ASUSTOR AS6102T 2-Bay Intel Dual-Core NAS, 2 GB RAM (Expandable to 8 GB), Hot-Swap Support, HDMI 4K Playback, Hyper-Transcoding and 4 Free NVR Camera Licenses

The media could not be loaded.  NOTE: As Amazon restrict the file size of video reviews the quality might not be very good. If you'd prefer to see a high quality version of the video check the comments section below for a link to a YouTube version of this review.Kindly sent to me for review this is a brilliant home NAS, but could just as easily be used in a home or small office setup.This is actually the second NAS I've had from this brand and and as such I didn't start from scratch, instead the existing drives were removed from the old NAS and popped into the new one and all my settings and files were ready and waiting for me, a fantastically easy migration process.If this is a new NAS the process is very easy and is driven by a web GUI that guides you through the process. Including hard drive installation you can be up and running in under 20 minutes.Physically this is a nice looking bit of kit (for a NAS!), it's black and on the front are notification lights, 2 hard disk caddies and a USB 3 port.Around the back are additional USB ports (2 x USB 2 and 2 x USB 3). There are 2 x gigabit Ethernet, 1 x S/PDIF, 1x HDMI 1.4b, and 2 x eSATA ports.The HDMI port is an exciting addition and allows this to plug directly into a TV (or projector) and act as a full media centre via Kodi (a free, and brilliant, media organising app for music, videos and photos). At the time of review Kodi has just been updated to v16, Jarvis.When viewed on the TV you get a nice and simple big button menu. A controller isn't included in the box, but if you plan to use Kodi you can either purchase the optional controller or make use of a USB remote or a USB keyboard/mouse.The real power and flexibility is found when logging into the web dashboard. There are a huge amount of options available so it's well worth spending time looking through the various menus, but don't worry, if this all sounds overwhelming you actually don't need to understand everything available, just take your time with the areas you're interested in and check the help files.Worth noting there is excellent support for this NAS, I've raised a few tickets, often just asking how to do something, and I've been given the answers quickly and clearly.One of the first areas to check out is the app menu. Having been established for some time there is a wide range of apps available, for example are download apps, media apps such as Plex, photo management apps, web hosting apps, content management systems, the list goes on and it's this flexibility that means this is more than just a storage device.The apps don't stop with those installed on the NAS as there are a number of mobile apps available for both Apple and Android mobiles that provide you with useful access to your files whereever you are. I personally make use of AI Master and AI Data, I don't use the music streaming app as I prefer Plex (which can be used with this NAS) to access media.One of the newer features of this NAS is the ability to act as a security camera server providing you use compatible cameras.Some of the NAS apps communicate with the outside world and can need ports to be forwarded on your router. The has a really smart system for keeping this a really simple process, it automatically setup the required forwarding on an Asus router via a couple of clicks.You can also get a special web address (e.g. MySpecialNAS.myasustor.com) that allows you to access and log into your NAS from outside your network.Phew! And this is only a small idea of the range of features and abilities of this NAS! There are loads of areas I haven't covered, just be assured that this is easy to use as a basic NAS with lots of potential when you're ready to play with some of the more advanced features.The AS6102T is happy to just be a file server, sitting on your network and keeping your data safe. However, it's capable of so much more! The flexibility on offer is brilliant and make this a fantastic long term investment.