Thoughts
The questions that need answering, we suppose, is why you'd consider buying a NAS device and why the Thecus N1200 may be good for your current PC environment?Our first look at the N1200 highlights the fact that it's a NAS for the masses. Tentative pricing is slated at around £150, and for that you receive a well-made unit that's capable of holding a single 2.5in/3.5in hard drive (not included) and attaching to your present network for a variety of tasks.
We'd find it useful for backing up important data, either via the supplied software and off a connected PC or from USB keys. We also find its use as a time-scheduled download manager, including support for BitTorrent, a definite bonus; it negates the need to have a wattage-eating PC for the task. The unit, including a 2.5in hard drive, consumes <20W when under load.
In terms of sharing, server support for iTunes and FTP means you can stream your music and data collection between computers, either wireless or wirelessly, assuming you take advantage of the mini-PCI slot or use a WiFi USB dongle.
Connectivity-wise, the 4-port 100Mbit/s switch and WiFi support are fine and the addition of eSATA is a definite bonus, especially for multi-gigabyte transfers.
We'd recommend that Thecus ship it with manual(s) that provide far greater detail than those shipping with present models. We had to often guess how best to set up a particular function because information from the manual was so brief. We'd also like to see a complete range of supported mini-PCI and WiFi dongles, too, as not all will correctly work with the N1200.
Our preview look has left us with the feeling that whilst most people don't strictly need a NAS device, it is such a useful tool. The Thecus N1200, then, is a smaller, slimmer, and cheaper version of the N2100, and that's a good thing. We hope the retail model ships with better documentation than on previous models and with an attractive street price. If it does it has most of the budget NAS bases covered.
The first impressions, then, are positive. We'll be covering SKU performance and compatibility tests as soon as a retail model is available. Stay tuned.
