The Asustor AS1002T NAS drive is a sleek, black storage machine. It's easy to use, so whether you're a beginner or hosting a web server you're set for the basics. With two hard drive bays, this dual-core NAS can host two hard drives with up to 16TB total storage.
There's a handy power on/off button at the back of the drive, and it took around 80 seconds to power on and to be ready for use.
In a comprehensive test, guru3d.com compared similar NAS drives, with the AS1002T being at or near the top in each separate screening. The figures below show the performance from copying a single file to and from the AS1002T, using a 1.4GB file that is then written in 64KB blocks:
- File copy from NAS: 85MB/s
- File copy to NAS: 108MB/s
- Direct copy from NAS: 8MB/s
- Direct copy to NAS: 8MB/s
Asustor affirms that accessing the files via Microsoft Windows and using Samba (SMB) to connect to the NAS can allow it to perform quite a bit faster than Java.
The NAS has its own easy-to-navigate ADM operating system, accessible through your computer's web browser. Highlights include Task Monitor, which keeps track of what has been added and deleted from the drive, while the technical performance information like available memory, disk usage and CPU speed is nicely presented in graph format.
You have a multitude of data backup options including the drive, the cloud and your devices. There are also easy help settings if you get overwhelmed.
An added bonus is the fact that the drive lends itself to toolless installation, with hand screws which allow simple and effective fitting of hard disks.
Asustor has a range of official dedicated mobile apps to allow direct access, because the NAS login webpage isn't optimised for mobile browsing and won't display properly without them; AiMaster and AiData are the two dedicated apps for mobile access to the NAS. You'll also find a plethora of official and unofficial apps both for your NAS and your mobile devices.
Asustor's official apps include a surveillance centre, Google Drive for cloud access, drive backup, media servers and music players and unofficial apps include PVR management for your favourite TV shows.
Security should be an important concern for your home network. The AS1002T has built-in encryption engines, an internal firewall, a network defender, and the options of setting up secure https, as well as a dedicated surveillance server.
Perhaps one of their larger selling points, is that unlike many competitors, Asustor offers a three year warranty with any of their products. Of course this isn't to mention the price, which is very competitive when compared to similar drives on eshop, Ascent.
It's quiet, easy to use and provides everything you would expect from a NAS drive. This is one to consider if you're planning on setting up a home network server, accessible from the cloud and all your mobile devices.
