Last questions before buying a WL-700gE

[fanch]

Hi

I am almost done in my readings of all the reviews of the WL-700gE on the net and only some few questions remain. I hope the answer is out there... somewhere.

1- I can't find any real competitor to this product except for the Freecom 3-wlan that has no BT and is more expensive. Have I missed something?

2- all the reviews write that files larger than 4 GB can not be downloaded and this might have to do with some firmware issue. Is it still the case? (the reviews are one year old)

3- Can the HDD be replaced by any IDE HD? for example a 750GB? What is the procedure for replacement?

4- USB HDD can be connected to the router. I have read that they had to be formated in FAT32, is that so?

5- How long can a USB cable be between the router and the HDD or a printer?

Thanks!

Fanch

[dalanik]

Let me try to answer to the best of my knowlegde :-)


1- I can't find any real competitor to this product except for the Freecom 3-wlan that has no BT and is more expensive. Have I missed something?

I didn't look much recently, but I also don't know any other NAS/router with such functionality - that's why I bought WL700gE :-)



2- all the reviews write that files larger than 4 GB can not be downloaded and this might have to do with some firmware issue. Is it still the case? (the reviews are one year old)


This is true. But in the meantime, there is "hacked" firmware which is pretty easy to install which offers better functionality and has no limit in size of torrents.


3- Can the HDD be replaced by any IDE HD? for example a 750GB? What is the procedure for replacement?


Yes, it can be replaced, I dunno the exact procedure, it is somewhere on the forum, please search...


4- USB HDD can be connected to the router. I have read that they had to be formated in FAT32, is that so?

It can be either in router's custom format if you want to use MIRROR functionality (to mirror the internal drive for backup purposes), or in FAT32. NTFS drives can be connected as read-only.


5- How long can a USB cable be between the router and the HDD or a printer?

Hm, hard to tell, but I think for printer, even 3-4m cable would work OK.

see here: http://www.usb.org/about/faq/ans5


regards,
Dalibor

[Maccro]

Also keep in mind that that "hacked" firmware is quite mature and has gone through a lot of testing. It is better in most every way than the manufacturer's firmware. Much more secure and extensible. I like "custom" firmware better than "hacked" myself :).

[fanch]

Thanks a lot for the replies! I am now ready to place the order!

Francois

[kfurge]

I like "custom" firmware better than "hacked" myself :).

Yeah, me too... ;-)

- K.C.

[dalanik]

Yeah, me too... ;-)

- K.C.

Apologies - just the first word that came to mind :-)

D.