Thecus N5550 review

Thecus’s interface isn’t as elegantly designed as those of QNAP and Synology, but it’s reasonably clear and easy to use. It’s a very simple window manager with most functions accessible via a stack of tabs at the right-hand side of the screen. Click one and it expands to display further options. The web interface can sometimes get rather cluttered with multiple layers of menus and pop-up configuration windows. Annoyingly, to exit the windows without making changes you have to click an ‘X’ in one corner. It looks rather drab, too, but everything you need is in there.

System management tools allow you to upgrade your NAS’s firmware and configure admin controls, while the storage tab gives you access to everything you need to configure or reconfigure the RAID array and add network shares or iSCSI targets. Other menus allow you to create and control the access permissions of users and groups, and there are a number of tools to help you back up and restore the contents of your NAS. On a related note, the N5550 comes with a copy of Acronis TrueImage, and you can set it up as a backup target for PCs on your network. The NAS’s main home screen is the most approachable, with colourful icons that’ll take you directly to the features you’re most likely to need.

Like most high-end NAS devices, the N5550 lets you install extra modules to equip extra features. These include a control, recording and monitoring interface for up to five IP cameras, a mail server, web server, MySQL server, anti-virus software, a Dropbox client, utilities that let you schedule regular backups to a connected USB or eSATA external hard disk and much more.

This wealth of features, combined with the ability to connect the NAS to a monitor and input devices for standalone use, make it an excellent alternative to many traditional server types. Although the interface isn’t as slick as Synology’s DSM4.1, it’s mostly clear and easy to use, while average large file SMB transfer speeds of 83.2MB/s at RAID6 mean that this NAS easily holds its own against the competition. At £367 ex VAT, it’s very reasonably priced, too, with features that make it eminently suitable for use as a small office server. The Thecus N5550 is a much deserved winner of our Business Buy award.