Can This 2-Bay NAS Be Your Next Media Center Solution? – Qnap TS-251B Review

Qnap TS-251B

The Qnap TS-251B arrived ina  mostly brown box which is what I have come to expect with NAS appliances from the major brands such as Thecus, Synology and Qnap. it has a small applique decal to show which model is specifically in the box which I do commend as it allows less product specific boxes and less waste should a product go EOL. This is great for our environment. I am not a tree hugger by any means but having worked on the manufacturing side, I have seen what kind of waste boxes can be and its startling.

Here is everything that comes in the box. the accessory box opens up to reveal the following.

• 1x Power cable
• 1x power brick
• Quick Guides and warranty leaflet
• HDD installation screws (for more secure mounting)
• Cat 5e network cable

Here we get our first looks at the Qnap TS-251B out of the box. You will notice I smeared out the “cloud key” as much as I love our readers I don’t need any of them remotely connecting into this NAS on my network as I am doing long term testing. Unless of course, you plan to add to my meme library of course

the overall appearance is clean and the unit is white which means it has the potential to blend into a subdued apple-esque environment. However I do like black boxes like this as they tend to fade away when you don’t want to see them which I rarely do, but I know some folks may have these on their desk vs my IT cabinet.

The front panel has the LED status indicators along with a USB 3.0 port which can be used for quickly accessing and transferring data.

the Rear I/O is well stocked for most users.

• 3x 3.5mm audio ports (2x Microphone, 1x line out)
• 1x HDMI 1.4b port (up to 3840×2160 @30hz)
• 1x Gigabit LAN port
• 1x USB 3.0 port
• 3x USB 2.0 ports
• DC power jack
• Rear Exhaust Fan
• Rear Speaker holes/grille (this thing talks to you, no, im not kidding.. Yes, it startled me)
• Rear PCIe Slot Cutout for the addition of add-in cards (PCIe Gen 2 x2)
  • M.2 Adapter (caching)
  • 10Gbe network card
  • WiFi Card (make the device wireless)
• Kensington Lock (makes it harder to steal)

the outer shell oif plastic clad, and now its time to rip her apart and see what makes the Qnap TS-251B tick.