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This unassuming plastic box deserves its own infomercial. How much would you pay for a device--about the size of a hardcover book--that provides 250GB of storage space for networked computers, offers USB ports for sharing a printer or adding a USB storage drive, can back itself up to an attached USB drive and can work as an FTP server for Internet transfers? Don't answer just yet--it needs no external power supply; it's quiet and it will help you shed excess pounds. Okay, we're clearly overzealous, but the LinkStation sports an impressive list of features on paper. With a few minor bugs, interface problems and lack of Mac software, this device didn't live up to all of our expectations, but it still left us impressed.
At its most basic, the LinkStation 250GB is a network hard drive. (Other disk sizes are available for different prices.) We connected it to our Ethernet router with a 100BaseT port, and after plugging in, our networked computers immediately recognized the LinkStation so we could store files on its preset folder.
The LinkStation comes with no Mac software, so we had to modify all of the settings with a Web browser. Doing this required us to look up the dynamically assigned IP address in our router's setup screens and type that into Safari's URL field. This process may intimidate some home users; we would prefer Mac software to walk us through the setup. As it is, if you needed help setting up your Internet connection and home network, you'll need help installing the LinkStation. The box even says that it supports Macs, but notes: "Windows required for easy set up."
Because we use DHCP networks--as do most users--we had no trouble accessing the Web interface and updating the settings. We first set up accounts for all network users with login names and passwords; with these, we could enable or restrict access to parts of the hard disk. We also renamed our LinkStation and the user-accessible folders, when we found a minor interface quirk where the LinkStation wouldn't let us use certain characters. However, it didn't identify which ones caused the problem, so we stuck with plain letters. We mounted the shared volume on our computers with no problems. File transfers worked fine, but of course were limited by the speed of the network. Don't expect fast transfers; a wireless iBook (and AirPort Base Station) took about 20 minutes to move 600MB.
If you run out of room on the LinkStation's internal disk, you can attach an external USB or USB 2.0 drive. You can configure and reformat the USB drive, or even schedule automated backups from the internal to external drives with the Web browser interface. We would rather have had a FireWire port, but we liked being able to add more storage without hacking or replacing the original LinkStation.
We used the other USB port to interface with an Epson Color Photo 890 printer, adding that device to the network for all of our computers to share. The LinkStation supports most printers released in the past few years; ours connected easily. However, with the network interface, printing took several minutes, and advanced printer configuration is not available for every printer model.
A couple of flaws tarnish the LinkStation. It locks up occasionally, preventing printing or drive access. Restarting the device fixes the problem. We also would like to connect multiple printers and hard drives, instead of one of each. The LinkStation Network Storage Center is a useful way to share files over a network while also gaining a network bridge for USB printers. A lack of Mac software may make it too hard for beginners, but intermediate and patient users should enjoy its conveniences.
-ZACK STERN
LINKSTATION NETWORK STORAGE CENTER 250GB: 
Buffalo Technology | www.buffalotech.com | 800-456-9799 | $400
Pros: DHCP configuration automatically works, USB printer support, USB drive support, scheduled power downs.
Cons: No FireWire, non-DHCP networks may pose problems, no Mac software, printing and file transfer speeds limited by the network.
Requires: Ethernet network, OS 8.6 or later
macHOME recommends: Same
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