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We have tested many Synology systems in the last year and have become accustomed to the easy installation procedure. The Thecus configuration system caught me off guard.
Firstly, they give the customer three discs. One is labeled ‘Media Server Software' with an ISO burnt onto the disc in data format. This would need to be mounted or either burnt to another disc. We filed this away.
The second disc is a copy of Acronis True Image, Personal 2010 Edition. The third disc is labeled ‘Universal CD A V2.1' which is actually the disc most people would need.
We verified with the ‘Quick Installation Guide' booklet which is less than impressive. There is a single picture of the front of the unit showing the power button and the rear showing the power and LAN connectors. There is no detailed guide on how to fit the hard drives. Sure, its not rocket science, but an inexperienced first time user might find it confusing and intimidating.
This guide also explains that after the N4200ECO boots up, the default IP address for web browser access is 192.168.1.100.
Sadly this wouldn't work on our network as we already know our network is based around 192.168.0.xxx. We therefore reverted to the ‘Universal CD A V2.1 disc' to make any progress.
The first menu highlights all the current NAS systems from the company. The Setup Wizard is the one we want.
The software detected the N4200ECO but it was incorrectly configured outside our network with 192.168.1.100. It would need to be 192.168.0.100 to be accessible via our network browser.
Default login and password are both ‘admin'. You can change the password immediately.
The next stage of the setup is the ‘network configuration'. This is how we can fix the problems. We had to set a fixedIP, so we could just change 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.0.100. That said, I have a switch in the network which uses this IP, so I used 192.168.0.66. The GatewayIP should be the same as our router, so I changed this to 192.168.0.1.
This seems very straightforward now that it is explained in a step by step guide, but an inexperienced user could very well need technical support to get access to the N4200ECO on their network.
Once this is finished, you are able to load the browser page automatically (at the IP previously configured), or to setup another device.
Nice looking nice system. im in the market for one and a four bay unit seems the best value for money. this looks fast and I like the front panels. still swaying towards the synology 211 though.
Jeffrey thats a 2 bay nas? you got the models mixed up?
Never understand why companies don’t spend a little more time and money on the software and user guide. I remember the first time I saw a Synology product and was blown away because the software made sense. Thecus has been around a long time, they should make better interfaces. Also, faster reformatting.