Asustor NAS Server (AS5004T)

The Basic Gist:If you're looking to set up a cloud for your home or small business, whether it's for general data storage or to use as a media server, you're looking in the right place. Don't buy one of those pre-made cloud hard drives from Western Digital or Seagate or whoever; the user interfaces are horrible, the data transfer speeds are abysmal, and the sizes tend to max out in the 4-6 TB range. That seems like a lot, until it's not, at which point transferring data off of that unit to another one becomes the most tedious task ever due to the aforementioned user interface and data transfer issues.That's where a unit like this 4-bay Asustor NAS shines.The UI is excellent and comes pre-installed with a number of utility and functionality apps that make your NAS pretty formidable right out of the box. The initial setup of attaching your HDDs to the caddies for the 4 slots is the most technical aspect of the process (and even that is pretty easy). Once that's done, the rest is very straightforward with you configuring the applications you need on your system.Some Helpful Hints for your NAS Purchase:- Compared to other NAS boxes, this Asustor is effectively just as strong as the similar QNAP and Synology boxes on every front, the only real difference you should consider when you're looking to buy is which one can you get for a lower price at the time of your purchase.- Don't buy one of the NAS boxes pre-packaged with additional RAM, they're marked up to a price far more than what it would cost you to buy two 4GB RAM sticks and installing them on your own. The physical process of installing the RAM is a bit awkward, but it's still relatively easy and instructions for it are in the box's manual.- The box has two USB 3.0 ports on the back, but if you plug in a USB hub you can have up to 12 USB devices plugged in at once.- The NAS comes with all the screws you'll need to add 4 HDDs, so don't lose them. They have special flat heads that let the HDD caddies slide in and out of the unit without issue. Screws with even slightly rounded heads will cause the caddies to catch on the sides and thus won't work. Save the screws. You CAN buy replacements, but it's easier to just keep track of the ones included.- Once you have 4 HDDs installed, odds are the box is going to run a little bit hotter, and to maintain an optimal temperature within the box so your hard drives don't prematurely die due to overheating, you'll want to change the default fan speed from automatic to high. It might be a little bit louder, but your drives will live longer, and if you put your NAS somewhere well-ventilated but out of the way, the slightly louder fan won't trouble you.- The box comes with Plex Media Server pre-installed, but it also has an HDMI output so the box can serve as the media storage and player if you'd like. However, if you have all four drives in and the fan turned up, it's not really ideal. It's not ideal anyways, as you're better off letting another computer worry about the streaming and delivering the content to your screen. Let the NAS just be a storage center, it's happier that way.That said, this is an exceptionally well-priced NAS with a strong user interface and enough processing power to stream to multiple devices at once around the world (assuming your internet upload speeds offered by your internet provider are up to snuff). There's no reason to pay more than $450 for a good 4-bay NAS box, and if you can find an "open box" one in the Amazon warehouse deals it can be even cheaper. Synology, QNAP, and Asustor are all providing equally good solutions for this tier. The biggest risk is the hard drives you put in them, because the boxes themselves are solid and very reliable.

After purchasing a NAS about 10 years ago and finding it too difficult to set up I was a little leery about purchasing this one. I build a lot of my own computers and frequently fix computers on a part time basis, so I'm definitely well versed in tech. NAS technology has come a long way since the days of Windows XP, which was my last attempt.I'll start with the cons since there aren't very many:*When upgrading memory, if you use both slots, the dimms in the slots have to be identical capacity or just use 1 slot. I had the computer hang on me for almost a half hour right off the bat because I was attempting to use a 1GB and 4GB stick together.*The fan on the unit is moderately loud. I was expecting this to be almost silent with the atom processor, but it isn't unbearable.*The available RAID configurations are software RAID. This is sort of a pro and a con. In the event of a power outage, if you are transferring data, there is a good chance you will lose your data and possibly corrupt the configuration. The flip side of that is the RAID set itself up in minutes versus hours and the ASUSTOR software has excellent support for UPS(Uninterruptible Power Supply) which will trigger a shutdown in the event of power loss and save your data.*I'm only seeing about 35Mbps when downloading from the NAS to the computer. It's pretty fast, but I would have like to see full gigabit 100Mbps.Now on to the Pros:* Lots of useful apps. The app store isn't filled up with a bunch of crap you don't need. They did a very good job of making useful apps. Avast antivirus is free, Apple server, UPnP server, Windows Samba services, FTP services, automated downloader for torrents, the list goes on and on. If you would like more info on their apps and what they do visit the Asustor website and browse the selection.*Solid price for a unit with this functionality.*100Mbps upload speeds(full gigabit).*Built in option to connect to a TV and use as a Kodi media player.*Built in printer services*Backup options no matter what OS you use: Windows, Apple, Linux.Honestly there is so much you can do with this thing it would take days to list them all. I set up 4X4TB hard drives in RAID 5 and had somewhere around 10.8TB useable storage. I use this as a server for 4 Kodi devices located throughout the home and I have had all four streaming HD content at once with no hiccups. I just can't say enough good things about the performance of this server. If you are thinking about buying one take a chance on this, you won't be sorry.

This is my first NAS for home use, but I am familiar with Medium size business networking and backup solutions and consider myself an advanced user.It was very easy to set up and the menus are very clean and intuitive. The time it took to open the box, install the hard drives, and plug in the NAS took about 15 minutes. I had the Volume initialized a few minutes later. The Volume took about 7 hours to fully build but I was able to access the NAS and play with the settings and apps without any slowdowns. Note that I did upgrade the RAM to 4GB before even turning the system on, so possibly this helped with speed and latency of the menu system.The menu's and app system are VERY easy to use. Anyone can get this NAS up and running without issue. Folder shares were visible in windows without any special set up work and the DNLA media servers set up with minimal clicking and were instantly accessible from my DNLA compatible devices.Cloud connect works great and I can access the NAS from my phone or laptop while I'm at work.BT downloads are slick and trouble free.The speeds are fantastic and the NAS is very responsive. I cant directly compare it to any of the other similar prices boxes on the market today, but I can't possibly see how anyone would be asking for more from the operating system, features, or speed.Highly Recommended. I have spent the last 2 days playing with menu settings and features, but a normal user could set this box up in less then an hour and not need to mess with it again.