QNAP TS-451 4-Bay Personal Cloud NAS Overview

Home cloud storage has become more popular over the past few years, especially with the increased use of wireless devices in the home. When looking for wireless storage options, its often best to keep an eye on the different products on the market. One such product is the 4-Bay Personal Cloud NAS.

Specs
Dimensions: 6.97" x 7.09" x 9.25"
Weight: 6.61 lbs
Power Consumption: 31.07 W
Processor: 2.41 GHz Intel Celeron Processor
RAM: 1GB DDR3L RAM
Ports: USB 3.0 Ports, 2 USB 2.0 Ports, 2 Gigabit LAN Inputs, and 1 HDMI Port
Capacity: 4 Hard Drives

QNAP TS-451 4-Bay Personal Cloud NAS, Intel 2.41GHz Dual Core CPU with Media Transcoding (TS-451-US)

List Price: $449.00

Price: $454.99

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Design and construction

As you might expect from any given storage device, the TS-451 isn't really much to look at. Meant for homes or small businesses, it's all about functionality - something that most consumers will appreciate, even if they tend to keep the device out of sight. Boasting four hard drive bays (3.5 and 2.5 SATA II/III HDD and 2.5 SATA II/III SSD compatible), it's got room to store about 20 terabytes of data (or sixty, with the expansion).

As a tower, the unit is quite stable and able to stand up to daily use. While the simple color scheme and plastic construction certainly don't place it at home with some of the higher-tech storage devices out there, it's a fine design for those who are looking to have cloud storage available at home or in a small business setting.

Features

As with most storage devices, it is the features that make the T2-451 stand out from the competition. Working on the QTS 4.1 OS, the system is accessible through a web interface and fairly easy to use even for inexperienced consumers. The device also features faster-than-advertised access speeds, a rare HDMI out that allows for high-quality media play, and a fairly simple architecture that will allow most users to upgrade the device as they see fit.

Pros

Most buyers of the QNAP TS-451 4-Bay Personal Cloud NAS are quite happy with their purchase - most cite the quick set-up and ease of use as major selling points, but there are a few other pros that tend to stand out with the machine. As mentioned above, transfer rates are fairly high for the price point, and most users are quite happy to see that they're getting a little more than what they had assumed they were paying for. The machine itself is also relatively quiet, especially compared to its peers, making it ideal for use in a home. Finally, the inclusion for the HDMI port for media play might not be a selling point for the device, but it certainly is a feature with which many buyers have found themselves quite happy.

Cons

The QNAP TS-451 4-Bay Personal Cloud NAS isn't quite a perfect device, though it does seem that most consumer ratings are quite high for the product. One of the major complaints about the device is that the construction simply seems cheap - the plastic is a bit flimsy, and it simply doesn't seem like it is on par with many of its competitors. A slew of other issues have been mentioned, but they're far from widespread - there are reported issues with app synching and limited, though troubling, reports of problems with the USB ports. There have also been issues regarding the software and its utility on mobile devices - not widespread, again, but important to note.

So, what the verdict on the QNAP TS-451 4-Bay Personal Cloud NAS?

It's a good, but not perfect, system. It's more suitable for small businesses and homes than large businesses, and those with an incredible amount of data storage needs might need to look for something robust. With that said, transfer rates are quick and the device holds up to standard use, so most consumers will be happy with the product.