Thecus n2310 price: Thecus N2310 Review | PCMag

Thecus N2310 NAS Server review

By
Larry Geisz

/ January 15, 2014 / Reviews / Computer Gear, Hard Drive, NAS /
7 Comments

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The “cloud”, a mystical place where we can store and access information from almost anywhere with almost any type of device. The thing is, I have a few issues with the cloud or at least the commercial free service offered by several outlets. My first issue is the security and availability of the data I put out in the cloud, I mean what if the service provider goes out of business or has a major security breach. That’s why I limit the type of information I put out in the cloud. The second issue is space, a lot of the cloud service providers give you some free space but what if you need more? For individuals this solution may work but what about small or home based businesses? The Thecus N2310 NAS server is designed to provide a solution to those types of storage and accessibility needs.

Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.

To be honest, most everyday computer users would not benefit from a product like this, they just don’t have the need to store or access the amount and type of data that this product is perfect for. But if you are like me, and store a lot of videos and photos, or if you run a small home business and need access to your work product on the go and need a secure place to store it the Thecus N2310 NAS server (hence forth referred to as the N2310) should be more than enough to handle the job. Before I go too far here, if you are not a computer techie you may not know or understand what an NAS device is. The simple answer is that an NAS is a network access storage device connected to a network. A more complicated and complete answer can be found here. Here are some of the N2310 features listed from the Thecus website:

• RAID support (0, 1, and JBOD)
• Web-based file access
• Built-in FTP server
• BitTorrent client
• Plex Media support
• Mobile control and media streaming via T-OnTheGo™ (for Android and iOS)
• Easy Connection Through DDNS
• 5 minute complete installation
• Self-RAID creation
• Energy Efficient: 5W

The full technical specs can be seen on the Thecus N2310 webpage under the “Specs” tab.

The N2310 comes with following:

• Accessory bag
• Ethernet cable
• Power cord
• Power adapter
• QIG (Quick Installation Guide)
• Warranty card
• All in one DVD

I must note that the N2310 does not come with any hard drives so if you do not have any you will need to purchase some (1 TB internal hard drives can be found for around $60 from several online retailers).

So, I have a confession to make. Although I do test and use the products I submit reviews for, I do on occasion enlist my other half to help with his opinions and expertise. I especially get his feedback on high-tech computer issues especially when it comes to set up and configuration, and for this review he was invaluable. You see, unlike cloud services or other services of that kind when setting up a NAS it helps to have some knowledge and understanding of the process. And while I do posses both, I am not always confident in them and that’s where he fits in. His years of knowledge and technical skills made the setup and review of the N2310 a lot easier. I say all of that to say this, setting up a system like this no matter how well it is designed, is not a simple plug and play situation. Now on to the basic setups.

To me the hardware setup was the easy part, as I stated above you will have to supply your own hard drives for this N2310. You install the hard drives by pulling out the drive tray, inserting your hard drive into it, secure with the screws and then pushing it back into the N2310. After installing the hard drives the rest is just a matter of plugging in the supplied cables; power and LAN then powering the N2310 on.

Software setup for the N2310 was not overly difficult with the included CD. I will say that even though there is a quick setup guide, I would use the CD guide even if you are very familiar with NAS setups as it may answer some questions you come across before you get too far down the road. The basic set up was to determine what configuration you are going to run the N2310 in (RAID 0 or 1). The setup software guides you through this and you can follow along with the user manual supplied on the included CD. After the base configuration and setup you are ready to set the N2310 for user access (create user accounts).

There are several ways to connect to your N2310 from a remote computer inside your network. The most common way to do so (and in my opinion simplest) is to set it up as mapped network drive. Another way we experimented with and got to work with some trials and tribulations was using Dropbox as a conduit to the N2310. This method is similar to mapping a network drive but if you are used to using dropbox or a program similar it may be a valid method. Connecting remotely takes a little more effort but Thecus has helped with that by setting up a DNS entry for your NAS allowing you securely access it from anywhere.

Now that the N2310 is set up and configured you will have to decide how you are going to use the NAS. Here’s the good news bad news situation; the good news is that Thecus has a whole library of add-on software to help configure their products for what ever you want to use it for (mail server, file server, backup device), the bad news is that the N2310 having a new operating system and architecture, none of the current software downloads from their website are compatible with the N2310. But don’t despair, Thecus knows this and has included some compatible software programs, and I have also received new software packages from Thecus via updates. Knowing this going into this review did not dissuade my enthusiasm for this product, as anyone who likes to be on the cutting edge of technology or new products knows that it will take time for these products to reach their full potential.

I know the question on everyone’s mind now, how am I using the Thecus N2310 NAS server? Let me tell you, right now in our infancy of use we are using the N2310 as a basic file sharing and storage device. Having access to our documents on the go is a life saver when you travel as much as we do. As we get more accustomed to the N2310 and as software options become available for the new OS we will be using it to store more media such as photos, music and movies. That brings me to another nice feature, the mobile apps for Thecus products. Thecus has an array of official mobile apps that are compatible with its severs in general and the N2310 specifically. The one we have been using is T-OnTheGo, this allows us to view and update our files on the N2310. Thecus has done a nice job on their website with QR codes to directly link you to the iOS or Android version of this program.

So what’s my bottom line on the Thecus N2310 server? If you are a home user or small business in need of an affordable redundant capable NAS server the N2310 should be on your list of options. While the setup may be a little more than you average user would want to take on , it is doable with a little understanding and research. The ability to run as RAID 0 or 1 and the fact that you can hot swap drives is a great feature. Experienced NAS users and installers should have no problem with setup and configuration and the initial software offering for running the N2310 are nice. Being an early adopter of a new product line can have its disadvantages with lack of long term use data and third party software packages but it seems that Thecus has an eye to the future with its smart device connectivity software and continued compatibility growth to their existing software library. The Thecus N2310 NAS server can be found at various retailers and at various prices the cheapest I have seen was around $152 online.

Update 01/30/15

This review had me a little worried as I was not sure I would be technically capable enough to do it. With help from my other half, we got it up and running and realized that it was not that difficult to set up and use. The Thecus N2310 NAS Server is still in high use in my household and we have had no hiccups or issues since setting it up. I will say the documentation has improved some so you should not be afraid to try this unit out.

Update 12/15/16

This system is still the heart of my home storage. It allows me to access all my notes and info while on the road and it has been running like a champ since I set it up. Simple to set up and simple to use.

 

Thecus N2310 Budget 2-bay NAS Review

by Ganesh T Son July 6, 2014 2:30 PM EST

• Posted in
• NAS
• AppliedMicro
• Thecus

39 Comments
|

39 Comments

IntroductionHardware Platform and Usage ImpressionsSingle Client BenchmarksMulti-Client Performance — CIFSMiscellaneous Aspects and Concluding Remarks

The consumer NAS market segment is growing at a very fast rate, with 2 and 4-bay solutions leading the trend. While some vendors choose to compete on feature set (which tends to push up the price), others choose to approach from the cost perspective. Thecus has solutions from both perspectives. While the N2560 (review) was an Evansport NAS which presented a host of media-centric features, the N2310 that we are going to look at today cuts down the features (both hardware and software) to target entry-level users at a low price point.

The specifications of the N2310 are provided in the table below:

Thecus N2310 Specifications
Processor	Applied Micro APM 86491 (1C PowerPC 465 CPU @ 800 MHz)
RAM	512 MB DDR3 RAM
Drive Bays	2x 3.5″/2.5″ SATA 6 Gbps HDD / SSD (Hot-swappable)
Network Links	1x 1 GbE
External I/O Peripherals	1x USB 3. 0 / 1x USB 2.0
Expansion Slots	None
VGA / Display Out	None
Full Specifications Link	Thecus N2310 Specifications
Price	$126

The N2310 runs a Linux kernel (v2.6.32). Other interesting aspects of the platform can be gathered after gaining SSH access into the unit.

In the rest of the review, we will cover the hardware aspects of the N2310 and provide some setup and usage impressions. This is followed by benchmarks in single and multi-client modes. For single client scenarios, we have both Windows and Linux benchmarks with CIFS and NFS shares. In the final section, power consumption numbers as well as RAID rebuild times will be covered along with some closing notes.

Testbed Setup and Testing Methodology

The Thecus N2310 is a 2-bay unit. Users can opt for either JBOD, RAID 0 or RAID 1 configurations. We benchmarked the unit in RAID 1 with two Western Digital WD4000FYYZ RE drives as the test disks. Our testbed configuration is outlined below.

AnandTech NAS Testbed Configuration
Motherboard	Asus Z9PE-D8 WS Dual LGA2011 SSI-EEB
CPU	2 x Intel Xeon E5-2630L
Coolers	2 x Dynatron R17
Memory	G.Skill RipjawsZ F3-12800CL10Q2-64GBZL (8x8GB) CAS 10-10-10-30
OS Drive	OCZ Technology Vertex 4 128GB
Secondary Drive	OCZ Technology Vertex 4 128GB
Tertiary Drive	OCZ Z-Drive R4 CM88 (1.6TB PCIe SSD)
Other Drives	12 x OCZ Technology Vertex 4 64GB (Offline in the Host OS)
Network Cards	6 x Intel ESA I-340 Quad-GbE Port Network Adapter
Chassis	SilverStoneTek Raven RV03
PSU	SilverStoneTek Strider Plus Gold Evoluion 850W
OS	Windows Server 2008 R2
Network Switch	Netgear ProSafe GSM7352S-200

Thank You!

We thank the following companies for helping us out with our NAS testbed:

• Thanks to Intel for the Xeon E5-2630L CPUs and the ESA I-340 quad port network adapters
• Thanks to Asus for the Z9PE-D8 WS dual LGA 2011 workstation motherboard
• Thanks to Dynatron for the R17 coolers
• Thanks to G. Skill for the RipjawsZ 64GB DDR3 DRAM kit
• Thanks to OCZ Technology for the two 128GB Vertex 4 SSDs, twelve 64GB Vertex 4 SSDs and the OCZ Z-Drive R4 CM88
• Thanks to SilverStone for the Raven RV03 chassis and the 850W Strider Gold Evolution PSU
• Thanks to Netgear for the ProSafe GSM7352S-200 L3 48-port Gigabit Switch with 10 GbE capabilities.
• Thanks to Western Digital for the two WD RE hard drives (WD4000FYYZ) to use in the NAS under test.

Hardware Platform and Usage Impressions
IntroductionHardware Platform and Usage ImpressionsSingle Client BenchmarksMulti-Client Performance — CIFSMiscellaneous Aspects and Concluding Remarks

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Specifications of Thecus N2310 NAS on the website of KNS

Description

Specifications

general information

Manufacturer

Thecus

PN

N2310

CPU

CPU

800 MHz

RAM

Memory

512 MB

HDD

Drive bay(s)

2

Availability of discs

Disk Interface

SATA

Drive Form Factor

3. 5

Hot swap drives

yes

Supported RAID levels

0.1

Interfaces

Number of network interfaces

1

network interface

10/100/1000

USB 3.0

1

Physical parameters (net)

Dimensions (WxHxD)

97x135x207 mm

Net weight)

790 g

Weight (gross, kg)

3

Dimensions

Dimensions (gross, cm)

26. 28×28.1×18.47

Reviews ⁰

Reviews ⁰

warranty
Thecus N2310 network storage — price, availability, specifications, reviews and delivery terms in Moscow and Russia.
You can buy the Thecus N2310 NAS on the KNS Moscow website by filling out the order form in the basket.
For qualified advice on the product, call the specialists of KNS Moscow or ask a question in the chat.

Thecus N2310 2-Bay Diskless NAS Box

Thecus N2310 2-Bay Diskless NAS Box | N2310

Just in time for Christmas, Thecus ® is announcing the release of its latest home and SOHO NAS, the 90 101 N2310 . Equipped with an Advanced Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC) 800MHz SoC processor and 512MB of DDR3 RAM, this latest 2-bay device is a great choice for those seeking solid storage solutions on a budget.

My little black number

0102 still packs in a lot of the features of its pricier siblings:

— RAID support (0, 1, and JBOD)
-Web-based file access
-Built-in FTP server
-BitTorrent client
-Plex Media support
-Mobile control and media streaming via T-OnTheGo™ (for Android and iOS )
-5 minute complete installation
-Self-RAID creation
-Energy Efficient: 5W

Well equipped for a connected life, the N2310 not only offers users access and control of their files over the Internet, but is also able to stream stored media to Android and iOS mobile devices. And if you’re one for sharing and downloading files online, just drop the seed files into the N2310’s BitTorrent client and watch as this little NAS does the rest.

But what about the setup? That’s where our Intelligent NAS utility comes in. Once you’ve connected your N2310 to your home network, simply download and run Intelligent NAS. It’ll automatically find your NAS and allow you to easily set up your RAID or JBOD volume. Once up and running, Intelligent NAS will also allow you to effortlessly connect to the N2310’s operating system, ThecusOS™ 6, where you can monitor, configure, and update your NAS and modules.

So besides the comprehensive features and great usability, what else makes the N2310 great for home and SOHO users? Well, when we mentioned that it was a budget friendly NAS, we weren’t only referring to its cost price. The N2310’s AMCC processor and advanced design allow for such a degree of energy efficiency that its day-to-day running costs are near negligible.

“ Not only does the N2310 pack in a lot of the capabilities of larger and more expensive units, but it does so with style ,” noted Florence Shih, General Manager at Thecus®, proudly. “ This dashing little black box can store up to 8TB of data with an unprecedented level of energy efficiency. In fact, we calculated it, and powering the N2310 for an entire year, say in the US, would only cost you $5.03 .

Featuring the new Plex Media Server, Transmission BitTorrent client, T-OnTheGo™ mobile support, and impressive performance home and SOHO stockings this December.

Specs

Hardware Platform

Item	Spec
Processor	AMCC APM 86491 800Mhz
System Memory	512MB DDR3
Memory expandable up to	N/A
LAN Interface (PCI-e)	RJ-45×1: 10/100/1000 BASE-TX Auto MDI/MDI-X
USB Interface	USB 2. 0 host port x1 (back x1) USB 3.0 host port x1 (back x1)
Disk Interface	2 x SATA for internal, support SATA II / SATA III hard disk
Power Supply	40W external power adapter
Buttons	Power button USB copy button Reset button
Environment	Temperature: 5°C to 40°C Humidity: 0 ~ 80% R.H. (Non-condensing)
Chassis	2bays Tower
Dimensions (HxWxD)	135 x 97 x 207 (mm)/5.33 x 3.83 x 8.14 (in)
Weight	0.8(Kgs) / 1.8(lb)(NAS only)
Certificates	CE/FCC/C-Tick/VCCI/BSMI RoHS WEEE

2. Software Functions

RAID
RAID Modes	RAID 0, 1 and JBOD (Support multiple RAID volumes, each volume support up to 16TB)
Auto-rebuild	Supported
Hot-swap	Supported
Disk
Bad Block Scanning	Supported
SMART Info	Supported
SMART Test	Supported
Disk Roaming	Supports volume-based roaming to other N2310
Network
Configuration	Fixed IP address, dynamic IP address
Transport Protocols	TCP/IP, AppleTalk
File protocols	SMB/CIFS, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, AFP, NFS
TCP/IP	IPV6 & IPV4
System status
Syslog Management	Send syslog to assigned location Act as syslog server to receive log info from other systems
Data Access
Client OS Support	Windows XP and after Windows Server 2003 and after Mac OS X Linux
FTP	Built-in FTP server with bandwidth control
Secure FTP	Built-in secure FTP server with bandwidth control
Download Manager	BT Transmission
Printer Server (IPP)	Supports USB printers Supports a wide range of IPP printers Client can manage print tasks (list/delete) via web user interface
Data Backup
Client Incremental Data Backup	Thecus Backup Utility
Data Burn	Create files to ISO image and burn to optical disc Create files to ISO image Read ISO image from optical disc and write to NAS
Mac OS X Time Machine	Supported
Data Guard	Remote Backup/Local Backup
Power Management
Scheduled Power On/Off	Supported
Volume Management
File System	EXT4
Multimedia Support
iTunes Server	Supports AAC, MP3 w/ID3 tag and WAV
Piczza!™ Photo Server (via module)	Supports GIF, JPG (JPEG), BMP and PNG Supports EXIF ​​display Supports slide shows
Media Server	Supports uPnP AV streaming protocol
User Authentication
Local User	Supports built-in user accounts
Local Group	Supports built-in user groups
File System
Type	Journaling File System
Language Support	Unicode Support
Authorization (ACL)	“Read”, “write”, or “deny” privileges to individual users or groups in folders and sub-folders
User Quota	Supported
Administration
User Interface	Web-based user interface supports English, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Polish and Portuguese.