LaCie Wireless Space Launched – Wi-Fi Storage, iTunes Server, Router & Backup Solution

Written by Rob Nichols on September 18, 2010 · Filed under Tech 

Great new products are coming thick and fast out of the LaCie headquarters over the past couple of weeks; first with the new Rikiki Go external drive followed by the inclusion of USB 3.0 in Rikiki Go and Minimus hard drives. Now however, the company has decided to briefly move away from all the wires, be they USB 2.0 or 3.0, with the announcement of the new LaCie Wireless Space.

Aesthetically, the product is in line with LaCie’s current range of home entertainment devices and a couple of external hard drive enclosures, being designed by Neil Poulton. Being predominantly a glossy black finish with a glowing blue, LED lit, front end, in fact it looks very much like the LaCie LaCinema Classic HD – 1080p Home Media Center Server – all in all it’s an extremely sleek device, as is usually the case with LaCie, and will look good in pretty much any home I’m sure.

So what exactly does it do? I mean, it’s all well and good having a great looking enclosure, but when forking out several hundred pounds, you want a bit more than just a beautiful box. Well, the basic aim of the device is to offer an all-in-one solution for wireless storage and network streaming, in addition to other major functions.

So, with prices starting at £179.99, what can you expect from the Wireless Space, which is above and beyond anything else on offer? Well, the basics are of course the ability to back up your files wirelessly around your home network as well as streaming movies, music or pictures through UPnP/DLNA.

More interestingly though, you can use the device as an iTunes server for streaming all your iTunes content to compatible devices and computers in your home. Perhaps then, while not its primary function, this compatibility may make this the perfect companion for the new Apple TV?

Plus, while we’re on the topic of Apple, the Wireless Space from LaCie works with Macs as well as PCs, with Time Machine backup compatibility too.

“There are a variety of network devices you need to buy to have a full solution to connect your computers, share media and back up your files,” remarked Julien Ott, Product Manager for Network Attached Storage, LaCie. “LaCie is thrilled to bring Wi-Fi connectivity to the Wireless Space and deliver a truly all-in-one solution for the varying different network needs of any home.”

In addition to being a fantastic solution to all your backup and storage needs, and allowing for scheduled backups etc, you can also use the LaCie Wireless Space to improve your home Wi-Fi connection by deploying it as a b/g/n access point and fully featured router!

On the rear of the box you find 4 LAN ports alongside a pair of USB ports and a port for the power cable. There’s also another USB port on the front of the box, too, which to me is a little unnecessary and takes something away from the seamless look it’s gunning for.

Overall the LaCie Wireless Storage is an extremely promising network attached storage (NAS) device, which may be expensive, but ultimately swears to become the focal point of many home storage and networking solutions.

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