Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[speedyarmadillo]

From what I can tell, the DNS-320L seems to have all the features of a DNS-325 except a very slightly slower CPU and a slightly slower transfer rate, but it appears to have a much lower street price.  I assume there must be some differences in features that I have not noticed, otherwise D-Link would not be selling 2 models with the same features yet different price points.  Can someone please educate me on the differences?

Thanks.

[JavaLawyer]

D-Link has three ShareCenter lines

• 2-Bay, Product Line (Low): DNS-320L (Predecessors: DNS-320, DNS-321)
  
• 2-Bay, Product Line (Mid): DNS-327L (Predecessors: DNS-325, DNS-323)
  
• 4-Bay, Product Line: DNS-345 (Predecessor: DNS-343)

The DNS-325 is in a higher tiered category, which includes the recently released DNS-327L. Besides hardware specifications, the DNS-325/327L support the ability to install add-on applications that support additional functionality. The DNS-320L is a Cloud series NAS, as are all the "L" series. Cloud enabled ShareCenters are supported by the mydlink services, while non-L series are not.

[speedyarmadillo]

Thanks for the reply JavaLawyer.
That helps a lot as it tells me the 325 as a product usurped by the 327L which is what I assumed but could not find info on as they were still selling the 325.

I do not need added functionality from add-on apps, so I'm fine without those, but the "cloud" marketing of the 320L raises another question.
What is a cloud series NAS from D-Link's point of view?  Some manufacturers use the word cloud to mean you *must* open an account on their website and have them monitor your activity etc, while others just use "cloud" as a buzzword that does mean anything, so I am wondering what D-Link means by cloud?

[JavaLawyer]

D-Link offers a free service called "mydlink". One you create an account, you can register all of your D-Link Cloud devices with your new mydlink account. The net result is a single point of access via mobile app or desktop browser to all of your D-Link Cloud devices (e.g. Cloud network cameras, NAS, router, access point, etc.). You can log into your devices via a mobile app or desktop service and access your devices and perform functions specific to each device. For example, if you own a network camera, you can view the live feeds from mydlink, configure the settings, perform firmware updates, etc.

You can read more about mydlink Cloud here: https://www.mydlink.com/whats_mydlink

[speedyarmadillo]

Your URL did help shed light on what "cloud" meant to DLink.  So in a nutshell, it sounds as if "cloud" to DLink means that you can log into the "mydlink" website and that will allow you to remotely view files on your 320L or webcams attached to your 320L.
I then downloaded the manual for the 320L and it appears to indicate that creating an account on "mydlink" is optional, which is great as I just do not want any attachment beyond my LAN for my NAS. 

The other thing I care about was if I can set up the 320L without having to install any software on my PC, and although all tutorials I found only show how to set up a 320L using the supplied DLink installation software, the manual seemed to allude that it is possible to set it up manually just like we used to do on the DNS-323, which his great as I do not want to install any software on any of my PCs.

So it sounds like I can install and set up a 320L just like I did my good old faithful DNS-323 which has been running flawlessly 24 hours a day for over 5 years now (meaning it is possible to instal it using a simple manual set up, without any software installation required on a PC, without any "cloud" accounts being created, and without any monitoring of the 320L by outside URLs).

If I made a mistake in the summary please let me know, otherwise thanks for the help.

[JavaLawyer]

Your assessment is on-point. Registering a device with mydlink is optional. No product specific software or drivers are required to access or configure the DNS-320. There is a setup wizard application, but even that can be circumvented as it's only required if you intend to register the device with mydlink. Everything required to configure the DNS-320L (except for mydlink access) is available by accessing the on-board firmware web UI from a browser.

[sbrbot]

Good review with comparison of DNS-327L vs DNS-320L:

https://us.hardware.info/reviews/5108/5/27-2-bay-nas-devices-tested-d-link-dns-320l--dns-327l