Switching from a Thecus NAS(N2520) to a QNAP TS-464, I immediately noticed the difference of a mature software ecosystem that provides a pleasant experience for addressing various needs, plis the Speed Difference for any task.
One of these needs was, of course, photo storage, which, before purchasing the NAS, had been done by simply storing photos in a folder on the NAS, without using any dedicated apps for the phone or NAS.
I installed two SSDs for caching—either for read cache or Qtier, which enables advanced management and provides a speed boost in certain situations. I tested both options and preferred the SSD longevity offered by the Qtier setup.
And another first upgrade was replaceing the 4 GB RAM with 2 , 8 GB sticks from Crucial, in order to have a good experience with Virtual Boxes and Ubuntu Station.
My first test was with Photo Station, which seemed interesting, but Qumagie turned out to be the best option for setting up a personal cloud system for photos. It allows you to search for a person across multiple pictures and manage everything in a secure, personal way.
Since I also have many video clips in my archive, they can be viewed on a monitor or TV in various ways: directly via HDMI or using apps like PLEX or Qumagie. (I tested it on a Samsung Smart TV, which didn’t have the Qumagie app, but on a personal system with a Mi Box Xiaomi and a non-smart TV, both apps could be installed without issues.)
Currently, the NAS has become the host for an operating system (Lubuntu) that I use frequently for virtual station purposes. Additionally, when needed, Ubuntu Station can be quickly started to use the Ubuntu operating system. Searching for photos is quick, thanks to Qumagie on my smartphone, and if I want to upload pictures taken with my phone, I can use either Qfile Pro or Qumagie.
The final upgrade for the NAS was to include an expansion card (QM-2P-244A), in order to add 2 more SSD, for making a fast storage area and putting Apps on that storage space.
I’ve taken intro consideration to reinitialize the whole NAS unit from scratch in order to put the OS on SSD, but takes to much time, and it’s a some time in the future plan.
Would be nice if QNAP make an application for transfering the OS from HDD RAID to SSD RAID, and the system would not need reinitialization
Other pleasant experiences include:
- Qnotes , which is very similar to apps from other providers and allows you to manage documents, lists, and more. The main advantage is that everything is stored on personal storage.
- Qsirch , which can search multiple file formats and documents in a short amount of time, thanks to its well-optimized search algorithm.
This was a pleasant story with the QNAP TS-464 NAS. However, the next one is not as enjoyable.
The main character here is a TS-230 NAS,bought for data backup from smartphone storage, whose key advantage is it`s low power consumption, thanks to its ARM Realtek CPU. It’s ideal for normal users who don’t need many applications or advanced features.
In my case, it was used for data storage, a simple and undemanding task. However, it began to have physical issues after only two years. Sometimes, it would no longer appear on the network, even though it was connected to the internet and could be accessed via TeamViewer. After a final update in the fall of 2024, it could no longer boot, effectively becoming a “brick.”
I tried various troubleshooting steps, such as reinstalling the operating system, but to no avail. In the end, I gave up on it due to its “brick” status, being out of warranty, and the high repair costs.
Maybe in the future, I’ll try to experiment with recovering the unit if I have the time and motivation.
Until then, the TS-464 remains a clear recommendation for any user looking for a NAS with decent specifications and very well-designed software.