Comments on the QNAP TS-251D for Channels DVR

Channels DVR Server
#1

I just finished moving my Channels DVR installation from a Windows 10 PC to a QNAP TS-251D NAS ($229 on Amazon), and find it entirely satisfactory as a self-contained Channels "appliance". Two tips to pass along:

QNAP seems to think you are some sort of Data Center, and pushes toward a Thin or Thick Volume setup in their defaults, which is needlessly complex (and lower in performance) -- just set up a Simple Volume.

Transfers are much faster if you use a 2.5" HD in a USB 3 Adapter as the source: the "Upload" function from a direct network connection to the old machine only manages 20-25 MB/s transfer rate, which takes an enormous time for the 1.2 TB I had to transfer. A USB drive plugged in to the TS-251D manages 125 MB/s - 5x better. I accomplished this by copying my old 3.5" RAID array to a 2.5" HD plugged into the Windows machine. This copied overnight. I was then able to move the drives to the TS-251D and re-use them, transferring from the 2.5" intermediate in a few hours -- less time than it takes the new RAID set to sync, which happens seamlessly in background.

The end result is a one box "appliance" that performs well and handles 4K, at a low price.

#2

Interesting, that does look like a good price for an Intel based NAS. I just wish it had more USB 3 ports. I'm up to 3 x 10TB drives on my Mac Mini Channels DVR.

I have two QNAP NASs and would warn you to make sure you are careful with security and updates on it. NAS boxes have become targets for hackers and both QNAP and Synology have been hit with malware/ransomware. There was a really nasty on with QNAP that I was hit by, and both my boxes are behind a router with no direct access to the internet. So even though they can be an appliance, if you decide to open it up to use Channels outside the house, be careful.

#3

Point well taken -- I have enabled all available security options.