Computing on Demand PC News & Reviews
Throughout the years I have known Buffalo, their approach to design has been a simple one. It is what it is, a network appliance. The TS5400D doesn’t bombard you with any snazzy colors or crazy design elements. Instead, the TS5400D has an almost DC comic feel to it, like something you would see in the Bat Cave. It is dark and sinister looking… and I like it.
Up front, the NAS takes a minimalistic approach. There is a small LCD screen that offers up various tidbits of information. There is a Power button, a display button, and a function button. Directly above the LCD, a small row of four LEDs (Info, Error, LAN1, LAN2) completes the information panel.
Hidden behind a very well made fan filtered and lockable door resides the four Seagate Barracuda 2000GB hard drives our test unit is outfitted with. While fiddling with drives, the TS5400D reminds you that security is important, you are unable to remove the keys until the lock is once again secured. Each drive finds a home in a numbered HDD tray with a simple (no springs) thumb clip for easy installation and removal. Hidden right above the drives is a reset button that you must press and hold for a quick shutdown and reboot.
The back of the unit is home to the 2 x USB 3.0 ports, the 2 x USB 2.0 ports, both 10/100/1000 Auto Sensing Ethernet ports (Port Trunking is available), the Power plug, a fan, a serial port for UPS, and an option to boot from USB or HDD. The boot to USB option allows you to insert the recovery USB drive into a USB 2.0 port and for easy system recovery.
