Seagate introduces GoFlex Home networked drive

Seagate is expanding its GoFlex family of 'upgradeable' external HDDs with a new product that will provide networked storage and media playing capabilities for home computer users. The GoFlex Home comprises a single 1 or 2TB drive sitting on dock, which itself connects via Ethernet to a domestic wireless router to provide the usual NAS services, including automatic backups for up to three computers and serving media files to a DLNA-compliant device.

The included dock also hosts an additional USB 2.0 port which you can use to hook up a printer or connect an external drive for some extra storage capacity. On the software side, Seagate has included Memeo to handle backups but it's also Time Machine-compatible on Macs, Seagate Share facility to share content over the Internet by emailing a private link, and an optional Share Pro service which extends the latter to mobile devices for a one-time fee of $49.95.


It may lack some of the features of more advanced NAS solutions, and the fact that it is a single drive product means there's no mirroring-based data protection against crashes. But Seagate is hoping to lure buyers with ease of use and competitive prices. The GoFlex Home is pretty much plug-and-play and will run you $160 for the 1TB version or $230 for the 2TB model.