Appearance and thoughts
The N1200 is the smallest and cheapest NAS solution from Thecus thus far. The unit measures in at 181x45x160mm (wxdxh), making it not much larger than a regular CD case. The unit's height, or lack thereof, dictates that it will only house a single drive, so users looking for extreme capacities will need to hunt elsewhere. The N1200 weighs in at around 500g with a 2.5in drive installed, so portability is high on its list of features.
Thecus has switched on over to its regular black aesthetic, with the white-coloured model being relegated solely to the mock version you saw at Computex.
The front carries the usual number of buttons that highlight various activity states, along with a copy button for one-touch backup. Unlike the plastic-based N2100 SKU, which we reviewed here, the N1200 has a metal body which gives it a high-end feel. The front, though, remains plastic.
NAS boxes live and die by their connectivity. The N1200, going from left-to-right, has the usual 12V input, a handy reset switch, a Gigabit Ethernet port (to network), 4 x 100MBit Ethernet ports (output, sharing), a second USB2.0, eSATA, WiFi-antenna and Kensington lock.
The presence of a WiFi antenna infers an integrated mini-PCI slot and that's the case here, although you'll need to check for hardware compatibility before purchasing said card. You could, of course, opt for WiFi connectivity via the growing number of USB-based dongles, but, again, compliance needs to be confirmed.
We like the fact that you can four-way share the drive's contents via physical cabling: wireless' limitations become apparent when transferring large files.
A gratuitous shot of the other side.
The unit also ships with the required power adapter and a stand that allows you to position the N1200 vertically.
