The Linksys NSL was $129. This compares favorably to some network storage devices with built-in storage I looked at- they were in the $300 price range with a 160 GB drive. A 160 GB drive seems to sell in the $150 price range or thereabouts now, so…comparable.

The main advantage I saw to keeping the USB drive as a “separate” thing is that it means that I can always buy a different network storage device down the road and the storage is still useful. There are advantages to both designs though.