Amazon Prime Data Data Storage Deals – That I Would Personally Buy!
Yep, it’s come around again. Amazon has launched their (now twice-annual?!) Prime Day event and with that, a flurry of deals are happening over the course of the next two days. As always, me and Eddie here at NASCompares takes this opportunity to scour the Amazon stores in the world in order to find the best deals that are REAL and, more importantly, are for things that we would ACTUALLY buy and/or recommend! We do this to help other users of course. but also as a means of fundraising our website and services, as we gain a small commission on all purchases that are made. So, it’s win-win for everyone! In order to do this, we have different options that you can use to help you find the best solution for your needs, hopefully at the best possible price! This article serves as a rolling ‘update’ article that is pinned to the top of NASCompares and will be updated hourly over the next 48 hours or so (timezones permitted) and features real offers that we have seen. Needless to say, these are not going to hand around forever (expect them to be subject to stock levels and/or time limits) so we will try to stay ontop of the ‘deadwood’ below as best we can. In the mean time, I recommend the following alternative pages:
Recommended Deal Pages
This is a rolling mega-list of Data Storage Deals and Promotions (covering NAS, DAS, Switches, Routers, HDDs, SSDs etc). It is community-supported, so users can add their own links (with their own affiliated links if they choose) to the list and deals ‘value’ can be voted – HERE
Here is a Synologyand QNAPdedicated list of recommended NAS devices that you can look for that suit different purposes, which then includes a link to Amazon to check if the device is on sale. Alternatively, there is a more ‘general’ brand post HERE
The above options will help you choose the right solution for your needs FIRST, and THEN you can check if they are on offer (to avoid pressure purchases on something BEFORE you know it actually suirts your needs)!> Otherwise, let’s continue with the deals we have spotted so far below. Also, we have spotted several other retailers creating ‘competative deals’ in order to tempt users away from Amazon during this spending event, so we have included other deals from B&H below too. Happy Shopping!
Remember to check Amazon Warehouse, as they will have a 20% discount on ‘used’ items during Prime Day:
During the PAmazon Prime Day event, it is pretty common for competitors in the data storage retail space to make offers and discounts on their site, in order to draw people away from the ‘big A’. Although there are a few smaller % deals floating around, no one has been more aggressive in their competition with Amazon on the subject of NAS than B&H. During Prime Day 2024, they are running pretty sizable discounts on several heavy hitters in the Synology NAS portfolio (including the DS923+ and DS224+). Undercutting Amazon quite significantly. Take a look:
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.
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If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
So you’ve decided to look into purchasing your very own network-attached storage device, or perhaps you’re looking to upgrade some equipment that is starting to feel ever so slightly more legacy than you would like. For whatever the reason, there’s no avoiding that choosing the right hardware to host your own private server doesn’t come cheap, and in most cases is seriously going to cost you. That said, the majority of NAS units still manage to keep some things relatively affordable. In this article, I want to talk you through the best solutions right now that you can buy for around 500 GBP/EUR/USD halfway through 2024. Although this doesn’t include tax or your storage media, many of these solutions actually weigh in significantly less than this target price point, and even the ones that slightly cross the line are some real heavy hitters. So, here are the best network-attached storage solutions that you can buy right now without breaking the bank, but still getting a phenomenal amount of bang for your buck.
This one caught everyone by surprise last year when it was first released, and when Asustor unveiled their new six-bay M.2 NVMe SSD system, many users were blown away by two things. The first was this remarkably compact six-SSD system that was available in a hardware configuration largely unavailable elsewhere in the market in desktop form. The other thing was the price! Arriving at just $450, it is nearly impossible to build this level of hardware in the DIY server sphere and still hit this price point. The Flashstor, while also arriving as a turnkey solution with its own complete operating system included, comes with a myriad of applications for your client devices in mobile or desktop form. As well as being 2.5 GBE ready with 4K HDMI out too, this thing has really been making waves this last year. Although, to maintain this price tag, compromises need to be made (such as the system utilizing a fairly middling, if low power consuming, Intel Celeron, and each slot being just a simple Gen 3*1 speed), you really can’t fault this for the price point.
It’s also worth touching on that at Computex 2024, Asustor revealed the next generation of this product family in the Flashstor Gen. 2, which will feature dual 10G and Gen. 4 SSD architecture using a Ryzen CPU. This will almost certainly result in the Flashstor arriving at an even more affordable price tag during larger sales events and as the Gen 2 series is released at the end of the year.
Terramaster F4-464 and F4-424 Pro – Hardware Priorities
Another phenomenally surprising system that arrived last year, the Terramaster F4-464 series comes in a 4-core N100 configuration and an 8-core N305 configuration (priced at $499 and $599 respectively), both of which feature dual port 2.5GbE, 3.5-inch SATA bays that support up to 24TB each, and even a couple of Gen. 3*2 M.2 NVMe SSD slots for caching or storage pools. Although the Terramaster NAS software is perhaps one of the weaker in the market, it still manages to pull a great degree of features into it for the end user. Container deployment, virtual machine deployment, protected file shares, iSCSI storage, and even a very unique isolation mode that allows you to completely sever the system at the click of a single button from all remote access and third-party applications. Alongside these improvements, Terramaster has also improved the external casing of the F4-464 series, now arriving in a much more desirable curved black casing that features significantly more passive cooling and an adjustable rear fan to keep things cool during long-term operation.
Terramaster is still behind its competitors at Synology and QNAP in terms of overall features, applications for clients, and the general richness of the services included with their platform. However, at this price point, they provide a significantly larger degree of more modern hardware at the disposal of the end user compared with those brands in 2024. Additionally, they are one of the very few brands that happily allow end users to install the likes of TrueNAS or Unraid on their hardware without it invalidating their hardware warranty. That means that even if you are not won over by the comparatively middling software, you can still rely on hugely evolved open-source software like TrueNAS Core/Scale, or the more user-friendly, customizable, and low resource-consuming Unraid if you choose. Finally, it’s worth highlighting that of all of the solutions in today’s article, Terramaster frequently puts their systems on sale, and chances are you’re going to be able to pick up even the more powerful i3 system at sub-500 GBP in numerous retailers.
Synology DS423+ – The Last Media Focused Synology?
0-80TB, Intel J4125 4-Core CPU with 350-750Mhz Int.GFX, 2-6GB DDR4 Memory, 2x 2Gbe Port, 3yr Warranty
On the face of it, at least in terms of hardware, the Synology DS423+ is a notable step down compared with the previous two entries on this list. The DS423+ was released partway through last year and arrived with one of the oldest Intel Celeron processors still in active server use, the J4125. Alongside that, the system only features 2GB of DDR4 memory and can only be upgraded to a maximum of 6GB (bit odd). So why on earth is it on this list?! Well, first and foremost, it is one of a small number of Synology solutions that allow you to use the M.2 NVMe slots for SSD storage pools, not just cache. Additionally, this is the lowest price point to take advantage of the full spectrum of Synology services that include the entirety of the collaboration suite, virtual machine deployment, container deployment, Surveillance Station, Synology Hybrid RAID, Active Backup Suite, Hyper Backup, Virtual Machine Manager… The list goes on and on. And that really is the point. The Synology DS423+ is a bargain at a little over $400 because of the software, not the hardware. Arguably, the hardware is looking quite dated in 2024 (I’m looking at you, Gigabit Ethernet!), but Synology still absolutely nails it in terms of NAS software, providing arguably the very best NAS available anywhere in the market.
This, combined with a huge number of client tools that are regularly updated, as well as probably one of the broadest Mac user libraries available right now (not to mention applications for Amazon Alexa, Fire TV, Google Home, and more), you really cannot fault this brand and its software in terms of NAS. If you’re looking for a system that is easy to use and requires much less work from the end user, the DS423+ is an absolute bargain at this price point. Just keep in mind that you are going to get much lower levels of hardware compared to other units on this list.
Despite the QNAP TS-464 being over two years old at this point, it nevertheless still continues to be one of the most desirable and recommended NAS solutions for around 500 quid that you can buy in the market. Despite the fact that this system was first released back in 2022, it arrived with a higher standard of hardware compared with the majority of other devices around at that time for the same price. Fast forward to 2024, and although it is no longer the market leader in terms of hardware, that future-proofing two years ago has led to a system that can still hold its own remarkably well today. Arriving with the same Intel Celeron featured in both the Lincstation and Flashstor (the N5105 quad-core), this petite little four-bay device supports up to the latest 24TB hard drives and even has a couple of PCIe Gen 3×1 M.2 SSD slots for storage pools, caching, and even an intelligent proprietary tiering system, QTier. This hardware also boasts 10-gigabit USB 3.2 ports, HDMI out, and even manages to include a PCIe upgrade slot as well. This means that this base-level system has a decent amount of hardware on day one, but overall is one of the most scalable systems on this list over time. QNAP provides numerous USB expansion devices that support from as little as two bays, all the way up to 16-bay expansion enclosures. The PCIe upgrade slot supports 10GbE NICs, M.2 storage upgrade cards, Wi-Fi 6 upgrade cards, and even QM2 combo cards that provide both network improvements and internal storage improvements.
Much like other entries on this list, it should be stated that the hardware does take up a little bit more of the brand’s priority on the TS-464 than the software. However, to be fair, QNAP is still the closest in the market to Synology in terms of software, with QTS 5.2 featuring numerous client applications, collaboration tools, virtual deployment options, numerous backup software platforms, and multimedia tools, all included. The user experience is a little less cohesive than that of the Synology DSM platform, but overall the QNAP serves as probably the best hardware and software balanced solution for around 500 quid in the market right now. Just be aware that the software and configuration of the system has a slightly higher learning curve than other devices on this list.
Lincplus Lincstation N1 – Hybrid NVMe/SSD Flash with UnRAID
This tiny little NAS SSD system really caught a lot of users by surprise. First arriving on the Indiegogo platform, Lincplus is a brand that has generally been largely associated with laptops and mini PCs, and now they have started turning their arm towards network-attached storage. It hit all of its crowdfunding goals and was released in good time, followed by availability at traditional retail. The Lincstation N1 is arguably not enormously impressive in terms of its base level specifications. Sure, it is a six-bay SSD flash system (two 2.5” for affordable SSDs, and four Gen 3*1 NVMe M.2 for performance SSDs). It has the same Intel Celeron N5105 we’ve discussed already, a decent enough 16GB of memory, and even arrives with 2.5GbE (only a single port though). Overall, one might argue it’s a reasonable enough system, but what makes it stand out against other devices that you could buy right now for around 500 quid?
Well, quite simply, it is the software. Lincplus clearly decided that the Lincstation N1 software might be a little outside their wheelhouse to try and develop a complete NAS operating system. So instead, they approached Lime Technology and UnRAID, and every Lincstation N1 includes an UnRAID license. UnRAID is one of the most resource-friendly, yet incredibly customizable NAS operating systems in the market. Recently, the brand increased the price of their tiers after more than a decade of fixed pricing, and this has further improved the value of the Lincstation N1 arriving with six SSD bays and that lifetime UnRAID license included. That isn’t to say that the N1 is not a good NAS, far from it. It is a remarkably compact system, with a very unique design and two-tier flash build included in its architecture. But the fact that this is being provided with the incredibly capable UnRAID NAS software included is what really makes this device stand out for me and makes it a great NAS purchase for around 500 quid.
UGREEN DXP4800 Plus – New on the Scene, One to Watch
If you have been following the news in network-attached storage, then chances are at the start of 2024, you heard that UGREEN had started making moves into this industry. Long established as a brand that provided computer accessories and cables, it was a pretty big leap for them to suddenly enter the NAS market, and many would have assumed that they were just going to rebadge a bunch of mini PCs. However, they have seemingly taken NAS hardware tremendously seriously, and although their product first entered the market via crowdfunding, traditional retail is imminent. The NASync series arrived in six different configurations spanning 2, 4, 6, 8, and even a small M.2 SSD flash system. Powered by some great Intel Alder Lake CPUs spanning N100, Pentium, and i5, there is some great base-level hardware on offer here. Users were understandably wary when, despite this brand’s size and history, they opted for Kickstarter and crowdfunding for this solution. Nevertheless, now it is heading towards traditional retail, users are perhaps going to be a little bit more open to the whole range of solutions. Right now, the Pentium-powered DXP4800 Plus model is available for around $500, with a 2×8 and 4×8 N100 model arriving even cheaper. The DXP4800 Plus, however, is the best bang for the buck in this lineup as, notwithstanding the remarkably capable Intel 12th gen Pentium processor inside, it supports up to 64GB of DDR5 memory, features a high-speed SD card slot, Gen 4 M.2 SSD slots on the base, and even has 10GbE network connectivity – something unavailable at this price point pretty much anywhere else in the market!
Now, there’s no denying that compromises as usual have to be made to hit this price point on a 24/7 robust server, and for UGREEN, this is in their software. Unlike Lincplus, who opted to use the UnRAID third-party operating system option, UGREEN opted to develop an entire operating system for their systems. Unlike utilizing third-party hardware from the likes of Intel, developing your own network-attached storage software takes years, and the UGREEN NAS family in its current iteration has been around for only about six months! The UGreen OS software, although nailing down the fundamentals reasonably enough and being pretty responsive, still pales in comparison to the capabilities, client tools, and security of the likes of Synology and QNAP right now. Therefore, it is important to understand that purchasing the UGREEN NAS means you are heavily investing in the hardware more than the software. UGREEN has indicated on numerous occasions, and has applied via numerous updates, that they have a long-term road map for their software and that the series is not a one-and-done thing. They want to push into this industry as much as possible and are aware that this means years of development and product security updates are required to keep their software current and competitive in the market.
That said, to their credit, they are another one of the few brands that allow users to install third-party operating systems on their hardware without invalidating the warranty. In practice, that means that the UGREEN NAS systems can run UnRAID or TrueNAS if you choose, and as long as that software does not do detrimental damage to the hardware (such as burning out the CPU or interfering with the active cooling systems), your three-year hardware warranty is safe. UGREEN is one of the youngest names on this list in terms of NAS matters, but they have done a great job so far with their solution in its early stages.
And there you go, those are the NAS systems for around 500 quid that I recommend you buy in 2024 so far. If you found this article helpful and plan to purchase from the shops listed throughout this article, please use those links in order to buy your chosen solution. It results in a small commission and allows NAScompares to keep doing what it does.
Choosing the right data storage solution for your needs can be very intimidating and it’s never too late to ask for help. With options ranging from NAS to DAS, Thunderbolt to SAS and connecting everything up so you can access all your lovely data at the touch of a button can be a lot simpler than you think. If you want some tips, guidance or help with everything from compatibility to suitability of a solution for you, why not drop me a message below and I will get back to you as soon as possible with what you should go for, its suitability and the best place to get it. This service is designed without profit in mind and in order to help you with your data storage needs, so I will try to answer your questions as soon as possible. Just enter in a few details of your setup, storage requirements and (in the case of buying a new solution) your budget – then me and Eddie the Web guy can help you with your question. This is a completely free service, is NOT provided with profit in mind and is manned by two humans (no bots, no automated replies, etc). Assistance might take an extra day or two (the service gets a lot of visitors) but we do try to answer every message. If you want to support this service, you can find out how to donate HERE. Otherwise, you can still just message us for free advice anyway!
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.
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If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
Synology has been incredibly enterprise-focused in recent months (the last 12 or so to be specific) and although we have seen a couple of home/enthusiast systems in the Beestation BSM and DS224+ DSM system, the bulk of their hardware/software reveals have been heavily skewed towards enterprise and hyperscale (eg GS series, the ActiveProtect platform, etc). However it FINALLY looks like we are going to start seeing something for the mid tier users, the small-medium businesses and possible even an advanced home user – as the Synology DS1825+ NAS appears to have been leaked online. Massive credit here to reddit user ‘ministory‘ who noticed that the Synology US website appeared to be testing product placement and the DS1825+ listing briefly appeared (see below too).
Now, if we wanted to be cautious and ‘benefit of the doubt’ here with Synology, we could argue that this is just a page test and they plucked the DS1825+ model ID out of the air. However, the current DS1821+ is comparatively long in the took (right now, halfway through 2024) for a product series that tended to refresh every 2-2.5 years (see DS1813+, DS1815+, DS1817+, DS1819+, DS1821+). Plus, this is not the first time me and Eddie at NASCompares have observed the DS1825+ model appear online, with the model ID appearing on several product lists in the past, alongside DS1625+, DS925+ and oddly the DS1525+ – but Synology does tend to float ‘test’ model IDs out there sometimes, perhaps to reserve them internally (for every 1 model ID we discover that ends up being real, we find 2 that never cross the line and/or get renamed to a new year naming convention). That said, model IDs that are being entered into the Synology internal systems have a tendency to pop up all over the place. Example, via the licensing pages and download pages – which tends to only be the case for ‘real’ products:
So, the repeated emergence of the DS1825+ model ID in the last few months on our alerts, plus the appearance that was spotted by /ministory, PLUS the delay in the DS1821+ usual refresh cycle leads me to believe this is LEGIT. So, with that big old caveat out the way, let’s discuss what the DS1825+ is likely to feature in terms of hardware and why, given the existing Synology portfolio, this system has a very tough spot to fill.
What Would the Specifications of a Synology DS1825+ NAS Be?
Let’s get this out the way, we do not have 100% confirmed specifications here on the Synology DS1825+ NAS – so the following is based on the following factors:
Leaks we have observed in Synoogy /download pages that mention specific things
The existing Synology NAS portfolio an dhow the brand approaches refreshes
The history of Synology and this product series, in relation to the products generally considered ‘above’ and ‘below’ it
So, straight away, here are the things we can largely guarantee:
Usual 8-Bay Diskstation Enclosure
8x SATA 3.5″/2.5″ Storage Bays
2x m.2 NVMe SSD Bays
ECC Memory
Expandability via 2x 5 Bay Expansions (possibly the new DX525 Enclosure – ID floating around)
USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A Ports
PCIe Upgrade slot, support 10/25GbE NICs
Network Connectivity on the Synology DS1825+ NAS
Let’s discuss the Synology DS1825+ NAS CPU Predictions…
Now, let’s discuss the CPU! As this is something of a issue to discuss. The DS1821+ arrived with the quad core AMD embedded Ryzzen V1500B. This CPU has been in use via Synology systems for the better part of 4-5 Years (first featured on the DS1621+) and more often than not, when Synology refresh a product series, they CPU is the bit they focus on – as that is the part that is most susceptible to change by the CPU manufacturer. So, initially I would have said that the DS1825+ would arrive with the V1780B Processor (as Synology have used this in x23/x24 generation upgrades already (eg the RS2423+ here). HOWEVER, Synology have already got an 8-Bay system with the V1780B processor, in the DS1823xs+ (a 10GbE equipped 8 Bay that is around $800-1000 more than the DS1821+). I really, EREALLY cannot see Synology rolling out the DS1825+ with the same CPU as the DS1823xs+ series – which is typically on a 5 year refresh cycle (as most XS enterprise devices are). So, that leads to the question- what else? Well, remember when Synology first introduced the AMD-embedded Ryzen series? They made ALOT of noise about how one of the reasons they opted for it (aside from the thread counts, power vs ability, etc) was that AMD will support this CPU for 10 years! Unlike a lot of Intel offerings in Celeron and Xeon which have a shorter time before ‘refreshes’ – which means the NAS brand is forced to refresh and/or swap out a CPU and swallow the cost changes), a CPU with a 10 year support cycle allows NAS brands to use it for much ,MUCH longer in their systems and their software services. Synology is not aversed to ‘sticking with a CPU for a long time’ *cough the Intel J4125*. So, unless Synology pull a brand new CPU SKU out of nowhere in the AMD embedded series (not impossible, but pretty unlikely, as from their POV they do not need to), I think it’s likely they will STICK with the V1500B. Which, if true, leads to the question – how is the DS1825+ NAS going to be a refresh/improvement on the DS1821+ NAS? My guess… network connectivity.
Feature
AMD V1500B
AMD V1780B
Architecture
Zen
Zen
Cores / Threads
4 / 4
4 / 8
Base Clock Speed
2.2 GHz
3.35 GHz
Max Boost Clock Speed
Not specified
3.6 GHz
L3 Cache
4 MB
8 MB
TDP
25W
25W
Memory Support
DDR4-2666
DDR4-3200
PCIe Support
PCIe 3.0
PCIe 3.0
Manufacturing Process
14nm
14nm
Integrated Graphics
No
No
Virtualization
Yes
Yes
Max Temperature
95°C
95°C
Launch Date
Q3 2019
Q2 2020
1GbE Support
Yes
Yes
2.5GbE Support
Yes
Yes
10GbE Support
Yes
Yes
The Synology DS1825+ NAS Network Connectivity and Memory Explored A Little…
Again, heavily ‘pinch of salt’ territory here, but I think the main difference we are going to see in the DS1825+ over the DS1821+ is not going to be the CPU, it will be the network connectivity. Earlier, I mentioned the RS2423+ and the new V1780B CPU it arrived with. Well, that wasn’t the only new change to form that it featured. It also featured 8GB memory (rather than the usual 4GB) and 10GbE out the gate, as opposed to 4x 1GbE as previously used. Now, that (at least in terms of SYnology) was a big step up. Adding double memory and adding 10 Gigabit, but keeping the same pricing as the previous generation was a solid/positive move. So, what about the DS1825+ NAS Network Connectivity? I think 8GB base level memory will happen – DSM has fast become so ‘background process’ heavy that 4GB for business use is already looking like the done thing (as also observed in the DS1522+ too). Plus, 4GB ECC and 8GB ECC, via a single module, will be a small price point for Synology in a new refresh. However, IF Synology keep the V1500B CPU in the 8-Bay Diskstation (again, I think likely), how do you differentiate it from the DS1821+ AND still keep it ‘below’ the DS1823xs+, without adding ‘too much’ (from a Synology brand perspective)? The easy answer is 10GbE. Adding 10GbE to the DS1825+ NAS seems like an easy way to make it a solid refresh over the DS1821+ – however, they probably CANNOT DO THAT, as that will IMMEDIATELY hit the DS1823xs+ USPs (aside from the memory and 5year warranty). Synology have been incredibly tactical over the years about their portfolio, spreading things out beating across tiers, product families and utilities. Realistically, they cannot add 10GbE to the DS1825+, without increasing the price OR reducing the price to maintain the overall Diskstation portfolio.
BUT… there is a 3rd option. 2.5GbE. Synology have been incredibly dismissive of 2.5GBASE-T in the last 5 years, whilst many other brands, ISP routers, consumer goods and more have begun to embrace it, as at the manufacture point, it is largely the same price to add a 2.5G NIC as a 1G NIC. Also, the V1500B (and V1780B for that matter) both support 2.5GbE protocols. I know this as 1) other V1500B/1780B systems in the market from competitors have featured native 2.5GbE, and 2) we highlighted this fact during our review of the DS1821+ back in 2021, stating “its a shame that Synology still restricts base level network connections at 4x 1GbE – here“, when the CPU supports 2.5GbE”. Given the increasing support of SMB multichannel on client systems (especially compared with the comparative messiness of LAG/Trunking in smaller setups), 2.5GbE is now a great deal more desirable. Also (this one is a little ‘inside baseball’), 2.5GBASE-T has appeared in a few official Synology places (inadvertently, I might add) and although this could easily be referring to an official USB-NIC, the brand has made strides to disable a lot of USB support in recent years (for reasons of security) and this would be counter to these efforts. I think it’s more likely than its ever been that Synology will finally begin embracing 2.5GbE and given the difficulty that a DS1825+ would have in it’s placement between the DS1821+ and the DS1825+, the only way that Synology could differential it would be 2.5GbE (short of a whole new CPU of course.. but that seems even less likely!).
When Do We Think We Will Hear More about the Synology DS1825+ NAS?
Right now, what we have here is an appearance of the DS1825+ model SKU on the official Synology product pages that was quickly removed, as well as mentioned of the product ID already in the past via download/resource pages (and of course, the delay of this system arriving as the predicted refresh of the DS1821+, released in Dec 2020). So, it’s all very murky! But, realistically, this product family is way, way to popular to be killed off and/or not refreshed, as the only alternative would be the more expensive DS1825+. Additionally, the DS18xx+ range has always arrived in the Autum of the year (going be the DS1821+. DS1819+, DS1817+, etc). So, I would predict the DS1825+ NAS arriving formally in late Q3/Q4 2024 (so Sept-Nov), and at a similar price to the DS1821+. Needless to say, as soon as I know more (as well as get a couple of other background bits confirmed), I will update this article, and share more. Don’t forget to subscribe to NASCompares below, or even just sign up for alerts to this article, to be the first in the know! Have a fantastic week!
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
The EASIEST NAS Software You Can Use on Your Custom NAS Server
The appeal of building your very own NAS server instead of purchasing pre-built and OS-locked alternatives from brands like Synology or QNAP, as well as ditching third-party cloud storage from Google and Apple that is subscription-based, cannot really be argued with! The savings that can be made in terms of cost, and the flexibility and customization afforded to a build-your-own/do-it-yourself solution, aren’t really up for debate. However, one thing that is debatable is just how easy the majority of open-source and hardware-free NAS software actually is! There are numerous kinds of NAS software in the market that you can choose to install on second-hand, defunct hardware and highly optimized hand-built server solutions, but despite the improved simplicity of computer building in the last decade, NAS software still continues to be surprisingly complicated, and once you break into the world of business storage, it becomes damn near inscrutable to the outsider. So today, I want to discuss five great examples of genuinely user-friendly network-attached storage software that you can install on your custom server hardware today! Some are more user-friendly than others, some are more feature-rich than others, and some split support and assistance into different tiers of access when you need it. Ultimately, these represent arguably five of the best options you have in 2024 to install software on your NAS, regardless of your level of knowledge in networking and data storage.
CasaOS and ZimaOS – Easy and Lite!
Price: FREE – Features 5/10 – Ease of Use 9/10 – Release May 2015 – DOWNLOAD
Arguably the second-youngest operating system mentioned in this article, Casa OS and the later, more storage-optimized Zima OS are operating systems developed by the company IceWhale. Both of them are tremendously lightweight operating systems designed to run on x86 hardware-built servers (such as Intel Celeron, Pentium, Core, Xeon, etc.) with at least 2 GB of memory to be fully utilized. Arriving with a client application for your desktop and accessible via the web browser, both can be set up and accessed within minutes of installation. There is an extremely user-friendly desktop GUI, and although the settings and configuration options feel quite limited compared with other entries on this list, if you are looking for simplicity and clarity in the way your system configuration is presented, Casa OS and Zima OS really cannot be beaten.
However, it’s worth remembering that this simplicity in how the information is being presented to you does echo right down to the feature set of the operating system on your server. For example, Casa OS does not (at least as of early 2024) feature any kind of RAID support across multiple drives, and RAID integration into Zima OS is still barely a few months old—a base level introduction feature in the majority of other NAS software. Equally, although file and folder level access to your data is available via a native browser application, which also includes mounting cloud spaces for synchronization, practically every other app and service you install is done so via a container repository. This in itself isn’t really a bad thing, as they still managed to make the installation one-click, but it does mean that beyond the initial OS and some arguably rather rudimentary features, the more advanced and feature-rich experience is going to involve the installation of a whole lot of third-party applications via the simplified container system.
Casa OS and Zima OS are among the very few applications available in the NAS server market that are completely free, with no real pricing or subscription models that are going to get in the way of running your server on this software. Yet, despite this lack of an overt pricing model, feature and security updates are actually pretty regular. The fact that they have rolled out the more advanced Zima OS in line with their currently crowdfunded system shows IceWhale’s dedication towards this NAS OS. It is a very responsive and low-resource-consuming NAS operating system, with a very low learning curve for its introduction. But just keep in mind that what it gains in its simplicity and smooth UX, it loses in terms of a more feature-rich experience.
Price: 30 Day Trial, then $49/109/249 (Based on Scale/Time) – Features 10/10 – Ease of Use 8/10 – Release May 2005 – DOWNLOAD
If you have looked at any forum post, any community support forum, or any server-based education platform and asked the question, “What is the most user-friendly NAS software in the market?”, 90% of the time you will hear users say UnRAID. Everything about UnRAID seemingly focuses on efficiency and ease of use, right down to how you install the software on your custom server. Unlike a lot of other NAS software in the market that requires you to provide a completely separate SSD for the installation of the operating system, UnRAID circumnavigates this by running almost entirely on the RAM. UnRAID is installed by preparing a USB via a fantastically user-friendly client app on another computer, completely for free and created inside 10 minutes. A simple 8GB USB for a couple of bucks will be more than enough. Then you take that USB and stick it inside your newly built NAS server or second-hand old hardware you’re going to repurpose, boot the system from the USB drive, and that is it. UnRAID will deploy itself from the USB and onto the system memory. After that, you can access UnRAID via the web browser like any other server, and have access to some fantastically diverse parity and storage pool options, as well as access to one of the largest libraries of one-click containerized applications available in the market.
UnRAID manages to integrate numerous desirable features currently available in different NAS software in the market, but unifies them into this single software operating system. Do you want the mixed storage media advantages present in Synology DSM and Synology Hybrid RAID? No problem, UnRAID supports mixed drive deployment. Do you want the performance benefits and background stability options of Zettabyte File System but find it scarily technical? No trouble, you can mount and use ZFS storage pools in UnRAID easily and quickly. Do you want a single portal user interface that tells you the CPU, memory, user, network, process load, and everything else in a single screen, giving you everything you need to know about your system at once, as found in enterprise-grade SAN/server software? No trouble, UnRAID has this on its very first screen!
As good as all this sounds, it is important to keep your feet on the ground and know that UnRAID is by no means a perfect software platform for your NAS. For a start, although the bulk of options and server configuration/maintenance are quite intuitive and the UX has everything where you expect it to be, the initialization of your storage at the beginning is far less straightforward and the storage manager is long overdue for some kind of easy setup wizard, which is present in the majority of other NAS OS. It’s a real shame because in practically every other regard, UnRAID keeps things incredibly straightforward. Although it provides significant options to access the command line and terminal, it does not rely on these, and a lot of users can get around using UnRAID and never have to use any kind of command line beyond advanced processes and in-depth troubleshooting. Equally, there are going to be users who may balk at the idea of a subscription payment-based model.
UnRAID arrives with a 30-day free trial, which given the ease of installation with a simple USB key that runs out of the RAM, isn’t too shabby. After that, subscription prices range from annual prices based on the size of your array to lifetime memberships that cost around $250. It is worth keeping in perspective that UnRAID is a lifetime OS that allows for adding infinite drives to your array, as well as moving from one hardware configuration system to the next with ease—fantastic scalability. Also, UnRAID provides services to access your server remotely and safely, and the subscription model allows for regular security and feature updates throughout the course of your usage of the software.
Bottom line, there is a good reason why UnRAID is still regarded as the most user-friendly yet capable NAS operating system in the market. To date, it is feature-rich, balances business features and home features, and provides the toolset to do more with it, while still maintaining high levels of usability in its base-level functions for the newbie.
Price: FREE – Features 8/10 – Ease of Use 7/10 – Release May 2011 –DOWNLOAD
OpenMediaVault (OMV) is a flexible and open-source NAS (Network-Attached Storage) software designed to help users efficiently manage and store data on custom or DIY NAS systems. One of the key advantages of OMV is that it is completely free, which makes it an attractive option for users who want to avoid the costs associated with other commercial NAS solutions. OMV offers a variety of useful features, including support for multiple storage options, allowing users to set up configurations that meet their needs for data protection and performance. It also includes network services for sharing files across different devices and users, making it convenient for both home and small business environments. Furthermore, OMV supports a range of plugins that enhance its functionality, enabling users to easily add services such as media streaming, cloud integration, and backup solutions. While it might not be as graphically appealing as some other NAS software, its straightforward and functional design ensures it gets the job done effectively.
OpenMediaVault is generally considered to be user-friendly, especially for individuals who are new to setting up NAS systems. Despite its somewhat less polished appearance compared to some commercial alternatives, OMV provides a practical and straightforward interface. The installation process, however, can be a bit messy and might require more steps than some users expect. Unlike some other NAS software that offers a streamlined installation from a single USB stick, OMV’s setup may involve creating a bootable drive and configuring the system manually, which can be a bit cumbersome for beginners. Once installed, OMV’s interface is accessible through a web browser, offering a clear and organized layout that simplifies the management of storage, user accounts, and various services. This makes it easy for users to navigate and adjust settings as needed. Although setting up storage options and configuring network services might require a bit of learning for those new to NAS, OMV provides extensive documentation and community support to help users through the process.
When comparing OpenMediaVault to UnRAID, several differences become evident. UnRAID is often highlighted for its ease of use and straightforward setup, which typically involves a quick installation process using a USB stick, making it very accessible for those new to NAS systems. UnRAID’s approach allows for flexible use of different types and sizes of storage drives without needing complex configurations, which is particularly appealing for users who want to mix and match their storage options. OpenMediaVault, while also user-friendly, offers a more traditional approach to storage setups and a broader range of network services and plugins, which may appeal to users looking for more control and customization. Although OMV might require a bit more effort to fully understand and set up, and its graphical interface may not be as modern or visually appealing as that of UnRAID, it provides a strong balance of simplicity and advanced features. This makes it a robust choice for a wide range of users who are interested in building their own NAS systems without incurring additional costs for software.
HexOS – A NAS OS Designed for Ease of Use and Performance
Price: TBC – Features 6/10 (Still WiP) – Ease of Use TBC – Release May 2024/2025 –DOWNLOAD (Beta Soon)
Now, this one is something of a wild card, as HexOS not only seems to be attempting to straddle multiple different elements that are present in other operating systems featured in this article, but it is also still unreleased! HexOS is an in-development network-attached storage software that is being developed by two former UnRAID team members, but is powered by TrueNAS Scale (the Linux version of TrueNAS). At the time of writing, a beta is scheduled for Q3 2024. The creators have been keen to highlight that this new NAS operating system is designed with simplicity and broad accessibility as its primary focus, hoping to combat the need for complex networking understanding and providing an extremely simplified GUI—promising to cut down on the jargon and the headaches, but still benefit from high performance and hardware freedom of use.
It is a very bold claim to state, and as this list and videos I’ve made online have been keen to highlight, achieving simplicity, performance, stability, and security on a network-attached storage system in a way that novices will still be able to effectively use is truly the holy grail of NAS operating systems. Early images of the intended dashboard and GUI of the software have proved promising, alongside quite bold statements as to what this software will be able to achieve while still maintaining that simplified UX.
Likewise, notoriety around this in-development NAS OS was also largely increased when popular tech YouTuber Linus of Linus Tech Tips declared that he had invested $250,000 in the NAS OS startup. This, combined with the implied cooperation of TrueNAS and their platform, all add up to some intriguing breadcrumbs that could eventually lead to another great user-friendly NAS software option in the market in the next year or so.
Realistically, even if this software arrives in a public beta later this year, networking software (NAS, routers, etc.) needs a whole lot of stress testing, pen testing, stability checks, QA, and troubleshooting before they can confidently be publicly released, so maybe don’t expect this platform to arrive formally until 2025. Nevertheless, I wanted to include them in this list for those who are looking a little further into the future for when they set up their own private-built NAS solution.
Even if you spent just five minutes looking at recommended software to install on your own DIY and BYO NAS system, chances are the NAS software TrueNAS already appeared on your radar! It would be fair to say that they are currently the number one recommended NAS operating system for those looking for a highly configurable and highly powerful private server solution. However, it would also be fair to say that TrueNAS is NOT a user-friendly platform! If you know what you are doing and have networking or data storage protocol experience under your belt, then TrueNAS Core and TrueNAS Scale won’t be too difficult to wrap your head around.
However, the majority of inexperienced or even computer amateur users are going to very quickly hit technical knowledge walls and misunderstandings very early on! Concepts such as storage pools and volumes, although very common amongst NAS OS software choices, are still presented in a very complex form in TrueNAS Core (though arguably, this presentation has been softened in TrueNAS Scale, the Linux variation). Even getting into simple storage access on a file/folder level on TrueNAS Core can be extremely complicated if you only want to manage this via the web browser. Installation of add-on applications utilizing the unique and secure jail system is noticeably more complex than in any other brand out there, and let’s not even get started on how much command line a user needs to either understand or be ready to hands-on utilize to make the most of the system.
This may all sound tremendously unfair, as TrueNAS Scale and TrueNAS Core do have very well laid out and comparatively intuitive GUIs that are accessible via the web browser, allowing for a full range of control and configuration without the need for a command line. However, the language that is utilized throughout these options is nowhere near as intuitive as other options on this list. And if you are looking for software that doesn’t have a steep learning curve, TrueNAS will prove a challenge for most average users.
That said, TrueNAS Core and the more adaptable TrueNAS Scale are still among the most powerful and capable operating systems you will ever install on a NAS server system, and if you’re prepared to put in the hours, you are going to have a phenomenally capable and secure system at your fingertips.
I hope you found this article helpful. Below is a breakdown of some recommended first-time NAS hardware configurations for $250, $500, and $1,000. If this article has helped you, and you want to dig a little further, there are also links below to dedicated DIY NAS and videos to help you get started on your journey towards owning your own data!
Method
Turn-Key NAS (Synology/QNAP/etc)
Build Your Own / DiY NAS
‘Out the Box’ Setup time
(i.e when it’s 100% setup complete and ready for day-to-day use)
20-30 Minutes for Build & Initialization
10mins to 12 Hours for RAID Synchronization (ZFS = Minutes, not hours)
60-120 Minutes for Build & Initialization
10mins to 12 Hours for RAID Synchronization (ZFS = Minutes, not hours)
I.T / Tech Skill Level Requirements
(Out of /10)
Synology = 2/10
QNAP 5/10
Asustor / Terramaster = 4/10
TrueNAS Core = 9/10
TrueNAS Scale = 7/10
UnRAID = 6 / 10
Monthly Maintenance
(Checking update, stability, logs, etc)
10-15 Minutes
20-30 Minutes
Expandability and Migration
(i.e Long term lifespan in Hardware)
Limited to 1st Party hardware and system limitations (i.e Synolgoy DS923+ supports 1x 5-bay expansion, nothing else. Also, Synology NAS HDD/SSDs can ONLY be used in a Synology NAS)
More Expansions on QNAP, via USB or SAS Expansion Cards
No hardware limitations (beyond actual 3rd party hardware compatibility)
Can migrate to new hardware easily and with limitless scalability (i.e, 1-1000 HDDs)
UnRAID much, MUCH more expandable than TrueNAS currently.
Warranty and Repairs
(Options if the event of Issues and/or System Failure)
2/3/5 Year Hardware Warranty, 1 Party (Brand)
Effective Lifetime Support and Warranty Included
Multiple Hardware Warranty to manage (Mobo, CPU, PSU, etc)
Community led Support (Forums, Reddit, etc)
Paid Support via TrueNAS/UnRAID Official Platforms)
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
Step-by-Step Guide: Installing Plex Media Server on a UGREEN NAS
Now that users are beginning to get their hands on the pre-ordered UGREEN NASync server devices, a one of the most popular applications that many will want to run is Plex Media Server. Easily one of the most powerful and capable media server applications in the market for hosting your own multimedia, whilst presenting it in a comparable fashion to massive streaming giants like Netflix, Disney+ and Prime, many UGREEN users were disappointed to discover that there is no native PLEX application available in the UGOS App centre of their new system. Never fear! They HAVE added Docker support! Docker is a containerized application software – which in less techie terms, means that it allows you to run applications and services on their own without needed to be run on an operating system like Windows, MacOS or Android. However, creating a containerized version of Plex, so you can host a Plex Media Server on your new UGREEN NAS is a little more complicated that a simple 1-click installer! So, today I want to guide you through how to set up your Plex Media Server container and start hosting your multimedia locally and over the internet!
Quick note, for the sake of clarity. ‘Plex Media Server’ is what you will be running from your NAS, also known as the ‘host’. The version of PLEX that you use on the devices you are going to watch/listen to your multimedia on is called a ‘Plex Client’.
Testing? If you want a better idea of how well your UGREEN NAS will playback different kinds of 1080p, 4K and 8K Multimedia, I have made a review below of how each UGREEN NAS system hardware handled playback:
What Do You Need?
In order to set up Plex Media Server, there eare a few things it is recommended you have the following things ready:
1.1 Gather Information and Materials:
UGREEN NAS device – DUH!
NAS admin account credentials.
A computer connected to the same network as the NAS. Can be done with a phone/tablet with a web browser – but it’s not ideal!
Internet access, albiet briefly, just to link your Plex account with your server
*optional* A Plex Pass Account if you wish to use more advanced features (hardware transcoding, inclusive applications, etc)
(Briefly) an SSH tool (recommend PUTY here, as it’s free and straightforward)
Note, if you would prefer a VIDEO GUIDE on how to install and Setup Plex Media Server on your UGREEN NAS, You can watch the YouTube video HERE. Let’s begin.
**2. Setting Up Docker on UGREEN NAS
2.1 Access UGREEN NAS Interface:
Ensure your UGREEN device is fully powered on and has the latest UGOS Firmware (as only software after May 2024 has the Docker application in the App center)
Open a web browser and enter the IP address of your NAS to access its web interface.
2.2 Install Docker:
Go to the App Center in the NAS interface.
Search for “Docker” and install it.
Docker is a platform that enables you to run applications in isolated containers.
2.3 Open Docker:
Once installed, open Docker from the list of applications.
**3. Downloading and Setting Up Plex Image
3.1 Go to Docker’s Image Tab:
In Docker, navigate to the “Image” tab.
3.2 Search for Plex:
Type “Plex” in the search bar.
Select the “linuxserver/plex” image for stability and community support.
3.3 Download the Plex Image:
Click “Download” to fetch the Plex image.
This image will be used to create a container.
**4. Preparing Multimedia Folders
4.1 Access File Manager:
Open the file manager on your NAS.
Select an existing Shared Folder (top level folders that your system has already created. ALTERNATIVELY, you can click the ‘+’ symbol, then select ‘Create Shared Folder’ and create a new primary shared folder.
4.2 Create Media Folders:
Create the following directories inside the shared folder for organizing media:
config
data
movies
music
pictures (can also be named photos, but can make things tricky)
transcode
tv shows
4.3 Upload Media Files:
Move or upload your multimedia files into the respective folders. Use drag-and-drop or upload functionality.
IMPORTANT – Head into the Control Panel > User Management to check that the account you plan to use with the Plex Docker Creation has permission to access the folders that are created for the Plex Media and Configuration
**5. Setting Up Plex Container in Docker
5.1 Select Plex Image:
Go back to Docker, select the Plex image you downloaded, and click “Launch” to create a new container.
5.2 Name and Configure Container:
Give the container a name (e.g., “Plex”).
Allocate CPU and memory resources as required.
Ensure “Restart Policy” is set to “Always” to restart the container if it stops.
5.3 Add Mount Points:
In the container setup, add mount points for each media folder:
/config -> config
/data -> data
/movies -> movies
/music -> music
/pictures -> pictures
/transcode -> transcode
/tv -> tv shows
5.4 Set Permissions:
Ensure each directory has read and write access to allow Plex to manage and access the media.
5.5 Network Settings:
Set the network mode to “Host” to share the same network as your NAS for easy access. It’s not essential, and you can change this later if you want to bind PLEX to a different physical port or network group. But to keep it easy at the start, leave this at ‘Host’
**6. Environmental Variables and Advanced Settings
6.1 Add Environmental Variables:
Enter the following environmental variables for Plex:
PUID and PGID (use 1000 for a standard user or obtain from your NAS settings)
6.2 Enable SSH and Obtain UID/GID:
Temporarily enable SSH in the NAS control panel.
Use a tool like Putty to access your NAS, and type id username to obtain the UID and GID.
Use 192.168.x.x as the IP address to connect, with port 22.
Use the information gained from PUTTY to fill out the environmental options you created in the docker container
6.3 Command Line Access:
Use command line tools to run and manage Docker and Plex configurations if needed in future.
DISABLE SSH!!! (if you do not plan to use it further)
Additionally, for HARDWARE TRANSCODING it is advised to run in Privilege Mode, in order to give the docker enough control over the CPU’s integrated GFX
**7. Finalize and Run the Plex Container
7.1 Verify Configuration:
Review all configurations and settings.
Click “Done” to create and start the Plex container.
7.2 Access Plex:
Open a new browser tab and enter the IP address of your NAS followed by :32400/web to access Plex (e.g., http://192.168.x.x:32400/web).
7.3 Log into Plex:
Use your Plex account to log in.
Go through the initial setup, naming your Plex server and setting up media libraries.
**8. Configuring Plex Media Server
8.1 Add Media Libraries:
Click “Add Library” and choose the type (Movies, Music, TV Shows, etc.).
Navigate to the corresponding media folder on your NAS (e.g., /movies).
8.2 Set Metadata and Agents:
Configure metadata agents to fetch information about your media.
Ensure correct scraping of data such as cover art, descriptions, and actor details.
8.3 Enable Transcoding:
Go to Settings > Server > Transcoder.
Enable hardware transcoding if your NAS supports it
8.4 Network and Access Settings:
Configure network settings to allow remote access if desired.
Set appropriate access permissions for different user profiles.
**9. Testing and Final Adjustments
9.1 Test Media Playback:
Play various media files to ensure everything is working correctly.
Check both local and remote playback (if configured).
9.2 Troubleshoot Issues:
If there are problems, check Docker logs for errors.
Adjust settings as needed to resolve issues.
IMPORTANT You can verify that Plex is using the CPU int.gfx (i.e hardware transcoding) during playback by playing a media file, then heading into the PLEX SERVER > SETTINGS > DASHBOARD options and above the CPU/RAM use, you will see your file being played – look for ‘H/W Transcoding’. If it says ‘S/W transcoding’, you are using raw CPU power to do the job, which is less efficient.
9.3 Regular Maintenance:
Update Plex and Docker as necessary.
Regularly back up your NAS and Plex configurations.
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
Review of the AliExpress IoCrest USB4-to-10GbE Adapter
Why is a USB 10GbE network adapter such a big deal? USB NICs have been around for literally decades, so a new network adapter that takes advantage of USB can’t be that exciting, right? Well, if you’ve been in the market to buy a network upgrade for more modest and streamlined systems that lack PCIe slot expandability, then chances are you have noticed the severe lack of USB options in the market. Although a number of domestic-level systems for home and business have started rolling out with greater than gigabit network connectivity, when it comes to expanding older generation devices (or even scaling up relatively modern devices to take advantage of greater network speeds), the range of solutions on the market is actually pretty limited. A few years ago, this was alleviated slightly by the rollout of Thunderbolt to 10G adapters arriving in the market, but because of Intel’s restrictive use of Thunderbolt certification and numerous hurdles in adding Thunderbolt to the majority of devices, these are pretty expensive adapters and also have zero backwards compatibility. Fast forward to now, and thanks to the more open-ended compatibility that USB4 features (supporting USB and Thunderbolt 3/4), the idea of a 10GbE USB-connected network adapter has become a reality.
So, the new IO crest USB4-10G adapter is now available. Although I’m sure we will see rebranded versions of this flooding the market relatively soon, alongside established players like QNAP and Sonnet rolling out their alternatives, let’s take a deep dive into the device and find out whether it deserves to be your next network upgrade purchase.
Buying the Adapter: A Quick Note !!!
The adapter is currently available from several different retailers, but is more widely available at the time of writing on AliExpress. Pricing on this adapter will fluctuate rapidly, and I have seen it retailed for as little as $82 all the way up to $140. For this review, I purchased a unit at £72 without tax. It arrived in under 8 days, and although the packaging is phenomenally bare-bones, I can vouch for the fact it arrived intact. Below are a few suggested links to retailers selling the USB4 to 10GbE adapter that you may find useful. Using these links will result in a small commission fee to NAScompares, which helps us keep doing what we do.
Given the similarities between this adapter and the Thunderbolt 3 to 10GbE alternatives in the market, this IO crest device takes a slightly different approach in its hardware. Arriving in a much chunkier surrounding heatsink, this device has the network connection and the USB input on the same side.
Despite the large look of the thing and its firm metal exterior, it is surprisingly light. It’s really the size more than anything that might bother some users.
Currently, the device is only available in copper/10GBASE-T hardware configurations, but almost certainly we’re going to see SFP/fiber versions of this adapter in due course. The copper 10G connection supports auto-negotiation, so you will still be able to take advantage of lesser 5G/2.5G/1G connections when utilizing this adapter.
The USB Type-C port, however, is a mixture of good and bad news. On the one hand, USB Type-C on this adapter allows for power delivery, meaning that adding this 10G connection does not require any additional power input to establish a connection with a 10GbE network. Additionally, you can utilize this adapter on a modern USB4 system, as well as on a Thunderbolt 3 or Thunderbolt 4 system too.
Given the big price difference between this USB4 10G adapter and established Thunderbolt-specific adapters from ATO, Sonnet, and QNAP costing much more, this allows for a greater degree of flexibility and affordability versus those Thunderbolt options. A big part of this is down to the increased compatibility that USB4 brings and a much easier threshold of integration compared with previous generation Thunderbolt client devices.
Specification
Details
Model
IOcrest USB4 to 10GbE Ethernet Network Adapter
Compatibility
USB4, Thunderbolt 3/4, Windows, Linux, Mac OS
Interface
USB-C (Thunderbolt 3)
Ethernet Port
10Gb/s, 5Gb/s, 2.5Gb/s, 1Gb/s, 100Mb/s Base-T
Power
Bus powered
Jumbo Frame Support
Up to 16 KB
Operating Power per Port
2.5W (10GBASE-T), 1.5W (5GBASE-T), 1W (1GBASE-T)
Advanced Features
AVB, PTP/1588v2, Sync-E, MSI, MSI-X, INTx, NC-SI
Protocols Supported
MCTP, IEEE 802.3an/bz/ab/u/q/x/az
Temperature Range (Operation)
0°C to +108°C
Temperature Range (Storage)
-40°C to +110°C
Chipset ID
AQC113
Number of Ports
1 Port
Transfer Rate
10000Mbps
Dimensions
102.7mm x 40.4mm x 25.6mm
OS Compatibility
Windows 10/11, Linux Kernel 3.10 and later, Mac OS
Additional Notes
Does not support Type-C, USB 3.0/3.1/3.2 interfaces
However, the bad news is that despite it being a USB4 adapter, it does not support the usual backwards compatibility of the USB4 port on your laptop, NAS, or desktop computer. In essence, this means that you cannot utilize this device with a USB 2, USB 3, USB 3.1, or USB 3.2 port. This is going to be quite a blow for users who were looking forward to a USB to 10G adapter for older legacy hardware that does not accommodate PCIe upgrades. A big part of the logic behind this is USB4 supporting Gen4 architecture and the extra bandwidth and negotiation that it brings, but it’s still going to be a bitter pill for users who have been waiting for a USB-convenient option to scale up to 10GbE networks. This is made especially galling when you know that USB 3.2 Gen 2 gives 1,000 MB per second and USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 provides 2,000 MB per second, yet neither of these options can be used with this 10G/1000 MB adapter.
(See Video Below to Learn More – or visit the article on the QNAP USB4-to-10GbE Adapter HERE)
This device does not represent the end of the road for this kind of adapter, though. At Computex 2024, QNAP demoed the first of a large range of USB4 to network adapters that they plan to introduce in the next 6 to 8 months. These began with a USB4 to 10GbE copper and SFP adapter but plan on scoping out towards dual 10GbE adapters and even 25GbE adapters too. Needless to say, these will be considerably more expensive and no doubt are going to require a great deal of tooling before they hit retail, but at least we know that this is not going to be the only adapter in the market for USB users.
Opening up the adapter, by removing two screws at either end of the casing, reveals that the internals do not have any kind of active fan. This means that there will be no noise during operation and cooling internally is managed via passive dissipation through strategically placed internal heat sinks into the surrounding casing.
Indeed, the inside of the USB4 10G adapter only comprises two core pieces: a main M.2 mounting board that connects to the USB4 port, and a separate M.2 PCB that has the 10G copper connection mounted.
The main Aquantia controller that requires the AQC113 driver to be used is placed under a full-width black heatsink. This heatsink has thermal paste but also additional adhesive to keep it firmly in place to connect with the external casing. This means that removing that black heatsink will likely damage the adapter, so we have decided to hold off on going for a deeper dive into the internals for now until we’ve completed our testing.
Putting the device back together, we decided to conduct multiple tests with a 10G NAS system and a Windows 10 NVMe-based laptop with USB4 connectivity to see what output we could get.
We set the NAS up (an Asustor Flashstor 12 Pro with 10GbE and 4x Gen 3 SSDs in RAID 5) directly connected to the adapter, which was then connected to the Windows PC. We mounted an SMB share as a mapped drive, set jumbo frames to 9k on both devices, and began some fairly rudimentary file transfers.
We did a 256MB ATO disk benchmark transfer and we saw the full saturation of 10GbE quickly and easily.
We then performed an AJA disk benchmark test of a 1GB 1080p config, and performance was middling between 600MB and 800MB up and down.
We then performed three separate Windows transfer tests. The first was a single 10GB 4K media file which transferred over at a seemingly capped 600MB per second. It was unclear whether this was caused by the host machine, the Celeron-powered NAS, or the device itself. But given that we’d already observed greater performance in other synthetic tests, this was quite unusual.
Then we transferred 1,000 PNG files that amounted to just 1GB of data and performance was pretty mediocre, rarely going above 50MB per second. This huge IO factor of so many transfers per second being managed was still fairly mediocre, and I’ve seen performance numbers of 300 to 500MB per second using comparable Thunderbolt 10G adapters by comparison.
Finally, I transferred over 10GB of a little over 33 high-end multimedia files and we saw performance numbers of around 500 to 600MB per second maximum. Once again we saw that unusual cap for Windows transfer of around 600MB per second with that higher-end multimedia, which did indicate oversaturation was present here, or at the very least poor PCIe routing internally.
UPDATE – During my testing and rushing, I didn’t notice the BLOODY OBVIOUS fact that the m.2 that supported the 10GbE connector is attached to SATA M.2 connector! Therefore there is clearly going to be a limitation down to 6Gb/s. This still doesn;t quite explain how the ATTO test hit full saturation at 256MB (an SMB mapped drive without caching), but this does make the results alot clearer Thank you to YouTube user @sl1ckk1ll3r and his comment here.
We will be testing several different NAS systems in the coming weeks and creating a separate article bench testing a lot more performance numbers for different NAS systems, as well as highlighting how many systems actually support this adapter to increase network connectivity on modest NAS systems soon. At the time of writing, I’m not going to say the performance is bad, but I am going to say that this does seem lower in performance compared with Thunderbolt to 10G adapters released a couple of years ago.
IOCREST USB4-to-10GbE Adapter Review Conclusion
As an alternative to a PCIe upgrade on your system, I think it’s unquestionable that this is a much more convenient option for most users. Equally, this is considerably more affordable than dedicated Thunderbolt alternatives in the market that are forced to have increased price points due to Intel certification and licensing, as well as being in the market a little while longer with stock sitting on shelves. However, this is definitely the first of a new wave of network adapters that are going to allow users greater degrees of flexibility to scale up the network connectivity of their systems. The fact that you cannot take advantage of backwards compatibility with older legacy USB connections is definitely going to hurt older generation servers and client hardware, but in the grand scheme of things, I think I am a little bit more excited about the idea that this kind of technology is going to allow affordable and accessible means for dual 10GbE connectivity and even 25GbE in the future. I can definitely recommend this adapter, but just keep your expectations on performance in check. Also, do not be fooled into thinking you can use this on older generation hardware. USB4 may well support Thunderbolt connectivity, but the backwards compatibility that USB4 promises is not present in this adapter.
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?
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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.
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New OpenSSH Vulnerability Could Impact NAS Users: What You Need to Know
(Updated 3rd July 2023 with QNAP Advisory and TrueNAS implementation of the OpenSSH official Patch)
A critical vulnerability in OpenSSH, dubbed “regreSSHion” and assigned CVE-2024-6387, has been discovered by researchers at Qualys. This flaw, which allows for unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) with root privileges on glibc-based Linux systems, poses a significant threat to various network-attached storage (NAS) systems widely used for secure remote login and file management. The vulnerability stems from a signal handler race condition in the OpenSSH server (sshd) and has been found to impact versions from 8.5p1 up to, but not including, 9.8p1. This discovery has significant implications, especially for environments where secure remote management and access are paramount.
Below is the link to the original Qualys Blog Post that covered this CVE
How is this New OpenSSH Vulnerability Exploited?
The vulnerability, initially identified in May 2024, reintroduces an issue previously patched in 2006, known as CVE-2006-5051. If a client does not authenticate within the default LoginGraceTime of 120 seconds, sshd’s SIGALRM handler is called asynchronously and executes various functions that are not async-signal-safe. This opens the door for remote attackers to exploit the race condition, potentially leading to full system compromise. This regression highlights the importance of thorough regression testing in software development to prevent reintroducing previously resolved vulnerabilities.
“We discovered a vulnerability (a signal handler race condition) in OpenSSH’s server (sshd): if a client does not authenticate within LoginGraceTime seconds (120 by default, 600 in old OpenSSH versions), then sshd’s SIGALRM handler is called asynchronously, but this signal handler calls various functions that are not async-signal-safe (for example, syslog()). This race condition affects sshd in its default configuration. On investigation, we realized that this vulnerability is in fact a regression of CVE-2006-5051 (“Signal handler race condition in OpenSSH before 4.4 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash), and possibly execute arbitrary code”), which was reported in 2006 by Mark Dowd.
This vulnerability is exploitable remotely on glibc-based Linux systems, where syslog() itself calls async-signal-unsafe functions (for example, malloc() and free()): an unauthenticated remote code execution as root, because it affects sshd’s privileged code, which is not sandboxed and runs with full privileges. We have not investigated any other libc or operating system; but OpenBSD is notably not vulnerable, because its SIGALRM handler calls syslog_r(), an async-signal-safer version of syslog() that was invented by OpenBSD in 2001.” – Qualys Security Advisory, July 1st 2024
For NAS users, the implications are severe, even if the actions required to utilize this exploit are quote long and require a specific system network setup to be at risk. Synology, QNAP, Asustor, TerraMaster, and TrueNAS all rely on secure remote access capabilities, which could be undermined by this vulnerability. While Synology has confirmed that their products are not affected as they utilize OpenSSH versions not susceptible to this flaw, other NAS vendors have yet to release official statements regarding their status. Users of QNAP and Asustor, in particular, should be vigilant and ensure their systems are updated to the latest firmware versions to mitigate any potential risks. Regular checks for vendor updates and security patches are essential to maintain the integrity of these systems.
In terms of mitigation, the immediate recommendation is to apply any available security updates for OpenSSH. As Qualys detailed in their advisory, the latest OpenSSH version 9.8p1 includes fixes for this vulnerability. Additionally, users are advised to restrict SSH access through network-based controls such as firewalls and to implement network segmentation to prevent lateral movement within the network. Implementing these measures can significantly reduce the potential attack surface and enhance the overall security posture of NAS environments.
For those who cannot update their systems immediately, setting the `LoginGraceTime` parameter to 0 in the sshd configuration file can temporarily mitigate the risk, although this may expose the server to denial-of-service attacks. This approach effectively disables the vulnerable signal handler by preventing unauthenticated connections from lingering beyond the initial handshake period. It is a stopgap measure that can be utilized while waiting for a more permanent fix through updates or patches. Despite the complexity of the exploit, which requires multiple attempts and the overcoming of Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), the potential use of AI tools to increase the success rate of exploitation adds to the urgency. The Qualys Threat Research Unit (TRU) has noted that AI-assisted attacks could overcome practical difficulties, making the vulnerability a more significant concern. This evolving threat landscape underscores the necessity for continuous monitoring and adaptation of security strategies.
(Example of 3rd party AI expliots to overwork an attack vulnerability – AKA ‘AI as a Service’ models)
It’s important to note that FreeBSD-based TrueNAS Core is unaffected by this vulnerability. This is due to the secure mechanism introduced in 2001 that prevents the signal handler race condition from being exploited on OpenBSD systems, which FreeBSD inherits. This security feature provides a significant advantage, ensuring that TrueNAS Core users remain protected against this specific threat without needing immediate updates or configuration changes. UPDATE– However a TrueNAS Scale user named @Cameronfrye5514 (system running Dragonfish-24.04.1.1) states that his system is running 9.2.p1 – so the linux version of TrueNAS definitely features affected OpenSSH version in at least some of it’s own respective firmware revisions:
Additionally, YouTube user @roehlaguila7930 highlighted that the latest Stable version of UnRAID uses OpenSSH OpenSSH_9.3p2.
Update 3rd July – QNAP has also now issued an entry into their Security Advisory for the OpenSSH vulnerability, related to their QTS and QuTS 5.2 Release Candidate, as it uses an impacted component version of OpenSSH. They also highlight that QTS 5.1.x, QTS 4.5.x, QuTS hero h5.1.x, h4.5.x, and QuTScloud c5.x are not affected.
For users of QTS 5.2.0 RC and QuTS hero h5.2.0 RC, QNAP recommends keeping the SSH service disabled by default or not exposing the OpenSSH service to the internet. If you really need to use the OpenSSH service, they strongly recommend the following mitigations, Go to Control Panel -> Security -> IP Access Protection, and enable SSH. Avoid using port 22 (the default port number for SSH) before updating to the official releases of QTS or QuTS hero. Instead, configure SSH to use a different port number.
As always, staying informed and proactive is crucial. Users should regularly check for updates from their NAS manufacturers and follow best practices for network security. With over 14 million internet-exposed OpenSSH servers identified by Censys and Shodan, and 700,000 confirmed vulnerable instances based on Qualys CSAM 3.0 data, the scale of potential impact underscores the need for prompt action.
How to Secure Your NAS From The OpenSSH Vulnerability?
Regular vulnerability checks and revisiting security advisories are vital steps in maintaining a secure network environment. NAS users should consider implementing the following recommendations to enhance their security posture:
1. Apply Security Updates: Regularly check for and install the latest firmware updates from your NAS vendor. If the brand has not already implemented a change to OpenSSH that can be applied in the short term, they WILL apply a path for OpenSSH for affected versions as soon as it is issued by the creators
2. Restrict SSH Access: Use firewalls to limit SSH access to trusted IP addresses. This reduces the attack surface by only allowing connections from known sources, thereby minimizing the risk of unauthorized access attempts. If you do not have the skill set for this, DISABLE SSH settings on your NAS. Typically SSH should only be ‘on’ when it’s in use anyway. Again, if in double about your running version of OpenSSH on your NAS software, disable.
3. Implement Network Segmentation: Separate critical systems from other parts of the network. This limits the ability of an attacker to move laterally within your network if they compromise one system, providing an additional layer of defense. Exploitation of the vulnerability is only possible with admin/super user powers, so limit that power! This removes the attack vector and significantly reduces the risk, making your system less susceptible to remote exploitation attempts.
4. Monitor Network Traffic: Use intrusion detection systems (IDS) and intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to monitor and analyze network traffic for suspicious activity. Set up alerts for unusual login attempts or other potentially malicious actions to enable quick response to threats. This vulnerability needs a lot of time to hit the system (6-8 hours was suggested by Qualys
5. Use Strong Authentication Methods: More of a top layer suggestioned, but useful nonetheless to add hurdles and barriers to unauth access – Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) for SSH access. This adds an additional layer of security by requiring more than just a password for access, thereby reducing the likelihood of unauthorized access.
6. Regularly Review Access Logs: Periodically review SSH access logs for any unauthorized attempts or unusual patterns. Early detection of suspicious activity can help prevent successful exploitation by allowing timely intervention and mitigation. As mentioned earlier, this exploit requires ALOT of repeated access – so numerous failed attempts will be a dead giveaway that this vulnerability is attempting to be exploited. Also, enabling auto-block settings is HIGHLY recommended!
Is Your NAS OS Running a compromised version of OpenSSH? Here is how to check
To determine if your NAS system is affected by the regreSSHion vulnerability, you need to check the version of OpenSSH running on your device. This can be done easily using an SSH client like PuTTY.
Once you have logged into your NAS via SSH, you can check the OpenSSH version by entering the following command:
ssh -V
This command will display the version of OpenSSH installed on your system. If the version falls within the affected range (8.5p1 to 9.7p1), you should take immediate action to update to the latest version. Keeping your OpenSSH version up-to-date is crucial in protecting your system from known vulnerabilities and exploits.
How Much Should NAS Users Be Concerned About the OpenSSH Vulnerability?
The risk posed to NAS users by the regreSSHion vulnerability is debatable, due to several mitigating factors that make exploitation highly impractical. Firstly, the NAS system would need to be running an operating system that includes the specific affected versions of OpenSSH (8.5p1 to 9.7p1). Additionally, the system must be internet-facing with SSH access enabled, making it accessible to remote attackers. Even under these conditions, the exploit requires an extended period of sustained access attempts, typically over many hours, to achieve the necessary memory corruption to successfully exploit the race condition. During this time, a vigilant system administrator monitoring access logs would likely detect the suspicious activity and take corrective action, further reducing the likelihood of a successful attack.
Moreover, many NAS configurations are behind firewalls and utilize network segmentation, limiting the exposure of SSH services to the wider internet. Implementing strong authentication methods, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), further protects against unauthorized access attempts. Regularly updating the NAS firmware and the OpenSSH version also mitigates the risk by ensuring that known vulnerabilities are patched. In practical terms, an attacker would need to sustain a continuous and sophisticated attack vector without interruption, which is highly unlikely in well-managed network environments. These layers of defense, combined with vigilant monitoring and best security practices, make the successful exploitation of regreSSHion on NAS systems a remote possibility. Users are advised to follow recommended security measures to ensure their systems remain secure against such threats.
Be Regularly Updated on Security Concerns with Synology & QNAP NAS
Recently there has been a spotlight on some NAS brands and their security and protection from attacks by hackers and online intruders. In some cases, this has been down to holes being found in the system software or system protocol over time that, if left unpatched can lead to Ransomware like the QNAP QLocker of 2021, the Synology Synolocker of 2014. Typically, these can stem from many methods but ultimately revolve around hackers boarding the latest firmware and finding loopholes/backdoors within the system software each time it has an official update. This is not unusual and practically ALL the computer software-related services and hardware in your home/business environment go through this – most updates to the firmware in everything from your phone to your TV, router, console and more are specifically designed to close these newly found chinks in the armour. It is a constant game of cat and mouse, however, in almost all cases the vulnerability in software (that led to your system being penetrated) will be down to the fact your device has not been updated in firmware/software in a considerable length of time.
The NASCompares NAS Vulnerability Alerts and Updates Page – HERE
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.
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We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
Now that the UGREEN NAS system is arriving at traditional retail, many users are starting to ask whether this new name in the world of NAS is a better or worse alternative than the established status quo for their data storage and private cloud needs. Although there are plenty of names to choose from in the world of NAS, one of the best and most popular in terms of NAS hardware is QNAP, the 20-year veteran of network-attached storage technology! Very few brands have managed to challenge QNAP in the field of NAS hardware, and indeed, with the exception of Synology, very few brands have been able to match QNAP in terms of software either! So, where does UGREEN fit into all of this? Are you better off going for the arguably more expensive but more established brand QNAP, or should you opt for UGREEN’s new NAS solution in an effort to get the best bang for your buck? Ultimately, which one deserves your money and your data?
NAS Solutions
NAS Solutions
+ Better Software (In almost every respect!)
+ Much Better Global Support Presence
+ More More business desirable
+ Larger Range of solutions
– Software can be inconsistently Supported
– Security Concerns in the past
+ 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
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QNAP vs UGREEN NAS – Price and Value
It will come as almost no surprise that the UGREEN NAS server solution is by far the more affordable of the two options here. Although QNAP NAS solutions tend to be a little more affordable than those of their competitor Synology, even they cannot really compete with UGREEN’s price point, both during the crowdfunding campaign and even at the suggested RRP for retailers. That said, QNAP is a much larger organization in terms of NAS hardware and NAS software, with a larger body of solutions and SKUs to support. We will touch more on that hardware, software, and the global coverage of the company later on, but if your main concern is just how much these solutions will cost you on day one, regardless of the solution you look at, QNAP will end up being the more expensive choice.
UGREEN has long been a name in the field of power adapters, PC peripherals, and cables for well over a decade, but their pedigree in the world of NAS is comparatively short! Although they have released solutions in the field of personal cloud storage in the last few years, the majority of these were limited to the East, and it is only in the recent DXP NAS Sync series that the brand has taken NAS storage seriously. To make as big a splash as possible during the introduction of their products, the launch price for the entire DXP series from UGREEN when it hit Kickstarter was not only cheaper than the majority of other brands out there but by quite an extraordinary degree.
The most premium system, an Intel i5-powered 10GbE and Thunderbolt 4 8-bay device, arrived at just under $1,000, while QNAP’s nearest comparable product was well over $3,500—a remarkable margin of difference! Of course, the hardware reality and the software reality between the QNAP and UGREEN offerings are vastly different too, but for those only interested in the hardware and less so in the software, that price difference is almost impossible to ignore.
However, when it comes to value, the QNAP product provides a more all-around complete package, and you are paying more because QNAP includes more in the overall solution package they offer. Whether what they offer justifies the considerable price difference in their portfolio is a matter for debate. But it’s also worth highlighting that the diversity of solutions from QNAP is considerably broader than what you might expect from a brand that’s been in the NAS world considerably longer. UGREEN offers a bottom-line priced product and arguably better hardware value, but QNAP provides a more complete solution package in terms of value, as well as offering a better diversity of solutions across their more evolved range.
UGREEN vs QNAP NAS – Hardware
As discussed earlier, UGREEN has launched six different kinds of NAS solutions in the first wave of their range: 2, 4, 6, and 8x SATA configurations, and a 4x NVMe flash configuration. They feature CPUs in the N100, Pentium, and i5 processor categories (all 12th gen), and come with a variety of network connections and ports, including 2.5GbE, 10GbE, USB 4, Thunderbolt 4, and PCIe upgrade slots in some cases. This was clearly a well-thought-out launching selection, as it manages to cover numerous different user groups and expected deployments.
UGREEN DXP8800 PRO 8-Bay NAS with 10GbE, Thunderbolt4, Intel Core CPU, PCIe Slot, Hybrid Storage
QNAP TVS-h874T4 8-Bay NAS with 10GbE, Thunderbolt4, Intel Core CPU, PCIe Slot, Hybrid Storage
QNAP’s NAS portfolio, on the other hand, has had over 20 years to expand and experiment within the world of network-attached storage, and it clearly shows. First, you have their NAS portfolio, with approximately 60 different NAS solutions currently available in their 2023/2024 range of devices, as well as approximately 300 other hardware configurations still supported with feature and security updates. Then there is their range of NAS expansion devices that connect via USB and SAS, in both desktop and rack-mount form. Then there is a variety of network switches, network adapters over PCIe and USB, and even wireless NIC upgrades that support numerous different NAS configurations.
QNAP has an enormous range of hardware solutions that scale from simple, affordable ARM-powered boxes all the way up to dual-controller rack-mount hyperscale systems and NVMe flash solutions—you cannot question the scale of hardware that QNAP has on the market at any given time. Although we have to acknowledge the 20 years of business they have had in NAS compared with UGREEN’s relative adolescence in the market, QNAP unquestionably wins in terms of hardware across most solutions.
QNAP vs UGREEN NAS – Software
The UGREEN NAS software that is included with the majority of their DXP solutions is surprisingly well-polished for such a young piece of software compared to QNAP and QTS. It includes a single all-purpose mobile application for iOS and Android, as well as a client tool for Mac and Windows to manage the system without a browser, and even some multimedia apps for Android and Apple TV. UGREEN has once again been significantly more tactical and targeted in the launch of their new NAS series. They know that if they tried to do everything, they would end up doing a weaker job of many things rather than doing a much stronger job of a few things, and I respect that. There is file and folder-level storage access via the web browser, a plethora of multimedia applications for AI-powered photo recognition, managing music libraries, and scraping of visual metadata for your streaming of movies/TV shows, a Docker application, a virtual machine hypervisor tool—the list goes on and on. Well, I say “on and on,” but in reality, it is really only around 20 applications, and half of these are general system-level services. They have rolled out the gate with a robust RAID system in place, support of EXT4 and BTRFS, multi-user and group creation tools, and a backup and restore 3-2-1 backup tool that is slowly evolving to include USB, cloud services, and remote server backups. UGREEN has rolled out an impressively detailed software suite for the launch of this new range, but how does it compare to the long-established QNAP QTS?
The reality is that the QNAP software platform is significantly— and I really do mean SIGNIFICANTLY—more evolved. That is hardly surprising given the 20-year advantage in the field of network-attached storage, but their software includes everything that the UGREEN platform does and then absolutely hammers the point home with a plethora of tools that UGREEN isn’t even close to featuring right now. For home and prosumers, backup/sync tools like HBS3, HybridMount, vJBOD, USB Backup, and Hyper Protector provide massively evolved tools compared with the UGREEN alternative. For multimedia, QNAP has QuMagie, Video Station, Music Station, MARS for syncing Google Photos, iTunes server tools, and officially supported Plex, Emby, and Jellyfin clients—it’s almost TOO many apps! And for many users, that might actually be the point! Some users might argue that simplicity is the way forward and that QNAP has oversaturated their marketplace with apps over the years instead of concentrating on a smaller set of key applications—on both sides really.
Video Review of the UGREEN UGOS NAS Software Below:
Moving over to the business side of things, QNAP not only takes a lead but largely dominates in this area compared to UGREEN currently with their launch NAS lineup. The UGREEN systems have the power, and even a sprinkling of a few business applications like the aforementioned virtual machine tool and multi-tier backup tools—but that is pretty much where the list ends. After that, QNAP smashes it with a superior virtual machine tool, iSCSI target and LUN support, Windows domain and control tools, Microsoft Office integration, hyperscale storage integration—it goes on and on. QNAP still has something of a reputation for inconsistent software, and a big part of this is that the brand runs too many individual products at any given time and potentially spreads themselves too thin, but you can’t really fault the scope and breadth of services afforded to you on the QNAP NAS platform compared to that of UGREEN and UGOOS.
Video Review of the QNAP QTS NAS Software Below:
UGREEN NAS makes a confident software offering that nails down the fundamentals pretty well. But it still feels very feature-lite when compared to the QNAP NAS platform with its 20 years of development under its belt. Plus, QNAP’s support of ZFS pools in QUTS, AI module add-ons, and numerous integrated security tiers (arguably some of which were developed in response to the Deadbolt attack a few years ago) are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you get from a brand that has been flexing its muscles in this industry for as long as they have. That said, it will be interesting to see where UGREEN goes with this software in the next few years and perhaps, when revisiting this comparison, the software between these two brands will be on a more level footing.
UGREEN ACTIVE NAS SOLUTIONS
QNAP ACTIVE NAS SOLUTIONS
6 x Desktop Solutions
42 x Desktop Solutions
Zero Rackmount Solutions
36 x Rackmount Solutions
UGREEN vs QNAP NAS – Support
Both UGREEN and QNAP are global brands with products that are available pretty much all around the world, and both have official support pages and offices in numerous locations. However, if we drill down a little further beyond the brands themselves and into the very subject of network-attached storage and the solutions they include, the reality is very different. As mentioned, QNAP has been around for a considerable length of time and has opened a substantial number of physical offices in different countries around the world, each providing varying degrees of sales, technical support, and warranty services that scale appropriately with the level of user engagement with the brand.
Now, UGREEN, as mentioned, is a global brand; however, the majority of its existence has centered around computer peripherals, power adapters, and cable accessories. They have dipped their toes into other products, but very few of these products have come even close to a full network-attached storage solution being rolled out on the scale that they have done up to this point. The result is that even though UGREEN has a broad global presence, when it comes to supporting NAS buyers and providing support for these products in different regions, the reality is that they simply cannot challenge QNAP in terms of global coverage and support for customers who want to engage with a NAS product and know that they have a local brand representative on a similar time zone!
A lot of the time, most buyers can rely upon the e-retailer and physical computer shop from which they choose to buy their system when it comes to warranty, replacements, and some level of tech support. However, more business-centric users are definitely going to prefer to buy a product from a brand that provides boots-on-the-ground technical support in the region where they purchased it. I have no doubts that UGREEN will continue to expand in the NAS sector slowly but surely. The support and technical assistance afforded to users in their own regions will expand over time; however, right now, QNAP seemingly has the larger degree of NAS support to provide to their end-user base compared to UGREEN at present.
QNAP vs UGREEN NAS – Conclusion
It would be very easy to simply say that QNAP has been in the market longer and therefore their product is better than what UGREEN has to offer, but the reality is far more nuanced, as different kinds of NAS buyers are going to find benefits from one system more than the other! There is no denying that the QNAP platform and the solutions it provides are significantly more evolved in terms of software and in terms of the range of solutions available for your own scale and budget. But we also have to acknowledge that not everyone needs this kind of choice or such a wide variety of applications at their disposal. Some users are simply looking for a robust storage alternative to cloud providers and want to get the best hardware for their money. That second kind of user is going to enjoy the level of hardware and value on offer from the UGREEN solution. Add to that, UGREEN clearly has more plans for this new and expanding arm of their business, with further details of the brand’s roadmap being fleshed out, and the majority of their intended plans for phase 1 largely delivered upon. It is still very early days for UGREEN, however, and their software is still going to appear immature side by side with QTS and QUTS from QNAP, and the value in a more polished software platform and a more fully-featured experience is one of those things you won’t realize you needed unless you use a system that doesn’t have it.
QNAP inarguably offers a fuller and more complete range of solutions, but if you’re happy to do away with more modern bells and whistles in your network-attached storage system, you can save a lot of money and get a very powerful system affordably by opting for UGREEN’s NAS solution right now. And don’t forget that the option of TrueNAS and Unraid is still on the table. Although the installation of third-party operating systems on a QNAP is possible, it is definitely not officially supported and in most cases leads to invalidating your warranty and support. Whereas UGREEN knows that they perhaps cannot compete against the big boys with their current software offering, so they have softened their position on supporting third-party operating systems on their devices and will still honor the hardware warranty of a UGREEN NAS, as long as that software does not deliberately damage the system in unexpected ways. So once again, QNAP is definitely the more complete solution compared with UGREEN, but UGREEN is offering a lot of flexibility at an affordable price point that is hard to ignore.
NAS Solutions
NAS Solutions
+ Better Software (In almost every respect!)
+ Much Better Global Support Presence
+ More More business desirable
+ Larger Range of solutions
– Software can be inconsistently Supported
– Security Concerns in the past
+ 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
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.
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Have you ever looked at the cost of popular Network attached storage devices from brands such as Synology and QNAP, then looked at the price tag and thought “wait…HOW MUCH?!? I could build my own NAS server for much less than that”? Well, you are not alone! There are quite a few experienced PC builders and IT veterans out there who look at turnkey solutions (turnkey, as it ‘switch on and you are largely good to go’) from popular NAS brands and question why they cost so much, especially when the traditional CPU+Memory+Ports combination of most NAS devices is so modest (i.e low powered!). So, today I want to dig into how much it would cost to build the same hardware specifications of popular NAS devices such, do you save that much, what are the pros, what are the cons and ultimately is building your own NAS server from scratch better for you than buying an off-the-shelf NAS drive? Let’s start.
The Importance of NAS Software!!! DSM, QTS, ADM, TOS, TrueNAS and UnRAID
Before we go any further, we need to talk about NAS software! It is very often overlooked that most off-the-shelf / turnkey NAS solutions from Synology, QNAP, Asustor and Terramaster arrive are combined hardware and software solutions! Yes, you are paying for the hardware, but also with your NAS system you also have fully-featured NAS software. This NAS software differed in utilities, services, functions and support depending on the NAS brand you buy. However, they all support Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android and iOS, have a full range of in-platform apps, a GUI that is accessible via a web browser, a full range of client apps for desktop/mobile devices, online support services (real humans) and more. This has to factor into the cost of a NAS device, as although the hardware has it’s own limited warranty, the software has a much longer support period (often ‘lifetime’), as well as security, stability and service updates regularly. Although this software is build on linux and freeware originally, what has been built on top of it is a premium platform that needs continued development to remain at the top of it’s use. Before we talk about the free alternatives that you can use on your custom-built linux NAS solution, you should take a moment to find out about the NAS software that each turnkey NAS brand provides with their systems that is included in the price. Use my video reviews below to learn more about each respective platform:
As mentioned though, just because you choose to build your own NAS from scratch, does not mean you do not have access to excellent software for your server. If you are choosing to go DiY , there are two main/popular NAS software platforms in the market that have risen largely above the others. Those are TrueNAS and UnRAID. The former, TrueNAS, is available in both its original FreeBSD version and now a Linux version (TrueNAS Core and TrueNAS Scale), and both are available free/open-source to download and install on your custom-built NAS hardware. TrueNAS allows you to use advantages such as the Zettabyte File System (ZFS) and benefit from a whole bunch of advantages (Triple Parity RAID, inline data compression, inline data deduplication, inline data compaction, Fast RAID Builds, Rebuilds, Resync and Resilvering to name just a few), plus the Linux based TrueNAS scale provides better 3rd party app development and compatibility. Most of these advantages are available on paid NAS platforms to a smaller/great extent, but knowing you can have them for free with TrueNAS is very appealing! The same goes for UnRAID which provides a whole bunch of advantages, is more of a modular payment platform (scaling on your storage scale) which also benefits from being much faster to deploy, lower in resource use and is just generally a great platform for those looking for precise and no frills storage that is robust and secure. You can find out more about them in the vids below:
However, it is worth remembering that TrueNAS and UnRAID, although largely free/open-source, are nowhere near as user-friendly as the turnkey NAS software of DSM, QTS, QuTS, ADM and TOS from the brands. They lack the client apps and tools for your devices, do not have the same level of 1st/3rd party App support, flexible RAID configurations, can be much more resource intensive (i.e ZFS needs at least 16GB memory for all services to run at full extent), lack the premium contract support of a complete hardware+software solution, require an additional boot drive (more often an internal SSD dedicated to the OS) and often the money you are saving could be spent on your time learning the setup/management of TrueNAS/UnRAID. So, make sure you factor the cost of this into your custom NAS build. Let’s discuss building a modest NAS.
How Much Does it Cost to Build a NAS comparable to a Synology or QNAP 4-Bay?
So, first things first. Building a NAS that is comparable to popular mid-class NAS drives that cost you around the $500-600 mark is actually pretty straightforward and those of you that have built a PC in your life will know how it is put together. A NAS is designed around the same logic as a standard PC, however, it is designed around EFFICIENCY. This means power use efficiency (i.e. using as little as possible 24×7), efficient cooling (i.e. keeping the system at a good temp at all times and prolonging the lifespan of the system, whilst also using as little power as possible) and physical efficiency (i.e smaller the better, as its quieter and tasks up less space). So, the following four NAS drives are the flagship 4-Bay Prosumer NAS devices in the market in 2024. The Synology DS923+, the QNAP TS-464, the Terraamster F4-423 and Asustor Locksterstor 4 Gen 2 NAS:
So right now, as we approach the mid point of 2024, these NAS’ are all roughly around the $500-600 price tag. Although the Synology ’23/’24 generation NAS features a different CPU than the others, the general architecture (as well as that of the DS920+ that came before it) are pretty similar.to the others. Here is how these four hardware+software NAS solutions compare in price:
Note – Not factoring in local tax/import tax or Shipping!
So, keeping this architecture in mind, just how much would it cost if you wanted to build the same level of hardware into a custom-built NAS server? Is it worth building from the ground up or going somewhat more modular in your approach to a custom NAS? Let’s find out!
Custom NAS DiY Build #1 – Lowest Cost, Highest Build Time and Skill Level
So, the first thing I wanted to see was how much it would cost to build comparative hardware to the Synology, QNAP, Asustor or Terramaster NAS at the lowest price! Heading over to AliExpress, you can get hold of the bulk of the most cost-effective elements of this 4-Bay NAS drive:
So, factoring in that he CPU+Memory combo was a bundle and that the likes of TrueNAS would require a dedicated OS drive, the following components were selected:
So, first things first, focusing just on the hardware you would make a saving:
$179 saving vs the Synology DS923+
$172 saving vs the QNAP TS-464
$188 saving vs the Asustor Lockerstor 4 Gen 2
$114 saving versus the Terramaster F4-423
If you are on a particularly tight budget, these are not insignificant numbers! You do still need to factor in that this price does NOT include the cost if time spent setting the custom NAS up, setting up the software and general maintenance, but for many users looking at ZFS solutions in trueNAS, this can be quite a significant saving!
Custom DiY NAS Build #2 – Middle Cost, Short Build Time and intermediate Skill Level
If you have a much lower understanding of PC building, are looking for a much more straightforward plan to build your own custom NAS, or are hoping to repurpose an existing mini PC (old Mac Mini or Intel NUC), then you can also create a similar level of NAS hardware using a single mini computer and an external storage device. You need to factor in the potential bottleneck of USB (external SATA in/outside of a RAID connected via USB at 5Gb or 10Gb etc), but at this scale, you will be able to find ways around this thanks to USB 3.2 Gen 2 and USB 4.0. The resulting setup will certainly cost you more than a complete DiY setup as found in custom DiY NAS build #1, but it also allows you a much more user-friendly setup.
This level of setup will only need you to purchase the main PC and an external store device, leading to a simpler setup.
Beelink U59 Pro Mini PC,11th Gen Intel 4 Core N5105 B0BB2JGSNP – $259
ORICO 4 Bay External Hard Drive Enclosure USB 3.0 B07XL2BS53 – $189.99
2 Piece Mini PC + USB JBOD DAS DiY:$448
Note – Not factoring in local tax/import tax or Shipping!
However, the resulting savings in this mini PC NAS setup will result in significantly smaller savings when compared with a traditional turnkey NAS setup. Here is how this custom two-part build compares with traditional off-the-shelf NAS drives. The benefit of this setup of course is that the actual setup is going to be tremendously quick. This also allows you to run the NAS software (TrueNAS, UnRAID, etc) as a VM from within the often included Windows OS that the mini PC arrives with (or create a dual OS box with a 2nd OS drive). This setup will also require a dual PSU setup (one for the PC and one for the DAS) which might be a bit annoying for some users. Still, the savings between this setup and a comparable setup turnkey NAS are:
Price Difference:
$132 saving vs the Synology DS923+
$125 saving vs the QNAP
All this said, the Mini PC + DAS setup is going to limit you in a number of ways. For a start, upgrading towards 10GbE is not going to be possible as (at the time of writing) there are no USB-to-10GbE adapters in the market (though 2.5G and 5G are available). Additionally, the external storage will be connected via USB 3.2 Gen 1 in most budget direct attached JBOD enclosures (also known as USB 3.1 or USB 3.0) which caps at 500-550MB/s – which will bottleneck the connected drives noticeably. In normal off-the-shelf NAS enclosures, the HDDs are connected via a multiport connector cable or SATA board that connects to the main system inside over PCIe connectors that open the bandwidth up significantly. This method of creating a custom NAS yourself is only really recommended to a user who already owns a DAS USB box or a Mini PC already (Intel NUC or Mac Mini) that they are happy to repurpose – then the savings and hardware offered can make alot more sense.
How Much Does it Cost to Build a NAS comparable to a QNAP TVS-h874?
So, moving away from more domestic and smaller scale turn key NAS solutions, what about going for a much more powerful desktop NAS solution? Right now, the best example of NAS hardware available in a desktop tower form is the QNAP TVS-h874 NAS. However, this kind of off-the-shelf NAS does not come cheap, arriving at $1737 (for the i5 model, i7 and i9 versions are available) which in the eyes of many PC builds, might seem a tough pill to swallow! However, this is an Intel 12th Gen Core i5-12400 6-core/12-thread Processor, burst up to 4.4 GHz, 32GB of DDR4 Memory, PCIe 4 M.2 and PCIe upgrade slots, 2.5G and all of this packed into a very compact sever.
So, what is it going to cost to build a similar level of NAS hardware yourself? Let’s find out.
Custom DiY NAS Build #3 – Middle Cost, Short Build Time and intermediate Skill Level
At this point, building a custom Linux server that is comparable to the QNAP TVS-h874 NAS hardware is much, MUCH closer to building a normal PC. It is just a case of selecting much more power-efficient components, enclosures and constructing a device that is better suited to larger storage and 24×7 operation than a regular desktop PC is. The CPU. motherboard and 8-bay basic enclosure are going to be more expensive that the hardware we covered in builds #1 and #2, but the rest is going to be relatively affordable. Also, a beefier PSU is going to be needed to accommodate the PCIe 4 upgrade slots, that larger storage and general upgradability down the line.
In the end, I selected the following components, but it needs to be highlighted that this was done with haste and with economy in mind, so although this setup will work, I would recommend spending a little more time in your own setup in selecting components, as there is alot of flexibility available in memory brands, network adapters and boot/OS SSDs. Here is how it all worked out:
Note – Not factoring in local tax/import tax or Shipping!
$907 Saving vs QNAP TVS-h874 NAS
Now THIS is a big saving! With the total cost of building the QNAP TVS-h874 i5 NAS Hardware at $820 (not factoring in your local region tax/delivery), even if you were to scale up a few bits (move from an i5 to an i7, upgrade to 10GbE or increase that base OS SSD, you are still looking at around a $1000 Spend. So, does that make the QNAP TVS-h874 Turnkey NAS a rip-off? Well, no, because remember that we are ONLY talking buying hardware – we have not included the cost of setup time, the knowledge needed to put it all together, installing your 3rd party NAS software, having 10 different brand warranties and drivers to keep on top of and more. So, now we have discussed three ways to build your own custom Linux NAS, let’s discuss the value of NAS software, total cost of ownership and concerns of long-term support and maintenance.
NAS Software Value, Total Cost of Ownership, Time investment and Maintenance Concerns?
In both the previous ‘build your own NAS’ solutions, we have been trying to emulate the hardware of existing turn-key NAS devices in the market. Now, there will be alot of users who will immediately want to highlight that the MAIN BENEFIT of building your own custom NAS drive is that you are not as restricted in your hardware choices and, thanks to better value-for-money hardware choices, you can super size your NAS at the same cost. Now, this IS true, but the point of the above examples was to identify just what the cost of the NAS software, services and support included in an off-the-shelf NAS will actually cost most home users. If you want the very best hardware-value-for-money, then custom-built NAS is 100% the best option! However, this is all needs to be viewed in the context of how much time you can dedicate to building your server from scratch. Some of you might already be experienced in building your own PC (plus the fun and games of creating bootable images of your chosen software for first-time installation – you can normally tell the difference if they think Rufus is a piece of software or a character from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure).
Next, there is learning your way around your new custom NAS hardware – open-source software such as TrueNAS Core, TrueNAS Scale and UnRAID are all hugely capable platforms, but they are not especially user-friendly! Aside from having to learn about how their own software structure works, you will also have much less help in understanding the details of optimal Storage Pools, Jails, Snapshots, Cache benefits, zdevs and vols. There are lots of online community support platforms and the software does include hint/tip bubbles – but it can be a tremendously intimidating and time-consuming platform to learn from scratch. Turnkey NAS software on the other hand is hugely user-friendly (some more than others, with Synology easily being the most intuitive), has premium support (as you would expect from a paid solution) and have support team members that can be contacted via their official sites, online support lines, forums and even tech teams located in numerous locations around the world. Whilst we are talking about support – we need to discuss warranties! Building a NAS from scratch means that instead of one warranty that covers the whole product, you have numerous (CPU WarrantY, Motherboard guarantee time, etc) that, if your system has a fault, means you need to spend time isolating the issue and working out which part is the issue, then arrange a warranty repeat with that one brand. A Turnkey NAS means that if you have a fault – you contact the NAS manufacturer and arrange a return/repair/replace. SIGNIFICANTLY easier! More over, if you buy individual components to build your own NAS, the warrnaty/guarentee/support period on each part will different (more often than not a CPU has 2yrs, motherboard 1 yr, a PCIe card 1 yr, etc). Whereas a turnkey/pre-built NAS has a blanket warrnaty that covers all of the parts, is ALWAYS minumim 2years (and often 3-5 years if you look at the prosumer or XS series of devices).
Finally there is support long term. NAS brands tend to prioritize their software as much as they can, as this is they big selling point for businesses (especially Synology) and hope to provide users with more than just a storage system. They want to provide an ecosystem for your data. This is done with many client applications for Windows, MacOS, Android, Unbuntu, iOS, etc, as well as providing their own apps and software that works the same as 3rd party tools in the market for communication, sharing, multimedia, backups, mail servers, etc. and all this whilst remaining compatible to migrate or sync with existing 3rd party SaaS and PaaS platforms (Google Workspace, Office 365, AWS, VMware, etc). This ecosystem of apps and services is developed in partnership with a number of those premium 3rd party platforms and therefore allows them to stay up to date. Freeware and/or opensource NAS software that might use of your DiY NAS will be slowly to support or compatible with those 3rd party services, as their platforms are heavily based on their user community.
The ultimate takeaway should always be that building your own NAS server from scratch makes ALOT more sense for users who are one (or more) of the following:
You already have a reasonable understanding of how to build a PC
You have older computer hardware around you that you can resue
You already have and/or are prepared to lead about TrueNAS/UnRAID as they have a much higher learning curve
Have the time to learn the NAS software from scratch AND the time to build/troubleshoot a NAS on Day one and later if you encounter issues
Your data is not hight business priority, whereby downtime costs real money
Want to use your existing 3rd party software purely and just use the custom DiY NAS as something to ‘point at’ on the network/internet
Likewise, turnkey NAS solutions from Synology, QNAP, Terramaster and Asustor are best suited for:
Those looking for ease of use and more intuitive MANAGEMENT
Those who have less time to setup, learn and manage the server longterm
Those whose data is business or inttegral
Those that need simply warranty handling and premium support
I hope you found this guide helpful! Below is a video where I covered most of the information in this article, as well as making further build points and suggestions that you might want to factor into buying or building your own NAS. Otherwise, if you still need help, take advantage of the free advice section of NASCompares or our free community forum, ASKNASCompares.com. Have a great week!
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.
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If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
The QNAP TS-765eU Massive Flexible 1U Rackmount NAS
The QNAP TS-765eU is a compact yet powerful 1U short depth rackmount NAS designed to meet the demanding needs of modern businesses. Equipped with an Intel Atom x7405C quad-core processor, this NAS delivers impressive performance with a clock speed of up to 3.46GHz. This powerful processor ensures smooth operation for various applications, from data storage and management to virtualization tasks. The TS-765eU also supports up to 16GB of DDR5 SODIMM memory with in-band ECC, providing reliable error detection and correction during data transmission, which enhances system stability and data integrity.
Feature
Specification
Model
QNAP TS-765eU
Form Factor
1U Short Depth Rackmount
Processor
Intel Atom x7405C Quad-Core
Processor Speed
Up to 3.46 GHz
Memory
1 x DDR5 SODIMM slot, up to 16GB DDR5
Memory Type
DDR5 SODIMM, supports In-Band ECC
Storage Bays
4 x 3.5″ SATA
SSD Slots
3 x E1.S/M.2 PCIe slots (supports M.2 2280 PCIe SSDs with adapter)
Network Ports
2 x 2.5GbE RJ45
Network Expansion
Expandable to 10GBASE-T via optional adapter (OXG-ES10G1T)
Optional Network Adapter
OXG-ES10G1T (E1.S to 10GBASE-T Network Adapter)
Power Supply
Internal PSU
Dimensions
Suitable for 1U rackmount
Operating Temperature
Typical operating temperatures for NAS systems
Management
Web-based management interface, support for various management protocols
Usage Scenarios
Data storage, virtualization, high-speed network environments
Small to medium businesses, home labs, growing organizations
One of the standout features of the TS-765eU is its flexible storage options. It comes with four 3.5″ SATA bays and three E1.S/M.2 PCIe slots, allowing users to customize their storage setup according to their needs. The included M.2 adapter supports M.2 2280 PCIe SSDs, offering high-speed storage solutions for applications requiring fast data access. This adaptability makes the TS-765eU suitable for various storage configurations, from large-capacity drives for data archiving to high-speed SSDs for performance-intensive tasks.
Connectivity is another strong suit of the TS-765eU. It features built-in dual 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, providing high-speed network connectivity out of the box. For users requiring even faster network speeds, the NAS supports expansion to 10GBASE-T through its E1.S PCIe slots using the optional OXG-ES10G1T network adapter.
This flexibility ensures that the TS-765eU can adapt to different networking environments and future-proof the network infrastructure as demands grow. Overall, the TS-765eU combines powerful performance, flexible storage options, and scalable connectivity, making it a versatile solution for businesses looking to optimize their network-attached storage capabilities.
The QNAP TS-765eU, revealed at Computex last week, stands out with its compact form factor without compromising on performance. Its 1U rackmount design is particularly suited for businesses with limited server room space, allowing for efficient use of physical space without sacrificing processing power or storage flexibility. The inclusion of the Intel Atom x7405C quad-core processor ensures that this NAS can handle high workloads typical in business environments, from data backup and recovery to virtualization and remote management.
The flexible storage configuration is another major highlight. Businesses can leverage the four 3.5-inch SATA bays for high-capacity storage, ideal for data-intensive tasks such as archiving and backups. The addition of three E1.S/M.2 PCIe slots allows for the installation of high-speed SSDs, making the TS-765eU an excellent choice for applications requiring quick data access and high performance. This level of customization means that the NAS can be tailored to meet specific business needs, whether for general data storage or specialized applications like virtual machines and database hosting.
In terms of network capabilities, the TS-765eU provides robust connectivity options right out of the box. The dual 2.5GbE RJ45 ports facilitate fast and reliable data transfers, crucial for businesses that rely on high-speed network performance. The potential to expand to 10GBASE-T using the optional OXG-ES10G1T network adapter offers future-proofing for companies anticipating growing network demands. This flexibility ensures that as a business’s network requirements evolve, the TS-765eU can adapt and scale accordingly, providing a long-term solution for network storage needs.
Overall, the QNAP TS-765eU stands out as a significant entry in the network-attached storage market, combining compactness, power, and flexibility in a 1U rackmount form. It addresses the growing need for efficient and scalable NAS solutions that can keep up with the increasing data demands of modern businesses. Whether for small businesses looking to streamline their storage solutions or larger organizations needing a reliable and expandable NAS system, the TS-765eU offers a robust platform capable of adapting to a variety of needs and ensuring data integrity and performance across the board.
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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!
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.
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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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.
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We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
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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.
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
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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.
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
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.
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If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
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:
Summarizing existing text to simplify it
Creating contextual text related to a defined source
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.
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
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 LTTand Redditfor the better part of a year, and we have bee following here on our videoand 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!
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
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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.
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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!
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.
BUILD QUALITY - 8/10
HARDWARE - 8/10
PERFORMANCE - 5/10
PRICE - 7/10
VALUE - 7/10
7.0
PROS
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
CONS
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)
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
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
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.
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.
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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:
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
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!
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
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)
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
If you like this service, please consider supporting us.
We use affiliate links on the blog allowing NAScompares information and advice service to be free of charge to you.Anything you purchase on the day you click on our links will generate a small commission which isused to run the website. Here is a link for Amazon and B&H.You can also get me a Ko-fi or old school Paypal. Thanks!To find out more about how to support this advice service checkHEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check FiverHave you thought about helping others with your knowledge? Find Instructions Here
Or support us by using our affiliate links on Amazon UK and Amazon US
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.
Connexion
