Dotop 2-bay Gigabit NAS Customer Review

Review submitted by Richard Grainger, ClanCarnage

Network-attached storage (NAS) are devices that are connected to a network allowing users to transfer and store files.

Today, I’m going to be looking at the DoTop 2 Bay SATA NAS device which allows two SATA I/II drives up to 2TB in size to be installed within the enclosure, allowing a total of up to 4TB of storage, which is perfect for home or small business users.

Let’s have a quick look at the full list of features:

2-Bay Gigabit NAS lets you store all your files on your network, for sharing with multiple PCs

Takes up to 2x 2Tb SATA HDDs (not included)

Share-level security through web-based network management tool

File sharing between Windows, Mac, and Linux clients without drivers

RAID-capable, supports TCP /IP, SMB, FTP, SNTP, HTTP protocols

DHCP client or DHCP server for allocation IP addresses

Includes software tool to locate and setup the unit on your network

2x USB2.0 ports allow you to copy files to the unit from USB Mass Storage Devices

Bittorrent download client (Torrentflux) and Samba file-sharing utilities included

Bright blue/red LEDs for power, network OK, and HDD activity

8cm fan in lid assists in efficient convection cooling

Extruded aluminium chassis for good heat dissipation

(L) 118 x (W) 124.5 x (H) 196 mm in size, external power pack and LAN cable included

What you get in the box:

DoTop Aluminium 2 Bay SATA NAS unit (drives not included)

Ethernet cable

12V 4A 100-230v power pack

Manual CD with

Here's an unboxing video from Youtube:

Design:

The DoTop 2 Bay SATA NAS has a nice, simple design; it’s finished in a smooth matte black which allows it to sit neatly next to your router/switch.

The front of the unit houses the power/reset buttons, one of the USB host ports (these let you transfer files from thumb drives to the NAS), along with four LEDs to show when the unit is on, LAN activity and hard drive activity. The back side has the other USB host port, a Gigabit Ethernet port and the power input socket. The top lid houses an 80mm fan.

The bottom of the DoTop 2 Bay SATA NAS has two air vents for that little bit of extra airflow, and four rubber feet to prevent the unit from moving and ensure that there is no sound from vibrations that the hard drives make.

Setup:

The setup process for the DoTop 2 Bay SATA NAS is extremely easy, you can have a hard drive installed and on the network in less than 10 minutes.

Installing the hard drives is simply a matter of taking off four screws from the top of the NAS, sliding the hard drives into the SATA power and data connectors and then putting the top back on. You don't need to disconnect the 80mm fan in the lid to do this.

The drives are oriented upwards, and whilst guide rails inside mean the drives can't rattle around, there's nothing to stop them from moving back upwards towards the fan if the unit is dropped whilst upside-down. For this reason, AusPC will generally ship the units with the drives not installed.

Configuration of the NAS is also extremely easy, for initial setup you can run the SetupUtil.exe program from the CD and choose the hostname, IP address settings as well as the basic time and date - the unit will lease it's own IP from a DHCP server on your network by default. You can then browse to the GUI configuration page via the assigned IP address. This allows you to alter the more advanced settings, such as the RAID configuration, or setting a static IP in the unit.

Accessing the NAS:

Once the DoTop 2 Bay SATA NAS has been configured and is ready to go, you can easily browse to the hostname or IP address via your PC.

I’ve tested it with Windows 7 and Mac OS X, both of which can identify the devices and browse the contents through My Computer and Finder after initially connecting with a username and password.

By default, there is an admin folder which is specifically designed to only allow the admin user to view/copy files, and a public folder for everyone to access.

If you have multiple users that use the NAS you can configure usernames for them, which can provide them with their own private folder.

Conclusion:

The DoTop 2 Bay SATA NAS is an ideal solution for home or small business users who want to create a centralized location to store and back up information. The setup process is extremely easy and even the most basic of users should be able to have the unit configured and accessing it on their computers within minutes.

The only negative thing I can say about the DoTop is that it's cooling fan can be quite loud (Ed: I can't hear mine in the room with a PC on at the same time). However, this really is a small inconvenience and if you are placing the drive next to a computer, or in a hidden away location like a cupboard, this is unlikely to bother you. Other NASes in the same price range often have no cooling to speak of, or are encumbered with a teeny-tiny 40mm fan that fills with dust and begins to buzz after a month or two.

+ Well priced

+ Packed full of features

+ Easy to setup and configure

- Device is audible

You know you want one if you've read this far - here's the buy info:

See more specifications and buy the Dotop 2-bay Gigabit NAS without the HDD here

AusPCMarket has the NAS bundled with a hard drive, where you will save up to $26: