CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 10/21/2008
It's fitting that the single-volume QNAP TS-109 Pro II features an enclosure with rounded corners because this network-attached storage drive also features a well-rounded feature set. Not only is it one of a few NAS devices we've reviewed that supports IP surveillance cameras, but it's also the first that can directly download content from Web sites that require authentication. The device covers NAS basics, too, in its capability to operate as an FTP file server, DNLA media server, iTunes server, or print server. We found each of the features easy to set up and use. In general, we found the QNAP TS-109 Pro II to be an able (and quiet) performer.
The downside? In addition to a rather lengthy initial setup procedure, the device doesn't support external drives formatted in NTFS. And the long list of features comes at a bit of a premium. At roughly $320 without a hard drive, the TS-109 Pro II costs about $30 more than the similarly outfitted Synology DS107+ and more than $100 over the somewhat more basic D-Link DNS-323. Nonetheless, we think the QNAP TS-109 Pro II is worth the money if you will take advantage of its expanded feature set.
Design and setup
Out of the box, the TS-109 Pro II comes without a hard drive, which is typical of many NAS servers. What's unusual, however, is the time-consuming--though not difficult--installation required to install a hard drive. It took us about 5 minutes and a lot of screwdriver work. When we got a 1TB 3.5-inch hard drive assembled, we found out that the next step took even longer: getting the hard drive set up as the internal storage of the NAS.
The process involved installing the firmware and getting the hard drive "ready." Both were easy; we followed the Quick Installation Wizard's instructions and used the included QNAP Finder software utility. The application took a few minutes to install the firmware from the bundled CD on the hard drive and then more than an hour to prepare the hard drive, presumably formatting it using EXT3 file system. This is by far the longest time for the single-volume NAS server. To put this in context, the Zyxel NSA-220 took around 5 minutes to set up its hard drives into a RAID configuration. Other than the amount of time required, the QNAP's setup process was easy thanks to its well-written software and clear instructions.
We like the look and the overall design of the TS-109 Pro II. Its has an eSATA port and three USB 2.0 ports that support printers and external hard drives. One of the USB ports is located on the front of the device and also works as a quick copy function where you can copy the entire contents of a USB thumbdrive onto the NAS server.
The TS-109 Pro II, however, doesn't support external hard drives formatted in the NTFS file system at all--it won't even read them, let alone write to them. It supports only FAT32 and EXT3 (Linux) file formats, a huge shortcoming because most large external hard drives are formatted in NTFS. This means you can't quickly plug one into the NAS to share content.
Other than the QNAP Finder, the included software includes QGet, a download management utility, and Net Replicator, a very simple backup software that worked much like how you would copy data using Windows Explorer, plus the capability to automate and schedule the job. If you want any other backup functions, such as the capability to make incremental backups, you will need to get a third-party backup application.
Features
The QNAP TS-109 Pro II comes with a long list of features, including familiar NAS functions that let you use the device as an FTP server, a DNLA media server, an iTunes server, and a print server that supports up to three printers. We tried each feature out, and it worked as intended, with simple and straightforward setup and use via Web-based management. What impressed us the most was the TS-109 Pro II's Download Station and Surveillance Station features. While these two features are not exclusive to the QNAP TS-109 Pro II, they are very well done.
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