Thecus N2810 NAS
The Thecus N2810 is a linux based 2-bay NAS powered by Intel’s dual-core N3050 (Braswell) Celeron CPU. The N3050 runs at 1.6Ghz and is capable of 4K video transcoding. The N2810 comes configured with 2GB RAM that can be expanded to 8GB through the use of compatible DDR3 modules.
Thecus N2810 specifications include:| Processor | Intel® Celeron® N3050 1.6GHz burst up to 2.16GHz Dual-Core |
| System Memory | 2GB DDR3 |
| Memory expandable up to | 8GB Memory |
| RAID | RAID Modes: RAID 0, 1 and JBOD Auto-rebuild: Supported Hot-swap: Supported Hot Spare: Supported RAID Expansion: Supported RAID Volume Encryption: AES256bit |
| Disk | Power Management: Available spin-down on idle setting Bad Block Scanning: Supported SMART Info: Supported SMART Test: Supported Disk Roaming: Supports volume-based roaming to other Thecus NAS (Require ThecusOS 7 64 bit) Disk Security: Supported |
| Network | Configuration: Fixed IP address, dynamic IP address Transport Protocols: TCP/IP/AppleTalk File Protocols: SMB/CIFS, HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, NFS v4, AFP Link Aggregation: Load balance, Failover, 802.3ad, Balance-XOR, Balance-TLB, Balance-ALB, Broadcast TCP/IP: IPV6 & IPV4 DDNS: Supported SSH: Supported UPnP: Supported UPnP Port forwarding: Supported Bonjour: Supported VPN Server: Supported vLan: Supported |
| Data Backup | Client Incremental Data Backup: Acronis True Image (OEM version) Client System Disaster Recovery: Acronis True Image (OEM version) Mac OS X Time Machine: Supported Local folder/iSCSI Backup: Supported Remote folder/iSCSI Backup: Supported Snapshot: Supported (Btrfs) System Failover: Supported |
| Multimedia Support | iTunes Server: Supports AAC, MP3 w/ID3 tag and WAV Media Server: Supports uPnP AV streaming protocol (via Module) |
| User Authentication | Local User: Supports built-in user accounts Local Group: Supports built-in user groups Windows: ADS Supported LDAP: Supported |
| Cloud Backup | DropBox: Supported (via module) ElephantDriver: Supported (via module) Amazon S3: Supported |
| Administration | User Interface: Web-based user interface supports English, Traditional Chinese, Simpli ed Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian. Utility Program: MS Windows Setup Wizard, Supports Windows XP and after Mac OS X Setup Wizard Email Notifications: Sends system messages via email to the system administrator SNMP Trap: System information trap out P2P Connection: Mail or FB account to register DDNS: Supported |
| LAN Interface | RJ-45 x 2: 10/100/1000 BASE-TX Auto MDI/MDI-X WOL supported |
| USB Interface | USB 3.0 host port x3 (front x1, back x2) |
| LED Indicator | Power LED: White WAN/LAN1 LED: White LAN LED: White USB LED: Activity/Failure: White/Red |
| HDMI Output | HDMI port (back x1) |
| Disk Interface | 2 x SATA for internal, support SATA II / SATA III hard disk |
| Power Supply | 48W extend power adapter |
| Thermal/Fan control | Thermal sensor on processor temperature System FAN speed controlled by temperature |
| Power Management | Auto power on after shutdown due to power loss |
| Buttons | Power button/Copy button |
| Buzzer | Adjustable frequency alarm |
| Environment | Temperatures: 0°C to 40°C (Operation) -40°C to 70°C (Non-operation) Humidity: 0 ~ 80 % R.H. (Non-condensing) |
| Chassis | 2bays Tower Metal Chassis |
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 146 mm x 102 mm x 213 mm |
A quick CPU check via SSH confirms the inclusion of the Intel processor as described in the specs. Note that the newer v2 model runs on the Celeron N3060 processor.
N2810:~# head -5 /proc/cpuinfo ; echo ; uname -a ; echo processor : 0 vendor_id : GenuineIntel cpu family : 6 model : 76 model name : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU N3050 @ 1.60GHz Linux N2810 4.1.13 #1 SMP Wed Jan 6 20:54:29 CST 2016 x86_64 GNU/Linux
Design
Having recently reviewed the Thecus W2810PRO, there was a sense of familiarity when I removed the N2810 from the box. It wasn’t till I removed the cover that I realised that the 2 units use the same case as evident by the spare HDD mount on the side. This is where the Windows OS drive is mounted on the W2810PRO. For this reason, I won’t go into further detail and repeat my comments around the design. That said, one thing I did note was the lack of mounting screws for 2.5″ drives.
Configuration
The Thecus N2810 came preconfigured with a static IP address of 192.168.1.100 using 192.168.1.1 as the gateway. If you are like me and already have something on this address, you will need to use the Thecus setup wizard, available for Mac OS and Windows, to assist with the (re)configuration process.
Once the network configuration has been updated and you can connect to the N2810, the remaining setup can be completed via the browser.
Thecus OS 7.0
The Thecus OS 7.0 resembles a clean, simple and modern operating system and comes with similar features to its competitors.
The Thecus OS 7.0 also includes a range of useful backup options.
Finally, like QNAP and Synology, Thecus also provides access to additional official and 3rd party add-ons via the Apps Center.
Performance
The Thecus N2810 test unit was configured as follows:
- RAM – 2GB
- HDD #1 – Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD
- HDD #2 – Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD
Thecus N2810 Tested with Samsung 850 EVO SSDs
Hdparm was used to see how the unit performed with buffered and cached disk read speeds under RAID1:
N2810:~# hdparm -Tt /dev/sda
/dev/sda:
Timing cached reads: 2774 MB in 2.00 seconds = 1387.38 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 252 MB in 3.02 seconds = 83.35 MB/sec
N2810:~# hdparm -Tt /dev/sda
/dev/sda:
Timing cached reads: 1708 MB in 2.01 seconds = 851.15 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 240 MB in 3.02 seconds = 79.44 MB/sec
N2810:~# hdparm -Tt /dev/sda
/dev/sda:
Timing cached reads: 2738 MB in 2.00 seconds = 1368.76 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 256 MB in 3.01 seconds = 84.94 MB/sec
The second test was a NAS to NAS file copy using a QNAP TS-563. This test highlighted one annoyance with the N2810, there was no ability to mount an external share from File Center.
No option to mount a remote file share on the N2810
Fortunately, we do have this capability on the QNAP and a few clicks later, the N2810 test share was successfully mounted on the TS-563. The speeds were great, hitting peaks of around 235MB/s. It should be noted that the QNAP has a 10GbE connection and the Thecus was using Link Aggregation.
File copy from the QNAP TS-563 to the Thecus N2810
The final performance test was done using disk benchmarking software from a client PC over gigabit ethernet. For this test we used an iMac running the latest Mac OS and Windows 10 on a Surface Pro 3.
Final Thoughts
The Thecus N2810 was a solid performer. Speed results using a combination of link aggregation and SSDs were better than expected. For new players, the N2810 can be a viable alternative to similar products from the likes of Synology and QNAP. Existing NAS users probably won’t see enough differentiation between the brands to change camps though.
Overall, a great NAS which can only improve over time.
Highly Recommended
