External HDD: USB2, Firewire, or network?

zedin

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So I am shopping for an external HDD but having problems deciding what to get. Basically it boils down to something that is USB2/firewire vs USB2/networkable. My father suggested networkable but not sure if I will be able to access it unless on that subnet (aka in the apartment vs out of town). If I could it would be great. But then if I got firewire I could always use it as a boot device if needed.

So.. any suggestions between the two?
 
im no expert but with out your own server and stuff you wouldnt beable to access it out of the house would go with firewire personaly
 
zedin said:
So I am shopping for an external HDD but having problems deciding what to get. Basically it boils down to something that is USB2/firewire vs USB2/networkable. My father suggested networkable but not sure if I will be able to access it unless on that subnet (aka in the apartment vs out of town). If I could it would be great. But then if I got firewire I could always use it as a boot device if needed.

So.. any suggestions between the two?
Personally I'd go with USB2/Network - there are drives out there that contain both, but it gets a tad pricey. If I had to pick just one, Id go with a USB2 device. You can also boot off of those, there's a lot more compatibility (If you're on a PC), and if you decide later to hook it up to the network you can buy a NAS (Network Attached Storage) adapter for under $100. So you can have the best of both worlds, a travel drive and a network attached drive. I'm actually going with this route - not only for pictures, but for transferring files from work and such.

I'll be buying from Newegg like I've done exclusively for the past 7 years - probably get a Linksys NSLU2 Storage adapter and the Western Digital 400GB My Book USB2/Firewire drive.

I've been in IT for over 10 years now, if that matters any with regards to your views on my opinion. But that's what I'll be getting.
 
They problem I see is that the travel drives cost soo much more for the space you get. I would think if I am traveling my HDD space on laptop should suffice if I don't have power outlet. Most all of the regular extrnal HDDs require a seperate power source (like the mybook.. although I am leaning towards it).
 

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