Those who do it for work have experienced it a lot of times, but it happened a bit to everyone that first and then needed a case like this Inateck Docking Station, a USB 3.0 dock capable of hosting disks on the fly for when not. we know how.
Inateck Docking Station, here with a 3.5 “disk and a 2.5” SSD
Inateck Docking Station, the review
On the fly
Inateck Docking Station is part of that category of products that, even without being particularly striking, cannot be missing in the desk of those who use the Mac or PC a little more than superficially.
It is not beautiful, and even in the packaging that arrives, the essential aspect immediately shines through, for a product that inevitably focuses on practicality rather than design.
Inside the box, next to the Inateck Docking Station there is the power cable and a USB 3.0 cable on USB-A and USB-B connectors.
Inateck Docking Station with two 3.5 ″ disks
Immediately ready
Practicality we said: in fact, to work it does not need anything: you connect it and it goes, even with old Macs, without the need for drivers.
In the back next to the two connectors there is the power button, while just above some small LEDs indicate both the operation of the discs and their operation.
The drive works with 3.5 ″ and 2.5 ″ drives independently and these can also be hot-mounted (from drive on).
Two, but no chatter
One of the advantages of this unit is to be able to use two disks at the same time, without problems, making them communicate with the connected computer separately.
It is not possible to perform the hardware RAID, but perhaps for this category of device it is a slightly too advanced need, also because its nature is to host the disks temporarily, not permanently, because the prolonged exposure of the electrical parts could decrease the life of the disc.
With Mac
For the tests we used an 8 TB Toshiba N300 Hard Disk (a 3.5 ″ drive for NAS) combined with a 500 GB AngelBird 2.5 SSD drive in order to have a hybrid situation, obtaining two distinct volumes on the desk.
The management of the two disks is completely independent, like having two separate USB drives, with the only difference that, by brutally unmounting one unit, the device dismounts them both (reassembling the remaining unit in a matter of seconds).
From Mac we also carried out a speed test: both on SSD and HardDisk the speed detected was not the best, a sign that continuous storage is not suitable for this unit, more designed for emergencies or for connecting on the fly. discs.
It's not super fast, but the speed here isn't the first entry
Without Mac
One of the most interesting features is the independent operation, through which the unit, if instructed by pressing a special button, without being connected to anything clones the disk in the first slot entirely in the unit of the second slot.
The operation takes longer than expected, because the cloning process probably copies not only the visible elements but also the invisible elements.
Progress is indicated by a set of small LEDs that show the progress of the operation.
Inateck Docking Station here on our desk, during an offline copy
Conclusions
It goes without saying that for those who deal with assistance for work or for pleasure in a constant or occasional way, a unit like Inateck Docking Station cannot be missing on the desk (or in the drawer, to be taken out for the occasion).
The ability to copy the contents of a damaged computer disk to save the remaining data is priceless for the owner and even a single intervention returns even the small investment without hurting yourself.
The independent disk copying function is very convenient, as it frees your Mac from an otherwise long and tedious task.
A little more speed would have been welcome but the main objective in this case was the practicality of the device and its elasticity, passed the exam.
Pro:
• Double slot • Automatic copy • Hot mounting
Cons:
• No hardware RAID • A little slow
Price:
• 39.99 Euros (2 slots, USB 3.0) – Amazon link that you can reduce to 31.99 Euros using the code EA2WR4ZP during purchase • 49.99 Euro (2 slots, USB-C) – Amazon link • 38.99 Euro (2 slots, USB 3.0, gaming style) – Amazon link
Readers can find all the features of the Inateck Docking Station starting from the official website: for purchase, the product is available directly from the Amazon pages in the USB 3.0 version (subject of this test), USB-C (for new Macs) and also in USB 3.0 version but with a more gaming look.
