Qnap ts-451 review: QNAP TS-451+ NAS Review — Tom’s Hardware

20 июня, 2022

QNAP TS-451+ NAS Review — Tom’s Hardware

Early Verdict

All things considered the QNAP TS-451+ is a complete solution that takes advantage of QNAP’s QTS software, the best NAS OS available today. QNAP could do better with some of the design to make it feel like you are not buying $500 to $600 of plastic.

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Specifications, Pricing, Warranty And Accessories

QNAP has two new NAS appliances designed for SOHO (small office/home office) customers: the TS-251+ and the TS-451+, and we have the latter in-house for testing. It’s an updated model based loosely on the original TS-451, a dual-core Celeron-based system.

The TS-451+ adds a quad-core Intel Celeron J1900 at 2GHz and doubles the platform’s RAM. The extra cores increase the NAS system’s multimedia capabilities, while the memory upgrade allows more applications to run in the background. This is the new breed of network-attached devices that extends beyond storage. Many new home and small office QNAP systems fall into this category. Nobody has coined an official term for these systems, but someone really should. Continuing to call them NAS fails to capture everything they’re capable of.

Many of the appliances we’re seeing employ Intel’s Celeron J1900 or a similar model from the Bay Trail family (with Silvermont-based cores). They’re attractive processors because of their hardware-accelerated transcode engine and impressively low power consumption, which lowers cooling requirements.

QNAP recently introduced its QTS 4.2 operating system, which is backward-compatible with existing products. We installed the latest software package on a six-year-old TS-809 Pro during its beta phase and then when the release was finalized. We really like that QNAP steadily updates its OS, enabling new features. Not every capability works on the older systems since some are directly tied to hardware functionality, but that’s inevitable. Fortunately, if a feature isn’t supported, it doesn’t show up in the software. In short, you can’t do anything to get yourself in trouble.

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QNAP’s TS-451+ ships in two configurations differentiated by memory capacity. We’re testing the 8GB model. However, there’s also a lower-priced 2GB version. Its Celeron J1900 SoC includes integrated HD Graphics and a hardware-accelerated transcoding engine. Some of the systems that cost less than the TS-451+ use AMD G-series and Marvell SoCs. Just above the Celeron J1900 are systems with Intel Core i3 processors based on the Haswell architecture. The TS-451+ falls in the upper-middle range, offering excellent single-user and moderate multi-client performance suitable for small offices.

There are four hot-swap drive bays, though you can expand to 12 with QNAP’s UX-800P. While the system supports a typical assortment of RAID levels, most folks will opt for RAID 5 to balance user capacity and data redundancy. The TS-451+ also facilitates SSD caching. It’s read-only with a single drive and read/write with a pair of them. The cache algorithm can be tuned for different workloads, but you’ll probably go for storage and redundancy over better random-latency performance.

Moving data to and from the system takes place over gigabit Ethernet. A pair of ports allows access from two separate networks or just one in a teamed configuration. If your network can handle it, 802.11ad is supported. QNAP also enables a few specialty network functions that do not require specific hardware to increase performance or reliability.

There are five USB ports in total. The front USB 3.0 interface is enhanced by a feature called one-touch copy, and it works in conjunction with a button right above the port. Around back, one more USB 3.0 port sits just under two USB 2.0 connections that provide a number of additional features. You can quickly set up a print server or even connect a keyboard and mouse. With video output through HDMI 1.4a, you can use the TS-451+ like a virtualized computer running on top of the QTS operating system. That HDMI 1.4a output can also send video and audio signals to a home theater.

This system ships with a QNAP-branded remote control, and if you combine it with Kodi home theater software, you get a powerful combination. I have one friend who recently «cut the cord», but still enjoys live TV broadcasts from a number of Kodi plug-in packages over IP networks. Though that’s not a QNAP-supported feature, you can still see how flexible the Kodi package and user-built plug-in system has become. To fully exploit the software’s capabilities, you need a powerful processor. Intel’s quad-core Celeron J1900 works nicely.

Pricing, Warranty & Accessories

The TS-451+ 8GB model has an MSRP of $649, while the 2GB TS-451 costs $529. Pricing is similar to competing products based on the same J1900 processor and system memory capacity.

QNAP’s standard warranty lasts two years, but the company allows e-tailers to sell QNAP-backed warranties that extend coverage up to five years.

The system ships with two Ethernet cables, an external power brick, screws for mounting both 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives, a paper manual and a remote control.

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Chris Ramseyer is a Contributing Editor for Tom’s Hardware US. He tests and reviews consumer storage.

QNAP TurboNAS TS-451 Review | PC Gamer

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Our Verdict

Building your own aside, the QNAP TS-451 is a great starter NAS for homes with multiple devices.

At A Glance

(+) Tasty: Great UI;
packed with features;
accessible from anywhere.
(-) Not so tasty: A little expensive, weird app design.

Big features, small footprint

Over the last several weeks, we’ve taken a good look at a couple of network attached storage (NAS) solutions including the beastly Synology Diskstation DS2515+ NAS and the smaller eight-bay QNAP TVS-871 NAS . Now we’re taking a hard look at the four-bay QNAP TurboNAS TS-451, which isn’t as large as the former two we reviewed, but still packs a punch in regard to features and performance.

We’re not going to beat around the bush here: This QNAP NAS is simply awesome. The device is perfect for the home and could be used as a theater PC despite some of the hardware shortcomings. That’s because this NAS supports not only HDMI output to a monitor or HDTV, but you can plug a mouse and keyboard into the built-in USB ports for a full “desktop” experience. You can’t play games on the device, but you can certainly surf the web using Chrome or Firefox, both of which are apps that can be installed.

Its squarish form factor measures 6.97(H) x 7.09(W) x 9.25(D) inches, and includes an Intel Celeron dual-core processor (2.41GHz, 2.58GHz Burst), 1GB of DDR3L RAM (expandable up to 8GB), 512MB of internal storage, four drive bays, two gigabit Ethernet ports, two USB 3.0 ports (one front, one rear), and two USB 2.0 ports (both on the rear). The USB ports can support a USB printer, pen drive, a USB UPS, and more.

On the front of the NAS are LED indicators for Status, LAN, and the four hard drives. There are also an IR receiver, the power button, and a one-touch copy button. On the back are a single large fan keeping the innards cool, a password and network settings reset button, the power connector, and a Kensington security lock. So, despite the small form factor, there’s a lot going on in the TS-451.

The TS-451 provides two interfaces powered by QNAP’s QTS operating system. There’s the back end, which is accessible through any web browser, and a front end that presents a number of services through the HDMI port. For the front end, there’s a link to the QTS platform that basically loads up the back end interface without having to access a browser.

There are a number of apps that come preinstalled, including the Photo Station, the Music Station, the Video Station, the File Station, and more. Customers can get additional apps on QNAP’s built-in App Center, which plays host to a large number of apps that are compatible with this particular NAS. While the App Center is nowhere as large as Apple’s or Google Play’s offerings, the QTS operating system provides three screens (or pages) for apps, just like a tablet or smartphone.

Some of the installed apps should speak for themselves, such as the Music Station and Photo Station. The files we uploaded were through the File Station, to keep everything neat and organized via folders. By default, media files are crammed into the Multimedia file folder; other folders include Download, Public, Recordings, and Web. The QTS platform recognizes the file extensions and will provide access to these files accordingly, such as JPGs can be viewed in the Photo Station, MOV files can be played in the Video Station, and so on.

The QTS back end also provides a neat and tidy Control Panel that’s broken down into four sections: System settings, Privilege settings, Network services, and Applications. The System settings portion provides access to the general settings, storage manager, the network settings, notifications, and so on. The Privilege Settings provides access to user accounts, shared folders, domain security, and more.

The Network settings within the Control Panel app provides a number of features including FTP, Telnet / SSH, SNMP and Service Discovery. Meanwhile, users can access the Applications section to manage the iTunes server, the DLNA Media Server, the SQL server, the Web server, Antivirus, and loads more. As we previously stated, there is a lot of bang for the buck with this NAS.

One of the great aspects of the TS-451 is that you can access the stored files from anywhere, as long as myQNAPcloud is registered and activated. To connect to the device, users can simply open a browser and type “www. myqnapcloud.com/cloudlink/yournasname” where the “yournasname” is the name for the NAS taht you provided during setup. By having remote access, users can upload pictures and other files to the device on the fly, whether they’re on vacation or at the mall.

For more savvy users, you can setup the TS-451 to a DynDNS service and configure your router to allow remote access that way.

The TS-451 also provides QSync, an app that synchronizes files on a device with files stored on the NAS. There’s also the interesting Notes Station, which allows users to edit documents, spreadsheets, and slides that were created in Microsoft Office. There’s even the ability to stream media to a smartphone or tablet, a built-in antivirus service, and a surveillance station for customers with cameras installed in their home or office.

The front end of the TS-451 is “controlled” by the HybridDesk Station. Here, users can install applications that will only be accessible through the front end, including Google Chrome, Firefox, Facebook, LibreOffice, Plex Home Theater, Skype, Spotify, TuneInRadio, and a few others. Also available on the front end are QNAP’s native applications, such as File Station, Music Station, Photo Station, and Video Station.

Although we believe that the TS-451 is an awesome machine, the main QTS apps are a little weird to use. As we previously said, files were uploaded to the NAS via the Files Station app in order to keep all files organized whether they’re pictures or music. You can upload pictures into a specific folder and access them without much trouble, and you can also convert these folders into albums. Want to share them on a social network? Just right-click and choose either Picasa, Flickr, or Weibo.

So, what’s weird about the native QTS apps? Let’s take Photo Station as an example. The left-hand menu provides the following: Shared Photos, Folder, Private Collection, Qsync, Album, Smart Album, Shared Center, Recent, and Trash Can. Having both a folder and an album is a little confusing, which is why we took the File Station route. Albums can be shared with other NAS users and the “public,” which seems to mean only those that can access the login screen can see the album. Folders can also be converted into albums.

For this review, we were provided with four Seagate (ST4000VN000-1h5168 SC46) hard drives with 3.64TB of usable space each, offering around 10.82 TB of overall storage. Users can keep track of each hard drive by going into the Control Panel app and clicking the Storage Manager icon. Here, you can receive data regarding each drive, cache acceleration, iSCSI, and Virtual Disk settings.

There’s also a handy dashboard that you can access by clicking the speedometer icon in the top-right corner of the main screen. You can get a quick shot of the overall system health, various info about the hardware (system temp, fan RPM), the resource monitor, hard disk health, and the amount of storage that’s available. QNAP even pulls in its news feed, such as firmware and utility launches.

According to QNAP, the TS-451 has a write speed of up to 82MB/s and a read speed of up to 126MB/s (AES-256 volume encryption throughput). These speeds were measured on a client machine consisting of Windows 8. 1 Pro, an Intel Core i7-4790, and 16GB of DDR3 1,600Hz memory. We tested the RAID 5 write speeds using a rig with 8GB of RAM, an Intel Core i7-4790K clocked at 4GHz, Windows 10 Pro, and a 500GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD. We didn’t perform additional speed tests because the NAS and test rig are on a 1Gbit network. The result, according to robocopy, was write speeds of around 107MB/sec. Read was the same.

The performance numbers highlights the ceiling for 1Gbit/sec Ethernet speeds, which by most accounts is more than enough for the purpose of the TS-451.

Wrap-up

All in all, QNAP’s TS-451 is a great solution for homes and small offices that need more than just a disk backup. The device works well as a home media server, a backup center, a tool for file sharing, and so on. QNAP also has a number of apps on Google Play and Apple’s App Store that expand the experience to phones and tablets. These include Qfile for managing files, Qmanager for controlling the NAS from a remote location, Qvideo for watching stored videos, Qmusic for streaming music, and so on.

One thing that we wish QNAP had done was to make the native app usage a little more clear out of the box, as it may be a bit confusing for those who are just now buying into the need for a NAS (present company included). Even though the specs guarantee that Crysis will absolutely not run on this system, you could still use it as a small media PC for watching movies and TV shows and surfing the internet.

There’s definitely a lot of bang for the buck here, enough so that there are still many aspects about the box that this review didn’t tap. The only real downside to this box of goodies is that it doesn’t come cheap: It’s right around $450 without the installed hard drives. Still, there are a lot of services under the hood that we think make it worth the outlay.

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Reviews

Building your own aside, the QNAP TS-451 is a great starter NAS for homes with multiple devices.

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Qnap TS-451+ review | IT PRO

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Reviews

  • Infrastructure
  • Server & storage
  • network attached storage (NAS)

A NAS drive for enthusiasts, with comprehensive features, bags of speed and generous storage capacity

by: Stuart Andrews

16 Jan 2017

16 Jan 2017

Price

£292

  • Blazing performance; Stellar feature-set; Intuitive setup; Includes HDMI port and remote for media server use;
  • May be too advanced for NAS novices;

It says something when NAS drives pack processors more commonly associated with laptops. While the Qnap TS-451+ doesn’t have one of Intel’s latest processors inside, there’s nothing slow about its Celeron J1900 Bay Trail processor — running at 2GHz with a 2.4GHz burst speed, and partnered with 2GB of DDR3 RAM, it’s primed for performance.

And so it proved in our test. The Qnap hit average speeds of 107MB/sec when transferring meaty 4K video files, dropping down to 105MB/sec when writing. Even the small file tests that leave other NAS struggling didn’t faze it, with its 46.6MB/sec write and 42.9MB/sec read speeds comfortably the fastest on test.

There’s more to this hefty four-bay NAS than performance, too. For a start, it’s easy to get going. The drives install into solid pull-out caddies — you’ll need to screw them into place — and these slip back into the unit with a satisfying click. Each drive has a label stuck to the side complete with QR code and nine-digit number; either scan the code or type the digits into the Qnap site, and the browser-based routine will do the rest. Alternatively, use Qnap’s Qfinder Pro utility over the network to do the same job.

The setup routine makes it pretty clear that the TS-451+ targets more expert users, with the upside being that options to set up a static network connection or configure the basic services are front and centre. You can create RAIDs in RAID0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD configurations, and enable 256-bit AES encryption on volumes, and the whole process is logical and thorough.

Sure, there’s a strong Linux feel to the desktop-style interface, but it makes it easy to find and install add-on apps or check the status of the disks and hardware. If you like reports and detailed status screens, the TS-451+ is NAS nirvana. You can even change the photo and welcome message on the login screen.

Qnap was one of the first NAS manufacturers to push cloud-like features, and its Qsync module allows you to synchronise a Dropbox-style folder between the NAS and multiple PCs. The look and feel isn’t quite as slick as Western Digital or Netgear’s equivalents, but all the functionality is there, with files syncing quickly when added or modified.

You can also access files on the NAS from your iOS or Android smartphone using the Qfile app, or manage many of the core features using another app, Qmanager. Meanwhile, the TS-451+ will happily work in tandem with a wide range of cloud services, including Amazon Cloud Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box and Dropbox.

A rich app library enables you to use the TS-451+ to download torrents, handle backups, serve Wikis, WordPress, Drupal and Joomla sites, or operate as a VPN or email server. You can also configure Plex or TwonkyMedia media servers, then use the TS-451+ as a Kodi media player. Not only does it have the requisite HDMI output, but also a bundled remote control.

It proved effective as a media server and player in our tests, and can transcode 1080p and 4K video files on the fly for streaming to tablets or smartphones. While a good wireless connection at the device end is vital for smooth, artefact-free playback, the results are generally impressive.

Qnap’s claims that the TS-451+ can moonlight as a virtualisation platform or a PC might be a little ambitious — this is a Celeron-based NAS, not a Core i5 or Xeon server — but it has strong iSCSI support and it all goes to show just how versatile this NAS can be. Naturally, it still handles standard NAS tasks such as backup, either through Qnap’s own rather basic NetBak Replicator app or Apple’s Time Machine.

This is a big and sometimes intimidating NAS, with lots of options and high-end features, excellent connectivity and server-room, not living-room, style. It’s also quiet, easy to manage and well thought out. If you don’t need four bays, the two-bay TS-251+ offers you the same features and specification with half the capacity for around 100 less. If you do, this is the leader in its class.

This review originally appeared in PC Pro issue 261.

Verdict

This is a big and sometimes intimidating NAS, with lots of options and high-end features, excellent connectivity and server-room, not living-room, style. It’s also quiet, easy to manage and well thought out. If you need a four bay NAS, this is the leader in its class.

  • network attached storage (NAS)
  • cloud storage

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QNAP TS-451+ 4 Bay NAS Review

With users facing a huge demand for storing data, sharing content, and processing media, many are seeking a dependable NAS system that offers a balanced mix of affordability and quality performance. With the TS-451+, users will benefit from its storage scalability and unparalleled performance for both the home and professional user. Backed by its highly intellectual QTS operating system, this product functions as a user-friendly and powerful data backup, file syncing, multimedia sharing, and remote access. The TS-451+ is perfect for those who desire a highly secure and easy access to the cloud.

Intended mainly for small-scale businesses, small offices, and homes, the QNAP TS-451+ is an all-around NAS tower providing users with QTS compatibility, functionality, and raw power. Is the QNAP TS-451+ as good as it sounds? Let’s jump in an take a look in our QNAP TS-451+ review.

QNAP TS-451+ Review – What’s in the Box?

Package contents include:

  • 1x QNAP TS-451+ 2G 4 Bay NAS
  • 1x Installation Guide
  • 1x External PSU
  • 2x Ethernet Cables
  • HDD Mounting Screws
  • 1x Power Brick
  • 1x IR Remote Control

The Product

The QNAP TS-451+ – Another Great Looking NAS from QNAP

The TS-451+ takes a completely different appearance. Now it boasts a white enclosure with a front silver frame. The frame contains LED indicator lights, a power button, a copy button, and USB 3.0 port. The USB port has now been moved to the front. This was done to prevent one from reaching the rear I/O when hooking a USB-based device.

Currently, the unit has four drive bays with a maximum storage support of 32TB (when utilizing 3.5” 8TB drives). The device is only limited to supporting UX-500P and UX-800P models. This gives you the ability to attach as much as 8 disks to the unit

A label situated on the unit shows an HDD sequence. It won’t be of much help since the trays haven’t been numbered and the lack of stickers aren’t enough for numbering all HDDs. According to the manufacturer, the lack of stickers make it easier for HDDs to be installed on any slot without any server operation issues. One of two sides contain holes for ventilation.

A rear fan grill takes up a lot space.  On the right are where I/O ports are housed. This latter contains two USB 2.0 ports, two Ethernet ports, one USB 3.0 port, and an HDMI port. A power-input socket and reset switch can be found within the enclosure.

QNAP revealed that only its first batch of units will only come with a warranty sticker on the enclosure. The rest will have its sticker available on the motherboard, making it easy for users to open the the TS-451+ for upgrading memory.

A label can be seen at the bottom part of the unit covering power specifications. Rubber feet are also situated at the bottom to prevent the structure from moving around. An arrow situated close to the top points to a nearby lock. The lock can be pried open by sliding it to the left (after all screws are removed) to fully open the enclosure.

Unfortunately, the trays lack any form of locks, making the TS451 only ideal for home use where physical security isn’t a priority.

Product Features

Hardware:

In terms of hardware, the unit runs on an Intel Celeron quad-core processor with a speed of 2.0GHz. On its own, the device runs on 2GB of DDR3 RAM. Two additional SO-DIMM memory slots can also be seen to cater to as much as 8GB of total memory.

Storage Manager and Backup Station:

Its Storage Manager has gained several new features. Its Storage Manager 4.2 now has the ability to look into the status of HDD allocation for RAID groups aside from certain HDD data. The QTS 4.2 Storage Manager showcases current storage volumes, pools, and iSCSI LUNs on the same platform for simpler management and setup of housing configurations.

Present volumes and pools can be branched and detached. Threshold are easily adjusted with minimal or no service interruptions. Provisioning (thick and thin) are supported. As a result of the 4.2 version, migration of data has significantly removed with JBOD expansion enclosure that doesn’t require network connectivity. Control of version and snapshot are included for incremental roll back of data.

Its Storage and Backup features are bundled with Storage Manager. For further options, utilizing the Backup Station is recommended. Essentially, options found within the Storage Manager allows for storage of information in the unit. Options seen under the Backup Station allows the duplication of data on the NAS to other locations.

Snapshot:

The Snapshot functionality is finally available on the TS-451+ for swiftly returning to a certain state in case of data loss scenarios. Taking snapshots can easily be done by navigating to the Storage Space (under Storage Manager). Snapshots can be taken either automatically or manually.

At the moment, QNAP has no option in saving a snapshot to varying drives or volume. But it does have several ways of backing up a snapshot.

Backing Up and DATA Sync:

Aside from having the ability to take snapshots, the latest firmware offers version control support. Version control functions with its QSync app in backing up data. The app is compatible with Mac, Android, iOS, and Windows operating systems. It works hand in hand with the recently revamped QSync Central Station to control both users and devices.

Within the QSync Central Station, one can easily make shared files, team folders, and folders intended for other users. As much as 64 versions of a certain can be saved. Instead of getting saving each file, the unit will only showcase the latest version of a certain file labelled under the File Station.

HDMI Connectivity:

One aspect that certainly makes the unit rather unique compared to its competition is having its own HDMI port. While getting such feature configured takes a bit of time, having the convenience to link an NAS device to a device is ultimately compelling.

Setting up initially involves a configuration and installation of the HDStation. Since an HMDI port will be used, it’s important never to assume it as a “high definition station” application. Rather, it’s a HybridDesk Station — a term in which the platform operates on when the unit is hooked to a TV. Within the tool, TV-related apps can be installed including (but not limited to): LibreOffice, Chrome, and Facebook.

Personal Cloud:

Another essential functionality that the TS-451+ possess is its personal cloud service. Nowadays, NAS users want to avoid storing their personal data in popular cloud services offered by Google and Apple, while enjoying remote access from anywhere around the globe.

The solution is through QNAP’s MyQNAPCloud. By means of a simple download, installation, and operation on a cloud link, the platform is constantly updated with the TS-451+ to allow for data access within the system. QNA has made an affordable SSL certificate offer that ensures secure encryption between one’s browser and device.

The cloud service is simple to set up and use — as long as one understands the pros and cons of putting anything over the internet.

Virtualization and Containers:

The unit offers support for two kinds of virtualization. One is in the form of a VMware-like virtual machine while the other is a container — via a Docker Engine allowing for any container installation.

Mobile Apps:

Similar to that of Synalogy, QNAP provides a plethora of mobile apps for any compatible smartphone and tablet to use any stored media within the TS-451+. The manufacturer has a suite apps for Windows Mobile users.

A majority of apps begin with the letter “Q.” Each app can easily be identified (ex. Qphoto, Qvideo, Qmusic, and etc…) and are a breeze to navigate. A Chromecast button is easy to use and is located on the top right hand corner.

QNAP TS-451+ Specifications

CPU

  • Quad-core Intel® Celeron® 2.0GHz (burst up to 2.42GHz)

Memory             

  • TS-451+-2G: 2GB DDR3L RAM (1 x 2GB)
  • Total memory slots: 2 SODIMM
  • Expandable up to: 8 G

Flash Memory  

  • 512MB

Drive    

  • 4 x 2.5″ or 3.5″ SATA 6Gb/s, 3Gb/s HDD or SSD
  • Hot swappable trays

Network and Ports

  • Gigabit LAN Ports x2
  • 2 x USB 3.0 (Front: 1, Rear: 1)
  • 2 x USB 2.0 (Rear)
  • HDMI

IR Receiver        

  • Yes (QNAP RM-IR002 remote control)

LED Indicators   

  • Power/Status, LAN, USB, HDD1-4

Buttons

  • Power, Reset, USB Auto Copy

Alarm Buzzer    

  • System warning

Form Factor       

  • Tower

Dimensions (HxWxD)

  • 169 x 160 x 219 mm

Weight (Net / Gross)

  • 3 kg (6. 61 lbs) / 4.3 kg (9.48 lbs)

System Fan

  • 1 x 12cm, 12V DC

Using the QNAP TS-451+

Setup:

The manufacturer made a decision to insert the installation guide leaflet within the box as opposed to using a disc. The guide will point you to an online- address in setting up the NAS.

The internet-based guide aids in setting up the NAS in easy-to-understand manner:

  1. Install the HDDs and connect the necessary cables.
  2. Power the NAS on.
  3. Open a browser window.
  4. Navigate to start.qnap.com.
  5. Key in the cloud key found in the installation guide (a local installation option is available in case the NAS came without a key or no internet access is available).
  6. A registration prompt will inform in creating a myQNAPcloud account.
  7. Follow the set-up instructions on the Quick Setup menu.
  8. Wait for the remaining process to finish.

Login and Interface:

The new login page is appealing to the eyes. A Qfinder is needed to get within the login page after setup or the NAS’ IP address can be typed into any browser, where an admin password will be requested (the default password is “admin”). After entering the login details, the user will be led to the QTS 4.1 window. After entering the QTS, a notification will inform the user of a firmware upgrade before installation.

QTS can tailor just about everything a user needs. For starters, icons can be rearranged and moved to the desktop as well as accessing basic admin logs, features, and external devices. The interface allows newbies to gain full control of full-fledged NAS servers like that of the TS-451+. It also offers multi-language support — a boon for users who want to toggle between languages.

The menu has options to shut down, reboot, logout, change passwords, jump to the QTS page, and place NAS in sleep mode. It also allows in configuring all (or any) admin options.

Such admin options allow to specify a user’s e-mail address, switch profile pictures, upload new wallpapers, and change passwords. A plethora of other options are available for configuration. A help resource is handy and can be accessed by clicking on the question mark situated at the top right corner.

The dashboard has a modern design and is easy to follow. It offers important information which include system stats and HDD details. The resource monitor is critical since it showcases bandwidth, CPU, and RAM use. The hardware category keeps track of system temperature, HDD status, and fan speed. An online user portion shows the number of users currently connected to the device.

If a user wants to block or break off an IP address or user, all it takes is to click on the name of the user or IP address and its corresponding action.

Dashboard widgets can be dragged from the window directly to the desktop. The dashboard color will change with the system’s overall health status. This gives you a glimpse whether things are running normally like they should.

On first entry, the user will be greeted by a Quick Start after login. Quick Start offers a swift-yet-informative tour to familiarize the major features of the NAS. To explore some capabilities of the NAS server, it’s recommended to go for the guided tour, especially for newbies who haven’t tried a QNAP product.

Expand the TS-451+ Using Apps

HD Station

The HD station is where Chrome, XBMC, and other tools can be set up, allowing users to browse online or play NAS content through TV (via an HDMI interface). Users will likely see this as an interesting features since it ultimately makes HTPCs and multimedia players useless. With that in mind, this station is proven to be extremely useful in any business scenario since accessing the NAS admin UI can be done without a client present.

Using the HD Station

Before proceeding the installation of the HD station, connect the unit to a TV armed with an HDMI port. Currently, there are several ways in controlling the HD Station:

  • Via an official QNAP remote controller.
  • Via an MCE remote controller.
  • Via a wired mouse and keyboard.
  • Via Qremote (a remote app intended exclusive for the HD Station — ideal for those with an iOS or Android device).

Here are the steps needed to begin using the HD Station:

  1. Click on “Applications.”
  2. Under “HD Station,” click the “Get Started Now” button to install the HD Station.
  3. The device automatically installs the HD Station.
  4. Choose which apps are needed to install with the HD Station (ex. Chrome, Codexpack, MyNaas, XBMC, and others).

Video Station

The QTS software provides you with a great application called Video Station which allows you to sort your media files via categories such as TV Shows and Movies and then use the Video Station to playback your videos. The software is easy to use and only requires you to navigate to the settings menu and then select the folders on the NAS that you would like to use in the Video Station. Once you select a file you are able to specify what type of video content is in each folder such as TV Shows or Movies.

Once you have added some video files they are located in the left hand side menu under their related category. You are able to browse through these categories and see the videos that are located within. If you want to watch one of the videos it is just a matter of double clicking the video to play it using the inbuilt media player.

Right clicking on a video file opens up a menu that offers you a range of options including the option to play, open, download, add to collection, share, delete and the ability to add tags.

The Video Station worked as it should however I do recommend using something such as Kodi or Plex in order to fully get the most out of the QNAP TS-451A and your media.

File Station

Although file browsing and file management aren’t the most exciting things in the world it is still something that we do day in and day out and is critical in being able to keep our media library organised. QNAP has included the File Station in their WTS software which aims to make file management straight forward and simple and thanks to the great interface it achieves this.

The file station is similar to the file browser you use on your computer every day and it provides most of the functions you require. You are able to browse your files on the NAS using the folder and file browser, manage your files with common create/edit/delete functionality, rename files and transfer them all over the place. Using the File Station you are able to share any files you wish with other people by generating share links which can be shared with other to provide them with direct access to the specified files and folders.

Photo Station

The next app on the list is the QNAP Photo Station. The Photo Station is similar to the Video Station in the sense that it provides you with the ability to store, organise and archive your photos. When you first load the Photo Station you are presented with another helpful quick start screen that gives you a good overview of the capabilities of the Photo Station.

The Photo Station allows you to organise photos saved on the TS-451A into galleries and then share those galleries with friends and family. You are able to add tags to your photos to reference friends and family that are in the photos as well as tags to make it easier to search. There is an advanced search functionality that allows you to easily find any photos you need within a huge collection of photos.

You are able to browse your photo library and view any photos that you would like including the details of each photo such as file format, dimensions etc.

Once you have organised your photos you are able to share them with friends and family using the built in share function. The share function allows you to share the photos to Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Plurk, Renren, Flickr, Weibo and email. If you don’t use any of the social networks you are able to generate a share link which you can give directly to the person you want to share with.

Download Station

This station allows for direct download to NAS without logging into any computer. It offers support for FTP, BT, HTTP, Magnet, and RapidShare links. The station can execute file downloads directly on the NAS without any third party software. Its web-based interface manages and finishes download tasks through a browser. If a QGet app is installed, a user can handle downloads on Turbo NAS servers all at the same time.

Music Station

This station lets a user organize any music collection into the cloud. Music files uploaded on the NAS can be accessed through a browser without any third party software for playback. The track being played will show the song title, album, and genre. Continuous and random playback options are available. Favorite radio channels can be added to the Music Station.

Notes Station

This station lets a user create digital memos on-the-go via a private cloud. Integration of images, files, videos, and audio housed within the NAS are done in a cinch.

myQNAPcloud

The myQNAPclou service gives a user access to NAS service over the internet. It offers a host name registration, NAS IP mapping (in an event where its IP is dynamic), and local network auto-port mapping (of UPnP routers). It has the option for remote access through the internet. The installation wizard will assist in the service setup.

CloudLink offers direct remote access to the NAS without any router re-configuration. It comes with  myQNAPCloud support and other mobile/computer applications intended for QNAP servers.

Virtualization Station:

This station allows for a virtualized desktop process within the NAS, thus allowing for multiple management of virtual machines. Its intuitive UI makes it simple to manage virtual machines on top of the NAS. The internet-based interface makes it all the more possible to handle operating systems including UNIX, Windows, and Linux.

QNAP Surveillance Station

The QNAP TS-451+ Surveillance Station is a network surveillance Video Management System that offers:

  • Support for more than 2,500 wired and wireless camera models
  • Extended license management.
  • Support for multiple browsers.
  • Enhanced and versatile camera control.
  • 64-channel live viewing (single display).
  • 128-channel live viewing (multiple server monitoring).
  • 5 alarm events.
  • 7 event actions.
  • Intelligent Video Analytics.
  • Visual Aid (visualizing deployment layout of IP cameras).
  • VMobile app (remote monitoring via a tablet or smartphone).

Currently, the TS-451+ has a maximum of 24-recording channel support. But it only comes bundled with licenses good for two. Additional licenses can be bought from the manufacturer’s online store to utilize more channels.

Using the Surveillance Station:

Here are the steps needed to begin using the Surveillance Station:

  1. Download and install the Surveillance Station (found in QNAP’s App center) as it doesn’t come pre-installed with the device.
  2. After user credentials are entered, the system will lead to the Surveillance Station’s web interface.
  3. The web panel can be used to set up IP cameras. Keep in mind to install compatible wired/wireless IP cameras supported by the Surveillance Station.
  4. After camera setup, make the necessary configurations.
  5. Configure alarms according to certain events (either via advanced or traditional mode). Advanced mode offers additional options.
  6. Under System Settings, set the full length per file recorded.
  7. Define how the system will react once storage space of recordings reaches a certain threshold; the certain number of days specified for alarm-triggered or non-triggered recordings; configuration of alarm-recorded functions; setting access permission to NAS-controlled cameras; and RTP port range setup.
  8. To utilize Chrome’s monitoring functionality, pre-install the QVR app.

File Transfer Speed

The file transfer speed of the QNAP TS-451+ was great when both sending a file to the NAS and downloading it from the NAS. Sending a 10GB file to the NAS it achieved an average transfer rate of  102.43MB/s. Downloading the same file from the NAS it saw an average speed of 82.48MB/s.

Noise and Temperature

The TS-451+ operates on a lone rear fan, allowing for quiet operation while keeping the device cool. With an ambient temperature of 24-degrees Celsius, the CPU ran at 41-degrees Celsius on idle while the hard drive were around 37-degrees Celsius, all within normal computer temperature range.

Where to Buy

If you are interested in picking up a NAS and the QNAP TS-451+ takes your fancy, you can pick one up for around $629AUD from your local computer retailer.

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Qnap TS-451+ review: a four-bay NAS with speed to burn — Hardware

Looking for a network attached storage device with plenty of capacity, speed and features? The Qnap TS-451+ may be just what you’re after.

It says something when NAS drives pack processors more commonly associated with laptops. While the Qnap TS-451+ doesn’t have one of Intel’s latest processors inside, there’s nothing slow about its Celeron J1900 Bay Trail processor – running at 2GHz with a 2.4GHz burst speed, and partnered with 2GB of DDR3 RAM, it’s primed for performance.

And so it proved in our test. The Qnap hit average speeds of 107MB/sec when transferring meaty 4K video files, dropping down to 105MB/sec when writing. Even the small file tests that leave other NAS struggling didn’t faze it, with its 46.6MB/sec write and 42.9MB/sec read speeds comfortably the fastest on test.

There’s more to this hefty four-bay NAS than performance, too. For a start, it’s easy to get going. The drives install into solid pull-out caddies – you’ll need to screw them into place – and these slip back into the unit with a satisfying click. Each drive has a label stuck to the side complete with QR code and nine-digit number; either scan the code or type the digits into the Qnap site, and the browser-based routine will do the rest. Alternatively, use Qnap’s Qfinder Pro utility over the network to do the same job.

The setup routine makes it pretty clear that the TS-451+ targets more expert users, with the upside being that options to set up a static network connection or configure the basic services are front and centre. It offers plenty of RAID (redundant array of independent disks) options for performance, redundancy or both, in RAID0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and JBOD configurations. You can also enable 256-bit AES encryption on volumes, and the whole setup process is logical and thorough.

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Sure, there’s a strong Linux feel to the desktop-style interface, but it makes it easy to find and install add-on apps or check the status of the disks and hardware. If you like reports and detailed status screens, the TS-451+ is NAS nirvana. You can even change the photo and welcome message on the login screen.

Qnap was one of the first NAS manufacturers to push cloud-like features, and its Qsync module allows you to synchronise a Dropbox-style folder between the NAS and multiple PCs. The look and feel isn’t quite as slick as Western Digital or Netgear’s equivalents, but all the functionality is there, with files syncing quickly when added or modified.

You can also access files on the NAS from your iOS or Android smartphone using the Qfile app, or manage many of the core features using another app, Qmanager. Meanwhile, the TS-451+ will happily work in tandem with a wide range of cloud services, including Amazon Cloud Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive, Box and Dropbox.

A rich app library enables you to use the TS-451+ to download torrents, handle backups, serve Wikis, WordPress, Drupal and Joomla sites, or operate as a VPN or email server. You can also configure Plex or TwonkyMedia media servers, then use the TS-451+ as a Kodi media player. Not only does it have the requisite HDMI output, but also a bundled remote control.

It proved effective as a media server and player in our tests, and can transcode 1080p and 4K video files on the fly for streaming to tablets or smartphones. While a good wireless connection at the device end is vital for smooth, artefact-free playback, the results are generally impressive.

Qnap’s claims that the TS-451+ can moonlight as a virtualisation platform or a PC might be a little ambitious – this is a Celeron-based NAS, not a Core i5 or Xeon server – but it has strong iSCSI support and it all goes to show just how versatile this NAS can be. Naturally, it still handles standard NAS tasks such as backup, either through Qnap’s own rather basic NetBak Replicator app or Apple’s Time Machine.

This is a big and sometimes intimidating NAS, with lots of options and high-end features, excellent connectivity and server-room, not living-room, style. It’s also quiet, easy to manage and well thought out. If you don’t need four bays, the two-bay Qnap TS-251+ offers you the same features and specifications, with half the capacity for around $190 less. If you do, this is the leader in its class.

This article originally appeared at IT Pro.

It may be too advanced for NAS novices, but the Qnap TS-451+ offers blazing (but quiet) performance, a high-end feature-set and excellent connectivity. If you need a four-bay NAS device, this is the leader in its class.


Overall


$629.99 AUD (without disks)

(pricing info)

• www.qnap.com


2GHz quad-core Intel Celeron J1900 processor; 2GB of DDR3 RAM; 4 x hot-swappable bays supporting 2.5in or 3.5in SATA HDDs or SSDs; 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x HDMI ports; QTS 4.2 (embedded Linux) operating system; Supports client computers running Windows 7 or later (32 or 64-bit), Windows Server 2003/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2, Apple Mac OS X, Linux and UNIX.