transfer rates over 1Gb Ethernet, acceptable over 100Mb Ethernet
• USB connectivity for more storage
• Solid build quality
• Reasonably compact

Cons:

• Hard drives are a little noisy
• Difficult to access drives inside enclosure if repair is needed

Pricing and Availability

The Iomega StorCenter ix2 ($299.99 for 1TB, $479.99 for 2TB) is available for purchase on the Iomega website or at many retail and online stores.

 

Thank you very much for the review.

I'm looking for a NAS but I can't find other reviews and searching for "NAS" didn't help, so is there any other particular model that I should check?

 

Western Digital has their new ShareSpace enclosure, Buffalo has the LinkStation Mini and the DriveStation FlexNet. There are many different consumer-grade NAS solutions on the market, but the ones I just mentioned are a few others to consider if you're looking for alternatives to the Iomega StorCenter ix2.

That said, I have to say again that Iomega did a fantastic job with the installation software for the ix2 and overall it's a darn good network storage setup for average joes and techies alike.

On the other hand, when it comes to drive enclosures with multiple drives I tend to like the fact that Western Digital uses enclosures that allow you to easily access the drives and replace one or both drives if you need to. Granted, most average consumers aren't going to open up a NAS and mess with the drive(s) inside, but it's nice to have an enclosure that is easy to open and easy to remove the drives.

 

$300 for a 1TB is ok, but almost $500 for 2TB Instead I would buy an old desktop, plug-in a RAID card and 2x 1TBs put Linux and have my own home made expandable NAS for $200 less (which is actually more than just a storage device)..... Well, thats just me

 

Indeed, a desktop running as a network drive is indeed the ideal solution for many. But some people don't have an old desktop sitting around, and don't want to mess with a cheap desktop from ebay. Likewise, some people want the small form factor of a stand alone NAS and the lower power consumption.

A stand-alone NAS runs on a fraction of the power used by a desktop.

If I already had an old desktop sitting around and several large hard drives I'd go the DIY route. However, if you don't know much about setting up network drives (or securing them) and don't already have the hardware on hand then a NAS enclosure like the StorCenter ix2 makes perfect sense.

 

Yes I agree...

I didn't notice the USB expandability first time I skimmed through the article .. well, if it has USB then I guess this is something worth considering... Any limit on the maximum number of pluggable USB devices (with a hub) or storage capacities ?

 

One question I have for you concerning RAID 1 (mirroring).
If I setup the Iomega in RAID 1 and one drive fails, the data remains on the other one, just pop in a new disc and rebuild the raid.

But what if the NAS fails? (Lightning hit once and broke my cable modem, switch and a laptop, basically everything attached to the wired network; it’s just one example, but anything can happen ). I don’t care about the NAS, but can I take one drive, put in a PC or a USB external enclosure and still access all the data? Are HDDs connected in RAID1 controller independent?

 

Does the iX2 StorCenter format the hard drives using a proprietary file system or it is just using NTFS ? File system is very important in case the box fails, NTFS would be accessible in a Windows PC, and a proprietary file system (or Linux file system) is not.

JerryJ can you please give us more details ?

 

Would greatly appreciate if someone could weigh in on the proprietary file format. I'm experiencing this exact problem right now and I can't seem to find anything to read this drive after the StorCenter failed. Thanks.