For those looking for a convenient and uncomplicated way to back up a small network, the Clickfree C2N is hard to beat. Our TopTenREVIEWS Silver Award winner not only has wireless network backup, but also exceptional performance for a USB 2.0 external hard drive. It also has a modern, durable design that underscores portability.
The Clickfree C2N does not have a USB 3.0 interface, so the drive's transfer speeds are noticeably slower than those that do. However, the portable hard drive reigns supreme among USB 2.0 drives, offering quick transfer speeds up to 480Mbps.
While we focused on the 500GB C2N model, the external hard drive is available in other storage capacities, including 250GB and 320GB. But for just a few dollars more, the 500GB model definitely delivers the lowest cost-per-gigabyte, giving computer users the most bang for their buck.
Right out of the box, the Clickfree C2N is an attractive, pocket-sized drive with a glossy plastic casing and clean, sleek lines. The external hard drive is also very lightweight – weighing a mere 6.08 ounces – and has a built-in USB cable that tidily fastens into a small groove on the back of the drive when not in use.
Perhaps what we loved most about the drive's compact design is the fact that it comes with a docking station. Not only does it look good, but the dock has a Y-shaped USB cable with two separate connectors. So even though the drive is bus-powered (powered through the same cable that provides data transfer), this allows an additional power supply to be plugged in if a single USB port fails to provide enough power to the drive. Whether on the go or sitting on a desk, the C2N external hard drive looks as good as it performs.
One thing we noted was the drive does seem to lack some of the durability and sturdiness of some competitors, especially those with drop protection features. This is definitely something to keep in mind before blindly tossing the drive into your bag.
The Clickfree C2N drive is brimming with features we found to be versatile and extremely beneficial even for the casual user. Its flagship feature – and the one that ultimately won us over – is wireless network backup. Users simply plug the drive into each computer on a home or small business network that they want to routinely back up. The drive will automatically install BackupLink, a Clickfree application that wirelessly links each computer to the drive without requiring a direct USB connection. As long as the external hard drive is connected to one of the networked computers, it will remotely back up each computer equipped with BackupLink whenever backups are manually prompted or have been scheduled. What we found to be even more appealing about this particular feature is that the drive is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems and thus can seamlessly be used with a network that contains both.
The only caveat with this feature is any network computer you want backed up, as well as the computer the drive is physically connected to, must each be on at the time of the backup. Despite this minor inconvenience, the external hard drive still constitutes a simple and convenient solution for any user who wants to back up multiple computers without having to be very tech-savvy or getting really involved in network backup.
The USB hard drive also comes with backup software we found to be very easy to use and highly customizable. The software is pre-loaded onto a separate partition on the drive, something we really like because users don't have to download any external software. The partition is basically locked so users cannot change or delete the software by mistake. For those looking for the utmost plug-and-play operability in an external hard drive, the Clickfree C2N has default settings that automatically classify data into specific categories when backed up, such as text documents, photos, music files and more. Additionally, there's advanced settings that allow users to create customized and scheduled backups; you can even create custom groups with different file extensions.
The Clickfree C2N possesses a few security features that are worth calling out, including password protection and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. This type of encryption secures all files found on the external hard drive and is useful in the event the drive is ever lost or stolen. One slightly annoying issue is users must type in set passwords on the drive to unlock it before any scheduled or manual backups can occur; inconvenient perhaps, but it seems to us a small price to pay to ensure data remains secure continuously.
Clickfree offers a generous three-year warranty from the date of purchase that covers any defects in workmanship. However, users should be aware that they must provide proof of purchase to call up the warranty, so be sure to keep all packaging and receipts that come with the external hard drive.
We were pleased to find that Clickfree's customer service options are just as impressive and well-rounded as the drive itself. Online resources on the Clickfree website include product-specific FAQs, troubleshooting guides and user manuals. Moreover, the company offers a toll-free telephone number and departmental email addresses that can be used to contact a customer service representative directly. Although we like that Clickfree offers such comprehensive help and support options, we weren't so impressed with the company's response time; it took them three days to respond to an email inquiry we sent.
The Clickfree C2N drive offers comparable performance and many of the same features one would expect to find on other high-quality portable hard drives; however, network backup capabilities put this powerful and smartly designed drive ahead of the pack. Whether you're a tech-savvy backup expert or a casual computer user, the Clickfree C2N might be the best all-around external hard drive for your home network.
