Back in September Seagate introduced their first consumer NAS (Network Access Server) solution, the Seagate FreeAgent DockStar Network Adapter. They teamed up with Pogoplug to ensure your files at home can be easily accessed anywhere in the world. Bolstering a dock for your 2.5” Seagate FreeAgent Go as well as 3 USB ports for any other storage drives it looks like an all-star team on paper.

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Specifications

First Impressions

Much to our liking, Seagate came up with original packaging once again. Wrapped with a brown cardboard background and glossy images the sturdy box is easy to open. Inside, along with the DockStar, there is an AC adapter as well as an Ethernet cable. Instantly we were impressed by the build. The dock felt solid and so did the cables; in fact, the CAT5e cable may be the best LAN cable to have washed up on our review table.

Many consumers have hesitated setting up an NAS system as it can become quite a hassle. Yet, as you will learn later on in the review, the quick start guide provided by Seagate is sufficient for the average user.

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Design

The design of the DockStar evidently resembles that of the Seagate FreeAgent Dock with the difference with the white color. Still there were a few surprises: the unit itself is heavier than one would expect and the plastic is quite durable. But with its 100$ price tag, one should expect nothing else than a well built product.

Furthermore, the DockStar supports a total of four USB storage devices. On the rear there are dual USB ports as well as an Ethernet and AC adapter port. On the right there is an additional USB port and a “reset” button. This equates to a total of three USB ports and a dock for a Seagate FreeAgent hard drive.

The modern design and appearance of the dock is aesthetically pleasing and should blend into most setups. The front features a single small green LED in the center indicating if there is a storage device plugged into the dock.

Additionally, vents are lining the DockStar. Over a one month period, the DockStar continuously became hot but did not show any a signs of possible device failure. We cannot say the same, however, about a hard drive plugged into the FreeAgent rack. We observed that when leaving a FreeAgent hard drive in the holster for prolonged periods the combined heat from the DockStar and the hard drive may cause damage.  In our case, our hard drive began showing signs of possible failure.

Continuing on, when sliding a Seagate DockStar FreeAgent (in our case the BlackArmor PS110) into the holster we experienced a bit of wiggle. Although the connection was tight, the wiggle was slightly disappointing and did not reflect the build of the rest of the dock.

Setup and Software

Seagate designed this product with the average user in mind by keeping setup simple and quick. Taking all but a few minutes you simply plug the AC adapter in, hook it to your network (router), visit http://dockstar.pogoplug.com, activate your DockStar and pop your hard drive in. It is all in the quick start guide.

After activating and registering your DockStar on Pogoplug, you can visit the site and log in to access your files or alternatively you can download the Pogoplug software and access your files from “My Computer”.

The online interface is straightforward and functions similar to Windows Explorer. With only minor user interface differences, it makes accessing your files easy; you can create new folders, change the icons, and add more email addresses to allow others to access the files.

The main difference that we found was previewing files. Previewing images is similar to the “light box” feature which is often found on blogs. The image pops out in its original size as the area around it darkens. When the image is hovered upon, various controls such as “next image” and “play” (triggers a slide show) appear. Beneath are the surrounding images on a strip.

Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, if you are not fond of using your browser to access your files, you can download the Pogoplug software and access your files from “My Computer”. In our case the access speeds remained about the same when comparing the two methods, though the result will vary depending on one’s internet speed.

The average speed we obtained was 11Mb/s, which is similar to that of a 4GB flash drive. The similarities do not end there; both methods have a lack of “snappiness” and may feel quite sluggish if using a slower computer.

Generally, we would recommend downloading the Pogoplug software on your home computer and using the online interface to access files from the office or elsewhere. Using the Pogoplug software will save time as it is easier to load and no password is required.

Last but not least, with your purchase, Seagate provides you with a one year subscription to the Pogoplug service. The dock will continue to work without it on a home network but to access your files anywhere you will have to re-subscribe yearly for a rate of $25.

Conclusion

As Seagate’s first consumer NAS offering, the DockStar has shown to have its ups and downs. They did indeed keep it simple so that the average consumer should be able to set the dock up and use it with some flexibility at a acceptable speed. Furthermore, the 100$ price tag is a fair price. However, the heat produced is a little over the top and a larger form factor to deal with it would be welcomed.