HP MediaSmart Server EX490

That's more than can be said for the much-trumpeted ability to access the server from an Apple iPhone using HP's custom app, which I duly installed from the App Store. Nothing I could do would get this feature to work, despite painstakingly reconfiguring the server, my iPhone, my broadband modem and my router. That's six hours of my life that I'll never get back.

Why put it on your desk? Because it runs quietly.

Despite all the media file management, the best thing about the MediaSmart Server EX490 is its powerful support for network backup. Once set up, user connections to their shares were rock-solid (some other NAS products can be flaky in this respect) and the backups ran very reliably and bloody fast too. I had Windows and Macs on the same network happily triggering automated backups in the background using Windows Home Server Backup and Time Machine respectively, and the individual file restore functions worked correctly.

Verdict

This is a solid and reliable product, my iPhone debacle put aside, that is well-featured and performs admirably. It is not the cheapest four-bay NAS product on the market, though, and it is a long way from being the most affordable 1TB media server. Home entertainment enthusiasts ought to be able to get their kicks for less elsewhere. But for small businesses, or indeed home-based businesses that need to combine media functions, £399 for an expandable HP-branded server strikes me as terrific value for money. ®

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