It's been a while for an update here, but I promise I've got a lot of stuff coming up for review here, including Xbox360 games now as well. We've got accessories, coolers and games up for review. Life though sometimes interferes with our plans to do much of anything and that's what's going on lately, my life is just a bit hectic especially with the holidays. So stay tuned for more good stuff from us...

Network Attached Storage or NAS boxes are the future of storage. Personally I don't even really use external hard drive anymore for my backups in favor of a NAS box or two. NAS boxes are just so much more useful, you can do much more than backup files. They can easily replace an external portable hard drive since you can connect right from the internet to get your files if need be. With a NAS you don't have to take anything with you, just connect remotely to access your files. NAS boxes are much more than that though, they can be used as a webserver, FTP server, and even a media server. The majority of them out there are very easy to setup and pretty much everyone with any level of computer knowledge will be able to access and share files via the NAS web interface. I love my NAS boxes, they allow me to access my files from virtually anywhere in the world. They also let me share my pictures etc with everyone on my network and eve my friends across the country or the world. With a NAS box I now don't have to worry about file size limitation for emails, if someone needs to send me a file or press kit or whatever they can just access my NAS and upload it directly to me.

It's been a while since any of Thecus products have graced our site, but today I've got one of their newest ones the N2200. It's a two bay NAS box that can use both 2.5” and 3.5” hard drives. The designed is different than other Thecus products I've reviewed before, it's aesthetically pleasing, it's got small size and it's easy to use. The N2200 can be plenty of things for you like a webserver, ftp server, iTunes server, standard media server and several more things as well. It's a feature rich product that not only looks great but performs fairly well. So read on to learn more and see how it compares to my Seagate BlackArmor NAS220 box...

Product Name: Thecus N2200

Author: Kristofer Brozio

Sponsor: Thecus

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

N2200

Feature:

*

Status At-a-Glance

How is your NAS doing today? With its colorful liquid crystal display, you can monitor your N2200 at all times simply by looking at the intuitive status icons.

*Easy to Set Up, Easy to Use

Network Attached Storage (NAS) is an IP storage device connected to a computer network. The advantages of Thecus NAS are to provide data storage management with protection

and file sharing functions to other devices across the network. NAS offers other diverse applications and features. High tech shouldn’t mean high difficulty. The N2200 can be set up

and installed in a snap and even features Thecus’ brand-new AJAX-based web interface for complete ease-of-use. One-click USB copy button allows effortless and instant file transfer

from external USB disk to N2200.

*

Enterprise-Class Data Protection At Home

With RAID 0, 1, and JBOD, you can choose the level of speed and protection you want from the N2200. And with auto-rebuild and hot swapping, changing hard disks couldn’t be

easier. To backup your data, Thecus’ backup utility and Nsync remote replication are also included.

*

Rich and Friendly Multimedia Features

Designed for home use, the N2200 packs some useful features under the hood, including an iTunes server, a photo web server, and a media server (DLNA/uPnP compatiable). Sony's

Playstation 3TM and other DLNA certified digital media players can automatically discover and stream content instantly from the N2200. The most praised download manager (with

http, FTP, BT, and eMule download features) on the N2200 brings low power and stable downloading instead of using regular PC. You can even use the N2200 as a simple surveillance

server by plugging in a compatible USB web cam or IP cam!

*

Quietly Saving Money

As low as 11w, leaving it on 24/7 does not cost much at all. A perfect replacement for PC right at home. Its intelligent power-saving design means lower overall operating costs.

Saving money and green storage server for the planet. What’s more, with system fan that automatically spins down when the system is idle, the N2200 is a quiet worker. It is so

silent that you won’t notice its presence.

Storage leader Thecus® Technology has been making technology accessible to as many people as possible through smart design and friendly features. Beginning with the classic

N2100, Thecus® has made it possible for NAS technology to find its way into the mainstream. Today, Thecus is pleased to introduce the N2200 NAS Server, our friendliest, most

affordable two-bay NAS yet.

The N2200 is ideal for storing your entire collection of digital media. With capacity for two 3.5” SATA hard disks, the N2200 can easily accommodate up to 4TB of storage. For added

flexibility, the N2200 is equipped with combo disk bays, which means it can also accommodate 2.5” SATA hard disks! To keep your data safe, the N2200 also offers several RAID

modes including RAID 0, 1 and JBOD. If you need to change out your hard disks, the N2200’s hot swap, hot plug, and auto-rebuild capabilities make swapping out hard disks a snap.

Wondering how your N2200 is doing? Get system status updates at-a-glance with the N2200’s easy-to-read LCD, which displays intuitive icons to show you system information

including hard drive access, LAN connectivity, and USB copy status. And because high tech shouldn’t mean high difficulty, the N2200 even comes with a handy Thecus® Smart Utility

that not only backs up your files, but also allows you to install the N2200 with a single click! Managing your own NAS server just doesn’t get easier than this.

But the N2200 is a lot more than mere storage – it also comes with a bevy of friendly features to make it the center of your digital lifestyle. Included with the N2200 is an upgraded

Download Manager, which not only supports HTTP and FTP downloads, but also BitTorrent and eMule as well! With the new download manager, the N2200 can handle virtually all of

your downloads for you during off-peak hours, allowing you to save bandwidth during the day. New to the N2200 is dual cam support, which enables you to connect both IP cams and

USB webcams to it to assemble your very own simple surveillance server. In addition to this, the N2200 comes with full multimedia support, with an iTunes server, Photo Web

Server, and even media streaming via uPNP, making it a wonderful addition to the living room. The N2200 is also very energy efficient, consuming considerably less power than a

full on PC, and operates super-silently so you won’t even know it’s there. Best of all, the N2200 brings all of these great features in a very affordable package.

“The N2200 breaks new ground in the two-bay value NAS segment with its terrific features and ease-of-use,” said Thecus® General Manager Florence Shih. “This is a great unit for

first-time users to experience the fun and convenience of Thecus® NAS technology.”

Specification:

1.Hardware Platform:

Processor: SOC

LAN Interface: RJ-45x1 : 10/100/1000 BASE-TX Auto MDI/MDI-X

LCD Display indicator:

(Color icon)

# HDD1 Power, Activity/Fail

# HDD2 Power, Activity/Fail

# LAN_WAN (Activity)

# USB_COPY_Busy

# USB_COPY_ Fail

LED indicator: System Power On LED (Blue)

Power adapter: External power adapter 12v/5A 60w

Disk interface: SATA I/II 3.5 “ HDD x2 or SATA 2.5” X2

USB Interface: USB 2.0 host port x4(Front x1, Back x3) (A Type)

Thermal/Fan control: Temperature controlled system FAN speed

Real-time clock: Battery backup system clock

Buttons:

# System Power On button

# Reset to factory default button

# USB Copy button

Chassis: Metal Chassis

2. Software Functions

RAID modes: RAID 0, 1, JBOD

Auto-rebuild

Supported: Hot-swap

Supported:

Disk Power management

Spins down while idle time setup

S.M.A.R.T Info

Network Configuration: Fixed IP Address, Dynamic IP Address,IP sharing mode

Transport Protocols: TCP/IP/ Appletalk

File Protocols: SMB/CIFS, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, NFS, AFP

Services:

DHCP Client

Wireless LAN

802.11b/g (AP mode) supported by USB Dongle

Client OS support

# Windows 7/2000/XP/2003/Vista

# UNIX/Linux

# Mac OS 9 / X above

WebDisk

Web-based file access

FTP

Build in FTP Server with bandwidth control

Download Manager

HTTP / FTP / BT / eMule

Printer Server (IPP)

# Supports USB printers

# Supports IPP various printers

# Client can manage print tasks(List/ Delete) via WEB user interface

Data Backup

USB copy via color LCD operate

Copy USB Mass storage device contents to specified location to NAS

NAS data backup to external USB disk

Incremental with schedule supported

(Smart Utility)

Client side backup software

Instant USB Backup

Bi-Directional USB Copy