![]() ![]() That means, over the course of two years, the Pogoplug's energy savings could literally pay for itself, if you replace your PC-based file server with itĪll in all, the Pogoplug make an excellent network device for anyone who wants a simple and quick solution for sharing files on a network or over the Internet. That's compared to a desktop PC, which would cost $20 to $60. The Pogoplug draws between 6 and 8 watts of power while operating (with a Western Digital Passport drive plugged in), which means it'll cost less than $2 per year to operate. If you don't need that sort of support, though, the Pogoplug is definitely a "greener" alternative for anyone who would normally use a PC as a file server. This is not a deal-breaker considering the device's niche, but still we hope that this will be added via new firmware sometime in the future. That means you can't access Pogoplug-based files on non-PC media devices such as the PS3, Xbox 360, and network music players such as Sonos and Squeezebox. Our biggest and only beef with the Pogoplug was its inability to share files with anything besides a PC or iPhone-it doesn't offer DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), UPnP, or SMB file-sharing support. However, Seagate is going to charge $30 per year for the capability to access the DockStar drives from outside your home network-which makes the no-fee Pogoplug a better deal, since it also works with Seagate drives. ![]() Also, Pogoplug has licensed its technology to Seagate for inclusion in that company's DockStar base station. The Pogoplug Web site offers plenty of useful tutorials and FAQs, and the support staff is reachable by e-mail from 9 a.m. The Pogoplug is covered by a one-year warranty for defects, as well as a 30-day return policy. Likewise, the company has a "doomsday plan" in place, should it ever go out of business, that would open the source code to a possible successor to restart the service. Security is always a concern for "cloud-based" applications, but Pogoplug's developers claim that the company doesn't keep any data on its servers. Video playback was slow and problematic, even over Wi-Fi, but we could view Office docs in full formatting. Music streaming over 3G sounded excellent and worked smoothly, but the app only plays individual tracks-you can't access playlists, nor can you play all songs in a folder. Files can be accessed remotely and even downloaded to the app itself for offline viewing. The Pogoplug iPhone app lets you access (and search) your files from any iPhone or iPod Touch.Īs a bonus, there's an iPhone app that works very well in several respects. Finish up by creating a Pogoplug account (mercifully, you need only supply an e-mail address and password), and you're done. If the system doesn't automatically recognize your Pogoplug on the home network, you just need to type in the unique 26-digit serial code printed on the unit. Just fire up your PC's Web browser, go to my., and follow the onscreen setup wizard. For most network devices, that's where the aggravation begins, but the Pogoplug setup process is about as simple and stress-free as it gets. Then you need to go through the setup process. Once you've plugged in the USB drive, the included Ethernet cable (running to your home network's router), and the power, you should get a couple of green lights on the unit indicating that it's properly communicating with your home network. And the Pogoplug isn't picky it supports basically all existing popular file systems including NTFS, FAT32, Mac OS Extended (Journaled and non-Journaled), and EXT-2/EXT-3. By default it supports only one device but you can change that by using a USB hub. The USB connection will accommodate any USB external storage. The Pogoplug (plugged into a wall outlet) sharing a Maxtor USB hard drive. ![]()
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