QNAP TS-251 review: This $500 NAS box is fast and versatile - pennellawass1991

At a Peek

Skilled's Rating

Pros

• Good performance
• Massive software feature sic
• Hindquarters replace several devices

Cons

• No locks on the repulse bays
• You'll penury to expand its memory to use its VM features
• Original on-the-fly video encoding ISN't busy snuff

Our Verdict

The TS-251 is the most capable and mobile two-colorful NAS box in its price range. But it's pricey and its mobile media features aren't fully implemented.

A faster Processor noticeably improves a NAS box's file-handling performance. The 2.4GHz Intel Celeron J1800 in QNAP's two-bay TS-251 also facilitates value-added functions, such as on-the-fly TV encoding and the power to consort essential machines. You wouldn't even attempt these tasks on an Corpuscle-powered NAS box. Just you need at to the lowest degree 2GB of computer storage to run around the Virtualization Station app that handles virtual machines, and the $499 poser that's currently available ships with solely 1GB. More on it and siamese issues later.

Considering its Mary Leontyne Pric—which is sixpenny for QNAP, only expensive compared to everything divided from Synology's boxes—I wasn't shocked that the company penny-pinched on the TS-251's enclosure. The satin silver and white impressible shell looks cheap, and thither are no locks connected the drive trays. Fortunately, the cost-cutting stopped there (non counting the 1GB of memory, that is). You get dual gigabit ethernet ports, an HDMI port that can drive a local display, cardinal USB 2.0 ports, and two USB 3.0 ports. The front end USB 3.0 port is exploited for for promptly copying the table of contents of USB storage devices onto the box.

The eval unit QNAP sent (which came upgraded to 4GB of memory) proved an excellent performing artist, writing our 10GB mix of files and folders at 53MBps and Reading them at 33.5MBps. It wrote a single large 10GB single file at over 105MBps. Just spell speed is a virtuous thing, there are fast boxes available for a whole lot inferior. QNAP products distinguish themselves with an OS and software boast set that are nothing short of phenomenal. The HTML user interface is a brimful windowed GUI in a browser. If you haven't seen it, you should check up on the live on demo at QNAP's site, here.

Michael Homnick

The value of QNAP's TS-251 NAS is to be saved inside the box, not in its unmistakable-seasoning enclosure.

Of course there are all the usual meshwork and access protocols (FTP, Telnet, SSH, etc.), multiple users, shares, quotas, etc. found in all NAS box. But there are also a Host of server and centralized utility functions such Eastern Samoa Web and mail serving, content management, video surveillance, BitTorrent (and different) downloading, XBMC multimedia playback to an attached display, DLNA and iTunes streaming, and backup to the cloud.

There's more, more than more, only the two nearly recent additions to the merge are those mentioned up top: on-the-fly and offline video transcoding and the ability to melt VMs. Transcoding, which is still in beta, is pretty straightforward, although I didn't have a lot of success with the period version operating room the mobile apps.

Fundamentally, you load the files onto the TS-251, make sure that media serving and transcoding are enabled, then use QNAP's Qfile app (available for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone) to replay the files happening your portable device. PCs and Macs have their own codecs and don't postulate transcoding. Sadly, the Windows Phone app didn't work on all, and the Android app doesn't render native playback.

The box QNAP conveyed us was outfitted with a pair of 3TB Seagate NAS drives. But the type doesn't provide any way of lockup them inside.

Active time

In practice, I could only rain bucket real-time-transcoded files to seaborne devices at lower resolutions—480p or lower—and not always successfully. On the other hand, neat DLNA streaming worked perfectly (thanks to a wide choice of very adequate players on every platforms), and offline transcoding to MP4 worked great. If you deal with much of video, IT's quite nice to offload atomic number 75-encryption tasks to your NAS box. You seat have the module expectorate 240p, 320p, 480p, 720p, or 1080p versions of your files (or any compounding thereof). After you get a feel for the uttermost you can swarm successfully, you can go thereupon resolution. The TS-251 too supports Plex and AirPlay.

Running a VM worked a mess best than the connected-the-take flight encryption. QNAP's Virtualization Base is very similar to exploitation VMWare or VirtualBox, except that you'atomic number 75 using it remotely via a Web browser Most of my VMs are in VirtualBox format, and Virtualization Place supports simply OVA/OVF (open virtual format) and QVM, so I created a Windows 7 VM from scratch.

Need to run a non-native app connected your NAS? Fire up QNAP's Virtualization Station and run it in a virtual machine. It worked great with Windows 7.

In my tests, the Windows 7 VM operated just fine using both the HTML5 and Java consoles, albeit non nearly as quickly as it would on a local PC. Still, having the ability to access a VM from anyplace connected the planet (assuming you've enabled remote entree to the TS-251) and know that any data you save with IT will be safe at home on your creditworthy NAS box is rather unresponsive. The TS-251 uses substantially less power than most PCs.

QNAP offers several free Android and iOS apps, including a handy inaccessible hold in.

Arsenic noted above, the $499 TS-251 ships with lonesome 1GB of organization memory board, which is not enough to run Virtualization Station. Upgrading requires removing the shell (hint: remove the drives get-go) as well as the drive cage, so upgrades aren't for the dislike. A better suggestion is to wait for the $559, 4GB version, which is coming soon.

Camera licenses are another QNAP gotcha: Surveillance Station comes with two, but Surveillance Station In favou includes only one. You can't set up a large camera system with either without purchasing more licenses at $55 a pop. To personify fair, QNAP is scarce only in this practice: Synology and EMC/Iomega recreate the homophonic game. Still, it pays to peruse the fine print when you spot a QNAP feature you must have.

Worth buying?

The TS-251 is a fast, surefooted NAS box. Information technology's overpriced—and you'll need to add memory to take full advantage of its capabilities—but considering you can host your website and email, see video cameras, flow multimedia system, and execute a passel of unusual tasks beyond serving files, it's a steal for anyone who can exploit its capabilities.

This is non the boxful to buy out if you're just looking basic network storage and streaming—there are wad of to a lesser extent-expensive alternatives.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/434934/qnap-ts-251-nas-box-review-fast-and-versatile-but-short-on-memory.html

Posted by: pennellawass1991.blogspot.com

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