Review: Qnap TS-253B

by Parm Mann on 18 August 2017, 14:01

Tags: Qnap

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadkpm

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Conclusion

...for the enthusiast or small business seeking maximum flexibility in a compact form factor, it's hard to imagine a NAS as powerful or versatile as this.

Qnap continues to push the boundaries for network-attached storage with new models armed with incremental upgrades to both hardware and software.

New for 2017, the dual-bay TS-253B is aiming for best-in-class status courtesy of a quad-core Intel processor, up to 8GB of memory, an OLED display, voice prompts and an easy-to-use PCIe expansion slot that opens the door to your choice of USB 3.1, WiFi, 10GbE Ethernet or M.2 SSD storage.

There's still room for improvement as HDMI 2.0 remains absent while the premium price tag remains hard to stomach, yet Qnap's growing catalogue has a solution for users with varying needs. The TS-253B is overkill for most consumers, but for the enthusiast or small business seeking maximum flexibility in a compact form factor, it's hard to imagine a NAS as powerful or versatile as this.

The Good
  
The Bad
Outstanding feature set
Strong performance
Supports PCIe expansion
Powerful QTS operating system
  
Pricey for a dual-bay unit
Lacks native HDMI 2.0



Qnap TS-253B

HEXUS.where2buy

The Qnap TS-253B-8G NAS is available to purchase from Amazon UK.

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At HEXUS, we invite the companies whose products we test to comment on our articles. If any company representatives for the products reviewed choose to respond, we'll publish their commentary here verbatim.


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HEXUS Forums :: 3 Comments

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Posted by whatif - Sat 19 Aug 2017 11:02
Quote - “Anyone looking to enter the world of network-attached storage should give strong consideration to Qnap or Synology. The two Taiwanese brands lead the way in terms of feature-packed software and robust hardware, and both are eager to refresh their product ranges on a regular basis with incremental upgrades that elevate the end-user experience.”

I would agree with this concerning Synology, BUT I disagree totally with it applying to qnap - I ended up with a downgrade after a loss of sofware and compatibility, found them very reluctant to be eager to help (would not talk to me otr help in any way, just kept refering me to useless forums) and a big drop in the end user experience..
I purchased one a few years ago (469 Pro) for the home to use as my media centre and initially liked it, especially as it had a HDMI. We only have one TV antenna outlet and several TV's, so I could set it up to stream to all the other TV's and any other device (eg - tablet). Then within 3 months was left frustrated and disappointed when the TV station stopped and they changed compatible accessories without notice in 2014. Lost my wifi and TV station. They kept telling me not to worry because they were working hard on it and it will be all fixed soon, just wait for the next update, but they did nothing. Took them until 2016 to finally say it was officially finished. From their compatibility list, I had purchased 2x Hauppaugge dual TV tuners, more RAM, a remote, an dual band wifi adapter, and 4x 4TB enterprise HDDs to record TV and stream across the house, but the USB wifi adapter, the TV tuner both disappeared from the compatibility list - I found this out when they suddenly stopped working after an update. All I was left with was a pile of expensive rubbish.
Not even an apology from qnap when questioned over this issue, all they said was that there were too many problems getting it to work, blamed everybody else and that they had to remove this function.
Yet Synology has continued to maintain both this function and their compatibility list.
In other words, qnap could not be bothered to put in some effort to continue their TV station and it obviously was solvable because Sunology still has it working fine.
They have joined the list of manufacturers that I would not touch with a barge pole.
Since then I have advised a lot of people away from qnap and towards Synology because of much better customer service and a far more reliable product.
Posted by Saracen - Sat 19 Aug 2017 11:34
If I was buying a NAS, those two would probably be the top of my list, and your story, Whatif, represents exactly the kind of direct experience feedback that makes a big difference to me.

Even though my needs would be different, what it suggests about one company is pertinent. Thanks.
Posted by daddacool - Mon 21 Aug 2017 13:52
I saw a QNAP review and wondered if that chap who trawls the internet to post his horrendous experience with QNAP had paid a visit to the comments and he has!

I admire his tenacity and unwillingness to let QNAP get an easy ride.