By: Preston Yuen (Hardware) and Jonathan Kwan (Software)
November 18, 2011
According to Google, success is broadly defined as "the accomplishment of an aim or purpose". But what does it specifically mean to you? Back in the day, I have heard many individuals craving for lots of money to live well. Others have dreamed of owning many exotic cars. As for myself, I like to follow Albert Einstein's formula. "A + B + C = Success, if A = Hard Work, B = Hard Play, C = Keeping your mouth shut." If any one of those elements were taken out of the formula, success does not exist in my world. Personally, this has been very applicable with many tasks that I accomplish, especially when it comes down to important work that must be done, whether it be at school or at work. Missing hard work would lead to a low quality end product. Having no "play" will simply drive you up the wall. Lastly, keeping my mouth shut is how I personally get things done without getting distracted. Writing papers and delivering presentations with appropriate content is what makes the audience keep reading and paying attention from start to finish. When it comes down to technology, I apply the same concept in consumer products I obtain. I look for products that pack both quality and fun together, while being advertised in an elegant and presentable way. What we have here today is QNAP's TS-219P II network attached storage system. While maintaining its clean looks, it packs quite a big punch with the amount of features loaded for the end user. Despite its size, I'm sure this little guy wow you just as much as other products in the line such as the QNAP TS-559 Pro II reviewed by my colleague Jonathan not too long ago. Curious to what the TS-219P II can do? Keep reading to find out!
Our review unit of the QNAP TS-219P II came in a large, brown corrugated cardboard box from the company's headquarters in Taiwan. If you remember from our last review, the QNAP TS-559 Pro II, the box is almost identical. Using DHL Express, our unit landed in in Calgary, Alberta in quite good shape, with little to no damage on the box. For myself, I am actually quite excited to get one of these attached to my network, so I quickly pulled out the knife to open the box, and got straight down to work.
Clean and tidy is what I like, and QNAP's packaging design is exactly that. Featuring a slick white background, the TS-219P II is featured predominantly on the right, while the model name is printed boldly on the left with its highlighted features in small print below it. An array of icons is printed on the bottom left, advertising its main hardware features. The rest of the box silver in color; with more diagrams and tables covering its features and specifications in further detail.
Before we move on to the exciting part of this review, let's take a quick look at the long list of features and specifications, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
Opening the box, you will find the QNAP TS-219P II itself sandwiched between two foam brackets for extra protection. The accessories come in a smaller brown corrugated box, while the screws for mounting the hard drives are taped under the top cover of the small box. Overall, QNAP has done a good job at keeping everything neat and tidy for the end user to find without any hassle.
The following items are included out of the box:
1x QNAP TS-219P II
1x Quick installation guide
1x Setup CD-ROM
6x Screws for 2.5" HDDs
8x Screws for 3.5" HDDs
1x Ethernet cable
1x Power cable
1x Power adapter
Page Index
1. Introduction and Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. Configuration and User Interface, Part I
4. Configuration and User Interface, Part II
5. Configuration and User Interface, Part III
6. Performance and Power Consumption
7. Final Thoughts and Conclusion
