Kit of the Year More and more Register Hardware readers started storing files in network-attached drives this year, and we began our coverage of this hot topic in earnest. We haven’t looked at every model from every manufacturer, but here are the Nas boxes that most found favour in 2009.
Qnap TS-219P Turbo
Cool and quiet on the outside and chock-a-block with features on the inside, the TS-219P has a more comprehensive firmware than any other dual-bay Nas we’ve tested. It’s not the quickest product of its kind and its power management needs a small upgrade, but Qnap has created a Nas box that geeks and laypeople alike will spend many hours enjoying.
Review There are two main criticisms that can be levelled at Qnap’s TS-209 range of Nas boxes: they have poor file transfer speeds and poor access to the hard drives. The TS-219P tackles those issues head on with a faster 1.2GHz Marvell processor, compared with a 500MHz Marvell chip in the TS-209P, and sensible hot-swappable bays.
Qnap’s TS-219P Turbo Nas
There are no hard drives supplied with this twin bay Nas box, so you’ll need to screw your chosen Sata hard drives to the hard drive caddy that includes screws and fittings for both 3.5in and, pleasingly, 2.5in drives too. Unlike the TS-209, there’s no faceplate nonsense covering the hard drives, however, it’s not as pretty as a TS-209. The TS-219P goes for more of a server look like Netgear’s ReadyNas range and is very sturdily built.
The hot-swappable caddies have a thick lever and a lock on the front. There are also four LEDs – two for hard drive status, one for eSata and one for Lan – that change colour so you can diagnose potential problems. Read the rest of this entry »
