Les soldes d’été démarrent officiellement aujourd’hui (26 juin) et elles dureront 4 semaines. Elles se termineront donc le mardi 23 juillet 2024. C’est l’occasion pour de nombreuses personnes de faire de « bonnes affaires ». Avec l’inflation, il faut faire attention et dépenser prudemment. Voici notre sélection des meilleures réductions du moment… NAS Le NAS 4 baies Synology DS923+ est à 589,99€ au lieu de 750€ au lancement. C’est une réduction intéressante pour un produit complet et évolutif. Lire notre test… Le tout nouveau NAS 2 NAS QNAP TS-264 est à 539,99€ avec le code SOL20. Il s’agit d’un des […]
Lire la suite : Soldes été 2024 : NAS, disque dur, SSD, onduleur…

Should Users Consider a UniFi Network? The Good, the Bad and the Weird

If you have been shopping around for a comprehensive network management solution (urgh – such a wanky phrase, but ok) for your small/medium/large business, then chances are that Ubiquiti and the UinFi platform has appeared on your radar. Whilst on the surface they just seem like another brand name among the crowded marketplace of Cisco, Huawei, Netgear, Juniper and HP, they differ from many other brands in 2 key areas. 1) they have a very broad hardware portfolio of ‘in house’ hardware that extends beyond just network switches, and 2) Their Unifi Controller software platform is designed around being more use-friendly. It’s by no means idiot-proof (more on that later) and command line control will be needed to make the very most of it, but it’s far more modular ‘1 click connect’ architecture and presentation of the network has long made it a recommended choice for companies that want a more cost-effective (relative to Cisco, HP, etc) network solution that still manages to be highly capable, user-friendy and highly scalable. However, UniFi networking and deployment is definitely NOT for everyone! So, today I want to go through 5 reasons why UniFi might be ideal for your office deployment and requirements – as well as 5 reasons why it might be better to stay on the fence a while longer and/or shop elsewhere! Let’s start with The positives!

Key Building Blocks in a UniFi Network
All-in-One Dream Machine	WiFi 6 and 7 Access Point	G5 Flex Desktop Camera	Official UniFi  UPS
UniFi Website – $399 – HERE Amazon – $439 – HERE	UniFi Website – $143 – HERE Amazon – $139 – HERE	UniFi Website – $103 – HERE Amazon – $140 – HERE	UniFi Website – $399 – HERE Amazon – $449 – HERE

A UniFi Network Can Be Set Up FAST and EASY!

Simple UI – 1-click software installs – 1-click hardware pairing

One of the most commonly stated advantages of utilizing UniFi in your home or business network, as opposed to alternative mixed hardware solutions from Netgear and Cisco, is that UniFi ends up being one of the quickest and easiest network management platforms on the market. Although it certainly isn’t child’s play, the dashboard and user interface of UniFi is remarkably user-friendly. Configuration options are presented clearly and simply, meaning that the level of technical knowledge required before deploying the network is substantially lower than that for other enterprise-grade network hardware.

This is especially true when adding more devices to the network. UniFi automatically notifies you when a device is being added and streamlines integration into a single management panel with a single click. For example, if your managed UniFi switch recognizes that UniFi Protect cameras have been connected, you will be immediately presented with the option to adopt these cameras into your primary network without having to deal with usernames, passwords, or even MAC addresses. Even some third-party devices appear with unique icons and information related to their MAC identity in the UniFi dashboard. And if you are running a UniFi Dream Machine or another multi-purpose network controller system, you can install further applications like UniFi Display and UniFi Protect with a single click.

All of this adds up to more than just a glorified switch management portal; it’s a single, network-wide control and information center at your fingertips, presented with a modern UX and a GUI that meets the needs of most mid-tier users. This single-click adoption of a network appliance via the UI even includes the installation of the latest firmware before attaching the device, ensuring that devices introduced to the UniFi network are up-to-date and secure. There are still some more technical elements required for advanced VLAN creation to separate your devices safely and securely, requiring further understanding of network protocols. However, it is undeniable that setting up and configuring your primary UniFi network is easier than with any other device in 2024 at this level of hardware.

Almost Unbeatable Hardware Range vs. the Rest of the Industry

PoE Switches – WiFi 7 APs – Fisheye and Edge AI Cameras – Depth Surveillance Rackmount NVRs – Combo Switch and NVRs – PoE Powered Screens

One of the main reasons that UniFi has become so popular as a network management platform is because of how much of the “network” it covers with its hardware solutions. If you are looking for a managed multi-layer switch to handle data packet exchanges between client devices in your home or business, there are plenty of options available. However, UniFi also provides a wide range of PoE companion switches to bolster your primary network, as well as the ability to add numerous PoE-powered wireless access points in both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 7 certifications. Once again, all of these can be integrated into your single UniFi network semi-automatically with a single click on the UI dashboard.

Just a few examples:

Not enough? This can also be expanded into a very diverse surveillance setup, with UniFi providing a range of different cameras that scale from the fairly domestic USB desktop models all the way up to edge AI-powered cameras in various configurations, from bullet to fisheye. They even offer multi-purpose network management solutions that integrate the UniFi controller with network management, PoE hardware control, and NVR systems all rolled into a single device, like the UDM series or UniFi Dream Machine. But things expand even further! UniFi also offers dedicated screens and displays (available in PoE as well) that can be used as control panels, running custom APIs or simply displaying targeted websites. There are dedicated security management portals acting as miniaturized UniFi gateways, and access control devices for your home and business that integrate smoothly into the rest of the UniFi managed network and surveillance services. It is a comprehensive arrangement of hardware to fill your small or large business network, all managed under the same brand label and controlled by a single UniFi controller portal.

Network Topography and Graphical Visualization

Layout – Dynamic – Internet Flow – Bandwidth Layout – Quick VLAN Creation – Client and Node Views

I know I have labored the point somewhat about the simplified UI and dashboard you use when controlling and monitoring your UniFi network. However, I want to give a specific shoutout to the network visualization tool and topography GUI in the UniFi controller dashboard. The majority of managed switches and network controller software on the market often rely on alphanumeric categorizations of devices in a local area network when displaying what is connected to what and how much network coverage is afforded to any given device. Some slightly more expensive platforms will provide graphical images on the GUI that denote what is connected, apply QoS/POS rules, branch off connections into VLANs, or deny service to individual devices or ports. So what makes the visualization of this information on UniFi any better?

Easy. The dynamic graphical layout of the entire UniFi network hardware and connected third-party devices displayed in the topographical map of the UniFi controller dashboard is absolutely top-notch. Not only does it neatly layout a dynamic, up-to-the-second display of every single device and how they are connected, but it also comes with numerous filters that allow you to track:

• Internet Services: The speed, direction, and bandwidth separation of your ISP flow throughout all devices (including even wireless domestic devices like phones and tablets).
• Device Layout: Connected via individually created VLANs, showing how they are clustered together or apart, ensuring you can see at a glance if one device has a means to theoretically access another.
• Bandwidth Details: Afforded bandwidth of all connected devices is detailed on-screen, even if data packets are not being exchanged. This means you can immediately see if devices are connected on a 2.5G/10G bandwidth connection that will never use them, allowing you to troubleshoot and ensure greater bandwidth connections for devices most likely to capitalize on it.
• Data Flow Monitoring: The ability to monitor exchanges between devices and identify potential bottlenecks between the central UniFi network controller and the flow of data between numerous gateways (e.g., UDM, into PoE switch, into wireless AP, into wireless client). This means that if a device is displaying weak network speeds, you can visually and analytically identify potential bandwidth throttles earlier in the chain.
• Device Icons: Visual icons and identifiers related to specific devices based on their hardware profile and MAC address, thanks to a database maintained by UI. This allows you to dig into the history logs and immediately see icons denoting hardware profiles far more accurately than unintelligible MAC addresses and simple 192 IPs.

Additionally (for external performance testing) there is the WiFiMan tool:

Ultimately, the visualization of the topographical map of your network, beyond just the primary managed switch, is a game changer for businesses that either need to troubleshoot or display the nature of the entire network to support services. Additionally, it allows you to quickly identify any unknown devices that have entered your closed UniFi network, potentially posing a risk, or at the very least, move them to a less critical area of the network or reduce their privileged access. All of this is possible on other network management platforms, but in most cases, it requires quite advanced command-line knowledge, usage of multiple network hardware dashboards, or more time identifying devices manually based on minimal network information. As I say, it’s a game changer.

Those Onboard LCD / LCMs…

Hands-On Information – Wierdly rare in 2024….

This is another small user experience element that those who have never used UniFi systems might not know about: the dynamic LCD display featured on the majority of their managed devices. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves—Ubiquiti and UniFi did not invent LCDs! In fact, many users prefer their devices to be solely offline (more on that later), and there is a contingent who enjoy having physical controls on their devices for troubleshooting, configuration, and safe restart, conducted manually and hands-on. Given the extent to which UniFi promotes their systems towards simplified network management, it’s no surprise that many of their systems integrate more hands-on management if needed. However, the digital displays on a wide array of UniFi products are a completely different story! These digital displays provide real-time information about the network, adapters, system health, alerts, and warnings, with touch-screen options to navigate a light range of network management features—nice, but fairly predictable stuff, right? Well, this becomes far more significant when you start integrating multiple UniFi products into a single controlled network. These controllable display panels synchronize with other devices to offer broader network information from a single digital display on a central network-controlled device.

Given the small size of the display, which is uniform across all UniFi managed network accessories, it is surprisingly easy to navigate and responsive. If you are running systems with additional SATA storage, you can even navigate to find out the health of this storage media within this user interface. As more network-ready and internet-facing devices become standard in our home and business lives, it is odd that we are seeing a massive decline in the number of these devices featuring real-time displays. More often than not, these systems arrive with LED lights indicating activity or nothing at all! Again, I am not saying these display panels on UniFi network devices are game-changing, but when you need more information about your system or your entire range of network appliances without accessing the network as a system admin, it’s a refreshing change in 2024! And needless to say, you can disable these if you want.

UniFi GPT Portal Tool

Tailored AI Support?

Even though setting up a UniFi network controller and attaching all the individual devices to it is remarkably straightforward, it isn’t perfect. No one, I repeat, NO ONE, can call UniFi products idiot-proof! Just because your UniFi Dream Machine Pro Max Special Ultra Elite Gold Edition switch can easily find and attach network devices at the click of a button doesn’t mean that you’ve connected them all to the right ports or arranged your network clients and appliances in the right VLANs. UniFi is still one of the most user-friendly enterprise network hardware providers, but you cannot oversimplify networking without the risk of users inadvertently putting their hardware in an unsafe, insecure, and unstable state. Of course, UniFi has its own support lines, and enterprise users can access subscription models for further support, but many SMB and prosumer users will want support far more readily, which is where the UniFi portal comes in.

UniFi provides a “UniFi GPT” application for mobile devices that allows you to throw UniFi-specific and networking-specific queries at it, for the AI LLM to browse its internal relevant databases and find the answer. The use of AI assistance to answer queries is not new, with many platforms rolling out AI language models. However, the UniFi option with the portal does not require any sign-in or subscription, provides results specific to UniFi products, and allows users to outline their hardware setup and network requirements to get tailored setup recommendations.

For example, you might enter the following:

“I have 8 Mac systems, 2 Windows desktop systems, and 4 mobile devices. I need 3 separate networks for different departments, spread over two floors. I also want to mount a surveillance system across all the offices. The Mac devices are used by video editors who need lots of speed, the Windows computers are for day-to-day office tasks, and the mobile devices are used for social media promotions. Can you provide two UniFi setup options, one on a tight budget and one of enterprise-grade quality?”

And here is the reply:

Don’t get me wrong, the UniFi portal application does not replace the kind of support you get from a dedicated on-site technician! But for users who feel intimidated about integrating a UniFi network into their home or business environment, and want a better understanding of what the systems can and cannot do before spending a single dollar, the UniFi portal application is a fantastic little extra that doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves. Add to that the fact that it has Wi-Fi detection built in and (from what I understand) a surveillance camera deployment option that uses augmented reality in your local environment, and this is a great use of AI assistance to allow users to better understand any advantages that UniFi can bring to their hardware environment well in advance of placing an order.

As good as all that sounds, however, UniFi is not a suitable network solution for everyone! Let’s go through the aspects of a UniFi controller-managed network that I am less keen on.

Pure Offline Setup is… Complicated

Relay/registration server and UI.COM account – firmware upload – remote access config option…

This is a significant downside and seems to be a relatively recent change in the UniFi system: setting up a purely offline UniFi network is surprisingly complicated. If you want to be able to access your UniFi system externally and securely, you are recommended to take advantage of the UI.com portal and set up a free UniFi account. This allows you to bind your UniFi controller to this external access point and manage and control everything from anywhere. However, many users do not like the idea of any external access or control of their network, preferring to keep their entire managed network on local access only. Unfortunately, all modern UniFi devices require you to register the device with a UniFi account during initialization. Afterward, you can choose to keep the system completely offline and restrict all access to a local IP level, as well as disable remote access entirely. But many users are not keen on the fact that it still requires this online element during initialization and the binding of their hardware to an online platform in any capacity.

Furthermore, there are some aspects of the UniFi user experience and GUI that make offline-only utilization a bit tricky. Obviously, remote access will be off the table (which is fine), but administering updates to the system without using the command line becomes very difficult when operating in an offline-only environment. Many UniFi managed devices do not allow you to upload the latest firmware directly to the UniFi controller via the standard interface. Most other devices allow you to download a firmware image separately, then provide a convenient upload option to safely upload it to the system. Many UniFi systems, however, limit you to updating via UniFi update servers only. This is logical, as it means the system does not allow for unofficial software versions that might compromise security. Nevertheless, setting up a UniFi-managed network and keeping it completely offline is clearly not how Ubiquiti wants this system to be operated, and this is abundantly clear during its operation. It is certainly not a deal-breaker, but definitely something you should know before investing thousands of dollars.

The Price vs. Value of UniFi Products

Remember right at the start of this article when I said that UniFi was a cost-effective/affordable solution in comparison to HP, Cisco, etc – well that does not mean it is ‘cheap’. Indeed, UniFi might well provide a wide range of hardware network solutions that run inside a single controller OS environment, but the cost of each component vs the cost fo the hardware is notably worse than alternatives in the market by around 15-20%. For example, if you look at the PoE network switch selection, you can find very similar switch hardware for less $ from other brands. Below is a breakdown of 16 port PoE Layer 2 switches and although there is plenty of flexibility in the UniFi portfolio, you tend to find that other brands in this space tend to be cheaper. Additionally, although all 4 of these switches have mixed ports that rang in PoE support, the other 3 offer more PoE delivery, and in a couple of cases more PoE ports overall. UniFi ARE still lcehaper than the enterprise tier stuff, but when it comes to the mid-lower tier and SMB user cases, they tend to be more expensive than their competitors at a price/value point. (note, buying directly from UI.com does tend to be cheaper, unsurprisingly).

Tins price/hardware difference extends beyond the switches too, with their surveillance cameras also tending to be more expensive for the pixel depth/power/features than many of the easily purchased market alternatives. We have to also acknowledge that 1) recently, multiple Chinese camera brands have come under significant scrutiny for security (Hikvison being the latest name to come under the ‘ban hammer’ of the U.S business sector for security concerns – leading to many businesses enforcing NDAA and TAA certification in surveillance solutions) and that 2) that cameras need to factor in more than price point and megapixels – durability, NVR licenses, framerates, stream profiles, optical zoom.. all of these make a huge difference from one camera to the next). Nevertheless, for those looking to integrate a more affordable surveillance solution, UniFi branded cameras ae quite pricey for the hardware they feature.

It really is a matter of what you are looking for from your hardware from your money. In fairness to UniFi, we have to also acknowledge that:

• Ubiquiti have been clear that software is their focus (in particular stability and security), which also has an eye on being efficient, so therefore more modest hardware does tend to go hand in hand with efficient software design (to get the best performance out of the least resource use)
• The UniFi portfolio (more on that in a moment) does contain server-unique hardware devices that are simply unavailable on any other platform (eg the Dream Machine / UDM series) or are not available in the port configuration anywhere else
• Price comparisons of UniFi products vs others in the market is tough, as the UniFi controller and platform forms a large part of the price (eg cost of development and support), so it’s not really a like-for-like comparison sometimes (and this works both ways too!)

Nevertheless, for the more hardware techminded, UniFi’s hardware choices can occasionally be a little baffling sometimes at best, and willfully underpowered at worst.

Almost AGGRESSIVELY Presented Hardware Portfolio

PRO / MAX / SE? – UNVR vs. Switch vs. Dream Machine – U6/U7 APs – Evan McCann website breakdown

Anyone that has spent time browsing the UniFi product website will know what I mean when I say that the presentation of products and choice is almost BAFFLING! They have made great strives to improve this, breaking solutions into much more user friendly classifications, introducing buyers guides and workflows to show how it all works, the previously mention UniFi GPT Portal tool, and even a complete UniFi Design Center online tool (HERE). But nevertheless, the list of products is still complicated. Some areas are straight forward (eg U6 Wifi access points are WiFi6 and U7 APs are WiFi 7 – Thats fine), but what about the Dream Machine series (managed network switch, cloud gateway and NVR ready)? Do you opt for the Dream Machine standard? or the Pro, Pro Max or SE version? Better yet? Is it better to run a separate UNVR system?

Navigating the UniFi website to select the right products can be quite challenging due to its complexity and the overwhelming variety of options. Despite the user-friendly and streamlined nature of UniFi’s software, their hardware purchasing experience stands in stark contrast. The site is laden with a vast array of products, including various versions of the Dream Machine, multiple types of access points, and an assortment of switches, each catering to different needs and scenarios. The sheer number of choices can be intimidating, particularly for those without a deep technical background. Each product line contains several models with subtle, yet crucial differences that are not always clearly articulated, making it difficult for users to identify the best fit for their specific requirements. The ambiguity in product descriptions and specifications often leaves potential buyers confused and unsure about what they are getting. This complexity can lead to a frustrating experience, as users must sift through detailed technical jargon and vague product summaries to make informed purchasing decisions.

This challenge is further compounded by UniFi’s complex naming conventions and inconsistent product information. Products are often labeled with technical abbreviations and codes that are not easily decipherable without prior knowledge of networking terms. This can make it tough for even seasoned professionals to quickly grasp the differences between various models. Moreover, the product descriptions on the website are frequently vague or incomplete, providing insufficient details about the specific features and capabilities of each item. This lack of comprehensive information forces users to engage in extensive research, comparing technical specifications and reading external reviews to understand which products best suit their needs. Additionally, ensuring compatibility and integration with existing network setups adds another layer of complexity. The process of identifying the right components that not only fulfill current requirements but also integrate seamlessly with other devices can be daunting and time-consuming. This is especially true for users who may not have a deep understanding of network infrastructure or the technical nuances of various hardware options. To mitigate these challenges, external resources like the comprehensive guide from Evan McCann become invaluable. This guide provides detailed, side-by-side comparisons of UniFi products, helping users navigate through the overwhelming choices and understand the differences between them more clearly.

Visit the Evan McCann Unifi Product Comparison Charts HERE

UniFi itself offers some helpful tools, such as the AI GPT-assisted mobile app ‘UniFi Portal’ and the UniFi Design Center. The ‘UniFi Portal’ uses AI to assist with device configuration and troubleshooting, offering a modern solution to some of the setup complexities. The UniFi Design Center allows users to create detailed network maps and topographies, making it easier to visualize and plan network deployments.

However, these tools are somewhat hidden within the site, making them less accessible than they could be. Many users may not even be aware of their existence, as they are not prominently featured or easy to find. Enhancing the visibility and accessibility of these tools would significantly improve the user experience, ensuring that customers can more easily navigate the product selection process and make well-informed decisions. By making these resources more intuitive and easier to locate, UniFi could greatly enhance customer satisfaction and help users fully leverage the benefits of their integrated ecosystem.

Where is the NAS?

Breaks the Unified Network Idea of UniFi – Surveillance Target – Stored Logs – Backup Images – UDM (Dream Machine) but a NAS File System and Access Protocols

This is something we touched upon on the YouTube channel a couple of months ago and hopefully a point that might see a resolution in the future. But seriously, UniFi, why have you not got any kind of private server or network-attached storage solution in your portfolio? For a brand with such a comprehensive selection of network solutions and a range of network-attached video recording systems available, how has this architecture not resulted in a branded NAS?

To UniFi’s credit, despite focusing so heavily on their own kit, they haven’t stopped users from implementing third-party NAS solutions from brands such as Synology and QNAP into their existing UniFi networks. However, many users choose the UniFi platform because, as the name suggests, it results in a unified ecosystem that consolidates control into a single user interface. Opting for a completely separate ecosystem for your network-attached storage and private cloud (requiring access to the likes of Synology DSM, Unraid, or TrueNAS) really breaks the cohesion and also necessitates managing security updates from multiple brands. While it’s not the end of the world, there is an argument that many users would prefer to trust network-attached storage development to a brand that focuses primarily on that industry (i.e., I don’t choose Synology for my network switches). Nevertheless, it is a significant gap in their portfolio that, despite regular user requests, has never been filled. Especially when you look closely at their UNVR series of devices and see that these are essentially network-attached storage systems in waiting—large RAID-enabled storage areas supporting network and file protocols, the installation of applications like UniFi Protect, and equipped with multiple network ports. If that doesn’t sound like a modern NAS, I don’t know what does!

Now, as mentioned earlier, this might not be a gap in their portfolio forever. Over the past year or so, fragments of evidence have appeared online that seemingly indicate that UniFi is either currently exploring or has previously explored integrating a network-attached storage system into their hardware environment. From trademark and patent documentation leaked on Reddit to images in promotional and marketing materials from official sources, all signs point to a NAS server. All this should be taken with a pinch of salt, but the evidence is mounting up. See the video below:

Maybe you’re reading this article in the future and you know more about this now. On the other hand, if you’re reading this in 2025 or 2026 and there still isn’t a unified NAS system on the market… seriously, UniFi… WHY???

UniFi Protect Compatibility is a bit ‘off’ 

No third-party camera support—quite expensive for the hardware level—cannot be used on third-party NVRs—Synology NAS = Surveillance Station.

This next point may seem a little counter-intuitive following my previous confusion about why UniFi has never rolled out a NAS system into their singular network, but the limitations and compatibility issues in elements of the UniFi Protect surveillance platform can be quite off-putting. So, let’s address this upfront: I actually quite like the UniFi Protect surveillance platform. Right now, in 2024, the range of options available for most businesses for site-wide surveillance solutions and integrated NVRs is weirdly limited. There are loads of budget brands hawking their cheap cameras and hard drives with a network port style NVR, but very few can provide a modern platform with a heavy emphasis on security while still maintaining a smooth user experience. Moreover, most brands that do provide this lock users into subscription services linked to individual cameras or annual usage. So, this point is not a criticism of UniFi Protect itself, but rather how UniFi integrates cameras into this platform.

UniFi provides a pretty decent range of cameras that can be used with their UNVR systems, Dream Machine systems, and those systems in the middle that have an element of UniFi Protect installation integrated into them. Moreover, cameras are added via one click and the user experience is easy to navigate. So, what am I getting upset about? It’s mainly the fact that not only can I not use third-party surveillance cameras via ONVIF with UniFi Protect, but also that any UniFi camera I buy can never be used with any other surveillance platform—hard-locked to the UniFi ecosystem only. So let’s go through both of those criticisms in a little more detail.

Not being able to use other IP cameras and network-ready cameras on an existing UniFi NVR system is a real pain. The range of cameras available these days is absolutely phenomenal: thermal cameras, internally AI-integrated cameras, solar-powered cameras, mobile network cameras… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Many cameras on the market support RTSP and ONVIF protocols that allow them to be integrated into numerous third-party surveillance platforms. This is super useful because the manufacturers of these cameras often spend more time on the hardware than on the software, leading to lackluster surveillance software accompanying this really impressive kit. Therefore, it’s disappointing when you have access to the UniFi surveillance package with your newly purchased UniFi device, but you’re limited to using only their cameras and not any third-party alternatives. One could argue that UniFi does this to maintain the single ecosystem and secure management of your network. Introducing a third-party element might result in the easy introduction of a potential attack vector. However, they do allow third-party hardware that is network and internet-ready in the form of NAS systems and other appliances. So, preventing third-party camera use on their surveillance platform seems inconsistent—even if you limited that camera’s access to simply a feed level and allowed UniFi Protect to handle the control.

Then there is my second point: not being able to use UniFi cameras outside of a UniFi network. Now, one might argue, reasonably, that I purchased a UniFi camera to use in my UniFi network—so why would I want to try to use this camera in another NVR system? Well, like any branded network product, UniFi products will have a lifespan and a software service life. UniFi is not going to support the firmware update on this camera forever, and we have already seen that as their platform migrated to a new surveillance platform in recent years, some of their early-generation cameras are no longer supported. This means that a business 5 to 10 years from now might have UniFi cameras installed throughout its premises that fall off the supported system they were originally integrated with. This leads to significant costs in replacement to maintain that single unified network. There are users who want to avoid e-waste and unnecessary replacement of perfectly functioning hardware and wish to continue using these cameras. If UniFi ceases to support these cameras in the future, users will want to find workarounds to maintain access to their existing camera network without costly and time-consuming replacements. Again, this is not strictly a criticism of UniFi Protect as a surveillance platform (I’m currently working on a UniFi Protect versus Synology Surveillance Station comparison as we speak, and it’s doing very well!), but how this brand has approached the compatibility of cameras within their surveillance network is something I am less keen on and would like to see some changes.

Key Building Blocks in a UniFi Network
All-in-One Dream Machine	WiFi 6 and 7 Access Point	G5 Flex Desktop Camera	Official UniFi  UPS
UniFi Website – $399 – HERE Amazon – $439 – HERE	UniFi Website – $143 – HERE Amazon – $139 – HERE	UniFi Website – $103 – HERE Amazon – $140 – HERE	UniFi Website – $399 – HERE Amazon – $449 – HERE

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And there you go, those are five things about the UniFi and Ubiquiti platform that I absolutely love, and five other things that I wish, wish, WISH they would change! Are you an existing UniFi user and want to add to this discussion? Perhaps you are a previous or new UniFi user and want to share your own experiences of why you bought into or abandoned this ecosystem? Head to the comments below and let’s discuss it. Thanks for reading and have a fantastic week!

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Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Which Should You Buy?

Whether you are reading this article because you’re looking to upgrade your existing Synology network attached storage system and are exploring your current options, or you’ve heard about the remarkably successful UGREEN Kickstarter and are considering it for your data, today I want to discuss which of these two brands is best suited for your long-term personal cloud storage needs. Now that the UGREEN portfolio of NAS solutions is arriving at traditional retail, it is an opportune time to compare these two NAS options in terms of price, value, hardware, software, and support. UGREEN may have been in the market for over a decade, but their experience in the NAS industry is considerably shorter. Synology, on the other hand, has nearly 25 years of experience in this industry, which will certainly reflect in their software. So let’s compare Synology and UGREEN, what they bring to the table, how they differ, and ultimately help you

NAS Solutions	NAS Solutions
+ Better Software (In almost every respect!) + Much Better Global Support Presence + More More business desirable + Larger Range of solutions – Compatibility restrictions – Underwhelming hardware (comparatively)	+ Better Hardware for Price + Flexibility to Install 3rd Party OS’ + Excellent Mobile Application + Wide accessory compatibility – Software still has beta elements – The company has a much shorter NAS Market Experience
Check Amazon By Clicking Below:	Check Amazon By Clicking Below:

Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Price and Value

It will almost certainly come as no surprise to the majority of you that the Synology portfolio of NAS solutions is more expensive at practically every tier. A significant part of this is due to Synology arguably having one of the best NAS software offerings in the industry. We will delve into this later in the software section, but when you buy a Synology NAS solution, a large percentage of the cost goes directly towards the software rather than the hardware. This often leads to a perception among traditional PC buyers that the value for money in a Synology product, in terms of hardware, ends up being a bit underwhelming. Synology does provide a wide array of solutions that range from the cost-efficient to the enterprise and expensive, but even when you compare individual Synology NAS solutions against similarly profiled solutions from UGREEN, you will always end up spending more on the Synology product.

SPECIFICATION	DXP2800	DXP4800	DXP4800 PLUS	DXP6800 PRO	DXP8800 PLUS	DXP480T PLUS
Kickstarter Launch	$239.99	$359.99	$419.99	$599.99	$899.99	$479.99
MSRP	$399	$559	$699	$999	$1499	$779
Operating System	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro	UGOS Pro
CPU Model	N100	N100	8505	1235u	1235u	1235u
CPU Brand	Intel	Intel	Intel	Intel	Intel	Intel
CPU Architecture	X86 12th Gen N Series	X86 12th Gen N Series	X86 12th Gen Intel Pentium Gold	X86 12th Gen Intel Core i5	X86 12th Gen Intel Core i5	X86 12th Gen Intel Core i5
Cores/Threads	4/4	4/4	5/6	10/12	10/12	10/12
Memory (RAM)	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5	8GB DDR5
ODECC Support	Supported	Supported	Supported	Supported	Supported	Supported
Expandable RAM (max)	16GB	16GB	64GB	64GB	64GB	64GB
Flash Memory (System Disk)	eMMC 32GB	eMMC 32GB	SSD 128GB	SSD 128GB	SSD 128GB	SSD 128GB
SATA Drive Bays	2	4	4	6	8	0
M.2 SSD Drive Slots	2	2	2	2	2	4

UGREEN, on the other hand, is definitely more affordable in terms of price and value, but this comes with a caveat. During the crowdfunding campaign when UGREEN first launched their NAS series to the public, they marketed it with a substantial 40% discount, making their solutions unbeatable in terms of price—not only compared to other NAS brands in the market but also versus DIY NAS solutions. In some cases, it was impossible to buy the components to build a NAS solution cheaper than buying the UGREEN NAS directly. However, Kickstarter is crowdfunding, and many users are not comfortable engaging in this model anymore due to the lack of traditional retail assurances. Now that UGREEN NAS devices are arriving at traditional retail, they should provide these assurances, but it also means that it’s not possible to get the same level of discount that was available during the crowdfunding campaign.

That said, the proposed pricing that UGREEN has in mind for their NAS systems at traditional retail still manages to be lower than that of comparable Synology solutions of the same profile. A significant part of this is because UGREEN is clearly prioritizing the hardware. The software is still robust, and they are working on further software feature updates and services, but a larger percentage of the money you spend on a UGREEN system goes to the hardware compared to that of a Synology.

UGREEN is definitely winning in terms of cost, but what you get for your money is where things get a little more complicated.

UGREEN vs Synology NAS – Hardware

As mentioned earlier, each of these brands has a different approach towards hardware and the features their systems offer. Since UGREEN has only launched around six solutions in the first stage of their NAS rollout, there is less diversity in the types of solutions available. Their systems come in 2, 4, 6, and 8-bay SATA desktop profiles (as well as a smaller 4-bay M.2 NVMe flash system).

UGREEN 8-Bay NAS Rear Ports and Connections

These come with a choice of three CPUs: the Intel N100, 12th Gen Pentium, and 10-core i5. The systems offer a variety of connections, ranging from 2.5G and 10G networking to USB 4, Thunderbolt connectivity, and PCIe upgradability with third-party cards. They even include an SD card slot, which has become increasingly rare in recent years. Overall, for such a modest selection of solutions, you can’t fault the scale and caliber of the hardware UGREEN has rolled out across their initial range.

Synology DS1823xs+ Rear Ports and Connections

Synology, however, is a different story. Having been in the market for as long as they have, they have had plenty of time to expand their portfolio and analyze the market to understand users’ data storage requirements for both home and business use. Synology has released hundreds of NAS solutions over the 25 years they’ve been operating, many of which have been refreshed every 2 to 3 years. Currently, the brand has around 35 different active solutions in their portfolio, while simultaneously supporting a few hundred others with legacy features and firmware updates.

They have around 15 different CPU configurations spread across their range, as well as numerous accessory upgrades and expansion boxes to enhance your storage system over its lifetime. Most solutions come with either 1G Ethernet or 10G Ethernet, the latter of which costs notably more than other 10G solutions in the market. Lastly, Synology has a massive range of rackmount devices (something currently absent from UGREEN). These can be further broken down into dual-controller, redundant PSU, and highly scalable storage solutions. In recent years, Synology has shifted its focus more towards large business and enterprise solutions than home and prosumer-class devices.

This leads to some inconsistency when comparing UGREEN and Synology in terms of hardware. If you are looking for a prosumer solution in the $300 to $1,500 range in desktop form, UGREEN offers much better hardware solutions for your needs. However, if you are looking for a more modest, low-powered solution for under $300, or if you are a business-class user that needs to scale up your storage from day one to day 1000, Synology provides a wider array of solutions and better scalability through accessories and upgrades. We should also consider the subject of compatibility and support, which has been a criticism of Synology recently as they have reduced the range of officially verified storage media and PCIe upgrades compatible with their systems. This doesn’t mean you can’t use drives or PCIe upgrades not on their compatibility list, but it can often lead to using the systems in ways that don’t fully conform to how Synology advertises their product use. UGREEN, with its smaller range of accessories, doesn’t have the same level of limited support and compatibility on its verified optional add-ons for their systems.

UGREEN ACTIVE NAS SOLUTIONS	SYNOLOGY ACTIVE NAS SOLUTIONS
6 x Desktop Solutions	17 x Desktop Solutions
Zero Rackmount Solutions	25 x Rackmount Solutions

In terms of hardware for home, prosumer, and very small businesses, the UGREEN NAS gives you a lot of hardware power in a compact and well-designed chassis. However, you can’t fault Synology’s massive range of configurations, system scalability, and options for spending your budget on the perfect hardware solution.

Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Software

This is the big one! If you are going to buy your NAS server solution and intend to be fully reliant on the software it includes, you simply cannot fault the Synology platform and DSM. DSM, or DiskStation Manager, is arguably the best NAS software on the market in 2024. With an enormous range of first-party applications and services for the system software itself, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and bespoke Linux tools, Synology prioritizes their software options on their solutions. Stylizing themselves much like the Mac, UX, and GUI, the massive range of apps and services included with your Synology NAS would take ten times the length of this article to describe.

Review of the UGREEN UGOS NAS Software

UGREEN’s software, by comparison, feels significantly leaner. They have nailed down some good fundamentals, and the UGOS NAS software that UGREEN NAS devices come with feels robust, responsive, and fluid. However, with only around 20 applications currently available in its app center, many of which are still running individual beta features yet to be completed, there is really no comparison between UGOS and DSM right now. UGREEN has been constantly updating this software since the Kickstarter campaign, and they clearly have plans to add more features. In the last two months, they have integrated Docker, a first-party virtual machine tool, media streaming tools including metadata scraping, backup and synchronization tools, and system scanning tools for monitoring protection against malware and viruses. However, there are still notable gaps in their software for a modern NAS, such as the lack of two-factor authentication, write-once-read-many protection to prevent data loss from ransomware attacks, encrypted volumes, and native multi-site 3-2-1 backup options. I am confident these will be added to UGOS in the coming months and years, but for now, their absence only strengthens the argument for choosing a Synology NAS in terms of software.

Review of the Synology DSM NAS Software

The same goes for client tools for your mobile and desktop devices. UGREEN provides a single app for each platform to manage everything, while Synology offers both multi-purpose tools and individually tailored tools for each type of user and access need (such as Synology Drive, Surveillance Station applications, Synology Active Backup, and more). There are occasional wins for UGREEN over Synology, such as the UGREEN photo application, which offers a more diverse selection of AI tools and a broader range of identifying elements. However, on the whole, everything UGREEN provides in UGOS is done better and more smoothly on the Synology platform.

We also need to discuss third-party operating systems. Many users look at UGREEN NAS systems with the intent of using operating systems like Unraid and TrueNAS. UGREEN has made it clear that they will continue to support the hardware warranty of any user who chooses to use their systems with third-party operating systems, as long as these do not harm the NAS hardware (e.g., the software massively overclocks the CPU and causes damage). Synology, on the other hand, has been clear that they will not support their systems if third-party NAS software is installed, which will likely result in them being unable to support users moving forward. For many, this is a deal-breaker and is one reason why many users are drawn to UGREEN and their NAS solutions. So, bottom line: if you are buying a NAS for both its hardware and software, the Synology platform gives you much more. However, if you are purchasing a NAS solution for its hardware and plan to use third-party software, UGREEN offers considerable flexibility.

UGREEN vs Synology NAS – Support & Availability

Assessing the support provided by the manufacturer of the NAS you buy is difficult. It’s easy to find both positive and negative reviews for any brand, but these do not necessarily represent the average user experience. Comparing the support of Synology and UGREEN is also challenging because, although both companies have decent histories, this history differs significantly in relation to NAS.

At a glance, Synology is the clear favorite here. They have a proven history in the network-attached storage industry, managing security updates, supporting countless applications, and maintaining physical locations for their technical support teams across different continents. Synology has a deservedly widespread and positive reputation for their support. The same goes for purchasing a Synology solution or accessory; it is much easier to find the hardware available in your region.

UGREEN, on the other hand, is harder to pin down. Although they have been in the market for around 12 to 14 years, their focus has been largely on accessories and power supplies. It’s only in the last six months that they have made significant moves in the NAS world. They did have a range of NAS solutions before this new iteration, but these were mainly available in the East and are not comparable to a globally available solution. At the launch of the crowdfunding campaign, UGREEN only supported purchases in the US and Germany to gauge interest in their solutions and determine if there was a market for their products. This suggests a more limited level of support for their user base. They have plenty of staff and offices worldwide, but very little of this is focused solely on NAS solutions, which raises questions about the speed of their support and the global availability of their solutions compared to an established name like Synology. Looking at the comments on the UGREEN Kickstarter page, the feedback has been broadly positive, with UGREEN addressing technical concerns and questions. However, managing a Kickstarter campaign is different from supplying support and managing RMAs on a global level via traditional retail. Ultimately, I have no reason to doubt UGREEN’s commitment to their NAS solutions. Everything so far indicates they are taking this new part of their business seriously and making sensible long-term moves. But as of 2024, Synology has a larger global coverage and a longer established history of support, which is a significant advantage.

Synology vs UGREEN NAS – Conclusion

Bottom line, choosing between a UGREEN and Synology NAS solution will come down to your priorities in terms of hardware and software. Most business users will prioritize the software and services included with their NAS purchase, as well as closely observe the level of support and availability the brand offers. With its long and well-established pedigree in the field of network-attached storage, Synology is clearly the favorite for business users, who will almost certainly opt for a Synology NAS over a UGREEN one. However, the level of hardware that UGREEN offers in this first phase of their NAS portfolio is genuinely unbeatable value compared to practically every other player in the NAS market. UGREEN has been methodical in launching this product series, and everything indicates that they will continue to expand. They also support the use of third-party NAS software like Unraid and TrueNAS, which have strong reputations in the NAS software community, allowing you to use well-established software with UGREEN’s hardware.

I recommend the UGREEN NAS solution portfolio for DIY server users, home users, prosumers, and those who don’t mind a system that is a work in progress. On the other hand, I highly recommend the Synology NAS portfolio to those who want a more polished and established NAS solution, particularly for business and enterprise needs, or for those seeking a user-friendly system with reliable long-term support. Thank you for reading today’s article. More comparisons like this are available all over the site here at nascompares.com. If you want to support the work we do here and plan on purchasing a Synology or UGREEN NAS solution, please use the links below. If you intend to visit the shops listed, it really helps us out and keeps the site running! Have a fantastic week.

NAS Solutions	NAS Solutions
+ Better Software (In almost every respect!) + Much Better Global Support Presence + More More business desirable + Larger Range of solutions – Compatibility restrictions – Underwhelming hardware (comparatively)	+ Better Hardware for Price + Flexibility to Install 3rd Party OS’ + Excellent Mobile Application + Wide accessory compatibility – Software still has beta elements – The company has a much shorter NAS Market Experience
Check Amazon By Clicking Below:	Check Amazon By Clicking Below:

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Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

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Synology vient de lancer une version bêta de son application mobile Synology Drive. Cette mise à jour promet d’offrir une meilleure expérience utilisateur grâce à une série d’améliorations et de nouvelles fonctionnalités. Voici un rapide aperçu des améliorations que cette version apporte… et apportera dans la version finale pour une gestion optimale avec un NAS. Synology Drive Bêta La première amélioration mise en avant par Synology concerne l’analyse et la conversion de fichiers. En effet, l’une des fonctionnalités importante de cette mise à jour, c’est l’arrivée de la reconnaissance optique de caractères (OCR). Désormais, vous pourrez effectuer une reconnaissance des […]
Lire la suite : Nouvelles fonctionnalités de Synology Drive : OCR, gestion optimisée et…

Depuis plusieurs mois, Synology propose ses propres SSD, disponibles en différentes versions (NVMe et SATA) et capacités. Aujourd’hui, nous vous proposons de (re)découvrir le SSD SATA SAT5220, que nous testons dans sa version de 1920 Go. Quels sont ses avantages par rapport à d’autres SSD ? Quelles performances pouvez-vous espérer ? Quel est son coût ? Nous allons tenter de répondre à ces questions. Test Synology SAT5220 Le Synology SAT5220 est un SSD de niveau entreprise. Il n’a pas pour objectif d’être acheté et utilisé par des particuliers, bien que rien ne les empêche de s’en procurer un. On a […]
Lire la suite : Test du SSD Synology SAT5220

Synology and AI Admin Console – What Exactly Is Synology Doing with AI?

Synology is gearing up to introduce its AI Admin Console, a feature designed to integrate advanced AI capabilities into its suite of applications. This new tool, slated for release with DSM 7.2.2 later in 2024, will allow users to connect to AI models from leading providers such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Microsoft Azure AI, and Google’s Gemini. The aim is to enhance functionalities within the Synology Office and Collaboration Suite, including applications like Synology Drive, MailPlus, Calendar, and more. Not to be confused with the AI recognition services included with Synology Photos for face/object recognition or the human/vehicle recognition featured in Surveillance Station, the AI Admin Console focuses on Language Learning Models (LLMs). These models specialize in text analysis and generation, offering services that range from OCR to more complex tasks like image generation and contextual text creation.

Security Concerns and Safeguards About AI and Your Data

Before we dive into how Synology will be integrating AI language learning models into your NAS, it is worth highlighting that they are not simply handing the keys over to some shadowy AI operation and hoping for the best. They are setting up a lot of safeguards and user controls to ensure that you can limit the AI service’s access and utility as needed. The first point to mention is that Synology is not selecting the AI platform/service for you—you will need to submit the API keys and unique user credentials that you already have from services like Google Gemini, Azure AI, or ChatGPT. This way, you can ensure that you are only using the AI LLM that you trust and have successfully engaged with in the past.

Next, the service is completely optional. The Synology AI Admin Console is off/disabled by default, and access/control can be restricted to authorized users. When used, the level of access that the AI LLM has to your system data (and the access your registered NAS users have to it) is fully controllable. So, just because it is ‘on’ and you have connected your AI service of choice, it does not mean that all your users can use it or that it has unfettered access to all your directories and databases on a whim.

Lastly, Synology is in the process of adding de-identifier configuration options into the Synology AI Admin Console. These will allow you to ensure that the AI service does not use or publish information that conforms to a predefined format (e.g., credit card numbers, passport numbers, driving licenses, etc.). The same goes for if you want to grant it access to information in your calendar and Synology Chat services, but not your email database. This can all be adjusted to your needs.

Given the increasing demand for AI tools and services, it makes sense that Synology has integrated these new service functions. At launch, it is planned to include integration with Synology Chat, Synology Mail, and other tools in the Synology Office Collaboration suite.

Demonstration and Integration

Synology showcased the AI Admin Console at the Synology Solution Exhibition during Computex 2024 in Taipei. The demonstration highlighted how the console integrates with Synology’s suite of productivity apps, providing advanced AI functionalities such as text summarization, content generation, and data clarification. Synology’s AI tools are designed to support various business and personal needs, with the ability to process and analyze data created within the Synology ecosystem. This includes applications like Synology Drive, which acts as a personal cloud, and Synology Office, which can handle complex tasks such as Excel calculations and presentation generation through AI.

What AI Services in Your Synology NAS Are and What They Are Not?

As mentioned earlier, the use of an AI service controlled in the Synology AI Admin Console is almost exclusively text-based (at least at launch). This can be largely broken down into three main categories:

1. Summarizing existing text to simplify it
2. Creating contextual text related to a defined source
3. Checking, confirming, and clarifying source text for accuracy

If you have ever used a popular AI engine, you will know that they tend to provide a broad range of services. However, the bulk of the services intended for the initial launch of AI service support in DSM will mainly focus on these three categories. In the context of the Synology collaboration suite, they would be:

• Summarizing a large email thread into its salient points
• Preparing a suitable response, based on the thread, that can be adjusted for tone
• Paraphrasing and/or adapting existing text into a completely new version

The extent to which a person could use an AI service to manage, file, or configure their existing database, at least at the time of writing, is hard to confirm, as this would require giving a third-party AI quite a large amount of access to your database.

Practical Applications and User Control

Synology’s approach to AI integration emphasizes user control and data privacy. Users will need to supply their own API keys for AI services, ensuring that they retain control over which AI models are used and how their data is processed. The AI Admin Console will be disabled by default and can be customized to restrict access, allowing users to dictate the level of interaction AI services have with their data. In addition to enhancing productivity tools like Synology Office for tasks such as Excel calculations and presentation creation, the AI Admin Console will also offer functionalities like converting audio files to text and scanning documents. These capabilities are designed to streamline workflow and improve efficiency while maintaining strict data privacy measures. By embedding AI tools into its suite of applications, Synology is positioning itself at the forefront of integrating artificial intelligence into personal and business environments. The Synology AI Admin Console represents a significant step towards offering more sophisticated and customizable AI solutions within its ecosystem.

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This description contains links to Amazon. These links will take you to some of the products mentioned in today's content. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Visit the NASCompares Deal Finder to find the best place to buy this device in your region, based on Service, Support and Reputation - Just Search for your NAS Drive in the Box Below

Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

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Bonjour à tous, J’espère que vous allez bien. Pour ma part, tout va pour le mieux… malgré la météo maussade et les élections. Promis, je n’en dirai pas plus. Comme à l’accoutumée, je vous propose de vous donner quelques nouvelles à travers cet édito. L’actualité autour des NAS n’est pas très excitante ces derniers mois. Malgré le Computex de début juin, il n’y a pas eu d’effet « Wahou ». Asustor a annoncé de nouveaux modèles qui sont des évolutions de modèles existants (lire l’article) et une mise à jour de son logiciel interne ADM 5.0 (sans détail). QNAP a annoncé plusieurs […]
Lire la suite : Edito du 19 juin 2024

Introduction et présentation du Geekom A8 mini Les mini PCs gagnent de plus en plus de terrain et deviennent de plus en plus polyvalent. Le Geekom A8 mini est le nouveau mini PC avec un CPU Ryzen à rejoindre le catalogue de Geekom. Il est alimenté par les CPU Hawk Point de chez AMD. Doté d’un NPU, ces processeurs devraient être compatibles avec le futur Copilot+ de Microsoft et d’ autres applications intégrant de l’intelligence artificielle. Le Geekom A8 mini est disponible en deux versions. Pour ce modèle, vous avez 2 choix :  AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS et un SSD de […]
Lire la suite : Test du GEEKOM A8 mini : le mini PC AMD taillé pour l’IA ?

HexOS – Trying to Make NAS and BYO NAS More User-Friendly

Most people under the age of 60 have a decent level of computer experience – that’s pretty much a stone-cold fact, thanks to the growing dependence of society on digital devices. Break that down a little further and chances are that most people under the age of 50 use a fairly powerful piece of computer equipment daily, and further still you will probably find that plenty of people in their 40s and younger are ‘the IT guy’ in their family or social circle. Yet, when it comes to that most niche’st of the Niche areas of technology ‘Data Storage and Networking’, the average user’s level of experience and know-how massively declines! I have said before on the YouTube channel before, but if people that like ”I.T’ are the ones who got bullied at school – the ones who like ‘networking and storage’ were the ones the bullied BULLIED! Sure, you know how to set up an Amazon FireTV, plug in a printer and even install windows – but can you open up ports on a router, configure a firewall, or arrange the right cache and redundancy on your server???

It’s a really complex area of the tech industry and although so, SO many other areas of the tech software (and hardware) experience have been blissfully simplified and streamlined, network attached storage (NAS) is an area that is still yet to see the same level of ‘idiot proofing’. To date, the NAS software industry has a lot of ‘potential’ NAS OS’ to choose from in your server, but the bulk of them are either hardware-locked (Synology DSM, QNAP QTS/QuTS, etc), have a steep learning curve (TrueNAS) or straddle somewhere between easier than the latter, but still harder than the former (UnRAID, CasaOS, OMV). Now THIS is where HexOS comes in – created by two former UnRAID/Lime Technology staffers (Jonathan Panozzo and Eric Schultz, under the new company Eshtek Inc.), this has been a NAS software that has been discussed over on LTT and Reddit for the better part of a year, and we have bee following here on our video and megathread on NASCompares HERE.

In brief, it is reported to be a truly user-friendly and beginner-friendly alternative to the existing range of NAS software OS and appliances currently offered to NAS users who want to repurpose old unused tech as a server, or want to build their own from the ground up. With a beta version proposed for later in 2024 and details about the software being gradually dropped, let’s discuss what HexOS is, why the buzz, what we know, what we don’t and (hopefully) help you decide whether it’s worth holding out for this software for your long term simplified storage needs.

Why is there such a buzz about HexOS?

Although the desire for a very user-friendly alternative to the existing range of NAS software in the market has always been very high (and we will dig into that more later on), it has be be highlighted that they are NOT the first company to try and challenge the current range of NAS appliances on the market. There are already largely open source offerings from brands such as IceWhale with their CasaOS/ZimaOS software, then you have OpenMediaVault which scales things up somewhat, then you have the current industry-recommended but paid ‘easy mode’ UnRAID. In short – it could be argued that HexOS is not the first to try this? So why the buzz? Well, many would point at the sizable investment of $250,000 made by a huge industry personality Linus, of LinusTechTips. In isolation, not an enormous figure in the running costs and salaries of multiple Devs on an annual paycheck, and almost certainly multiple equity/loan sums have been made by investors outside of this, but nonetheless this made waves. Linus’ has been one of many voices in the creative sphere that has commented on the high learning curve that is baked into the bulk of existing NAS software offerings right now – leading to (at best) inconvenient ongoing support of novice users over time, and (at worst) users setting their primary storage backup system in a poor way that is inefficient, riddled in attack vectors and is unfit for purpose. It is worth making clear that this is NOT a LTT/Linus-owned or developed NAS software platform, he is serving as an angel investor (and almost certainly in an additional advisory capacity). From there things have slowly snowballs, as small pieces of information about the software, rumours about the state of the development, the shape it will take and the building blocks fo the platform have emerged. Alot of software (not just NAS software of course) will launch and then have to fight the constant balance of stability vs customization vs security vs support – and more often than not, these can be what kills a platform in the first 18 months. Factor in that this is a platform that is intended to be feature-rich (1 click apps, ZFS base, VMs and Container ready, performance targetted. etc) AND user-friendly, this is a big, big wall to climb! So, let’s discuss what we know about HexOS so far.

What do we know about HexOS So Far?

HexOS was informally (kind of) revealed on the LTT WAN Show on June 15th 2024 and alongside production screenshots (unconfirmed to what level these were in-development software screenshots or created-vector images), they discussed some features, structure and project goals – whilst also making it clear that details surrounding funding, support and more are still very much ‘in progress’ and ‘TBC’. Below is everything we leant from that video, combined with everything we know about the software from details uncovered in development over the year:

• HexOS will be running on/on-top of TrueNAS Scale (the Linux version of TrueNAS), labelled ‘Powered by TrueNAS Scale’, Still awaiting confirmation as to whether this is a simplified TrueNAS splinter/branch or something more involved
• The Software is designed to be focused on being as user-friendly as possible and designed for x86 systems, not locked to hardware
• Despite user-friendly focus, promises performance and stability
• Includes storage recommendations, which can be actioned or ignored
• Applications are 1-click installs, awaiting confirmation is these are pre-made containerized)
• Remote Access to your home server, i.e “Remote Access from Anywhere” in the primary reveal
• A Beta of the HexOS NAS software targetted for Q3 2024 (July-Sept)
• Will feature Container and Virtual Machine Support (judging from the initial images) and mentions “Wizard Driven virtual desktops – details TBC)
• Discussion of 3rd party cloud synchronization, but primarily designed for local access

That’s really it. As mentioned, on an earlier video back in April 2023, we summarized all the information that had been floating around about this software, which included in the references made on the WAN show, forum posts and references to Jon and Eric from the UnRAID community. You can watch that video HERE.

What we DO NOT Know about HexOS Right Now?

Realistically, we know very little about HexOS and that is kind of unusual for software that is reported to arrive as a Beta within the next 3.5 months. No doubt, we will be seeing deep dives into this software on the official LTT/LMG-partnered outlets soon enough. But right now, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. With numerous understandable sceptical users online thinking of this software as ‘Diet TrueNAS’ or TrueNAS Scale Zero’, but then again – would that be such a bad thing if it was? TrueNAS has been somewhat forced in recent years to make itself easier to work with (both from an end user and development stance), which was one of the core reasons for TrueNAS Scale’s development! But HexOS is not the only NAS Software in the market that is making promises of a simplified user experience for you and your data – so what about the things we still want to know? Here are just a few:

• No formal discussion yet regarding security and encryption, remote access services being 1st party/3rd party (Tailscale, etc)
• Hardware Specifications (minimum or recommended). To fully use the feature set of TrueNAS, 8-16GB tends to be the entry (as that becomes the ‘dedup’ and L cache minimum with powerful systems
• Storage immutability? WORM Support etc
• No confirmation at this time if HexOS runs on a dedicated OS-SSD internally, within the storage array (i.e as found on Synology DSM and QNAP QTS/QuTS, via an eMMC bootloader), or whether it will be injected into memory, as observed in UnRAID
• No details regarding the price and support model. Current h-w free NAS OS in the market tend to be either completely free (but with paid/community support) like TrueNAS, monthly/annual/lifetime subscription (but with a 30 day trial) like UnRAID, or completely free with some components behind a paywall.
• Much like above, support is yet to be confirmed – no word on whether HexOS will ‘Staff Up’ at launch or rely heavily on community support.

• The extent to how much of the ZFS feature set will be rolled into the backend/foreground control of HexOS (snapshots, intelligent cache, jail separation on the apps, etc)
• No confirmation on how permission/Access Control will be managed, especially during 3rd party App installation (Plex, Home automation control, surveillance, etc) – this is a massive hurdle for many NAS software to balance storage access and ideal restrictions in a user-friendly fashion
• No word on whether it will use fixed-folder indexing (i.e generally simplified and more resource-economical NAS software tends to fix the directories of particular media to optimize performance, photos in a /photo directory, etc) and how this will be actioned when installing further applications and easy use UAC

And these are just scratching the surface!

What Are the Challenges that HexOS for NAS will face?

Trying to manage the balancing act of providing a fully featured private server software that can run on any custom x86 hardware configuration, making it highly secure AND keeping it easy to use.. well… MANY have tried. There have been varying levels of success before now. Such as:

Synology DSM and QNAP QuTS/QTS – Highly featured, Client tool rich and easy GUI NAS Software platforms. However, BOTH (along with Terramaster TOS and Asustor ADM) are locked to the hardware from their respective brands are not available for individual purchase.

UnRAID – Still by a good margin, the most user-friendly and capable NAS software in the market – but still has hurdles for the newbie and less tech-interested (storage manager – party disk selection, cache disk in/out of a UnRAID pool or newly supported ZFS pool)

Laticeworks / Amber Cloud – very user-friendly, structured to be comparable to 3rd party cloud ease-of-us, but as a network drive (with remote access). It has continued to see regular updates since it’s first reveal back in 2020, and even incorporates router management too. However, much like Synology/QNAP etc, is hardware locked

ZimaOS / Casa OS – Simple, TECHNICALLY not hardware locked, but not feature-rich yet (they only JUST added RAID in Jan) and the bulk of the features are via 3rd party containerized apps

WD NAS OS – The dumpster fire that is WD NAS OS – Started very well in the late 2000’s and 2010, starting easy with cloud setup, but ended up reaching a point in its UI that was too complex for the movies and too limited for the networking veterans – the GUI by WD OS 6 was tough to read and unintuitive as all hell! Indeed, that simplicity and automated cloud-relay access authentication by default (with SMB and ‘local’ accessible off by default) ended up being the reason that literally thousands of users could not access their systems when Western Digital corporate-level systems were compromised and isolation actions were needed (see video below):

The above are just a few examples. Add Open Media Vault (OMV), Proxmox if you want to focus on VMs, and more – and slowly you see that there is not actually a complete ‘novice level’ NAS software in the market. Now, the CLOSEST I have seen in 2024 is Synology and their BeeStation/BSM series, which takes ALOT of the fundamentals of DSM (BTRFS support, File/Folder browser access, multi-tier backups, SMB protocol, snapshots, very user-friendly client applications, etc) and then repackages them into a genuinely 5-click single screen NAS setup – with everything presented in a remarkably user-friendly fashion (see video below of Synology DSM vs Synology BSM). The issue? Well aside from it STILL being hardware locked, it lacks ALL of the premium prosumer/business tools for containers, VMs, OS level backups, powerful multimedia streaming playback, etc)

Likewise, there is the newly revealed Synology Active Protect platform – with its huge emphasis on Business backups, immutability, cloud VM-to-bare-metal deployment failover, significant versioning protocols, multisite deduplication and 10-minute deployment! But again, hardware locked, but also after 1 year, has subscription model costs to factor in. Learn more below:

Ultimately, it is still very much ‘early days’ for this NAS software and although it looks like the structure is sorted and presumably the logic in the backend has been laid out, as I cannot imagine a $250,000 investment being made on a blueprint on a napkin, nor can I imagine TrueNAS (the organization) allowing their OS being commercially forked in this fashion without heavy proof of concept and execution. There is also the question of how two ex UnRAID / Lime Technology team members end up splintering off into a TrueNAS-powered NAS OS that likely draws comparison at best and competition at worse with their former employers. I think we can all agree that the NAS industry is long overdue and open for the truly and completely tech-knowledge-free solution that has existed in DAS (Direct Attached Storage) for decades and is profited by on cloud platforms such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc. I am looking forward to seeing how this all plays out, how much of this promised utopia of simplicity can be maintained and how other players in the market respond to this. Whether we are looking at “TrueNAS Lite” and it fills that void, or it ends up initiating the existing NAS OS status quo to spare a thought for the ‘hassle-free’ UX, it is going to be fun to watch play out!

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Asustor vient d’annoncer l’arrivée de la nouvelle version de son logiciel interne, ADM 4.3.1. Il s’agit d’une version mineure qui arrive deux mois après ADM 4.3.0. Cependant, comme vous allez le constater, elle ne manque pas d’intérêt. ADM 4.3.1 Lors du Computex (début juin), Asustor a officiellement annoncé l’arrivée d’ADM 5.0, notamment sur ses nouveaux modèles. Malheureusement, nous n’en savons pas plus au moment où nous rédigeons ces lignes. Toutefois, le fabricant nous revient avec une nouvelle mouture de son logiciel interne : ADM 4.3.1. Regardons de plus près le journal des modifications : Web Center et Reverse Proxy prennent […]
Lire la suite : Asustor ADM 4.3.1 débarque, quelles sont les nouveautés ?

AIFFRO K100 SSD NAS Review – N100 Powered Flash NAS for Your Pocket?

AND ANOTHER SSD NAS has arrived on the market, this time from AIFFRO with their K100 4-Bay NVMe micro/pocket server. Nowadays, it seems like every brand and it’s subsidiary want to get in on ALL SSD NAS systems! The decreasing cost of SSDs, combined with the rising efficiency of server CPUs have all added up to a lot of brands appearing on the scene out of the East to introduce their new NAS system for Flash storage. Add to this the fact that many of them do not need to include an operating system, thanks to the rising use of the likes of UnRAID and TrueNAS, which means that they can be incredibly competitive with their pricing! But the last 12 months have been a massive spike in the development of NAS systems that have their hardware/brand routes in mini PC development. But where is the line? What sets a NAS system apart from a mini PC? Just the storage? The AIFFRO K100 blurs the lines considerably with it’s N100 CPU architecture, 4x 2280 M,2 SSD slots and 2.5GbE connectivity, arriving at $320. So, let’s review this new micro NAS, see how/if it differentiates itself well enough from a cheap mini PC and hopefully help you decide if the K100 deserves your data!

Where to Buy? Check Amazon for the Aiffro K100 NAS – HERE Similar 4-Bay NVMe NAS on AliExpress ($155)– CWWK x86 P5 NAS

Component	Details
Model	K100
Dimensions	117x112x34mm
Material	Aluminum alloy
CPU	Intel N100, 4 cores, 4 threads, 6MB cache, peak clock speed of 3.40GHz
Video Engine Processor	Intel UHD Graphics 12th
Memory	LPDDR5 8GB 4800MHz (4x2GB LPDDR4 4800MHz Micron MT62F1G32D2DS)
Storage	4 x SSD (2280 M.2 PCIe Gen3x4, downgraded to 3×2)
I/O Ports	2 x USB 2.0, 2 x TYPE-C USB3.2 Gen2 Data Only 10G, 1 x TYPE-C DC, 1 x 2.5G RJ45 Realtek RTL8125, 1 x HDMI 1.4
Ethernet	Realtek RTL8125, 10/100/1000/2500 Mbps Ethernet
LED	1 x POWER LED (Power On: Green+Red, working: Green)
Adapter	Automatic Voltage adjustment between 100 and 240V AC, 50/60Hz, 65Watts PD (20V/3.25A), 1.5 meters long Type-C cable
Support System	CentOS/Euler/Ubuntu/Win11/FreeNAS/TrueNAS
Accessory	VESA Mount (optional)

AIFFRO K100 SSD NAS Review – Quick Conclusion

The K100 4-Bay NVMe SSD NAS is arguably quite an average NAS system, but it stands out by being one of the very few compact NAS systems that arrives at under $300 with dedicated  m.2 NVMe support. There is no avoiding that very little has been done to separate it from being just a Mini PC that happens to have 4 storage slots – but at the same time, with complete NAS OS freedom, lower power consumption with USB power, good sustained performance internally (though peak performance is weak) and being genuinely pocket-sized, make this system an interesting NAS for those looking at a truly portable NAS. The single 2.5G slot is a pain though (i.e no failover and 250-279MB speed limit externally) and the fixed 8GB memory feels restrictive for TrueNAS users (let’s not even bring up ECC…), but as a first NAS from this brand on the market, it still brings competitive hardware pricing to the table. They just need to make more of a concerted effort to truly make this into a NAS system in the conventional sense. Definitely a brand to keep an eye on, but this is a system for hobbyists and homelabber’s who want something more capable than a raspberry Pi, but not for mission-critical data.

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AIFFRO K100 SSD NAS Review – Design

The K100 arrives in a predictably small, Mini PC-esque form. Given the scale of modern m.2 NVMe drives, even at the largest capacity, this system does not really need to be particularly large when focusing on this media. There is, of course, the balance between keeping things quiet and compact versus keeping things cool and smoothly running, but there are a decent number of design choices here that balance this point quite well.

The enclosure is metal on all sides. The base has ventilation holes on three of the four sides. The system features only a single internal active cooling fan that we will touch on later on, but it is all very discreet and the silver metallic finish is a nice touch.

Measuring at just a little under 12 cm by 11 cm by 4 cm, this is a tremendously small-scale NAS system that, thanks to its use of USB power delivery, means it is going to be extraordinarily low impact on your hardware environment when deploying. Likewise, weighing in at around half a kilo, it is going to be pretty easy to mount this device anywhere. The front of the system is quite nondescript and only features a single power button and no further connectivity. Given the preponderance of USB connections that we will touch on later, it would have been nice to have one of these ports front-mounted for convenient local backups or storage injection as needed.

The base of the system is a plastic panel with rubber feet that can be removed via four screws to access the internal storage bays. Overall, the design is very understated and, despite the more modest N100 architecture, the K100 still manages to be impressively small-scale.

The K100 feels very well-built and impressively put together. There is no avoiding that this chassis does look like a slightly modified Mini PC enclosure, but that is not necessarily a bad thing for those that want a service system that focuses exclusively on m.2 SSD storage. Let’s discuss the external connectivity of this device.

More so than the scale of this system, the ports and connectivity of the K100 bring back that slightly icky feeling that this is just a mini PC pretending to be a NAS. It’s not that the connections are bad, it’s just that in one very specific area an obvious feature of modern NAS is absent. But before we get to that, let’s keep things positive. The rear of the system is actually pretty densely packed with connections, and interestingly, the system even runs on a standard USB type-C power connection. You will need to deliver slightly more than your average USB-connected port, but I was able to run this system pretty well with my Sharky external battery pack and even a standard 36 W USB phone charger kept this system running. Obviously, it is recommended that you use the included PSU to run this system, but having USB type-C power certainly adds an element of flexibility once again to the deployment of this system.

Additionally, there are further USB type-C and USB type-A ports, with the former providing you with 10 GB performance with externally connected storage drives and the latter being a useful means to set up your KVM for direct access on this system with your visual output. Again, USB type-C is surprisingly rare on modern NAS devices and in this compact frame makes a lot of sense.

There are also dual HDMI outputs, which of course are going to be heavily dependent on the NAS operating system you use, but it’s still a useful thing to have here and they do output 4K at 60 frames per second. Alongside multimedia, these ports can also be used in conjunction with accessing the BIOS of the system easily to install the third-party NAS software that you want to use. So far I have tested TrueNAS Core and Unraid on this device, and both ran fine.

However, now it’s time to get a little down in the dumps and talk about the network connectivity on the K100. Despite the fact that this system supports four m.2 NVMe SSDs inside, and even arrives with a reasonably powerful, yet efficient N100 CPU, the K100 arrives with a single 2.5 GB Ethernet port. That means that all data transmissions outside of this device are going to be bottlenecked to around 250 to 270 MB per second. Although the tiniest bit of me wants to give them the benefit of the doubt and at least highlight that it is not standard boring 1GBE, there is no avoiding that alongside this port, ensuring a huge bottleneck of the performance that this system could reach, the lack of any option towards failover, link aggregation, and easy SMB multi-channel for Windows users is simply going to be impossible here.

Clearly, they have opted to prioritize m.2 NVMe storage inside this system, even going as far as to ensure that each slot has 2000 MB per second bandwidth afforded to it for those SSDs (more on that later), but a single Ethernet port of this calibre is just not going to be enough for most users who are choosing to invest a few extra dollars in SSD media over that of hard drives. Hell, even if this system was running on traditional 3.5-inch hard drives in SATA and not m.2 NVMe drives, it would still massively oversaturate a single 2.5 G NIC.

Now, it isn’t quite the end of the road in terms of network connectivity. There isn’t any kind of PCIe upgradeability present here, nor is there any external PCIe support via something like OCuLink, but depending on the NAS operating system you choose to use, there is perhaps the option to take advantage of USB to network adapters. In 2024, there are plenty of $15-20 USB to 2.5 G network adapters on the market, and even a few $60 5GBE USB adapters supported here. This does mean that you will have to spend a little more, and that you stand to lose more of those 10G USB ports, but at the very least you can still potentially add further network adapters to this system. It’s just a damn shame that you have to spend extra to do it and potentially lose out on some of your expandability.

Overall the network connectivity on this device is….fine, I guess. It certainly is not going to blow you away and it is all pretty much standard. I expect this kind of thing at this price point. Anyway, the obvious bottleneck that these ports and connections are going to serve to the potential RAID performance of those internal drives is going to be a bitter pill to swallow for some users and possibly may serve as a deal-breaker for them to look elsewhere for a NAS. But how does all of this external hardware impact or profit by the internal hardware? Let’s open this up and discuss what’s inside the K100 NAS.

Internal hardware

The base panel of the system is removed by finding four screws located under each of the rubber feet on the base of the system. Doing so exposes an internal metal dissipation plate that lives just above each of the individual m.2 slots, serving as additional heat dissipation for the SSDs during peak use in order to prevent throttling due to high temperatures.

Removing this further panel with four more screws reveals all four of the internal m.2 NVMe slots. Each one is 2280 in length, and if you purchased a device pre-populated, Bay one will be already occupied with a relatively little-known SSD branded drive. Additionally, my review unit arrived with Windows 11 pre-installed on this drive. I’m not too sure if this is what every user who purchases the K100 will receive, or this is something that perhaps a previous reviewer added during their evaluation, but I think the majority of users are probably going to wipe this drive very early in favor of more NAS-focused software shortly after.

It’s also worth highlighting that when I dug into the BIOS of this system, I was able to find out that although the hardware architecture for each of these slots is PCIe Gen 3*4, each slot has been downgraded to times 2 speed. This is something that was added to minimize SSD temperature during operation. This still means that each SSD inside, if you use Gen. 3*4 SSDs, will still be afforded somewhere in the region of 2,000 MB per second bandwidth each.

The N100 CPU that we’ll talk about in a moment is not the most powerful processor on the market, trying instead to find a better balance between performance and power consumption efficiency, so even though each of these SSDs has been afforded 2,000 MB per second of bandwidth, I very much doubt that we’re going to see this system break any records in terms of performance.

Removing this panel then exposes the internal CPU and memory configuration of the K100. This processor arrives with its own small laptop-style cooling fan and, despite its small stature, has become remarkably popular in consumer-grade NAS devices in recent years. The Intel N100 is a quad-core x86 CPU that, although has a very low base clock speed, can be boosted impressively all the way up to 3.4 GHz when needed.

With a TDP-reported power rating of just 6 W and even arriving with a moderate level of integrated graphics, there is a lot to like about this CPU choice.

I have already tested numerous systems with this processor from CWWK, Topton, and Aooster, and on every occasion, this processor architecture did not disappoint in things like 4K Plex media server, container deployment, speedy backups, and multi-user/multi-application simultaneous usage. However, on the subject of memory, things differ ever so slightly with this modest CPU also diminishing the scope for memory allocation + features.

The K100 arrives with 8GB of DDR5 memory at 4800 MHz. For a base level amount of memory on any affordable NAS system, this isn’t too bad. It’s only when you move beyond this that things become problematic. For a start, this memory is provided via four times 2GB pre-soldered memory flash cells attached to the internal PCB. There is no means to upgrade the base of your memory beyond this and therefore running services such as TrueNAS are going to be a little bit more stringent when it comes to the beefier ZFS and inline services that it includes. Additionally, this processor does not support ECC memory and therefore there will be some experienced flash server users who are going to feel less secure in this faster storage media being supported by non-ECC memory – fearing occasional data inconsistencies occurring over time.

Realistically, adding the necessary architecture to equip this system with ECC RAM would have meant changing the CPU for something a little bit more expensive and swapping out the available memory for more expensive ECC modules, so I completely understand why they opted for keeping things more simple and affordable on this smaller system for that target audience seeking entry-level SSD NAS. Nevertheless, the more modest foundations of this system are definitely going to impact overall performance. Some users are obviously going to highlight that performance was already somewhat limited by that 2.5 GBE solo port, but this CPU and memory architecture is definitely going to impact internal performance too. That is possible from those four M.2 SSDs.

AIFFRO K100 SSD NAS Review – Software and Performance

As this system runs on the fantastically modest yet capable Intel N100 (x86 Architecture, 4 Core, 4 thread, 3.6Ghz peak when needed, int.GFX), as well as running on M.2 NVMe SSD Storage, it was always going to be interesting to see what the system power consumption was going to be. When the system was at idle (i.e on, but M.2s not being accessed for 15 mins, system in a ready state, but not processing), the K100 was erring around the 10W mark – perfectly acceptable.

At peak, with all 4 SSDs being accessed and the CPU at 40-50% use, the K100 increased its power consumption up to 16W and eventually peaked at 18W (when the CPU use and SSD use was 75% and above). Again, very respectable numbers for a 4 bay NVMe SSD Flash NAS system.

Next, we can discuss noise. Many new/old NAS users (DiY or turnkey) are moving towards SSD use in their systems primarily for decreased operational noise (and, of course, the massive speed and latency benefits). Now, upon initial boot up, the AIFFRO K100’s fan spun up to maximum speed for 15 seconds, then spun down to a much quieter idle. Initially the K100 (running UnRAID on this occasion) was around the 21-23dB mark in terms of noise, but that was when the SSDs were not mounted in the storage manager. As soon as they were mounted and even vague access was made to them, the fan spun up some more (almost preemptively preparing for heat) and the system sat at around 25-27dB noise levels. Again, not to bad, and the noise would definitely be lost in a broader office ambient environment.

Heavy access however was a different story! Despite these M.2 NVMe drive being Gen 3×2 speed, the system still spun the fan up quickly to maximum and the K100 was hitting 36-38db. Upon the completion of ‘heavy access’, the system took almost 10 mins to naturally reduce it’s fan RPM and lower it’s ambient noise. It’s still a very quiet NAS, but the fan cooling seemed to be remarkably sensitive for an N100 NAS of this scale, especially when you factor in the pre-installed internal dissipation plate and padding on the drives.

Next, we need to discuss internal performance, and unfortunately, this is where we see the shortcomings of the N100 processor when dealing with flash NVMe storage hit a hurdle or two! If people are thinking about an NVMe SSD NAS system, they are already thinking about performance in the gigabytes, not the megabytes. Unfortunately, as each M.2 NVMe is 3×2, you already have a 2000MB/s bandwidth limit on each drive already. Then it became clear in testing that these 4 M.2 are seemingly sharing some internal PCIe paths and the N100 just didn’t have the umpf to keep things moving, as initial SSD Read testing (repeated 1GB file creation) sat around the 580-600MB/s mark. When we have seen similarly powered NVMe systems to this from established NAS brands (the QNAP TBS-464 or Asustor Flashstor 6, which both ran on an Intel N5105 Celeron), we have regularly seen these SSDs only hit around 750MB/s each – so I never expected the K100 to fully saturate PCIe 3×2 – but these numbers below are only a pinch above that of SATA SSD.

On a positive note, the write performance was at least largely equal to that of Read (at 590-600MB/s), which further indicated that there was an bottleneck happening internally. I would add that this performance WAS sustained in both Read and Write – which at least would mean that operations on the K100 would be very smooth and responsive. Just that the peak performance of the M.2 NVMes inside is going to be somewhat limited.

Then, the final blow! Copying data from one M.2 NVMe SSD to another clearly indicated that bottleneck, with the average 1GB file creation speed (looped) at 270-290MB/s on average – so, effectively half of what we have seen and therefore the paths were being fought over across the SSDs and sharing out the 600MB/s or so we have seen till now.

I think, at a hardware production level, there would have been an argument to play with PCIe bifurcation here and limit these M.2 NVMes to 3×1, and use some of that extra afforded resources to introduce more bays and/or improvements in the K100 NICs. Sadly, whether this was a hardware limitation, or simply that this would deviate further from the mini PC architecture (and therefore cost more in development and production), its not present here. The K100 performance feels very average, but I have to give it credit for being solid sustained performance, as well as low power consumption and largely low system noise for the majority of the testing.

AIFFRO K100 SSD NAS Review – Conclusion and Verdict

The K100 4-Bay NVMe SSD NAS is arguably quite an average NAS system, but it stands out by being one of the very few compact NAS systems that arrives at under $300 with dedicated  m.2 NVMe support. There is no avoiding that very little has been done to separate it from being just a Mini PC that happens to have 4 storage slots – but at the same time, with complete NAS OS freedom, lower power consumption with USB power, good sustained performance internally (though peak performance is weak) and being genuinely pocket-sized, make this system an interesting NAS for those looking at a truly portable NAS. The single 2.5G slot is a pain though (i.e no failover and 250-279MB speed limit externally) and the fixed 8GB memory feels restrictive for TrueNAS users (let’s not even bring up ECC…), but as a first NAS from this brand on the market, it still brings competitive hardware pricing to the table. They just need to make more of a concerted effort to truly make this into a NAS system in the conventional sense. Definitely a brand to keep an eye on, but this is a system for hobbyists and homelabber’s who want something more capable than a raspberry Pi, but not for mission-critical data.

PROS of the K100 Flash NAS	CONs of the K100 Flash NAS
Insanely Compact 4 M.2 2280 SSDs at this scale are incredibly impressive USB-C Power is oddly rare these days! The N100 CPU is tremendously energy efficient Low noise levels Plenty of passive cooling Pre-populated storage options Complete NAS OS’ freedom Very affordable at $320 for a NVMe Flash 4x Bay system	N100 has it’s limitations in scalability A single LAN Port is a PAIN Fixed 8GB memory, and no ECC (not a big surprise) Similar architecture NAS available for less in the market (example, the CWWK x86 P5 at $155, same CPU and 4 Bays)

Where to Buy? Check Amazon for the Aiffro K100 NAS – HERE Similar 4-Bay NVMe NAS on AliExpress ($155)– CWWK x86 P5 NAS

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Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

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QNAP Reveal a New (and frankly incredible) ARM NAS Series – The TS-x32X NAS Range

At the recent Computex 2024 event, QNAP introduced two new NAS models, the TS-632X and TS-432X, which are poised to be valuable additions to their network storage offerings. These devices are specifically designed to cater to small to medium-sized businesses and tech-savvy users who need reliable and efficient data management solutions. Both models are powered by the Annapurna Labs AL524, a quad-core 2.0GHz ARM processor known for its energy efficiency and capability to handle multitasking workloads. Despite being based on ARM architecture, which typically doesn’t match the performance of Intel or AMD x86 processors, these NAS devices promise satisfactory performance for their target applications. This positioning highlights QNAP’s ongoing commitment to providing practical, affordable solutions that meet the diverse needs of modern data storage environments.

What are the Hardware Specifications of the QNAP TS-432x and TS-632x NAS?

The TS-632X, with its 6-bay configuration, offers dual 10GbE SFP+ ports, providing significant bandwidth for data-intensive tasks. This makes it suitable for high-speed network environments where rapid data transmission and backup are crucial. The inclusion of two 10GbE ports enables efficient data handling and minimizes latency in data-heavy operations. Meanwhile, the TS-432X, featuring a 4-bay setup, includes a single 10GbE SFP+ port, which, although less than the TS-632X, still offers substantial improvement over traditional 1GbE connections. For those who need to connect to conventional Ethernet networks, affordable SFP+ to RJ45 copper adapters are available, allowing these NAS systems to integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructures. However, it’s important to note that while these devices boast high-speed connectivity, the actual data transfer rates will likely be lower due to the inherent limitations of ARM processors compared to more powerful x86 processors from Intel and AMD.

Feature	TS-432X	TS-632X
Model	TS-432X-4G	TS-632X-4G
CPU	Annapurna Labs, an Amazon company Alpine AL524, 4-core, 2.0GHz	Annapurna Labs, an Amazon company Alpine AL524, 4-core, 2.0GHz
CPU Architecture	64-bit ARM	64-bit ARM
Encryption Engine	Supports AES 256-bit encryption	Supports AES 256-bit encryption
System Memory	4 GB SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 4 GB)	4 GB SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 4 GB)
Maximum Memory	16 GB (1 x 16 GB)	16 GB (1 x 16 GB)
Memory Slot	1 x SODIMM DDR4	1 x SODIMM DDR4
Support ECC Memory	Yes	Yes
Drive Bay	4 x 3.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s, 3Gb/s	6 x 3.5-inch SATA 6Gb/s, 3Gb/s
2.5 Gigabit Ethernet Ports	2 (2.5G/1G/100M)	2 (2.5G/1G/100M)
10 Gigabit Ethernet Ports	1 x 10GbE SFP+	2 x 10GbE SFP+
PCIe Slot	1 x PCIe Gen 3 x4	1 x PCIe Gen 3 x4
PCIe Slot Dimensions	190 x 68.9 x 18.76 mm	190 x 68.9 x 18.76 mm
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Ports	2	2
Dimensions (HxWxD)	226.5 x 170 x 165 mm	226.5 x 235 x 165 mm
Weight (Net)	1.99 kg	2.5 kg
Weight (Gross)	4.8 kg	4.96 kg
Power Supply Unit	90W adapter (12VDC), 100-240VAC	120W adapter (12VDC), 100-240VAC
Fan	1 x 120mm, 12VDC	2 x 90mm, 12VDC
Software Features	AI photo management, container applications, centralized backup and snapshot protection, surveillance	AI photo management, container applications, centralized backup and snapshot protection, surveillance
Ports
Connections	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) ports	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) ports
Faster USB Transfer	Two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) ports with One Touch Copy support	Two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps) ports with One Touch Copy support
Centralized Backup	Easily back up different types of data and endpoints and create snapshots regularly to prevent ransomware threats	Easily back up different types of data and endpoints and create snapshots regularly to prevent ransomware threats
10GbE Connectivity	High-speed single-port 10GbE SFP+ connectivity	High-speed dual-port 10GbE SFP+ connectivity
PCIe Expandability	Install PCIe expansion card for 2.5/5/10GbE or M.2 SSD slots	Install PCIe expansion card for 2.5/5/10GbE or M.2 SSD slots
Performance	Quad-core for multitasking, low power consumption	Quad-core for multitasking, low power consumption

A standout feature of both the TS-632X and TS-432X is their support for ECC (Error-Correcting Code) memory, which is a rare offering in ARM-based NAS systems, particularly at an accessible price point. By default, these NAS units are equipped with non-ECC memory, but they allow users the option to upgrade to ECC memory. ECC memory is crucial for preventing data corruption by detecting and correcting errors, making it a valuable addition for users who prioritize data integrity and reliability. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses and advanced users who require stable and accurate data storage solutions, providing an added layer of security typically reserved for more expensive, enterprise-grade systems. However, users should note that the out-of-the-box memory is non-ECC, and an upgrade will be necessary to take full advantage of ECC’s capabilities.

The expandability of the TS-632X and TS-432X is another notable aspect, particularly with the inclusion of a PCIe Gen 3 x4 slot. This slot enables users to install various expansion cards to enhance the NAS’s capabilities, such as additional network cards to increase connectivity options or M.2 SSD slots to boost storage performance. This PCIe slot provides a degree of scalability and customization, allowing these NAS systems to grow and adapt to changing business needs. Additionally, users can expand storage externally using QNAP’s TR and TL series expansion units via USB, further increasing the capacity and versatility of these NAS devices. This capability allows for significant expansion without requiring a complete overhaul of the storage infrastructure, making it a flexible and cost-effective solution for growing data storage requirements.

The TS-632X delivers impressive data transfer capabilities, with read speeds up to 2251 MB/s and write speeds up to 1082 MB/s when utilizing dual 10GbE connections under optimal conditions. The TS-432X, on the other hand, provides read speeds up to 1181 MB/s and write speeds up to 887 MB/s through its single 10GbE port. These figures reflect robust performance for ARM-based devices, but it’s important to recognize that actual speeds in everyday use may be lower due to the limitations of the ARM CPU. ARM processors, while efficient and cost-effective, generally do not perform as well in high-intensity data operations compared to their x86 counterparts. This factor should be considered by users looking for the highest possible data transfer speeds, as these systems may not match the throughput of more powerful, x86-based NAS devices.

A notable feature of these NAS systems is their scalability. Both the TS-632X and TS-432X support flexible storage configurations, allowing users to start with a minimal setup of one or two drives and add more drives as needed. This makes it possible to expand the storage capacity over time without significant upfront investment. Furthermore, the systems run on QNAP’s QTS operating system, which is based on the EXT4 file system rather than the more advanced QuTS ZFS platform. This choice is likely due to hardware limitations, as ZFS typically requires more robust hardware resources to run effectively. While QTS provides a user-friendly interface and sufficient functionality for most users, those looking for advanced features like deduplication and enhanced data integrity checks offered by ZFS will need to consider other options.

Both the TS-632X and TS-432X are slated for release in Q3 2024, with pricing expected to be consistent with QNAP’s previous ARM-powered 10GbE systems. This positions them competitively in the market, offering high-speed connectivity and robust data management features at a reasonable cost. As such, they are well-suited for users who need efficient and scalable storage solutions without incurring the higher costs associated with more powerful x86-based NAS systems. This upcoming release reflects QNAP’s strategy of providing accessible and flexible storage solutions that cater to a wide range of users, from small businesses to tech enthusiasts.

Essentially the QNAP TS-632X and TS-432X are being presented as practical and scalable solutions for those seeking reliable network storage with high-speed connectivity, but on a tighter budget! While they offer some advanced features such as ECC memory support and PCIe expandability, their performance is inherently limited by the ARM architecture. These NAS systems are suitable for users who need moderate performance and scalability at an affordable price point. As with any technology decision, potential users should consider their specific needs and performance expectations to determine if these models are the right fit for their requirements. QNAP’s new offerings at Computex 2024 underscore the company’s commitment to providing versatile, user-friendly storage solutions that balance cost and functionality.

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Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

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Vous envisagez d’investir dans un NAS, mais vous hésitez face aux nombreux modèles disponibles ? Notre guide complet des meilleurs NAS 2024 est fait pour vous aider. Découvrez les modèles les plus performants, fiables et adaptés à vos besoins. Que vous soyez un particulier à la recherche d’un espace de stockage sécurisé ou une entreprise ayant besoin de solutions robustes, ce comparatif vous donnera les clés pour faire le bon choix. Retrouvez les fabricants les plus réputés du marché : Synology, QNAP, Asustor, TerraMaster, WD… Comparatif NAS (mi 2024) Pour trouver le NAS parfait, il est important de prendre en […]
Lire la suite : Guide pour bien choisir son NAS (été 2024)

What is the Synology GS Series? And Who Is It For?

Synology has been in the market for almost 25 years now, and during that time, they have rolled out numerous large-capacity solutions. However, the GS series is the brand’s most significant move thus far towards true data center-class scale storage. Last year saw the release of the HD6500 60-bay solution, and the previous year, they introduced their SA and UC3200 active-active solutions. This year, the GS Series and the GS6200 are their latest efforts to provide enormously accessible, expandable, and reliable enterprise storage.

The TL;DR About the GS (GridStation) Series, the GS6200 and the NS4825 Switch

Synology GS Series Overview

General Information:

• Product Line: GS Series
• Type: Scale-out data storage and management platform
• Key Features:
  • Highly efficient and scalable architecture
  • Supports up to 96 nodes per cluster
  • Raw storage capacities of up to 20 PB
  • Supports up to 150,000 concurrent connections for Synology Drive and Office

Benefits:

• Operational Continuity: Non-disruptive operations and data integrity
• Ease of Management: Simple and transformative management for businesses and large organizations
• Platform Compatibility: Compatible with almost all known platforms today
• Scalability: Suitable for mid to large enterprises with virtually any need

Applications:

• Collaboration suite: Drive, spreadsheets, documents, and presentations benefit from the GS series

---

Synology GS6200 Specifications

Key Features:

• Management System: Powered by GSM (GridStation Manager)
• Scalability: 3 to 96 nodes per cluster
• Storage Capacity: Up to 20 PB of raw capacity per cluster

Performance:

• High Connection Performance: Supports up to 150,000 simultaneous users
• Supported Protocols: SMB, NFS, S3

Operating System:

• Design: Ensures operational continuity and data preservation
• Interface: Simple and user-friendly management interface

Advantages and Practical Applications

• Expandability: Easily expandable without losing performance
• Cost Efficiency: Optimizes resource usage and reduces maintenance costs
• Applications: Suitable for various sectors including business, education, and medical industries

---

NS4825 Network Switch

Key Features:

• Preconfigured for GS6200: Supports up to 24 connected GS6200 nodes/systems
• Connectivity: Connects to up to 3 other NS4825 switches for managing a 96-node cluster via 100GbE connections
• Potential Capacity: Manages over 5 PB of storage per switch

 

Up until this point, the majority of Synology rackmount systems were designed to be used primarily as single-unit solutions, and most of them have been expandable. This means that these larger and more powerful server solutions can have additional storage bolted on via large expansion units, allowing businesses to increase their shared storage over time. This kind of scale-out storage is very effective for adding more storage to an existing solution, but not for creating large, privately managed storage areas (also known as nodes) that form one larger storage pool (known as a cluster). These solutions have a failure point in the main server that, if impacted, cannot rely on the connected expansion systems to pick up the slack or fluidly handle active connections, identities, or access. This is where the GS Series comes in.

The GS Series is a high-capacity and high-performance rackmount server (the GS6200) that provides a similar experience to other high-powered, large-scale Synology solutions. However, the GS Series is designed to be deployed alongside other GS6200 units—up to 96 units, to be exact! Although this might appear comparable to the existing NAS + expansions model in their portfolio, in the GS Series, each system is a fully-featured server solution that can run independently or in unison (the preferred and recommended method) with the rest of the GS systems in its cluster. Each system features its unit number on a digital display on the front panel. Each GS6200 is a 12-bay unit that can support Synology 20TB media, meaning each system can potentially support up to 240TB of storage capacity. Add that up across 96 individual GS6200 nodes, and you have well over 20 petabytes of storage to work with (more like 23+ PB).

This is a considerable amount of system and storage management across the entire cluster. To address this, Synology is also rolling out an enterprise switch exclusive to this service, which can also be integrated into your existing enterprise switch (Cisco, etc.). Synology does not seem to have plans to broaden their range to include network switches, but I can see the logic of rolling out their own in the GS6200 series. Unlike a traditional expansion cluster (i.e., NAS + SAS-connected expansions), there is a lot more traffic management required, and this switch will do more than just exchange packets; it will also manage and control the cluster in a considerably more native Synology way than using a third-party switch for the cluster would.

The Synology GS Series represents the company’s latest advancement in enterprise storage, designed to meet the needs of large-scale data management. With the ability to integrate up to 96 nodes per cluster and provide over 20 petabytes of raw storage capacity, the GS6200 offers a solution for organizations with extensive data storage requirements. This system is aimed at businesses, educational institutions, and government agencies that need a scalable and efficient method for handling significant amounts of data. Each GS6200 unit is capable of supporting high concurrent connections, up to 150,000 users simultaneously, making it suitable for environments with a large number of users accessing data concurrently. The system supports various protocols including SMB, NFS, and S3, which allows for flexible integration with existing IT infrastructure. This flexibility ensures that organizations can maintain their current systems while scaling their storage capabilities as needed.

The GS Series is equipped with a new operating system designed to ensure operational continuity and data integrity, even during maintenance or upgrades. The management interface is user-friendly, facilitating straightforward monitoring and management of the cluster. This design aims to minimize the complexity involved in managing large storage environments, making it easier for IT administrators to maintain system performance and reliability. To support the GS6200 cluster, Synology has introduced the NS4825 enterprise switch. This switch is designed to handle data traffic efficiently and integrate with the GS6200 systems. The NS4825 is intended to offer a more cohesive management experience than third-party switches, streamlining the scaling and maintenance of the storage cluster. This addition emphasizes Synology’s approach to providing an integrated solution for enterprise data management.

The GS Series, currently just the GS6200 and NS4825, aims to provide a comprehensive and scalable solution for organizations looking to expand their data storage capabilities. The system is designed to be flexible, reliable, and straightforward to manage, positioning it as a practical choice for entities requiring substantial data management infrastructure. We will be covering more of what came out of the Synology Solutions Exhibition 2024 later this week.

Alternatively, you can watch the full summary below from our YouTube Channel HERE:

 

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Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

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The QNAP USB4 to 10GbE Adapter (ONA-LIC10G1T and ONA-LIC10G1SF)

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: QNAP has always been the hardware innovator in the world of NAS. They introduced Thunderbolt NAS, combination 10GbE+M.2 NVMe cards, USB DAS connected NAS (51A series), and more. However, their latest network upgrade product that is in the works, if it does what they say it will, might well be one of the most universally popular yet! The QNAP USB4 to 10GbE Adapter is a USB4 Type-C connected adapter that allows you to connect to a 10GbE network over copper (10GBASE-T RJ45) or SFP+. So, why is this a big deal? What problems does this solve? And does either of the ONA-LIC10G1T and/or ONA-LIC10G1SF Deserve a place on your next IT shopping trip? Let’s discuss.

Why is the QNAP USB4 to 10G Adapter a Big Deal?

It’s a good question! Up until now, if you wanted to add connectivity to your NAS or your client OS machine (Windows, Mac, etc.), you really only had two options. 1) Buy a 10GbE network upgrade PCIe card and install it in an available PCIe slot of your machine—which a lot of devices do not actually have! Or 2) Buy a Thunderbolt to 10GbE adapter to add this connection—but this requires you to actually have a physical Thunderbolt USB-C port in the first place! So, there is a lot of room for a user to not be able to access 10GbE. However, numerous NAS devices and client machines in the last year or two have been arriving with USB4 ports (especially now that Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 are effectively merged in most modern cases).

This means that this device will make it significantly easier for a user to add 10GbE to their system. It is still yet to be confirmed if the backward compatibility/auto-negotiation of USB4 down to USB 3.2 will still be supported and mean that this adapter can be used in older systems—but never say never. It will definitely heavily rely on the USB4 PCIe bridge that is featured inside the adapter.

The QNAP USB4 10G Adapter Hardware

As mentioned, the QNAP ONA-LIC10G1T and ONA-LIC10G1SF USB4 to 10GbE Adapter arrives in versions that support copper 10G and SFP 10G. The internal hardware will likely remain largely the same between them, but it’s good that they have provided both physical forms. The system is fanless, and its entire casing acts as a form of heat dissipation when in operation. Additionally, the system is completely bus-powered (i.e., no additional cables) as USB4 provides more than enough power to keep the adapter running. Indeed, USB4 can provide an impressive 40Gb/s bandwidth, so there is more than enough to support a single 10GbE network adapter. In fact, given that abundance of bandwidth, it would not surprise me if QNAP ends up limiting the USB4 to 20Gb/s to keep it running at a lower temperature.

QNAP states that the adapter is planned to support use on both QNAP NAS systems and on Windows/Mac/Linux systems. However, whether you can attach multiple units to a QNAP NAS is yet to be confirmed.

The Future of this Product Series: 25GbE?

As mentioned earlier, USB4 provides a huge amount of bandwidth at 40Gb/s, and the single 10GbE on this new adapter is only using 25% of that bandwidth potential. So, what’s next? If QNAP has solved the internal USB4 to network controller (presumably with ASMedia or Realtek—TBC), then that leaves tremendous room to expand this series. I spoke with several people at the QNAP Computex stand about this device and was informed that development of a dual-port 10GbE and even a 25GbE FC version is being worked on, but do not expect those in 2024. It makes a lot of sense, as the USB4-10GbE unit at the show was working (on rotational performance tests), so the logic is there; it’s just making sure it is stable and that the bandwidth is effectively utilized.

Release and Pricing for the QNAP ONA-LIC10G1T and ONA-LIC10G1SF ?

Although the SFP+ and RJ45 versions of the USB4 adapter were running at the show and were definitely real, when I asked about pricing and a release date, QNAP was very hard to pin down. In fact, aside from “later in 2024,” they would not confirm. I can’t really blame them. This is a very unique piece of kit at the moment, and I cannot imagine development was cheap. Add that exclusivity to the fact that the ASMedia/Realtek chip inside is likely very ‘current,’ which means that this will almost certainly be a $150+ adapter at the very least! Chances are that QNAP will need more time to gauge interest in the device before nailing down the details further. I’ll most certainly be keeping an eye on this one!

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Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

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Dans le monde numérique actuel, le stockage en ligne est devenu une nécessité. Parmi les solutions populaires, Dropbox a longtemps dominé le marché. Cependant, pour ceux qui cherchent une alternative européenne, pCloud se distingue par ses nombreuses caractéristiques avantageuses et sa conformité aux lois de confidentialité européennes. Ses offres « à vie » sont très populaires… Stocker ses données en Europe Vous le savez, la confidentialité des données est un sujet important. Il est essentiel de choisir un service de stockage en ligne conforme aux lois de protection des données en vigueur. pCloud, basé en Suisse avec des serveurs au Luxembourg, garantit […]
Lire la suite : pCloud : l’alternative européenne de stockage en ligne

The Flashstor Gen 2 NVMe NAS – Update on Performance, PCIe Lanes, Release, and More

In the two months or so since Asustor first announced the release of the new entry into their Flash NAS series, the Flashstor Gen 2, it has caused quite a buzz! This new 12x M.2 NVMe slot desktop NAS system effectively super-sizes everything we saw in the Gen 1 model but also adds dual 10GbE and ECC memory. Fast forward to now, and we got to spend some more time with the device at the Asustor stand at Computex 2024 (as well as the similarly profiled Lockerstor Gen 3) to learn more about what it can do, what it cannot do, and to explore more of its hardware profile.

Flashstor Gen 2 10GbE Performance

Asustor demoed the Flashstor and Lockerstor systems, connected to a Windows 11 PC over 2x 10GbE, using SMB Multichannel, and transferred 120GB of data. Both systems were able to fully saturate the dual 10GbE connection and, after accounting for the drag factors associated with this network protocol, achieved 1.8GB/s with sustained performance throughout.

Needless to say, this is still less than the total performance possible with the SSDs inside the Flashstor Gen 2, but it is a positive sign moving forward.

The PCIe Lanes of the M.2 inside the Flashstor Gen 2

This aspect was somewhat of a mixed bag when looking more closely at the architecture of the Flashstor Gen 2, as many people (myself included) were unsure how exactly Asustor would allocate lanes and speed across the 12x M.2 slots inside the system. The answer is… quite messily! We have to be fair here; the Flashstor Gen 2 is still a NAS that is mid-development and subject to change. However, the units on show at the event had the following breakdown of PCIe lanes/speeds detailed on its PCB and confirmed by the team:

How the 12x M.2 NVMe slots are broken down:

– Gen 4×4 = 1 Slot

– Gen 4×1 = 4 Slots

– Gen 4×2 = 3 Slots

– Gen 3×4 = 1 Slot

– Gen 3×2 = 1 Slot

– Gen 3×1 = 2 Slot

This is an unusually mixed arrangement inside a single device. Although there is a lot more performance bandwidth here compared to the 12x Gen 3×1 in the Flashstor Gen 1, there are questions about the system’s performance when creating RAID pools on the M.2 in the Gen 2 that span drives of different speeds. The reality is that most pool configurations, such as a RAID 5 or RAID 0 of drives, will have their performance capped per drive to the speed of the slowest drive in the array. For example, 12 drives in the Gen 4 and Gen 3 slots will be reduced from 2000MB/s per lane to 1000MB/s max; the same goes for x4 slots, x2 slots, and x1 slots.

At least they are trying their best to use up as much of the bandwidth as possible from that Ryzen CPU, but it is still an undeniably bizarre arrangement of slots inside a single NAS system.

PC Gaming and the Flashstor Gen 2 System

The last demo at the stand related to the Flashstor was the system connected to a modern PC system to show how the 2x 10G connections combined with the high performance and low latency of the M.2 SSDs in the Flashstor and Lockerstor. This was done by running the latest version of Cyberpunk 2077 from the NAS systems. The game was running from the gaming machine with its own GPU, etc., but the game’s data files from launch (Steam, Epic, etc.) were all running from the NAS.

There was no drop in frame rate, no poor texture pop-in, no unexpected load screens as you transitioned through the world, and no examples of poor texture swapping. Indeed, the game played like it was stored on the PC’s own storage—but it wasn’t; it was managing the game data from the Flashstor Gen 2’s storage. This was achieved using an iSCSI LUN created in the Asustor ADM Storage Manager and then mounted on the PC via the built-in Windows iSCSI initiator.

(Here is a clip from the video where the tests were shown):

Running games from a NAS system is not new, but as more games are being developed with M.2 NVMe SSD storage in mind, they are also getting bigger and bigger (notwithstanding ‘Game as a Service’ titles that will grow constantly over the years). If you have years and years of titles in your Steam library and are concerned they might one day be taken offline, you will need some serious storage to ensure you have it all! With the performance benefits of accessing multiple M.2 SSDs in a RAID configuration and the expanded storage potential of these systems compared with the limited number of M.2 slots in ma00ny systems, you can definitely see why there is a growing appeal for games to be played off a NAS.

The Flashstor is still a fair way from full release—even the name ‘Gen 2’ seems to be a matter still under debate. Last month, I recorded a User Q&A with a brand representative that covered all the questions users had about the Flashstor Gen 2 and Lockerstor Gen 3. You can watch the whole thing below in the video (chapters on the bar at the bottom)

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Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions   Alternatively, why not ask me on the ASK NASCompares forum, by clicking the button below. This is a community hub that serves as a place that I can answer your question, chew the fat, share new release information and even get corrections posted. I will always get around to answering ALL queries, but as a one-man operation, I cannot promise speed! So by sharing your query in the ASK NASCompares section below, you can get a better range of solutions and suggestions, alongside my own.

WE LOVE COFFEE

 

Un membre du forum des NAS n’arrive pas à faire fonctionner son NAS Synology avec un fichier de configuration OpenVPN de NordVPN. Il n’existe apparemment pas de tutoriel récent sur le sujet. Je vous propose de découvrir comment faire, en quelques étapes avec NordVPN et ProtonVPN. Synology et OpenVPN Depuis plusieurs années, Synology propose sur ses NAS la possibilité de se connecter à un serveur VPN. Cela peut être très utile aux entreprises, mais aussi pour les particuliers qui souhaitent que leur NAS ne soit pas directement accessible sur Internet. Quelle que soit la raison, je vous propose de configurer […]
Lire la suite : Synology DSM 7.2 avec NordVPN et ProtonVPN

QNAP vient de mettre en ligne la version Release Candidate de son logiciel interne QTS 5.2. Cette nouvelle version intègre de nombreuses améliorations, mais aussi de nouveaux outils. QNAP QTS 5.2 RC QNAP a été plutôt rapide sur la phase bêta. Il n’y aura eu qu’une seule version avant le passage en RC (Release Candidate). Pour rappel, une version RC est (normalement) la dernière version avant la mise à disposition de tous de la version finale. À noter que QNAP a précédemment sorti 3 RC avant la version finale. QNAP annonce : « QTS 5.2.0 apporte de nombreuses nouvelles fonctionnalités importantes […]
Lire la suite : QNAP QTS 5.2 arrive en RC