QNAP TS-251+-2G 4TB 2 Bay NAS Solution | Installed with 2 x 2TB Western Digital Red Drives (GDPR Compliant)

Like some others, I've found the unit a little frustrating in places when compared to a Synology device. That being said, it still has many features my earlier Synology did not, so its very much swings and roundabouts here. These are first few weeks impressions.As a TL;DR version, just review and make sure it does what you want before you buy it....I have moved from a DS112+, which even though its only a few years old, and I purchased the + model, after DSM5 it became increasingly slow, DSM6 did not improve this, so I wanted a new device. Considered similar in the range, but was sold on some of the QNAPs additional features and promise. I should have perhaps done more research, played more with the public demos as I would have realised more of the limitations perhaps and MAYBE stuck with Synology.As with other comments, it tends to work less well out of the box, or has teething issues. So far a few apps have struggled to work out of the box, which is frustrating, though I am sure I will be able to get them to work, but others who want it to just do it might find that annoying. You may also assume it does something, when it does not.Storage Management/Control and Shared Folder not as "simple" as Synology, and you have less control over default locations, in some cases you seem to be able to change the default, but not remove the folder created, or in other cases have no control over the location (especially annoying when you don't Raid the drives and wanted something on Drive 2). Posts seem to suggest the answer is just "hide" these not needed folders them from network discovery. That's ground on the people asking as much as it does me, especially as some of these items should not even be set as shared folders in a Network sense.I was hoping to run a Proxy on the unit, however like I mention, the seeming ease of the application doesn't do what it says, and I can only currently get the proxy to work as Open, or only to accept the Admin User/Password. Searching for online help etc didn't exactly help. Again, I am sure with tweaking, or forum posts I can get this to work, but disappointing.Similarly I have quickly tried the Virtualisation Station, a feature that sold me on the device. It works and appears fine, but again, out of the box I am unable to use it as anyone but the admin user right now. Again, I am sure there is something I can resolve maybe, but grinds on me that I have to log in as the admin to start / stop the VM, and then connect to it etc.The qVideo app I found was basically worthless compared to DS Video, which I always preferred over Plex because some of its limitations around licensing etc. I have been "forced" to use Plex now, but it performs very nicely on the unit (no setup issues that side for me thankfully). Re-Indexed my entire collection in mere hours, so long term I am sure I will live with this fact.

So I wanted to a NAS for a number of reasons, those included;1. Plex for my media library.2. Remote Virtual Machines to run Linux.3. Backups for all devices at home.Now my main concerns were processor power for Plex connected to my 43" 4k TV and ram for the virtual machines.The first thing I did was upgrade the ram, ordered an 8GB kit at the same time as the NAS at £63. So that fixed any concerns over maxing out the ram, although I do recommend upgrading it as 2GB is not great you will probably get by if you are not running lots of apps, especially virtual machines.The processor you can't do anything with, it is what it is. Now for Plex, it recommends a processor with at least a 2k pass mark for a single 1080p video stream. The processor benchmark is 1861, not optimal but handles it fine, the key is to avoid transcoding whilst you watch however that is beyond this review. Plugged into my TV through the HDMI port it performs incredibly well and everyone is happy with the quality.Other than that the device has many apps and it's quite easy to install, keep up to date and understand when it needs to be updated.I am using 2 3TB Western Digital Red drives in the unit, performance is good and in the 6 months since I set up the NAS it has been running without a single issue.So overall and with 6 months of use in hand I can honestly say it has been a great purchase and my concerns around it being powerful enough for my needs very quickly disappeared. Helped of course with a ram upgrade.If there is anything I could pick at it is that it can be quite noisy when you are sitting watching something on Plex. Not overly but noticeable.

This was my first foray into having a Nas on my home network. I have quite good knowledge on networking and file sharing so i wasn't daunted by the setup prospect. My main purpose for the Nas was keeping all my files, films, music etc backed up in one place. Also for media streaming to the my rooms for the family.Basic setup was reasonably easy considering I have never seen the UI before. I did watch a few youtube videos to get some helpful information.It is now setup with Plex for my media streaming requirements and I have it say it hasn't missed a beat.I can access all my files from My iPad/Iphone/Mac/PC from anywhere in the world. I use a OPENVPN configured on my router for security.I was also able to configure some my IP CCTV cameras to record direct to the NAS instead of their SD cards. Again you can access the recordings anytime anywhere.There a lots of other features on this NAS but I haven't found the time to explore all of them.I did upgrade the NAS from 2gb to 8gB of memory(cheaper than buying the 8Gb one) and very easy to upgrade. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005LDLVAO/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_2I have the NAS plugged into the TV via HDMI but have not explored fully how useful direct access via the Tv is.If your looking for a reasonably priced NAS for your home network then I have to say the QNAP does a great job.