A new and exciting NAS has been announced from the guys at QNAP. The new 1 bay and 2 Bay NAS servers announced on their recent Livestream, the QNAP TS-128A and TS-228A are an update to their cost-effective range of devices. Featuring a brand new CPU and memory combo, this really does shake things up for users out there looking for the best value for money on their first NAS purchase. But what is it that makes this 1-bay & 2-Bay QNAP NAS very special? Is it just another NAS to add to their ever-growing collection or is this really a NAS server you should care about? Let’s find out
Why should you care about the QNAP TS-228A and TS-128A NAS
Featuring the same chassis and design as used in the TS-128 and TS-228 NAS, after that the differences start to appear. The brand new Realtek CPU that is a 64 bit ARM based processor, as well as 1GB of DDR4 memory, means that at this low price level you really are getting an impressive spec. However, there is no denying that given the ports and connections are largely unchanged since TS-128 and TS-228 using the same USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 port combination, that the appearance of this rather old form of USB is a little disappointing. I would understand if this was an HDMI enabled NAS and those ports would be largely dedicated to keyboard+mouse. However, this is really not the case and does leave it a little bit disappointing. That said, these are admittedly small matters and it’s fair to say that the unit’s low noise, small stature and large ability more than make-up for this USB disappointment. Rant over!
What is the Software and Application Support on the QNAP TS-128A and TS-228A NAS?
In terms of software, you are getting a very very good start on your QTS software experience, arriving with the standard access to the QNAP QTS app line-up, via the App Store. As well as a fantastic line up of available and supported applications for both desktop and mobile. Also featured on the official QNAP Livestream was several mentions of new and updated versions of existing QNAP software (such as QV Helper, NetBak Replicator support and some impressive hand-over between the NAS and popular playback software VLC, these will be largely covered in the next article on both these two NAS and the new QTS update. Though I will highlight two particularly interesting highlights in the live stream of the TS-128A and TS-228A. There is an update to videostation to playback seamlessly panoramic 360 videos and photos. With a lovely presentation on its ease and fluidity. This coupled with the support of upto 32 snapshots via a target and LUN, really do put this device in an interesting area – low in cost yet high in functionality. You can forget about things like virtual machines and transcoding in Plex, but there is no denying that this NAS does show potential especially at this price tag.
When will the QNAP NAS TS-228A and TS-128A be available
In terms of availability, the details are a little thin on the ground, we can definitely see this device in 2018 but whether we’ll see it by February or March, or perhaps sooner is still yet to be confirmed. Nevertheless, I would still recommend keeping an eye open for this device. The improved CPU and DDR4 memory when compared with the older TS-128 and TS-228 already highlight that this will be a popular entry-level NAS, but it is how the QNAP QTS applications can take advantage of this hardware, where we will see true versatility. Below I’ve included the information and specifications of QNAP TS-128A and TS-228A from the QNAP livestream. As always it is still early and of course, details are subject to change. You should always double check the specifications before making any NAS purchase!
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