What is the best ASUSTOR NAS for Home, SMB and Business?
Choosing your first NAS device can be hard. Network Attached Server devices are now becoming a popular choice for those with large amount of data they want to access via a network or internet connection, but with the safe guards and protection for added peace of mind. Over the years large third party cloud providers like Google Drive, DropBox, Microsoft Azure and Amazon Drive have been used by home users to store remote access files in smaller size or quantity with success, with larger business customers paying subscriptions for premium cloud services to distribute and backup their data easily. However with data breaches in services like iCloud, Yahoo and more, many users are now reaching a point where they want all the access, backup and distribution for their data, but want it at home, in-house and most importantly with the ability to stop would be data thieves via encryption, safe-guards, or just simply to pull the network cable out and completely sever all connections.
Why Choose a NAS Server and not a 3rd Party Cloud Service?
For this level or ability and flexibility, a NAS server is the best possible option. Also unlike 3rd party cloud services, you are not paying a monthly subscription that, once concluded, will mean you have nothing to show for it. With a NAS you pay once, up front from as little as £100 or as high as £1000s (depending on your needs and long term plans) and that is it. You have your data, you space, your safeguards and your data is as safe as houses. Many companies have thrown their hats into the arena in producing the best NAS for home and business and a popular brand in computer hardware is ASUS, and their popular NAS brand, ASUSTOR.
Who are ASUSTOR NAS and what makes them the best NAS brand for me?
Founded in 2011, ASUSTOR Inc. was established via direct investment from ASUS. The ASUSTOR brand name was created as a portmanteau of “ASUS” and “Storage”. ASUSTOR is a leading innovator and provider of private cloud storage (network attached storage) and video surveillance (network video recorder) solutions, also specializing in the development and integration of related firmware, hardware and applications. We are devoted to providing the world with unparalleled user experiences and the most complete set of network storage solutions possible. Below I have highlighted a number of their most popular NAS servers and their target audience. So whether you are looking for an ASUSTOR NAS for your small home needs of streaming media via DLNA to your console or smart TV, a mid range NAS for a Plex Media Server or even a much higher end Enterprise NAS for VMare and Surveillance NAS needs, ASUSTOR have the solution for you.
Best Budget ASUSTOR NAS for DLNA, Apple Time Machine and File Access
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Best Budget 2-BAY NAS
The Asustor AS1002T |
Featuring just a Marvell ARMADA-385 1GHz (Dual-Core) Processor and 512MB of RAM, many may overlook this NAS as a bit of a weakling. Don’t be fooled. At just over £130/$175 (without the HDDs) it is easily one of the lowest cost NAS units available.
It includes a hardware encryption engine to keep your data safe as needed, RAID support to keep your data safe from hardware failure, the ASUSTOR NAS operating system included at no additional cost, tooless HDD installation and low power and noise levels so the unit is both discreet and hidden as required. Definitely a steal at this price |
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Best Budget 4-BAY NAS
The Asustor AS1004T |
Like the 2-Bay above, it arrives with the Marvell ARMADA-385 1GHz (Dual-Core) Processor and 512MB of RAM, One of the lowest prices 4 Bay RAID enabled NAS servers available at just over £230 pounds (or $250 dollars, which surprised me at the closeness of those numbers) this is a great NAS for those wanting a DLNA supported, Apple Time Machine and iTunes backed NAS Server
Like the 2-Bay already featured, this NAS includes a hardware encryption engine to keep your data safe as needed, RAID support all the way upto RAID 5, RAID 6 and RAID 10 to keep your data safe from hardware failure whilst maintaining higher capacity options. A lighter, cleaner ASUSTOR NAS operating system included at no additional cost too, this is the ASUSTOR NAS for those looking for a good balance of Storage vs Price vs Safety. |
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The Best ASUSTOR NAS for Mid-Range use such as PLEX and NAS Surveillance
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Best Mid-Range 2-BAY NAS for Plex, 4K, HDMI
The Asustor AS3202T |
Now we begin to look at the NAS Server devices that are made for more than low/small file level use. The ASUSTOR AS3202T is a 2-Bay NAS that is designed for those that want a stable, solid and reliable NAS platform for on-going NAS services that go on 24/7. Those requiring a solid Plex Media Server NAS that can transcode HD (though may struggle a little at 1080P media in high density files like .MKV and .MOV), this si the compact 2-Bay NAS for you.
However for those looking for native 4K media Playback as well as a remote control, HDMI media output for local media play to your TV or monitor, Hardware media transocding and an all round high standard of home multimedia support – this ASUSTOR NAS is the choice for you! |
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Best Mid-Range 2-BAY NAS for Plex, Transcoding, AES-NI Encryption, Surveillance
The Asustor AS6202T |
Now moving up from the ASUSTOR AS3202T, we can look at it’s bigger brother – bigger in everyway! Featuring a higher power CPU in Quad-Core, twice the memory at 4GB of DDR3 (that can be upgraded to 8GB), 4K HDMI 1.4b, eSATA, USB 3.0, Dual LAN, S/PDIF Audio and that is just the start.
Moving towards the software, this 2-bay can run the very latest version of the free and included NAS operating System ASM seamlessly, it transcodes HD media via PLEX beautifully, can support multiple IP cameras and arrives with 3 years of manufacturers warranty. If yo uare looking for the most powerful 2-Bay ASUSTOR NAS server available, look no further. |
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Best Mid-Range 4-BAY NAS for Plex, RAID 5, AES-NI Encryption, LCD, Surveillance
The Asustor AS6204T |
Now we look at the big sister of the AS6202T but in 4-Bay NAS form. The ASUSTOR AS6204T is a 4x HDD/SSD NAS that like it’s brother features the higher power INTEL CPU in Quad-Core, 4GB of DDR3 (that can be upgraded to 8GB), 4K HDMI 1.4b, eSATA, USB 3.0, Dual LAN, S/PDIF Audio too. As well as this the unit supports the very latest 10TB drives – giving you a potential 40TBH of storage before RAID.
Moving towards the software again, this too can run the very latest version of the free and included NAS operating System ASM seamlessly, transcoding both in and outside of PLEX beautifully.However this si more than a slighter larger version of the AS6202T. This NAS arrives with a few extra enterprise options along with it’s larger storage capacity and an LCD screen front mounted on the device to give you realtime information on the health and environment of your NAS Server. The very best ASUSTOR NAS for those looking for power but need to save a few quid. |
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The Best ASUSTOR NAS for Enterprise, VMware, Windows ACL and Surveillance Systems
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Best Business 4-BAY NAS for Enterprise Applications, High level Access, VMware, Citrix, Surveillance
The Asustor AS7004T |
Time to bring on the big guns. For business of Prosumer users that need a NAS Server than can stand up to much of the tasks being required on a daily basis in an increasingly digital enterprise world, the AS7004T is by far one of the best compact, stable and controlled business NAS devices from ASUSTOR NAS. Arriving with a Dual Core i3 Intel CPU, 2GB of DDR3 memory that can be expanded all the way upto 16gb, AES-NI encryption options and a wide variety of RAID configurations to escalate through – This device is the ASUSTOR NAS for users that to upgrade and scale up their NAS needs as the years go on.
The unit arrives with everything from USB 3.0, dual LAN and eSATA to HDMI 1.4b and S/PIDF to give you a multitude of ways to expand and adapt this ASUTOR NAS server to your needs. Available from around £820 or $999. |
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Best Business 8-BAY 10GBe Ready NAS for Enterprise Tasks, Fast File Access, VMware, Citrix, NAS Surveillance
The Asustor AS7008T |
Hot on the heels of the ASUSTOR AS7004T comes to bigger and better 8-Bay model. The ASUSTOR AS7008T NAS is the Intel i3 enabled NAS for those looking for both power and size, but want still want access to both business and home media options. This 8-Bay arrives 10GBe ready, meaning that with the installation of a 10GBe ready NAS card (sold separately) you can quite easily be accessing it’s contents via a blisteringly fast 10Gigabit ethernet connection (providing your home or office has it installed of course).
Like the 4-Bay, this unit arrives with expandable RAM, multiple RAID options (across 8 Bays however), front mounted realtime LCD panel, a plethora of connections on the rear. However this unit also supports SMB 2.0 which ASUSTOR claim will reduce network traffic on the NAS which in turn will provide greater data transfers for all users in a windows network setup by upto 30-50%. It is available now at around £1,100 or $1,526 without HDD drives (which this unit supports upto 10TB per drive). |
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Best Prosumer 10-BAY 10GBe Ready NAS for Enterprise Tasks, ACL Support, VMware, Citrix, Azure, NAS Surveillance
The Asustor AS7010T |
The last and BIGGEST Enterprise Desktop NAS Server wie need to highlight today is the ASUSTOR AS7010T NAS server. This ASUSTOR NAS takes lessons and highlights from the entire ASUSTOR range from 2 to 12 Bays and includes them all in this premium and large scale desktop NAS. You need it? this unit has it. RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 – Yes. Windows ACL Support – Yes. 10GBe Expandability – Yes. SMB 2.0 Support – Yes! Optimised cooling – Yep! Multimedia NAS playback over HDMI, Plex, Natively – You bet! 4K Media Playback – of course!
This Intel i3 CPU NAS from ASUSTOR is the biggest and best of their desktop NAS series and definitely the one to go for if your NAS needs are high and ASUSTOR is the brand for you! |
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