Iomega readies wireless SOHO NAS kit

But minus best Wi-Fi security system

Iomega will next week ship a pair of wireless-enabled Network-Attached Storage (NAS) units pitched at homes and small offices, the company said yesterday.

The NAS 100d features an integrated 802.11b/g adaptor, but as yet the machine doesn't support the WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) specification, viewed by the Wi-Fi Alliance as the baseline for operating a secure WLAN. At launch, the 100d will only support the older and very much weaker Wired Equivalent Protocol (WEP) security scheme.

Fortunately, the 100d still provides a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port for fixed-line connections. It also incorporates a pair of USB 2.0 ports to allow further external storage units to be added. Iomega said it plans to add support for its Rev back-up drives later this year.

The 100d is based on a 266MHz Intel XScale IXP420 processor. The unit and its hard drive can be accessed by any Windows, Mac, Linux or Unix client.

The 100d will ship this month, Iomega said, in 160GB and 250GB versions, priced at $499 and $599, respectively. As yet, the products have not been announced in Europe. In North America, both come with a two-year warranty. ®

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