Buffalo Link Station LS510D NAS review
Buffalo Link Station LS510D NAS
£129Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Unassuming style
- Reasonably fast
- Clear dash and app
- Access your files anywhere
Cons
- Basic admin options
- Apps such as Plex not supported
- Fixed storage size
Having Network Attached Storage (NAS) is one of those things that you don’t realise how useful it is until you have it. That’s speaking as a very recent convert. Buffalo are skilled at making easy to use storage solutions and I have the LS510 here to test.
The LS510D is from Buffalo’s Link Station range. This 2TB NAS has been designed to increase the size of your shared home data storage by creating your own personal cloud.
Other disk flavours are available if you need more space.
So, is the Link Station LS510D a helpful addition or just downright NASty?
LS510D NAS design
The LS510D is not here to attract the heart, but the mind. It is here to quietly and confidently go about its business.
The black box’s only real nod to flare is a single red strip embellishing the top of the unit’s front panel.
Designed to sit in an upright position, this NAS measures 45 x 128 x 205mm (W x H x D) and weighs in at 1.1kg.
On the roof of the LS510 are a series of cross slats to aid airflow should things get warm in there.
Around at the rear is where you’ll find the various connection ports. Mains power, Gigabyte ethernet, USB 3.0 and an On/Off slider switch are all present and correct.
LED power and activity lights are on the front of the box providing visible status feedback.
Handily bundled in the box are a power lead with interchangeable two and three-pin plugs and a ribbon style Ethernet cable.
LS510D NAS performance
The LS510 NAS box is powered by a Realtek RTD1195N Dual Core 1.0GHz processor with 256MB of DDR3 RAM.
The Link Station is compatible with Windows 7 32/64-bit and later or Mac OS X 10.7 and later.
LS510 NAS set up
The Quick Start Guide gives options to set up your Link Station via mobile device or your PC.
You also get clued in to how to get the NovaBACKUP and NAS Navigator 2 utilities downloaded. The latter is essential as that’s how you’re going to add files, etc.
This was all very straightforward – even though the unit I was sent still had the previous tester’s credentials saved. Powering on the LS510 whilst pressing down the red Function button resets the password to the default (admin/password), just in case you need to know.
From here, you will be required to set your own password to securely protect the content on your device.
Using the LS510 NAS
The NAS Navigator 2 interface features areas designated for photos, music, videos and applications within the User and Public sectors.
Apps for both iOS and Android devices have been created for use with the LS510 NAS. These apps are entitled SmartPhone Navigator and WebAccess.
Using these apps you can carry out management tasks and access content stored on this Buffalo Link Station unit from wherever you feel like.
Viewing documents, watching/downloading videos and music to my mobile device were all easily and quickly achieved.
Desktop interface
The PC interface is clean and easy to find your way around too.
From the main dashboard simply click in to the media type you’re after (here are some Fleetwood Mac FLAC files – or Flac FLACs as I call them) and you can view or play from there.
There are of course options to upload more, download the highlighted file to your local device or even publish it for all to see.
Ease of use
The Buffalo LS510D has obviously been designed to be used by everyone, no matter their technical knowledge. Unlike, say, the QNAP or Synology devices.
Apart from a little bit of password management, everything else is pretty straightforward. Both the mobile app (I tested the Android version) and desktop interfaces are very intuitive.
Buffalo LS510D review conclusion
The Link Station isn’t going to win any prizes on the catwalk, but that’s not the point. The LS510D is wearing practical clothes to do a practical job.
2TB of extra storage will suit most modern households. The fact that the data held can be accessed whenever, and wherever is a surefire bonus.
The ease of set-up, uploading, accessing, downloading and everything else makes using the LS510D a breeze for all. You don’t have to be a tech wizard to get things done here. If my parents were looking for their own personal cloud, I’d definitely recommend them to check out the Link Station line.
The same goes for people who don’t want to get knee-deep in admin/user options, security protocols, etc.
Buffalo Link Station LS510 NAS price and availability
You can buy the Link Station LS510 now from Amazon for £129. Link Station is also available in 3TB and 4TB models.
Check out the Buffalo website for more details.
