Thecus N2810Pro
This speedy two-bay NAS is a real contender for more expert users
SCORE PRICE £229 (£275 inc VAT) from scan.co.uk
Effectively a two-bay version of the N4810, the Thecus N2810Pro gives you the same features and performance inside a smaller chassis.
Like its larger sibling, it’s a hugely versatile NAS, particularly if you’re looking for a unit that can also work as a media streamer sitting under a monitor or TV. Hook up the NAS using the HDMI 2 or DisplayPort 1.4 video outputs, and you’re equipped for downloading, storing and sharing 1080p and 4K video files. It has the spec to play them, too, with a Celeron N3160 quad-core processor and 4GB of RAM, which is upgradable to 8GB if you’re happy to disassemble the NAS and chuck away the existing SODIMM.
We’re not 100% convinced by the physical design: the N2810 isn’t as elegant as Synology’s DS218 and the clips on the tool-less caddies are fiddly when you’re trying to fit drives. And Thecus still has much to learn when it comes to setup and configuration, asking you to type in the default IP address to run the browser-based initialisation routine. On the plus side, the routine takes you through all the basics with detailed settings for building the RAID, and it even finished without an internet connection.
In moving to its latest firmware, Thecus OS7, Thecus has ditched a dull, unfriendly user interface for a more modern, desktop-style UI. It’s both attractive and intuitive, but still formidably technical and slightly laggy. More tellingly, Thecus can’t match Synology or Asustor for the depth and breadth of the app selection. There’s integration with Dropbox and ElephantDrive, though, as well as a good selection of web development platforms and tools. The N2810 will run WordPress or a Xeams email server if required. But its biggest strength is definitely media, with media servers from Logitech, Plex, BubbleUPnP and Twonky, media streaming through Kodi, plus a few apps, such as Couch Potato, SickBeard and SickRage, that cater for those who like to acquire TV shows and movies from unofficial sources.
If your main interest is file storage and transfer, the N2810 is a solid bet. It’s one of the fastest NAS units for sustained file transfers and a good performer on smaller files, coping well with hundreds of documents while streaming 4K video – which it handled without a stutter. While we prefer Synology or Qnap’s software and general ease-of-use, the N2810 is a credible alternative for expert users who want speed and connectivity without paying through the nose.