TS-433-4G-US 4 Bay NAS with Quad-core Processor, 4 GB DDR4 RAM and 2.5GbE Network (Diskless)

I got tired of my home network music access working when it felt like it, so looked into using a NAS and chose this QNAP model after reading reviews. I have some IT experience but no longer work in it so this was admittedly a tad complicated, but I also admit I'm the kind of guy who doesn't like asking for directions when I'm lost. I realized at the mid-point I was complicating things by *not* stopping and making sure the home network access was solid before worrying about the online cloud part of things. The unit itself is not large and the process of adding either size SATA drives was easy. On a desk shelf, it is a bit noisy as you can hear a bit of hum and vibration when the hard drive or drives are spinning. The power cable is a tad short in my humble opinion. You start by installing a "Q-Finder" app on your computer attached to the same network, and step-by-step the software walks you through assigning an admin login and setup on your LAN. Once you wade into the out-of-home access arena is where I had problems, but when I realized I didn't want that, the rest fell into place. There are tweaks you make with the QNAP *and* the devices you want to use to access the files to get it all to work. Go slow and careful and use the Help and online searches and it comes together. Your phone, tablet or other device will need to login the first time with your admin name and password to see and play the files but once you are thru that hoop the fun begins. This QNAP plays MP3s more quickly and without any hiccups than several server apps I used for years on Windows. The QNAP has it's own processor and RAM so it is way faster producing file lists and starting playback. The user interface on the computer is quite nice too. Between the cost of the QNAP and a nice fast 3.5" 2TB hard drive I had $300 invested but I am happy with the results. I didn't have to contact tech support so that was a win. I could also enable an external drive connected by USB for access. Be aware that using a pre-loaded drive on the inside is not the idea--the QNAP formats/erases any drive you install internally. Hope this review was helpful.

If you're just using it as storage/backup/streaming videos this is perfect. It has a lot of options and apps but it struggles to run too much. I wanted to set it up to do radarr, sonarr, prowlarr, and download torrents with a vpn. I got that all running with docker and Container Station but it kept running out of memory and the services kept stopping. Similarly, you can install plex server on this but I'm 99% certain it would struggle and buffer constantly. It's a fun toy with a lot of flexibility but it doesn't have the hardware to follow through imo. It's a great device for the price range, just don't expect it to do things it's not designed for.

Had an old TS-212 that was working fine but getting pretty old and was quite slow at times. It is so old that system updates stopped working. Removed the hard drives from the 212 and put them in the 233 and fired it up. Pretty much everything came up just like before with the same data, login and password but a lot faster. Only the network address changed but QFinder gave me the new address. The 233 wanted system updates, which took a little while. Have an external USB drive for real-time backups and had to find the app for that (HBS3 - Hybrid Backup Sync 3) and load and configure it again. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with this unit. Only negative is the on-line tutorials barely help. The main issue is they are mostly long videos and one has to wait for them to get to the point, if possible. Sometimes it may not be the correct video so 5 minutes are wasted wading thru it. Their PDF qts5.0x user manual is better. Update 8/3/2023 Been running for 10 months. Failed yesterday - seemed to be running but no Ethernet communication and so can't talk to it. Ended up pulling the older and slower QNAP 212 unit out of storage and using that to get up and running again. This 233 is in the trash. Bought a new 233 that installed quickly and is running fine. Update 8/22/23 Have downgraded my rating from 3 to 1 star. I'm done with QNAP. I am disgusted with this model. The second 233 quit today with exactly the same symptom of the prior 233.

I purchased this primarily as a photo storage device, and I’m very happy with the storage capacity—it’s generous and handles large files with ease. This is definitely a product geared toward more advanced users. The setup process wasn’t exactly plug-and-play, even though they do provide a QR code and app to assist. There’s a fair amount of customization and configuration needed before you can fully start using it. If you’re tech-savvy or familiar with NAS setups, you’ll probably appreciate the flexibility and control. But for the average user, be prepared for a bit of a learning curve. That said, once it’s up and running, it performs very well. Fast access, reliable storage, and plenty of features make it a strong option for serious users who want a high-performance backup and storage solution.

Easy to setup & use. Mobile app works great. Much better than my Western Digital

Excellent for a home based NAS and or media server.

I bought the QNAP to replace an old Buffalo NAS that is outdated and no longer supported. There was a bit of a learning curve with the software, but that's what google is for. There are lots of apps available to run on this unit - automation, security, backup, media server. I was able to have it mount drives from my old NAS and copy files directly so I didn't have to do it from my PC and wait. Performance has been very good. Copying to the device seems much faster than my old unit. It is probably the most affordable 2 bay unit, which gives me the ability to add storage later. It is a little louder than my old NAS but unless you are sitting right next to it listening you don't notice it. Take some time to explore and learn the apps and interface.

this unit is exactly what I had hoped for! I recently purchased four mega terabyte units for backup and for replacement of my iCloud and OneDrive storage capacities. It has even allowed me to create an air gap backup system for security and peace of mind! It was incredibly simple to set up an incredibly simple to start and now has become a regular routine to use daily!