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Thecus N5550 |
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Monitoring, Extra Functions, Conclusions
Monitoring:
The web interface has a useful System Monitor, indicating that heat and fans did not exceed critical levels under load. Noise of the unit is acceptable and quieter than many other NAS units tested. The monitor can send you notifications of significant events like RAID build completion, reboots, successful startup etc via email, SNMP or Syslog. I only tested the email notifications, but they worked fine.
Extra Functions:
Thecus offers several built-in software options to extend usefulness beyond simple storage.
Backup:
This allows you to back up your data using rsync to another NAS, a remote network destination or Amazon S3.
Applications:
Thecus has plug-in architecture for their NAS range which allows additional applications to be installed and run directly from the NAS. A list of popular plug-ins is preloaded and is quite well thought out, with built-in help and automatic downloads from the Thecus site. Additional modules can be found via the Thecus forums.
Considering the relative high performance of the Atom processor, these modules make this NAS a viable alternative to a dedicated server for specific tasks.
Thecus has also included a rudimentary iTunes server. This is not a complete alternative to a Mac running iTunes. For example, album artwork is not shared and the server cannot communicate with AirPlay devices.
Media Server:
Beyond additional server functions, Thecus has included an HDMI output to enable the NAS to directly serve media to a display. This is not as simple as the Thecus product page or video leads you to believe.
By default, connecting a USB keyboard and mouse and the HDMI yields a black screen and a flashing cursor. The Local Display module needs to be installed - this was located as a 390MB download link from a nine month old forum post. After uploading through the Modules Installation and a reboot there is a rudimentary UI with a built-in Firefox browser that allows access to the Internet and the Thecus management interface.
Playing media files requires an additional module to manage the process such as XBMC. Again from the forum an XBMC v12.0 module was sourced and installed. The interface, as you might expect, is slower than a regular Windows PC used for XBMC. However, it is acceptable and a range of media played successfully including 1080p Blu-Ray rips, so the Atom processor and display hardware are up to the task.
So, this unit is certainly not a media centre out of the box. Also, a device with five spinning drives, several fans and an always-on LCD in the same room as your TV or projector is a highly questionable option. There are plenty of inexpensive and silent media center options available which could use this NAS (or most others) as the storage repository.
Conclusions:
This is a fast and capable NAS with a full feature set. The Atom processor is faster than many competing NAS units and the application modules could replace some dedicated server functions.
Pros:- Solid construction (except the front door)
- Easy to use interface
- Range of genuinely useful plug-ins
- Quiet (for a storage device)
Cons:- Limit of a single volume per RAID set
- Warranty and service provisions inadequate for critical business use
- LCD front panel doesn't turn off
- HDMI output not as simple as advertised and poorly documented
- Noisy (for media player)
The return to base warranty means it is not suitable for business critical applications. However, for non-critical roles such as an additional on-site backup or archive it is ideal. It is also perfectly suited and represents good value for high end home storage, but not as a media centre replacement in my case.
Feel free to discuss this review in this thread.
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