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  2 out of 3 members found this review helpful

  Slim Tech

  2022-01-20Expert user

  Verified purchase

  I decided to get a newer NAS since my old WD EX4100 no longer met my needs.
  In short, it is one of the top NAS devices on the market. It has many features and capabilities.

  So, inside the box, it includes:
  - Five bags of screws for HDD and SSD drives, which are not exactly counted but there are extras for HDD and SSD. It also includes two for Nvme drives.
  - Four network cables for the two 10G Intel Gigabit and two 2.5G Asmedia Gigabit Ethernet.
  - A power supply cable measuring 1.2m.
  - Instructions.

  The main features are:
  -- It has Firewall, SSL, 256-AES, and 256-AES for Btrfs and exFAT.
  -- Supports EXT4, NTFS, HFS+, Btrfs, exFAT.
  -- It has applications for computers and smartphones.
  - 20 and 5 Gbps Link Aggregation. This means that it does not necessarily mean it will be faster than the home internet, but it eliminates any potential congestion if multiple users want simultaneous access.
  - It can take extra RAM. Specifically, it supports DDR4 with a maximum speed of 2666MHz and a capacity of 64GB if someone wants to run a mail server, website, etc.
  - It supports 3.5'' and 2.5'' mechanical drives, as well as 2.5'' SSDs.
  - It has two Nvme slots for caching. This means it utilizes Nvme drives because mechanical drives are slower, allowing it to temporarily store data and then write it gradually. But even if someone uses an SSD, the NAS will perform smoothly without delays in transfers or for users.
  - The quad-core Intel Atom C3538 may not say much for laptops, but it is sufficient for the NAS.
  - It can take an additional 144TB with the AS6004U expansion.

  What capabilities does it have:
  - It can perform internal backup from the Raid. This means that if someone has a Raid 5 with three 2TB drives, they can take the Raid to a single 6TB drive and store it somewhere, and then empty the Raid. This is particularly convenient if someone, for example, runs a mail server to archive and then delete accounts or even images. They can create folders by year and then delete them from mobile devices and computers if they do not have much space.
  - The installation can be done by advanced users as well as complete beginners. If someone is advanced, they can customize the NAS to their needs, but even a beginner will not have a problem as there are applications that automate the settings. If someone does not know how to do Port-Forward and open ports on their router to have access from anywhere, the applications will do it automatically.
  - The NAS dashboard is very easy and intuitive to navigate. The great thing is that you can run multiple tasks without having to change pages or wait for one task to finish. This means you can perform a backup, check the disks, and leave it aside while monitoring the progress and simultaneously transferring files, checking which users are connected, and accessing the settings to open a new port on the router.
  - The ASUSTOR Backup Plan application for computers is good. An average user can easily back up their computer(s), with a schedule for when, what, and how many files to back up, and it can also perform restores if needed.

  One good thing is that many NAS devices have the power supply built-in, so if it fails, you have to buy a new one or send it for repair. The power supply can be removed and replaced by Asus.

  Something that needs attention is that the ESET Premium initially blocked it for remote use and the dashboard from the IP, if someone tries to enter it initially or even run the application, it would be good to initially check if the antivirus blocks it.

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  Edit
  Having it for a while now, I have learned it and brought it where I want it. However, it has a silly thing that one should consider if they want to do the same thing I thought of later. The NAS has 8 slots, you can create two or more RAID, for example, I have made the first 3 in RAID 5 with the fourth in MyArchive, and the same for the rest. Essentially, I have Volume 1 and Volume 2. With the Ai Photo application for mobile, you can do automatic backups BUT it does not support changing the folder, it backs up everything to Volume 1 and then you have to manually transfer them to Volume 2. So, if someone thinks they can create a RAID for each user and have the backups done automatically, it won't work for them. Of course, after contacting support, they told me that they are considering making the change in the near future, but they are thinking about it and will move forward faster if many users request it.

  Translated from Greek · Show original

  • Easy installation
  • Large number of functions/settings
  • Quiet
  • Response speed
  • Operational stability
  • Management software
  • Value for money

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