Upgrading storage systems offer greater storage capacity and enables you to enhance system security, shareability, and performance with a centralized configuration. A NAS device helps you access shared data efficiently.
Do you want to invest in a trusted NAS brand? If yes, look no further than QNAP. Don’t worry if you don’t know much about this brand, as this guide presents a comprehensive discussion on QNAP NAS. Let’s get started.
Part 1. What is QNAP NAS?
In case you don’t know, NAS is the shorter version of Network Attached Storage. A NAS device can store, manage, and share your data with users connected to a local network or the internet. Due to higher flexibility and scalability, you can increase the storage capacity of NAS devices, keeping your requirements in mind.
As far as QNAP is concerned, it is a short form for Quality Network Appliance Provider. It is a reputed company known for offering unmatchable network-attached storage devices. QNAP has won several awards in this domain, making it a more trustworthy NAS partner. With beautiful and compact hardware architecture, this company offers QNAP NAS appliances for every budget and need.
How Does QNAP NAS Work?
The working principle of QNAP NAS is simple. It provides you and all users with remote access to shared data, file synchronization, file sharing, and enough storage for creating data backups. In simple words, you can say that NAS is like a computer that remains easily accessible for various users (connected to a network) at once.
The best thing about the QNAP NAS working principle is that you don’t need to have any specific knowledge as a user. Interestingly, QNAP NAS is easy to set up. Quick access makes it easy to transfer large files or back them up from different computers simultaneously. Moreover, it supports storage of up to 20 TBs in one location.
Key Features of QNAP NAS
A network-attached storage device is different from a traditional hard drive. The three main features of a QNAP NAS are as follows.
1. Big Data Storage Capacity
QNAP storage allows you to store massive data files of up to a couple of terabytes, as stated earlier. Creating data backups is easy, smooth, and quick at the same time.
2. Makes It Easy to Access Data Remotely
Apart from storing huge files in a central location, QNAP NAS allows multiple users to access the shared data wirelessly. This is the perfect solution to share tasks with your colleagues or team members.
3. Allows You to Share Resources
Sharing different resources, like scanners or printers, across various users is another top feature of QNAP NAS storage technology.
You may also be interested in: Backup QNAP NAS to Cloud
Performance of QNAP NAS
QNAP NAS storage produced high-quality outcomes upon testing its performance. To check the performance of QNAP NAS, we used a 10 GB folder containing documents, images, videos, and music files. Choosing a mix of multiple files was to verify this tool’s read/write performance.
User Reviews for QNAP NAS
The user reviews tell the truth associated with any product or service. This is why you must go through the users’ feedback before investing a single penny anywhere. The same is the case with QNAP NAS.
As far as the online user reviews for these NAS devices are concerned, you will find mixed responses on different platforms. Many users are pleased and seem satisfied with the overall performance of QNAP storage, just as claimed on its official website. On the other hand, some users seem unhappy with what this device has provided them.
The below table presents reviews from four different users.
| A user review on TrustRadius | “We use it for file sharing, but the first reason is for backup. We have many installations, even in the data center of our cloud provider. For backup Virtual Machine (usually snapshot) and for our Oracle and SQL Server production databases. We use Smb, NFS, i-SCSI directly attached to the machine (for disk quorum cluster), and so far nothing to complain about.” |
| A user’s feedback on Quora | “Like most purchase decisions, it depends what you want to do and how experienced you are. Synology has a great user interface/operating system. It is intuitive, constantly being upgraded and expanded, and is fundamentally easy to use. QNAP tends to have higher performance hardware choices, and features such as video ports on their boxes. I personally have chosen to use Synology and have more than 10 units in production around the world.” |
| A user review on G2 | “The drives are easy to mount, and it only takes minutes to get it functional. There are also many apps, and they cover anything I would want to do. It seems to be robust in comparison to other NAS.” |
| A user’s feedback on Trustpilot | “I've had a QNAP NAS for about 4 years and it's utterly woeful. When I want to watch something on Plex there's now a 70% chance it won't work because there's an issue with QNAP. Then there's the condescending support to boot (when it finally comes through). I wish I hadn't bought their hardware - take my advice and avoid it at all costs.” |
Part 2. Why Do You Need a QNAP NAS?
Hundreds of companies offer a variety of NAS devices. Then, why should you choose QNAP NAS? Is this what you have in mind right now? If yes, continue reading to get a detailed answer to this query.
Target Users of QNAP NAS
The people who use PCs, Macs, mobile devices, QNAP web interface, or iQDrive’s website are the target users of QNAP NAS storage. As a user, you can access your QNAP file in multiple ways, as listed below.
- Via iQDrive app on your mobile phone
- Via network drive on Mac or PC
- Using the official website of iQDrive
- By logging into the QNAP web interface account
Apart from the above-listed ways, you can also access QNAP files with FTP from anywhere in the world if your QNAP is in operation.
Purpose of QNAP NAS
As mentioned earlier, QNAP NAS devices have three major purposes, including accessing files, sharing data, and creating data backups. You get the option to store your data on the network and access it remotely from all devices at once. All the data is stored in a single location, so accessing it becomes super easy than traditional storage approaches.
Since QNAP NAS storage devices offer redundancy, they are helpful in backing up your files. This redundancy plays a key role when recovering data once you lose it.
What Features Make a QNAP NAS Unique?
Unlike simple hard drives, QNAP NAS offers dual functionality. It assists you in storing vast amounts of data and gives you complete control over accessing the stored data on multiple devices simultaneously. When you keep all the data in a central location, your team members can easily access it anytime.
Advantages of Using a QNAP NAS
Below is a list of the top 5 benefits of a QNAP NAS storage device.
1. Increased Response Time
A QNAP NAS gateway, when set up on the LAN, can enhance response and access time for time-sensitive apps, e.g., IoT device monitoring and database transactions.
2. Easy Functioning
As soon as you set up QNAP NAS on the LAN, clients will use standard protocols (CIFS/SMB) for accessing supported cloud services. You don’t need to install any application, and no plugin is required for the client side. This feature makes QNAP NAS user-friendly.
3. Saves Bandwidth
When you use QNAP NAS, it handles all downloads and uploads on the client side instead of pressuring the cloud server. The QNAP gateway also expedites the upload requests to make the cloud available for users.
4. Saves Money
You can reduce the amount of data you wish to download and the space you use. As a result, the cost of overall cloud computing gets reduced greatly.
5. QTS Ecosystems
The QTS app environment provides QNAP with a range of flexible features for different purposes. You can use a QNAP NAS as a lightweight interference and machine learning server to enhance the efficiency of the hybrid cloud setup.
Part 3. Bonus Tip: How to Choose a QNAP NAS to Meet Your Requirements?
Are you worried about selecting the right QNAP NAS storage device to get the desired outcomes? If yes, make sure you carefully read the below discussion.
QNAP has introduced a huge selection of NAS appliances for different users, like organizations, small companies, IT professionals, and home users. Selecting the right model from a long list is a tough nut to crack. This section presents a detailed buying guide to help you select the right QNAP NAS device.
Processor
Both AMD and Intel offer x86-64 architecture-based CPUs. You can get ARM CPUs from AnnapurnaLabs, Realtek, and Marvell. Always select a 64-bit system to get improved performance. Importantly, ARM processors are cost-effective and consume less electricity.
Form Factor
Three kinds of form factors are offered by QNAP NAS. Let’s look at them all.
- Tower: These devices are considered ideal for home, data centers, or workplace uses. For example, you can place a NAS device on a shelf, table, or any other location you want.
- Set-Top: These devices are portable, less expensive, and small, which is why they are perfect for home usage.
- Rackmount: You will often see this form factor in NAS devices in corporate sectors. It gives an amazing performance.
Ethernet Ports
You can employ port trunking if your QNAP NAS device has two or more Ethernet ports. It enhances bandwidth and improves speed when multiple hosts transmit data files from/to your NAS. You can create one logical connection by merging two physical connections. It is possible with link aggregation. It must support or meet IEEE 802.3ad standards.
Disk Drive Capacity
QNAP NAS devices do not come with drives. You can select and buy the drives on your own. It is suggested not to use the hard disks from the green series. It will help you avoid a range of problems. Don’t forget to determine the maximum capacity you can add to your NAS device.
PCIe Slots
If you want to increase the QNAP NAS functionality, select the one with the graphics card in the PCI Express slot, Wi-Fi adapter, Ethernet adapter, M2 SSD drive, and M2 PCIe NVMe slot. These slots assist you in installing PCI adaptors, like M2 SSD. It does not need a drive bay.
Drive Bays
Before choosing a QNAP NAS model, keep the amount of drive bays in mind. Also, check if your NAS device allows you to attach an extension unit. In case all drive bays are already filled, you can install the extension unit to attach more drives. Selecting at least 2-bay QNAP NAS devices is a good approach.
Part 4. Do You Need Third-Party Software to Recover Your QNAP NAS Data?
Looking for a reliable data recovery tool to get your lost data back from QNAP NAS? If yes, Wondershare Recoverit will lend you a helping hand for sure. It is an outstanding data recovery utility designed to recover data from over 2000 storage devices and 1000+ file formats.
Supports 500+ data recovery scenarios.
Features more than a 95% data recovery rate.
Available in 160+ countries with 35+ registered patents.
Offers support for 15 languages.
Performs quick and secure data recovery.
More than 50 million users worldwide use this tool happily.
A 7-day money-back guarantee secures your investment.
Steps to Recover Data from Your QNAP NAS
Before you go through the below steps, ensure to download and install Recoverit on your system.
Step 1: Open the software. Click “NAS and Linux,” and hit the “NAS Recovery” button to proceed.
Step 2: Now, the tool will show you multiple NAS devices. From the list, select the one that has your lost or deleted data files.
Step 3: Now, provide the IP address, port number, and other information requested on your screen. Once done, click the “Connect” button. It will create a remote connection to connect your NAS device.
Step 4: Wait until the remote connection is created. Then, Recoverit will start searching for your data lost from your NAS device. The scanning progress will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.
Step 5: Recoverit will ask you to preview the data before recovering it. Once you verify the file, tap on “Recover.”
Step 6: Now, the software will ask for a particular path to place your recovered data. When selecting a path, keep it different from the earlier one (where the problem was initiated).
Within 6 convenient steps, you can recover your lost or deleted data from your QNAP NAS storage device.
Video Tutorial on How to Recover Files from NAS Server?
For Windows Vista/7/8/10/11
For macOS X 10.10 or later
Final Words
QNAP NAS is a one-of-its-kind device designed to store, manage, and share huge amounts of data with multiple devices or users at a time. If you run a team of different members, you can share data with them easily via NAS devices. With its powerful hardware architecture, QNAP NAS has the ability to deploy QNAP docker.
Is your data lost from the QNAP NAS storage devices, and are you concerned about recovering it safely? If yes, do nothing but download and try Recoverit NAS data recovery. With over 95% recovery rate, Recoverit uses advanced data recovery techniques to recover data from almost all devices, including NAS. You will always be satisfied with the outcomes it produces. Always download Recoverit from its official website to avoid any inconvenience later.
For Windows Vista/7/8/10/11
For macOS X 10.10 or later