Page 8 - Final Thoughts and Conclusion
As we come to the conclusion of the second NAS we have reviewed from ASUSTOR, I have to say my experience has been very positive. Just like my colleague Kenneth asserted in his AS-602T review, ADM 2.0 -- the company's embedded Linux based operating system -- is intuitive and easy to use. After experiencing it first hand, I have to fully agree with what he said, and to add on to that, ADM's consistent design is definitely a big asset. Despite being relatively new to the market, ASUSTOR competes well against more established competitors such as QNAP; even going as far as adding native mobile applications, cloud features, and media center feature support. It is important to note the ASUSTOR AS-202TE is not a business NAS, and it should never be expected to be one. I find QNAP is a little more mature in the business realm, but at the same time, the AS-202TE as a home oriented system still carries forward many business features consumers can appreciate.
In terms of hardware, as it always goes, a full featured NAS is worth more than the sum of its parts. For products like the AS-202TE, it is more about being a "black box" solution to the end user. In other words, just plug in your hard drives, and it will simply work. The way I see it, complexity does not always have to be complicated -- inexperienced users can take advantage of this as much as enthusiasts. ASUSTOR makes a perfect example of this. Although there is nothing else you can do to physically upgrade the system, you probably never need to anyway. For the home user, the ASUSTOR AS-202TE not only delivers of features, but also commendable file performance from our tests, emits minimal amount of noise during operation, and consumes little power to work. Obviously, the AS-202TE can be faster, as the Thecus N2560 with very similar hardware benchmarks with slightly better results. The ASUSTOR AS-202TE is no slouch, but a little speed boost is always appreciated.
The included remote control is a great addition to the package, especially considering the AS-202TE will function as your media center PC as well as a file server (Along with a laundry list of other things), making it a pretty well rounded package. My major complaint is the same as what I have said about the QNAP TS-470 last month. Its industrial look is great in a server closet, but once we move it into your living room next to your home electronics, a facelift will make all the difference. I would like to see a digital audio output out of the box as well. Other than that, small details like labeling hard drive trays would be great, but this is far from being a deal breaker.
As far as reliability is concerned, I expect excellent stability from ASUSTOR's hardware in conjunction with its ADM 2.0 operating system. We have an ASUSTOR NAS running here at APH Networks since April of last year, and we have had absolutely no issues with it. For a price tag of $260 at press time, the AS-202TE is priced competitively against similar offerings from QNAP and Thecus for a fully featured system with a remote control. If you are a home user looking for a starter network attached storage, and only need two hard drive bays, the AS-202TE is definitely a product worth considering.
ASUSTOR provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH equal.balance Award | APH Review Focus Summary:
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks; but should be considered before purchasing.
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that aren't likely going to matter to the end user.
-- Final APH Numeric Rating is 7.6/10
Please note that the APH Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other sites.
The ASUSTOR AS-202TE delivers commendable performance, lower power consumption, and tons of features for a competitive price.
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Page Index
1. Introduction and Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware (External)
3. A Closer Look - Hardware (Internal)
4. Configuration and User Interface, Part I
5. Configuration and User Interface, Part II
6. Configuration and User Interface, Part III
7. Performance and Power Consumption
8. Final Thoughts and Conclusion
