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UGREEN NAS Drive – Should You Buy?

The UGREEN NAS Drives – Should You Back This Kickstarter?

The UGreen NAS series has recently been launched on Kickstarter, presenting an exciting opportunity for enthusiasts and potential users to engage with what the product promises. However, as with any product, especially those launched via crowdfunding platforms, it’s crucial to approach with a balanced perspective, recognizing both its strengths and potential limitations. In this context, the commentary highlights five appealing aspects of the UGreen NASync series and acknowledges five areas of concern or aspects that might be disappointing to some users. This nuanced approach is essential, especially when considering a product in its crowdfunding stage, distinct from a traditional retail purchase. Crowdfunding offers a unique set of risks and rewards, necessitating a careful approach from backers. For a comprehensive understanding, including detailed insights and analysis, it’s recommended to view the extensive one-hour review on YouTube and read the accompanying article for in-depth coverage of the UGreen NASync DXP4800 PLUS.

Important Links

  • The UGREEN NASync Kickstarter Page – HERE
  • UGREEN NASync DXP4800 PLUS NAS Review (Video) HERE  (Written Review)HERE
  • UGREEN NASync DXP4800 PLUS NAS Review (Should You Buy Video, Shorter) – HERE
  • UGREEN UGOS NAS Software Review – (Video) HERE – (Written Review) HERE

Reasons I LIKE the UGREEN NAS Drives

First, let’s discuss the really positive and impressive things about the UGREEN NASync series of devices.

The UGREEN NAS Have GREAT Hardware

You really can’t find fault, especially given the price, with the variety of hardware across the six versions of the UGreen NASync series. From an efficient and affordable N100 processor to a robust Pentium and a 10-core i5, the hardware range is impressive. Additionally, these systems come with 2.5G and 10G network connectivity, and some even offer Thunderbolt connectivity.

It’s the finer details that stand out: 8GB of DDR5 memory across the board, SD card slots in several models, and a compact Gen 4 SSD flash model featuring Wi-Fi 6E. The hardware spectrum UGreen offers in their debut series is truly remarkable.

UGREEN NAS Are Arriving With Good Design and Quality Build

The early prototypes of the DXP 4800 Plus and DXP480T showcase impressive build quality and construction. UGreen is evidently investing significantly in this new branch of their tech portfolio, a fact that is palpable in the devices’ build. With unique branding and a robust, predominantly metal construction, these systems feel sturdy. All internal components, including the motherboard and chip arrangement, are UGreen branded, featuring a custom UGreen kernel for the motherboard BIOS. This attention to detail ensures the system feels far from cheap, marking a strong entry into the NAS world with a product that seems exceptionally established.

The UGREEN Mobile Application is very, VERY Good!

You may have heard various opinions about the UGreen UGOS NAS software, which is currently in beta, coinciding with the launch of its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. While actual product fulfillment might not occur until later in summer 2024, it’s worth delving into the mobile application aspect of their software. UGreen has prioritized the development of their mobile application, making it a comprehensive NAS management tool that stands out in terms of usability. Unlike many NAS software solutions that struggle to adapt desktop functionalities into a mobile format, resulting in a compromised user experience, the UGreen NAS Sync mobile app for Android and iOS is exceptionally well-crafted. It offers extensive control over system features without overwhelming users with complexity. This approach marks a significant departure from merely offering a web portal API in a less reliable mobile app form. UGreen’s investment in developing a potent and user-friendly mobile tool showcases their commitment to enhancing user experience, positioning it highly even when compared to industry leaders like Synology.

UGREEN is an Established Brand, NOT an Unknown or Startup

Unlike many startup and crowdfunded network-attached storage (NAS) solutions I’ve discussed on this channel (check out my history of NAS Kickstarter and Indiegogo articles), UGreen is an established brand in the tech sector. Having been around for nearly 14 years and already known for peripherals, this marks their first foray into network-attached storage. It’s important to recognize that UGreen brings existing brand recognition, a well-developed supply chain, support network, and production experience accustomed to worldwide distribution. A major challenge for many crowdfunded products, not just NAS, is that even great ideas can falter due to production and distribution issues. Having an established brand behind a product can often mitigate these risks, providing a level of assurance seldom seen with traditional indie startups.

The UGREEN NAS Range Are Very Affordable

I’ve already mentioned this, but it’s worth reiterating the exceptionally competitive price point across all six devices in the UGreen NASync portfolio. This pricing strategy is noteworthy both for early crowdfunding backers and for the retail recommended price (RRP) once these devices hit traditional retail channels. The brand’s own website even offers a staggering 40% discount, suggesting these products might be positioned as loss leaders to make a significant impact in the NAS market or that their profit margins are remarkably high. This pricing strategy makes the UGreen NASync series hard to overlook compared to other solutions. While not the cheapest, the pricing is balanced enough to cover production and distribution costs without deterring potential buyers who might consider more established market alternatives.

Specification DXP2800

DXP4800

DXP4800 Plus

DXP6800 Pro

DXP8800 Plus

DXP480T Plus

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

Things About the UGREEN NAS Drives That I DO NOT Like

While the five positive aspects of the UGreen NAS product are commendable, it’s essential to approach with a balanced view. In the spirit of thorough evaluation, attention must be turned to aspects of the UGreen NAS product that may not meet expectations or could be considered drawbacks. This critical examination helps ensure a well-rounded perspective before making an informed decision about the product.

The UGREEN NAS are ONLY Available in Germany and the United States

Why on earth is this product only being initially provided in Germany and the United States? I can appreciate that it takes a lot of work to provide a product globally at launch, and even the biggest brands in the tech world may, from time to time, stagger their release schedule and geographical release strategy – resulting in different regions getting their products earlier or later than others. However, UGreen already has an established product availability in numerous other regions. Additionally, this is a crowdfunded product, and one could argue that they want to get as many bums on seats as possible! Limiting the scope of availability for this product at launch to just these two regions has definitely annoyed a lot of users in the UK, France, Australia, Canada… the list goes on and on! Additionally, remember that 40% discount I mentioned earlier for the early crowdfunding backers? Imagine hearing good things about a product and finding out you can get it at a comparatively low price compared to established solutions in the market, but then find out that you are living in one of the regions that isn’t supported and when you eventually can get hold of the product, chances are you are getting it much closer to the RRP! How annoying is that! With Germany just a hop, skip, and a jump away from many other neighbouring countries in Europe, this is a bitter pill to swallow!

3rd Party NAS OS Support is COMPLICATED

The installation of third-party operating systems on the UGreen NAS is a complex topic. Recently, a NASCompares Q&A highlighted users’ concerns about the warranty when installing systems like TrueNAS or UnRAID. UGreen initially stated that installing a third-party OS would void the 2-year warranty, frustrating many. However, discussions at UGreen may lead to a policy allowing third-party OS installations under certain conditions without voiding the warranty. Yet, this has not been finalized. Additionally, installing a third-party OS is challenging due to the custom UGreen BIOS, and attempts to install alternative operating systems have faced significant hurdles, including system reboots, suggesting potential hardware or software safeguards against such modifications. This uncertainty and technical complexity have left many users concerned about the feasibility and warranty implications of using third-party operating systems on UGreen’s NAS systems.

26/03/24 – Update on the use of 3rd Party OS’ on UGREEN NAS with hardware, with regard to warranty*: “The Ugreen team confirms that whatever is promised in their warranty policy will not change, which only covers the hardware. They also mention that there is a risk of damage if you install a third-party OS, including data loss and compatibility issues, etc.” – Ugreen Representative, 26/3/24

NOTE – If you want to hear more about how it went installing a 3rd party OS on the UGREEN NASync DXP4800 PLUS NAS, Watch the video HERE, or in the embedded video below (it’s been set to the correct section):

The UGOS UGREEN NAS Software is Still in BETA and Not Finished

I’ve already mentioned this, but it’s worth reiterating. Currently, the UGreen NAS software isn’t ‘finished’. During my one-month review period, UGreen pushed numerous software updates that improved performance and stability. Yet, key software features are missing, such as two-factor authentication, encrypted volumes support, WORM support, container or virtualization apps, and Plex or Emby applications. While the software is still in beta and not officially launching for many months, allowing room for improvements, it’s somewhat frustrating, especially when the mobile app appears polished in contrast to the desktop experience’s inconsistencies.

10GbE Performance was not as great – Subject to Change Later in Development (I Hope)

This is something that will hopefully be addressed as the product undergoes further development through crowdfunding, but it needs highlighting. The prototype I received offered moderate performance over external 10GBE, and while internal performance of the M.2 NVMe drives improved with updates, optimal performance was achieved using SSH rather than native file transmission. Tweaks to enhance network connectivity, like adjusting the jumbo frame/MTU, are unavailable in the current software beta, contributing to an inconsistent experience.

UGREEN-DXP4800-PLUS-1-NVMe-SSD-10GbE-AJA-PERFORMANCE

Additionally, power consumption was about 15 to 20% higher than anticipated, a significant figure considering the system’s robust specifications and storage media.

Not Clear WHY UGREEN Opted for Crowdfunding via Kickstarter

This is probably the biggest problem that users have with UGreen and its NAS system being launched the way it is – why on earth is an established brand launching on crowdfunding? Kickstarter is predominantly targeted towards indie startup companies and those that are trying to launch a new product into a market to gauge interest and find an audience. There is an argument that UGreen, an Eastern company who have yet to formally release a network-attached storage solution, could definitely see the benefit in utilizing both the tools and the relative financial safety afforded to crowdfunding to gauge the interest of a product at launch and ensure financial efficiency. However, to use crowdfunding, but also launch six different SKUs, for a brand that’s been in the tech world for more than a decade is super weird! I get it, most of their prior technological experience has been more in accessories and adapters, so there is an argument that they don’t want to risk too much on a new venture. But I personally would have recommended that they launch just two SKUs via traditional retail purchasing, then launch the rest of the series as a phase 2, if interest in the initial two products is good enough. The 4-bay desktop DXP4800 Plus and DXP480T would have made great options as the market is still crying out for solid 4-bay NAS systems and 2023/2024 has already seen several prominent NVMe flash NAS systems arriving for home and prosumer use – the demand is already clearly there!

Conclusion – Should You Buy/Back the UGREEN NAS?

BOTTOM LINE – The UGREEN NASYnc DXP4800 Plus does not feel ‘finished’ yet and still needs more time in the over, but UGREEN have been very clear with me that this product is not intended for release and fulfilment till summer 2024 and improvements, optimization and product completion is still in progress. Judging the UGREEN NAS systems, when what we have is a pre-release and pre-crowdfunding sample, was always going to be tough. The DXP4800 PLUS is a very well put-together NAS solution, arriving with a fantastic launching price point (arguably even at its RRP for the hardware on offer). UGREEN has clearly made efforts here to carve out their own style, adding their own aesthetic to the traditional 4-bay server box design that plagues NAS boxes at this scale. Equally, although they are not the first brand to consider Kickstarter/Crowdfunding for launching a new product in the NAS/personal-cloud sector, this is easily one of the most confident entries I have seen yet. The fact that this system arrives on the market primarily as a crowdfunded solution (though almost certainly, if successful, will roll out at traditional retail) is definitely going to give users some pause for thought. Equally, the UGREEN NAS software, still in beta at the time of writing, although very responsive and nailing down the basics, still feels like it needs more work to compete with the bigger boys at Synology and QNAP. Hardware architecture, scalability, and performance are all pretty impressive, though the performance of the Gen 4×4 M.2 NVMe slots didn’t seem to hit the numbers I was expecting. Perhaps a question of PCIe bottlenecking internally, or a need for further tweaking and optimization as the system continues development. Bottom line, with expected software updates to roll out closer to launch and fulfillment, such as an expanded App center and mobile client, the UGREEN DXP4800 Plus is definitely a device worth keeping an eye on in the growing Turnkey and semi-DIY NAS market. As an alternative to public cloud services, this is a no-brainer and worth the entry price point. As an alternative to established Turnkey NAS Solutions, we will hold off judgment till it is publicly released.

SOFTWARE - 6/10
HARDWARE - 9/10
PERFORMANCE - 6/10
PRICE - 9/10
VALUE - 8/10


7.6
PROS
👍🏻Exceptional Hardware for the Price
👍🏻4 HDDs + 2x Gen 4x4 M.2 in 1 box under $400
👍🏻Good Balanced CPU choice in the Pentium Gold 8505
👍🏻10GbE and 2.5GbE as standard
👍🏻An SD Card Slot (wielrd rare!)
👍🏻10/10 Build Quality
👍🏻Great Scalability
👍🏻Fantastic Mobile Application (even vs Synology and QNAP etc)
👍🏻Desktop/Browser GUI shows promise
👍🏻Established Brand entering the NAS Market
👍🏻Not too noisy (comparatively)
👍🏻Very Appealing retail package+accessories
CONS
👎🏻10GbE Performance was underwhelming
👎🏻Crowdfunding choice is confusing
👎🏻Software (still in Beta) is still far from ready 22/3/24
👎🏻non-UGREEN PSU is unexpected
👎🏻

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UGREEN Brand User Q&A – Questions About the New DXP NASync NAS Storage Solution

Your Questions for UGREEN about their New NAS Solution

IMPORTANT March 22 UpdateThe UGREEN DXP4800 PLUS NAS Review is NOW LIVE, watch it HERE, read it HERE and learn about the Software HERE and HERE

With UGREEN still in the process of launching their Kickstarter campaign for a new NAS Storage Solution (the DXP NASync series) to market, many users (myself included) have a lot of questions about the product. Let’s face it, we are not talking about a standard ‘over the counter’ purchase where – this is CROWDFUNDING! Therefore, users need to take extra care and caution before considering putting down money (remember, crowdfunding is not the same as eRetail!). Alot of users want to know just what the UGREEN DXP NAS Storage solution can do, what it can’t do, UGREEN’s plans for the future and…at a very basic level… is the UGREEN NAS actually a ‘thing’! People have been burnt by crowdfunding before, plus UGREEN has no previous recognized experience in the world of NAS, They are definitely SIGNIFICANTLY more established in the tech market (12 years) than many other crowdfunded NAS/Private Cloud solutions that have popped up in the last 1-2 years to challenge the likes of Synology and QNAP, but this is their first NAS. Heck, it’s actually 4-5 different NAS’ arriving at launch – that’s a big, big undertaking! So, l asked you guys to fire me over as many questions as possible to ask the brand directly, and you did not disappoint! I have taken the many, MANY questions that were submitted and condensed them into the 20 questions below. With the crowdfunding launch for their product arriving towards the end of the month. many of the questions below represent users’ reservations and dealbreakers before they are prepared to engage with the brand, the solution and the launch! So, let’s go through the brand’s responses to your Questions.

UGREEN NAS Brand Q&A – The TL;DR

IMPORTANT – The Ugreen Q&A Video goes into ALOT more detail in the responses to each question, so if you want MORE detail, then do watch it HERE and use the chapters on the bottom of the video

I GET IT! You are in a rush! So, here is the short version, the skinny, the cliff notes! I asked 20 questions in total (slightly more in the zoom recording coming to YouTube), and here is the summary of their answers in bullet points:

  • Kickstarter Launch: UGREEN chose Kickstarter to engage with consumers early, gather feedback before official launch, and because other well-known brands have also launched products via crowdfunding.
  • Connectivity: The NAS device supports Thunderbolt connection for host use only, with plans to expand its capabilities. WiFi 6E support on the DXP480T Flash system allows connections both to and from the system, as well as to a router.
  • Third-Party OS Installation: Installing third-party operating systems, like UnRAID or TrueNAS, is not officially supported and voids the warranty. *Update on the use of 3rd Party OS’ on UGREEN NAS with hardware, with regard to warranty*: “The Ugreen team confirms that whatever is promised in their warranty policy will not change, which only covers the hardware. They also mention that there is a risk of damage if you install a third-party OS, including data loss and compatibility issues, etc.” – Ugreen Representative, 26/3/24
  • Availability: Initially, the product is available only in Germany, with plans to expand to more regions based on demand.
  • Security: UGREEN is focusing on financial-grade security standards, working on EN303645 and TruestE certification, and plans to enhance security features continuously.
  • Additional Options and Hardware Information: A PledgeBox option will be added during the campaign for adding HDDs and SSDs. Detailed PCIe lane layouts will be available in the product manuals.
  • Remote Access: The UGREEN Link service allows remote access to the NAS via a custom domain name after account registration.
  • Power Consumption: Details on power consumption will be included in the product manual, with specifics available upon request.
  • Kickstarter Campaign Delay: The campaign was delayed to incorporate user feedback on the app for a better user experience.
  • UGREEN OS Features: Support for automatic on/off schedules, SSD caching, full phone storage backup, online data scrubbing/checksumming with BTRFS, and basic to complex RAID configurations.
  • Native Applications and Functions: The NAS will feature a smart assistant for AI-based smart recognition and classification, virtualization, Docker support, and NFS protocol support, but lacks iSCSI support.
  • Future Developments: Some features, like full phone backup and virtualization/Docker support, are still under development.

So, some GOOD news, some BAD news and some ‘TBC’ news. Let’s dig more into the actual Q&A itself and go through those questions, one by one.

The Q&A with UGREEN – Answering Your Questions about their NAS Solution

Below is the written response provided to me by the HQ (handled by Diana An, a Marketing Specialist in conjunction with their product management teams) of UGREEN after submitting my questions, collected from user comments (HERE and HERE) between March 4th and 10th 2024. There is also a Zoom session with UGREEN that will be live soon/now that goes into much greater detail and analysis of these questions and answers, conducted with Hernan Lopez, a U.S.-based UGREEN representative. Questions were provided in advance to UGREEN 48 hours in advance of the Zoom session (timezone dependent) in order to allow UGREEN time to sufficiently source adequate answers. The questions and answers below are provided unedited and unchallenged, but further investigation was conducted in the Zoom recording that is/will be available on the NASCompares Youtube Channel HERE. I should also add that UGREEN has provided me with a DXP4800 PLUS and a DXP480T NAS unit for testing and evaluation, which I will be publishing videos and articles on later this month (hopefully, prior to the launch of the campaign) in order to evaluate these pre-release units and assess the quality of the hardware, software and viability of the solution.

Additionally, I would like to thank the many channel viewers and subscribers for providing the questions for this Q&A. There were around 100+ in total, so I was forced to consolidate them (merging similar/identical questions together, or answering less debated/unanswered questions in those comments of the initial posts (again, see HERE and HERE). Questions below have been credited to numerous YouTube members (denoted by the @ prefix, with my own name there too), but in many cases, the questions were asked by many, many users (eg why Kickstarter?), so I have attributed to just the first 2-3 users). Here is the Q&A:


Why Kickstarter?

  • Why Is UGREEN bringing this NAS solution to Kickstarter/Crowdfunding? UGREEN is an established brand, so why use Crowdfunding for this new product line?

@grege9862 , @InspectorGadget2014

Firstly, The UGREEN NASync is our new product line and we can have pre-connection and pre-communication with the consumers and get their feedback in advance before we bring it on Kickstarter. Secondly, many well-known brands also launched their new product line on kickstarter/Crowdfunding.


  • How is the Thunderbolt connection handled, is it host-only use, or can you connect to it over Thunderbolt (point to point) with a Mac or Windows system?

@michaelpaolini , @ajrfilm9951

Currently, Thunderbolt connection for our device is host only, and can be used for external storage. But some features like Thunderbolt Networking are in our development plan.


  • Same question as above, but for the WiFi 6E support on the DXP480T Flash system – Does this allow connections both TOO the system from a user AND connections for the NAS to a Router?

@DIGIBITE (Eddie!)

The wifi on our 480T device supports both functions above.


  • Is installing 3rd Party OS’, such as UnRAID and TrueNAS, possible and will UGREEN still support the user’s hardware 2-year warranty if they do so?

(@LacayoDe , @herbentroost427, @ghostbaleada , @misku_ , @ttuschak

UPDATE 26/03/24 The position of UGREEN on the use of 3rd Party OS Use on their NAS hardware (with regard to hardware warranty) has changed since this Q&A.: “The Ugreen team confirms that whatever is promised in their warranty policy will not change, which only covers the hardware. They also mention that there is a risk of damage if you install a third-party OS, including data loss and compatibility issues, etc.” – Ugreen Representative, 26/3/24

Unfortunately, modifying the built-in system is not officially supported. It’s not suggested to do so. If users insist on doing it, they will lose the warranty permanently.


  • Why is the Product currently only available to buyers in Germany and the United States, and not the rest of Europe, Australia, and more? Will this change?

@TheFric , @rogerwagner8498 , @ghostbaleada , @misku_ , @herbentroost427 , @ajrfilm9951

Our products are still in their infancy, and when expectations are good, we will gradually expand markets in more regions.


  • What provisions and plans do UGREEN have in place for their systems with regard to security? i.e what is “Financial Grade Security”, will they be publishing security advisories, pen testing, etc?

@michaelpaolini

We will be referring to Professional-grade security standards and continuously optimizing and improving the system’s security features. Currently we are also working on the certification of EN303645 and TruestE.

NOTE from Robbie – This question was expanded upon in the YouTube Q&A, and I recommend watching HERE for a fuller response to this question


  • Will UGREEN be adding a PledgeBox option during their campaign to allow users to add HDDs and SSDs?

@famoussasjohn

Yes, we will add the PledgeBox option during the campaign.


Source www.techpowerup.com
  • Can you provide a breakdown of the PCIe lane layout of each system?

@Latino3650 , @GroundDwellerStudioS

We will have hardware product manuals that will contain device information. The product manual is currently in the editing process. Which model of product do you want to know about? We can send it to you separately first.


  • How will remote access to the UGREEN NAS be conducted via UGREEN services?

@michaelpaolini

To use the UGREEN Link service, you need to register a UGREEN Link account first, then log in to the control panel of the NAS device and set a custom domain name. After applying the settings, you will be assigned the corresponding domain name for remote access.


  • Can you provide further clarification on the power consumption of your devices, even as a level benchmark of a fully populated device during active/passive activity?

@Butyouveheardofme3486 , iVuehl

This information will be described in the product manual, similar to the PCIe issue. If you would like to know about a specific model, we can send it to you separately.


  • Why was the launch of your Kickstarter campaign delayed?

@nascompares

During the public beta period, we collected some user experience optimization suggestions for the App. And we hope to deliver a version with a better experience to everyone, so we delayed the launch for half a month.


  • Does the UGREEN os allow automatic on/off schedule

@overclocked9033

Yes, UGREEN OS supports this schedule and you can customise it in the control panel.


  • Is SSD Cache Supported?

@Fan_de_Parcs

Yes

Yes, you can use a SSD either for cache or storage usage. However, you can’t use the same drive for both caching and storage purposes.


  • Will the mobile software support full phone storage backup?

@Fan_de_Parcs

Yes, this backup function is in our plan and still under development.


  • Does their native OS use a filesystem that can do online data scrubbing / checksumming to detect errors? e.g. BTRFS or ZoL

@Dreamslacker

UGREEN OS supports BTRFS in terms of data scrubbing / checksumming.


  • Will RAID expansion be possible (i.e adding more drives to an existing RAID Pool)

Not possible yet.

(NOTE FROM Me/ Robbie – In a recent software update, I found that a new option is in place for expansions, but it is still WiP. It seems to only reflect INSIDE the system and not a physically connected external expansion however, i.e needs empty bays. See Below)


  • Will you be providing/supporting a flexible RAID system (comparable to Synology Hybrid RAID or Terramaster TRAID)?

@doppelherz

Basic,JBOD,Raid0,Raid1,Raid5,Raid6,Raid10 are supported.


  • On their Kickstarter page is mention of an AI integrated smart assistant, we are curious to know what that means?

@thomasm964

AI Smart Recognition & Classification(without Internet connection), search Pictures by Text. Search for photos of pets, fruits, vehicles or more simply by entering search keywords. Use smart recognition to create photo albums that intelligently identify and classify faces, places, animals, and more. AI service are going to operate in-system and without internet connectivity. If an app or service is installed on the system that requires internet connectivity, this will be made clear in the app release notes and controllable on the system GUI


  • Will there be virtualization and docker support out of the box?

@cyberlando

Yes, virtualization and docker will support out of the box. However, this is still early stage of our beta and these 2 functions are still under development.


  • What is the support/status of NFS Support or iSCSI Target/LUNs?

@dozix88

UGREEN NAS supports the NFS protocol, including NFSv3, NFSv4, NFSv4.1, while iSCSI is not supported.


How much will the UGreen NASync Series Cost and When Will It Launch?

The UGreen NASync series is poised to make a notable entrance into the NAS market with a range of devices that cater to different storage and performance needs. With the Kickstarter launch prices set attractively at $239.99 for the entry-level DXP2800 and scaling up to $899.99 for the high-end DXP8800 Plus, UGreen is competitively positioning its products. The mid-range DXP4800 and DXP4800 Plus are tagged at $359.99 and $419.99 respectively, while the specialized NVMe-focused DXP480T Plus is introduced at $479.99. Post-crowdfunding, the retail prices, also known as the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP), are expected to be significantly higher—almost doubling for some models, like the DXP2800 with an MSRP of $399 and the DXP8800 Plus which will retail for $1499. This pricing strategy not only provides an incentive for early backers but also underscores the value proposition of getting in early on the Kickstarter campaign. Nevertheless, THIS IS CROWDFUNDING and therefore not the same as buying from your usual retail outlet, be aware. UGreen is tapping into the growing buzz of middle-ground solutions between turnkey options from Synology/QNAP and BYO/DiY options that retire time and knowledge to build. If you are on the fence, there isn’t a tremendous rush, as crowdfunding officially begins on March 26th (see link below). We will be keeping an eye on this one as the weeks go on!

Click the Link Below to find out more about the UGREEN NASync NAS Series on the brand’s official Site:


 

 

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How to Install Proxmox on your Asustor NAS

How to Install Proxmox on an Asustor NAS Drive – Step By Step Guide

There is no denying that when it comes to ‘turn-key’ NAS solutions, that Asustor NAS are still easily the best bang for buck out there! Arriving with a hardware price point that is often 20% or more lower than comparable solutions from Synology or QNAP, they allow users who don’t want to build or don’t know/want to build their own server to have a ready-built solution that also includes the ADM NAS software platform. However, when it comes to virtualization and VM tools, they do not supply their own premium software (but do support others from within ADM) and for those looking to run a handful of VMs or Containers in their homelab setup, that can be a little bit of a barrier. If you have been looking into server-based virtualization or high-efficiency container deployment, then there is every chance that you are well aware of Promox, the open-source alternative to enterprise/premium VM platforms such as VMware, Citrix or Redhat hypervisors. A hypervisor is a layer of software that lives on top of bare metal server hardware and/or lives as an executional package from within an operating system. Although Asustor NAS systems already arrive with a very good virtual machine hypervisor, VirtualBox, many users would still like the option to run a VM Hypervisor software directly from the bare metal (eg, remove a multipurpose OS and have the system immediately boot into the Hypervisor software). VirtualBox has a huge range of software options (including downloading ready-made VM images from marketplaces, huge customization supported, integration with the backup/sync services in QuTS/ADM and in a new update High-Availability support). Still, some users might have an Asustor NAS that is outside of hardware warranty or is relatively modest that will possibly run VMs better without the host OS in place, hence why some users think about installing Proxmox in its place on their Asustor NAS. Proxmox provides pretty much all the abilities and services of those bigger premium VM hypervisors, however in those premium platforms (VMware, Citrix, HyperV, etc) there are additional charges and tiers to their use – whereas Proxmox includes them all in a free, open-source package. So, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to repurpose your old NAS with this bare metal hypervisor software, and today I want to guide you through the process of installing Proxmox on your Asustor NAS.

IMPORTANT – It’s important to note that Proxmox is NOWHERE NEAR as user-friendly as Asustor ADM with VirtualBox and before making any switch to a new NAS OS, it is important that you understand the process, risks and differences in the platforms. This guide is designed to help you use your Asustor NAS to run Proxmox as it’s primary OS. If you go ahead with this and use the same HDD/SSDs in the system that you are currently using in the Asustor ADM Setup, it will likely format them, so IF you want to reverse your Asustor NAS back to its ADM set up with all your data/drives the same, you will need to remove them before using the Proxmox setup, put them to one side safely and use new HDD/SSDs for your Proxmox installation. Lastly, although this whole process is reversible, you are technically using the Asustor in a means that the brand does not state as ‘intended use’ and this MIGHT lead to support/warranty problems down the line if a fault appears in the Asustor or the software installation that was the result of the Proxmox installation (the bios records everything!). This is HIGHLY UNLIKELY but not impossible that you could make the system inoperable (e.g. you work a Proxmox server so hard and/or push the CPU to breaking point running particularly aggressive Proxmox VMs/Containers and/or amend the BIOS to a state where you cannot access it) – this would not be covered by your Asustor NAS support, as they did not certify that the system can handle this or be used in this way under the warranty.

Proxmox Software on Asustor NAS Hardware – What You Need?

It is worth highlighting that having just an Asustor NAS is not quite enough and in order to get Proxmox up and running on an Asustor NAS requires a few extra checks and use of a few items you might have already in the home/office, or a quick $10-20 shop online at most. In order to upgrade your system to Proxmox, you will need to consider/have the following:

  • an Asustor NAS Drive with (minimum) an Intel 64bit x86 CPU and a minimum 4GB of Memory (recommended 8GB+)
  • Download the latest stable release of Proxmox here as a system image (you will be converting this to USB later on) – DOWNLOAD
  • Any Data that is currently on the Asustor NAS RAID that is mission critical to be backed up or moved (as it will be completely formatted)
  • A USB drive to use as the Proxmox installation drive ( I recommend THIS ONE here from Sandisk, as it is low price and incredibly small, even at 32GB)

 

  • I recommend not using a USB larger than 32GB, due to the constraints of 1st party software to format larger than this in FAT32 (though you can use the Rufus software to format larger than 32GB drives to FAT32). Don’t be tempted to spend like $2 more for a 64GB, as the Proxmox installation will occupy the full USB space (as you will create a system-image-USB) and space is utterly irrelevant when the Proxmox installation is so small
  • A Disk Image to USB conversion too. I recommend ‘Rufus’, currently in ver 3.19 and can be run in a portable .exe form that doesn’t require installation – DOWNLOAD
  • A basic USB Keyboard (example HERE but really, any will do) and an HDMI Monitor (or simply any device that has an HDMI input – NOT output) such as a TV or Capture card
  • Hard Drive and/or SSD media (you should already have these, but just in case) for your storage Pool / RAID

  • Optional M.2 NVMe SSD of at least 120GB, but highly recommended – Installing Proxmox is not unlike installing a Windows OS on a new PC, as you are connecting a USB to run the installer, but you need to target a drive in the Asustor NAS to install Proxmox onto. Whichever drive you use, it will make that drive largely inaccessible for anything but the Proxmox operating system. Therefore IF you are running an Asustor NAS that has internal m.2 NVMe SSD bays OR one with dedicated 2.5″ SSD bays, I highly recommend getting a low-capacity drive of between 60-120GB (these will be very cheap compared with larger HDDs that start in the Terabyte scales) and then use this for the Proxmox software. This means that ALL of the main SATA storage bays of the Asustor are then used for your storage pool(s) (aka the RAID). Do NOT install Proxmox on another USB drive during installation, as this is less stable.
  • OptionalDownload Advanced IP Scanner HERE, as it is a really useful tool for analyzing your network and finding your new Proxmox NAS for remote access

That is about it. Most of these are devices are that you will almost certainly already have to hand.

Can I Reverse the Proxmox Installation and go back to Asustor ADM?

Almost certainly YES! I say ‘almost certainly’, as there is one small caveat. When you make the change from Asustor ADM to Proxmox on the NAS hardware, the drives (HDD and/or SSD) inside used in Proxmox pools used in the new system software architecture. This works both ways if you want to revert back to ADM on the NAS too. You CANNOT use the Storage Pool, Volume structure, Folders etc of drives from an Asustor NAS in a Proxmox setup (you will need to format these in Proxmox). So, although the act of reinitializing the NAS to its original software is very easy (you just need to go into the BIOS of the Asustor using the same method in the guide below, then change the boot drive order BACK to the Asustor OS internal SSD), it will mean that any data that resides on the disks inside will be formatted. So, if you are choosing to make a change from one NAS OS to another, make sure you have your data appropriately backed up elsewhere OR move the drives that were in your Asustor (with their ADM Storage structure) to one side safely and install new 3.5″ storage media for the Proxmox pools etc. So, let’s begin the installation of Proxmox on the Asustor NAS.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 1, Download Proxmox

Head to the Proxmox website HERE and download the latest stable release of the software to your local PC, Linux or Mac system. Make sure to remember where you downloaded it to.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 2, Download Rufus USB Image Tool

Head to the Rufus website and download the latest version of that tool – I recommend downloading the standalone executable file here, as then it will immediately run when you double-click the file, without installation etc. It may redirect you to Github, but it will be the same executable file. Once again, remember where you downloaded it.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 3, Preparing the USB

Connect the small form factor USB Drive to your system (again, this is the one I used from Sandisk) and after a few seconds, it should appear as an available USB Drive. The drive MAY need formatting (you will be prompted to do so), if that is the case, then you can format it via the system prompts and by default, it will format it to FAT32 (as long as your USB is less than 32GB). If you are not presented with a system prompt to format your USB, then you can head into My PC, or My Computer via a windows computer and right-click the drive, select ‘format’ and format it that way.

If you have used the USB for other things previously, there is a chance that the drive has existing partitions in place. For that, the quickest way to completely remove any partitions is to open up the bottom-left windows system menu as normal, and then just type diskpart and open the command-line GUI tool. From there, use the command list disk to show the available drives that are connected, you will see your USB (normally disk 1 or 2, but can differ depending on your system layout and can be spotted by the storage amount). From there, type select disk # (where # is the drive number that your USB is shown as) and then type clean, which will then remove any index structure for the drive (i.e the partitions and existing format) and then you can go back to the My Computer/My PC page and format the drive to FAT 32 as normal.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 4, Creating a USB Installer Image of Proxmox

Open the Rufus application and from there you will see the USB Drive (listed as NO NAME, or ‘UNTITLED’, ETC) at the top. From there, look to the select image/find image option (depending on the ver. of Rufus or your USB Image Creator tool of choice) and find the Proxmox disk image you downloaded earlier). If the drive is not listed, it may have downloaded as a compressed/archive file. If that is the case, head to the location of where you downloaded Proxmox (in your file explorer, not in Rufus) and right-click the file you downloaded. If the option to ‘extract‘ is visible, then you can extract it (i.e unpack it to the original form) in that same download directory. From there, head back into RUFUS and then the Proxmox system image should be visible. Select it, then run the Rufus System image creator tool and create your USB bootable Proxmox disk image.

REMEMBER! This will completely format your USB drive and any files that are on that USB will be destroyed. The system image creator tool will turn the USB into a pure boot image tool – the USB will not be usable for traditional storage again unless you completely format it again.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 5, REMOVE THE USB FROM YOUR PC!!!!!!!!!

Really, really important and sometimes overlooked. Once the USB creation is completed, you need to remove the USB (using the eject hardware safely option at the bottom right of your windows machine taskbar as normal). DO NOT accidentally leave the USB in your USB Ports for any longer than necessary. If you leave it in and your system reboots at any point (eg in a normal ‘end of day shut down, go home, reboot tomorrow’ scenario), then the system might boot directly into the Proxmox installation and although it is easy to exit from, it can change your system default boot preferences, maybe even remove your primary boot drive as the OS drive – requiring a little messing with a windows installation disk to change it back. The odds of this are very small, but not zero, so make sure to safely remove your USB drive when the Proxmox system image creator tool is completed.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 6, (OPTIONAL) – Install an NVMe SSD

This is an optional step, but one I would certainly recommend for newer-generation Asustor NAS devices. Proxmox is a lot like a traditional computer operating system (eg Windows or macOS) in it’s architecture and will run at its best when the necessary boot files are located on a seperate, smaller and faster area of SSD/flash storage away from the general bulk storage. So, if possible/available in your Asustor NAS, I would recommend installing a smaller m.2 NVMe SSD drive and then using that as the target/location for your Proxmox installation. This is not compulsory and you can also use a single HDD or SSD in one of the main storage bays of your Asustor, however, it means that this drive will unusable for general storage (i.e in any RAID configuration or storage pool). This CAN be negated with some creative partiton creation, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Additionally, do NOT try to install Proxmox on another USB drive that is connected to the system – this isn’t particularly stable and tends to result in a poorer Proxmox experience. M.2 NVMe bays and their location in the Asustor NAS changes depending on the system. Some allow you to access these bays via the main HDD 3.5″ bays, whilst others (the majority) require you to remove the external chassis casing to access these bays (eg the TS-453E, TVS-872X, TS-873A, etc).

Reminder – Proxmox is NOT a big program and you can use an SSD as small as 32GB and still have a tonne of provision for future storage space. However, M.2 NVMe SSDs are not available in smaller sizes than 120GB. Lower size than this and you will generally only find 2240 SSDs and/or SATA M.2 SSDs. These are still perfectly fine to use, but the performance difference between SATA and NVMe (PCIe) is HUGE! You can find many SSD options here on amazon for as little as $30  – Find Low Capacitiy and Low Price M.2 NVMe SSDs HERE on Amazon (already filtered the results)

NOTE – If you plan on upgrading the memory of your NAS to 4GB-8GB-16GB or higher (in order to use ALL of the features of Proxmox to their fullest extent), I would recommend doing so at this point before rebuilding the physical chassis again, as many Asustor NAS have the 2nd SODIMM memory slot in really tight locations.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 7, Connecting the USB, Keyboard and HDMI Monitor

Next, we need to connect the external means to install Proxmox on the Asustor NAS. Unlike when you set up your Asustor NAS for the first time, Proxmox cannot typically be installed via the network like ADM. Proxmox requires you to use a KVM (keyboard, Video Mouse – though you won’t need a mouse!) and go through the installation using a low-res graphical user interface. Now you will ONLY need this setup/items for the installation and initialization of your Proxmox server and after that, you will be able to use the server over the network/internet as normal. You are going to need a basic USB Keyboard (not a Bluetooth or wireless one, as these may need drivers to run and you cannot install drivers at this point) and an HDMI Monitor/TV. You CAN use a mouse, but it is not hugely necessary and 99% of the choices in the setup of Proxmox can/will be via keyboard input. Also, I would also recommend connecting the NAS to the network during setup as this will allow the system to assume certain network values during setup that will save a tonne of time later. Once that is all connected, do NOT turn the NAS on yet – there is one small and slightly time-sensitive thing to do.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 8, Accessing the BIOS Menu of your Asustor NAS

Now that your Asustor NAS is all connected and you are ready at your keyboard/Monitor, turn the NAS on and wait till you hear a beep (should take between 5-15secs depending on the Asustor NAS). As soon as your hear that noise (and likely see a flashing character or underscore on the monitor screen), you need to continuously hit the ESC / F12 / F2 and/or DEL keys (not at the same time, just back and forth). One of these will result in the system displaying the blue BIOS menu (it changes between motherboards and Asustor uses a mixture of mobos in their Intel and AMD-powered systems). You need to be quick, as you only have about 3 seconds to do this before the Asustor will automatically boot from the small internal 4GB/5GB flash OS module that boots into Asustor.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 9, Booting from the New Proxmox Installer USB

Next, you need to tap ‘RIGHT‘ on the keyboard and head to the ‘Save & Exit’ option. At the bottom, you should see, under the ‘boot override‘ option, your USB Drive. Tap ‘DOWN‘ until you are highlighting the USB and then tap ‘Enter‘ or ‘Return‘ on your keyboard, as this will push the Asustor to boot from that USB and begin the Proxmox installation. For now, we just need it to read from this USB this one time. If you already know the internal drive you plan on installing Proxmox onto (eg an M.2 NVMe SSD or a SATA SSD) that is already inside the system, make sure to change the boot priority of option #2 to THAT drive. As then, later on after the USB is removed, the system will automatically switch to the proxmox installed drive for the future.

Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 10, Rebooting and Starting the Proxmox Installer

This next step is a bit of a quick one. Around 5-15 seconds after you selected the USB Drive in BIOS, the screen will display the Proxmox Installer option page and all you need to do is navigate the config choices to set up your Proxmox NAS the first time. Select ‘Install Proxmox VE‘.

Next, the Terms and Conditions will be displayed. Scroll through as appropriate, and either use the mouse or ‘tab’ key to make your way to ‘Agree’ and click enter.

Next enter your location, timezone and keyboard layout, then click ‘Next’.

Enter the password you wish to use for the ‘root’ account. This is the super-user (i.e All Access admin), which you can amend later on if you choose to. Additionally, add your email address for use in notifications, system alerts and abnormal behaviour reports. Then click ‘Next’.

Next, you need to configure your network connectivity. If your Asustor NAS has multiple ethernet ports, select which one you want to use as the Management Interface, for system software access. In the Hostname area, if you plan on only using this system on the local area network (you can change this later), just put ‘pve.lan’. The system will preselect an IP dynamically and arrange the DNS/Gateway, but again you can change all this later. You should DEFINITELY amend this si you are going to start giving Proxmox/VMs external access points. When you are satisfied with your setup, click next.

The system setuP will display a summary of the choices and configs you hav made and invite you to confirm and install the Proxmox software. Make sure to uncheck the box that suggests a reboot after the installation is complete. This is optional step and I only suggest it because it will allow you to remove the USB between the installation and first-time boot, ensuring the system doesn’t boot back into the USB installer afterwards, but recent versions of Proxmox actually take this into account and will go straight into the Proxmox boot disk – still, I would nevertheless factor in chance to remove the USB in the middle nonetheless. When you are ready, click ‘Install’ on the bottom right.

Installation of Proxmox will be quite quick, around 3-5 minutes. The system will let you know when the installation is done and, if you unchecked the box for auto reboot, you will be presented with your system’s local IP and port config.

You can now power down / reboot the system. Be sure to make a note of that IP that IP and Port number for when you want to access the Proxmox Asustor NAS server after it reboots – there is a small % chance that the IP might have dynamically changed (based your own network architecture), but there is another way to find the device on your network. Select Shutdown or Reboot as appropriate.

The system (via the HDMI interface) during the reboot cycle will give you a heads up when to remove the USB drive. Next time the system boots up, it should access the newly created Proxmox boot drive.

If the Promox boot drive boots fine, skip ahead to step 9. Otherwise, read below how to chance the boot drive arrangement again.


Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 8, Remove the Boot USB Drive AND CHANGE BIOS!!!

Once your Asustor NAS has fully powered down, you need to disconnect the USB drive you installed earlier with Proxmox boot loader on it. You need to do this otherwise, when you reboot the Asustor NAS, it can potentially reboot into the bootloader again. You can skip past this and/or it will not action a reinitialization without your input, but better to remove the USB and therefore allow the system to always immediately boot into the Proxmox system you just created. Next, you need to head back into the BIOS from earlier. Keep the Keyboard and HDMI Monitor connected and use the same method you used earlier during the initial boot of the Asustor (pressing F12 /F2/ESC/Delete repeatedly when you hear the first Asustor beep after about 10-15 secs) and as soon as you are greeted with the familiar blue BIOS screen. From here, tap right a few times to highlight the ‘Boot’ option and change the option for Boot Priority #1. The default is Asustor OS, you need to change it to the drive you installed Proxmox on (whether that is a SATA/NVMe SSD or one of the main storage bays).

This will change the boot order to allow the system when it is first powered on to always boot into Proxmox. After this, you can click right again in the BIOS menu to select the option to Save and restart. The system will then boot into the Proxmox initialization (first-time setup).


Proxmox on an Asustor NAS – Step 9, Reboot the NAS

Upon rebooting the Asustor into Proxmox (can take up to 5 mins, but usually much quicker). You have two options with how to access the configuration and controls. You can use the HDMI+Keyboard if you choose for console/command level access.

Alternatively (much more recommended), use a program such as Advanced IP Scanner, which is free and VERY useful anyway, or even network command prompt) to scan your local area network and find where the Asustor with Proxmox is located (i.e it’s IP). This IP (eg 192.168.100.2) is what you put into the URL bar ofay web browser and it will load into the login GUI for Proxmox. From here you will need to use the username ‘root’ in combination with the password that you created during initialization.

And that is about it. You now have Proxmox installed as the default OS of your Asustor NAS. From here you can do anything and everything that his highly regarded virtualization server software offers.


EXTRA – How to Reverse Your Asustor NAS from Proxmox to Asustor ADM / ADM Software Again

Now, it is worth remembering that switching your Asustor NAS to run Proxmox instead of ADM is not a one-way street and you can reverse this relatively easily. Do remember first though that:

  • Any data on the HDD/SSDs inside the Asustor that were used in Proxmox server setup will not be accessible/usable with the Asustor NAS system and will likely be flashed/formatted during the Asustor ADM reinitialization
  • You will need your Keyboard and HDMI Monitor again in order to get back into BIOS
  • If you kept your original Asustor RAID Pool on HDDs etc to one side (i.e you removed the already configured storage media in their RAID from the Asustor when you changed to Proxmox and put these drives safely to one side), you should be able to migrate this data back into the Asustor NAS during re-initialization with ease. That said, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP FOR THIS DATA REGARDLESS

In order to reverse the Asustor NAS from Proxmox back to Asustor ADM Software, you need to (from a cold boot) access the BIOS menu again (so, at boot, with your Keyboard and monitor connected, press the DEL and/or F12 key over and over when the Asustor beeps, like before) and when you reach the BIOS menu, tap RIGHT until you reach the ‘Boot page. Then change the ‘Boot Option #1’ option from the Proxmox installation drive back to the Asustor OS (internal flash 5GB module). Once that is done, head into the ‘Save & Exit‘ and then select ‘Save Changes and Restart‘. Doing this will restart the Asustor NAS and it will automatically boot into the Asustor ADM boot sequence. From here your NAS will either automatically boot into the Asustor Setup page OR (if you have your original Asustor NAS RAID drives, with their Pools, Volumes, etc) it will just boot into the Asustor NAS software as normal.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found this helpful and that it really helped you to make the most of your storage. Want to help me continue to make more guides, reviews and tutorials on the subject of NAS? Then you can do so in a few different ways (any of which I will be eternally grateful for if you choose to!). You can visit the ‘Support NAS Passion’ page HERE and see a few different ways that you can help us keep the lights on. Alternatively, you can use one of the links below to shop for your hardware today or in future (visiting those sites via the link below ensures that we get a mall commission on absolutely anything you purchase – and doesn’t cost you anything extra). Finally, if you want to support us in spirit rather than financially, recommend our blog to a friend or professional colleague or share a link on your social media site of choice. Thank you for reading and have a fantastic week!


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

Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Finally, for free advice about your setup, just leave a message in the comments below here at NASCompares.com and we will get back to you. Need Help? Where possible (and where appropriate) please provide as much information about your requirements, as then I can arrange the best answer and solution to your needs. Do not worry about your e-mail address being required, it will NOT be used in a mailing list and will NOT be used in any way other than to respond to your enquiry. [contact-form-7] TRY CHAT Terms and Conditions
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 check HEREIf you need to fix or configure a NAS, check Fiver Have 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.

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