
Western Digital ShareSpace (WDA4NC20000)
A speedy, delicate and slightly pricey NAS.
Pros
- Fast transfer speeds, large storage capacity, aesthetically neutral, USB 2.0 one-touch backup
Cons
- Pricey, some key features require advanced feature tweaking that isn't explained in the manual, lacks FireWire connection, flimsy interior rack system
Bottom Line
The Western Digital ShareSpace (WDA4NC20000) is fast and comes bundled with two excellent 1TB hard drives, but it suffers from a slightly higher price tag than competing units and has a fragile interior racking system.
-
Price
$ 899.00 (AUD)
If you're looking for a fast network attached storage (NAS) device for home, or for a small office, and you want one that has lots of storage space, then the Western Digital ShareSpace 2TB, with its Gigabit Ethernet connection and three USB 2.0 ports, could be for you.
NAS units that are easy to set up and use, such as the LaCie Network Space, are rare. Recognising this, WD has attempted to simplify the set up of the ShareSpace and make it easier for Joey Bloggs to plug and play. WD has had limited success in making things easier; once you've connected the NAS, its detection software (WD Discovery Tool) makes finding it on your network quite simple, but certain key features — such as using the USB drive one-touch backup — still require the user to change the "Advanced" configuration settings. Once you're in the advanced settings, everything from the RAID configuration to user quota can be manipulated.
The amount of control over user accounts is good. Administrators can set quotas — how many gigabytes each specific user can download — as well as which folders users can access. Group permissions can be assigned, providing a simpler way to manage a number of accounts.
Hard drives can be configured in RAID 0, 1 and 5, but RAID 5 will require using all four drive slots. The 2TB version comes with two 1TB WD Caviar GP and has a total formatted capacity of 1.78TB, resulting in a cost per gigabyte of 50 cents.
We had trouble accessing the downloader function due to the username (downloader) being mysteriously absent from the manuals provided. We were then disappointed to find that the downloader wasn't a BitTorrent client, as found in the Synology Disk Station DS408, but rather an HTTP/FTP downloader. The downloader is accessed via the same login section as the configuration page, and it allows users to designate URLs from which the NAS will automatically download files.
The ShareSpace is neither blindingly ugly nor amazingly attractive. A dull silver coating and boxy shape ensure that users won't look at it twice, making it perfect for an office environment.
Opening the case, which is secured by captive thumbscrews that are permanently attached to the device, reveals a four-drive bay that is very user friendly. The screw-less racking system uses plastic brackets with six secure points that fit into the hard drive's screw holes, resulting in fewer cases of lost screws and making it easy to install hard drives without using any tools. Unfortunately, this also makes it far less sturdy when compared to the racking system found in the QNAP TS-409 Pro, for example, and the brackets seem a little weak.
The WD performed relatively well in our speed tests. We used 15GB worth of data and ran it on a Gigabit Ethernet switch. When transferring data from the ShareSpace to a PC, the WD averaged 25 megabytes per second; it averaged 14MBps when writing data from a PC. When reading and writing data from one folder on the NAS to another, it achieved an average rate of 10MBps.
The WD comes with three separate USB 2.0 ports: one on the front and two on the back of the unit. When the USB transfer button (which is located below the status panel on the front) is held for three seconds, all data from plugged-in USB drives is copied into a new folder on the NAS, making backups and data transfer easy. Unfortunately, the unit we reviewed came with this setting disabled; users will have to go into the advanced options and enable it. It's a minor issue, but one that may confuse novices because the manual fails to discuss it.
Brand Post

Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Miofive 4K Dash Cam review: This friendly road watcher is ‘here for you!’
- 2 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 3 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A review: This 4K monitor plays nice with consoles
- 4 Firewalla Gold review: Powerful home network security in a tiny box
- 5 Acer Aspire 5 review: An affordable laptop that’s enjoyable to use
Latest News Articles
- This write-once portable SSD can never be erased
- Seagate’s Star Wars ‘Beskar Steel’ SSDs are storage fit for a bounty hunter
- Micron’s microscopic NVMe SSD packs 2TB of lightning-quick storage
- ‘UltraRAM’ breakthrough could merge storage and RAM into one component
- Samsung’s first PCIe 5.0 SSD is here and it’s stupidly fast
Resources
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers

Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world

Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles

PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D

The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D

Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G

Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65

This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76

It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- 25 Essential Party Games On PC And Console To Play With Family And Friends
- Mesh Wi-Fi vs Traditional Routers: Which is better?
- Which flagship TV is best? Sony 4K HDR Bravia 2016 versus LG 4K HDR OLED 2016
- 10 Blu-ray movies / Best looking Blu-ray movies