Orico Storage Backuper

Orico Storage Backuper Review

Orico is well-known for making great external storage products--and the newest venture, going by the name of "Storage Backuper," is an exciting one. Storage Backuper is an external backup solution specifically designed for smartphones...
Engenius ECS2512

Engenius ECS2512 Managed Switch Review: Cloud Management, Multi-gig, and PoE

If you're looking to step up from gigabit performance across a small network or node, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better solution than Engenius's managed 10/2.5GbE ECS2512 switch. It's available in a $750...
Signal Messenger Logo

Signal Messenger: Simple Security, Guaranteed Privacy, Great Functionality

In our hyper-connected, always-on world, privacy is in everyone’s thoughts. Instant messaging is the dominant tool for remote conversations. How can we use instant messaging and maintain our privacy? By using Signal. Signal Messenger Signal is...
Zyxel XGS1210 switch

Zyxel XGS1210 10GbE Switch Review: Affordable Faster Networking

Products such as Zyxel's excellent and extremely affordable ($179) XGS1210-12 are changing the high-bandwidth networking equation for the home and small business users. This transitional (it has gigabit as well) beauty is even managed,...
Synology DS920+

Synology DS920+ NAS Review: Fast CPU, M.2/NVMe Slots… Gigabit?

Synology makes excellent NAS boxes, and the $560 4-bay DS920+ is no exception--as far as it goes. The Intel Celeron J4125 4-core CPU is fast, there's 4GB of DDR4 memory, the operating system is...
Amber storage device review unit on a desk with a tv in background

Amber Review: AI-Powered Smart Storage

Amber, the flagship product of LatticeWork, Inc., is a smart home storage device with a built-in AC2600 wireless router. It contains an Intel Dual Core Gemini Lake CPU (1.1GHz - 2.6GHz), comes equipped with...
QNAP's M.2/10GbE PCIe expansion card

How to Upgrade your QNAP NAS Box to NVMe and 10GbE or 5GbE

A number of QNAP NAS boxes, including the TS-253B, TS-253D (that I use), and the TS-453KX recently reviewed here sport full-on PCIe slots. You can use these to add features not present in box...
Seagate IronWolf Pro 125 SSD

Seagate IronWolf Pro 125 SSD Review: Hard-working, Over-provisioned to the Max

When you opt for a more expensive SSD such as Seagate's new IronWolf Pro 125, you're largely paying for peace of mind. That is, the premium price reflects a higher endurance rating and heavy...
World map with pins and strings connecting cities

ExpressVPN Review: How Does It Perform (and How to Install) on Ubuntu?

ExpressVPN is considered one of the top-tier VPN products. We install it on Ubuntu 21.04 and use it from the command-line and from within a browser. How does it shape up? What is VPN? A Virtual Private...
LaCie 6Big

LaCie 6Big Thunderbolt 3 Review: Fast, Glamourous, and Expensive DAS

6Big is a direct-attached storage (DAS) device sporting six drive bays and a very appealing external design. The Neil Poulton imagined sharp edges, shadowy recesses and large blue power button still resonate. It doesn't...

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A Practical Guide to Small Business Network Security in 2025

This article provides a clear roadmap for implementing crucial cybersecurity measures to safeguard your company's digital assets.
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What is Btrfs? The Better (than most) File System

Btrfs may be a "better" file system next to everything except ZFS, but what Btr actually stands for is not "better", or "butter", but...
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A Brief History of the Floppy Disk

Ah, the floppy disk. How I miss thee. How I don't. There was a certain tactile pleasure to inserting you into your drive, and...
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How to Install ZFS and Create a ZFS Pool on Ubuntu

ZFS is a stable, robust, and fault-tolerant file system with built-in RAID-like properties and drive pools. We show you how to create a ZFS...
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What is UnRAID? Outstanding Capacity with Parity

There are a number of NAS operating systems out there, including several based on the BSD (Berkeley System Development) operating system. Most are proprietary...