Andrews Reviews

Contents

Connectivity

Build

The build quality of the TS-453mini is nothing short of excellent and continues the same quality introduced by QNAP on earlier models. The whole unit feels very sturdy and well-constructed in hand. The main body of the unit is gloss black set upon a matt black base. The bottom of the NAS box has rubber grommets that act as feet to reduce vibration and also as a stable stand for the NAS.
One of the key features of the TS-453mini is the vertical design. There are four bays (all hot-swappable) that slide in and out vertically. The lid of the unit clips on magnetically and works really well. The magnets are very powerful and the lid forcibly clips on when close enough.

What I like about this is that it is particularly easy to upgrade the RAM. Under the base of the unit is a small compartment locked with a single screw. Once opened it is a simple job to replace/upgrade the ram. Adjacent to this is the air intake to keep the hardware cool.
Extra RAM really does make this unit shine. It's no slow coach with 2GB but if you are deploying it into an SMB or thinking of streaming multiple HD streams around the house etc. then I'd really be more comfortable with the extra overhead a RAM upgrade brings. It also helps you get the best from one of the key features of this unit, virtualisation.

In addition to all of this you can expand the capacity of the TS-453mini using the 5 or 8 bay expansion modules (UX-500P/800P). This potentially gives you up to 12 bays with a max raw capacity of 96 Tb's. Not only is that insane but it should mean your investment stays relevant and grows and adapts with you as your business (or home movie library) expands!

Setup and features

As I have said before the QTS software is the real jewel in the crown here. The QNAP TS-453mini is really easy to setup. First plug the NAS into your network, and point your browser at http://start.qnap.com . This will run you through initialisation and setup. From there you can use the code on the top of your NAS to quickly and easily set up cloud services using the myQNAP cloud service that tie in with the mobile apps for access on the go. Alternatively if you download and install the Qfinder app on your PC you can get started there.

After loading the latest firmware (which you can easily find and download from the website), you get prompted to choose how you want the hard drives to be setup. The TS-453 mini supports single disk configurations, as well as JBOD, RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and 5+ hot spare - all of which are easy to set up under the Disk Management tab. They also give a simple description of what the configurations mean. Like many other NAS devices, the QNAP TS-453mini comes with data backup software called QNAP NetBack Replicator and real time data sync across many clients and services like Dropbox, this is called QSync. This works really well and has many options that should suit all backup needs.

The latest iteration of the software, V4.1.4, further enhances an already well stocked feature set and providing new added value features for business users and is the jewel in the crown here. The importance of the software cannot be emphasised enough and QNAP have taken huge strides with theirs. Anyone can make hardware, but it’s the user

 experience through the software that counts and the one provided by QNAP is world class.
The TS-453mini supports SMB/CIFS,NFS and AFP protocols for file sharing across practically any network. The TS-453mini is OS agnostic and works well in any environment and sports FTP/WEB and Printer servers making it a flexible and versatile solution for SOHO/SMB deployments.

An APP for everything

Of special note is the myCloudNAS service that simplifies the process of publishing contents in the Turbo NAS over the Internet. The TS-453mini comes with a code on it for easy setup of this service but using the web-based interface is also straightforward. It provides a web-based portal for file management and access, and supports backing up important data from the Turbo NAS to other cloud storage providers such as Amazon S3, ElephantDrive, and Symform. This is a great feature which allows a business or end user to deploy backups to the cloud. Providing fantastic redundancy against loss/theft/fire etc.

The good thing about QNAP is that they are always innovating and creating app's or features to cater for as many people as possible. Chances are that if there's something you'd like they have already thought of it and implemented it.

One such feature is QSirch. As the name suggests it is a search feature and is something that is often overlooked or poorly implemented. After using this for a while I'm surprised just how handy and intuitive it is and find myself relying on it whilst inside my NAS. A bit like Google search for your NAS you can assign user's specific access if necessary so they only get results based on their permissions which is great for system admins and provides employee's a secure and powerful search portal.

As I've noted throughout the review the TS-453mini is that powerful that to simply call it a NAS would do it a disservice. With a small RAM upgrade and utilising the built in hdmi cable the 453 mini features a number of technologies and capabilities that allow you to essentially run it as a pc. We've covered the impressive HDStation feature before which includes KODI and Chrome to name a few key apps but what's interesting is that the cpu is powerful enough to transcode most media on the fly. This is tremendous, as using the Plex app for example you can stream your Blu-ray rip to your iPad without having to convert it first. You can also do offline transcoding, essentially preparing videos for later playback.

So how do you use the TS-453mini as a fully fledged pc? The TS-453mini features an exciting little app called Virtualisation Station and I unashamedly get very excited about this app. In a nutshell it leverages VM integration, multimedia transcoding and a HDMI connection to allow you to run multiple Virtual Machines (VM). You can then access these via your TV in the home or remotely etc.

To do so I would really recommend upgrading the RAM. You need at least 4GB to use the feature but I'd go for 8GB as VM's can use a lot of RAM. You'll also need to make use of that second Ethernet port. From there the world is yours. Want to run Windows 10 as part of their insider programme? Done! Maybe Android as a test environment? Done!

The Surveillance Station Pro supports over a thousand IP Camera’s, and is compatible with ONVIF/PSIA specifications. Administrators can purchase additional licenses to increase the number of channels based on their surveillance needs. iOS® and Android™ users can install the VMobile app to monitor the surveillance channels anytime and anywhere with the functions of camera live view, motion-detection recording, PTZ control, instant event notifications, video snapshot, and advanced playback and search functions. I fitted a TRENDnet cloud camera to my network which ran flawlessly.

I could write hundreds of pages covering every available app and feature but the best thing to do is to give the system a whirl for yourself and see how you find it. QNAP helpfully provide a live demo found HERE that allows you to do just that. It's a very good tool and one I would recommend anyone tries first.

Go mobile

In an increasingly mobile world dominated by the smart phone and ubiquitous 'App' more and more people demand access to their information on the go.  Key to providing a one stop solution for a home network or business is the flexibility to allow users to access their content whilst on the go.

To that end QNAP have updated their mobile apps for iOS and Android to allow people to access their content on the go.  QNAP is one of the only vendors providing high quality apps that work, and work well with their NAS.  Mobile apps are reshaping how and when we consume information and QNAP provide a range of apps to do it.

And what is refreshing here is the recent release of Qfile on Windows Phone making QNAP one of the few NAS vendors to offer a fresh new app.

You can find our article on the HD Station HERE but suffice to say that combined with the hardware smarts the 453 mini brings it is truly a capable htpc.  There in lies much more value to this unit.  The built in KODI app handled everything I threw at, whilst Plex had no problems transcoding on the fly.

Qfile

A straightforward and practical app to access and manage your files on the go.

Using the Qfile app you can access your files and retrieve them for offline viewing within your device. You can also upload from your device and share files by creating a download link that you can then email or share via text. I found it to be really quick and easy. Why would you ever want to use dropbox again!

Qmanager

Benchmarks