QNAP TS-119 Turbo NAS Review

by Shawn Oliver — Tuesday, June 09, 2009, 12:00 PM EDT

Page 4:
Account and Folder Management

After you've completed the initial setup, there are only a few things left to do (if you so choose). You can add users or groups, add or change folders, give / deny permission to view said folders, schedule backups, manage external drives connected directly to the NAS and setup your UPnP / DLNA / iTunes server. And that's just to get you started.

Needless to say, the real fun begins after the initial setup ends. QNAP provides a fantastic Web interface that enables you to do all of the above mentioned chores, and users can access files remotely via the Web or via Windows Explorer / Finder (in OS X). You can create folders that only certain individuals / groups can access, and you can setup your NAS so that it streams content from to or from other multimedia devices. With a UPnP app, you can even stream content on your NAS to your iPod touch or iPhone, though you'll need a Wi-Fi hotspot and a darn good broadband connection at home to ensure things stay smooth.

We should mention that QNAP's Web interface is stellar except for one critical aspect: the file management. Setting up new groups, tweaking the configuration and adding users is great, but actually uploading a file to the NAS via the Web interface is a real chore. For starters, it only allows you to add files, not folders. Second, you can't just drag-and-drop folders or files from your desktop to the Web interface. Finally, there's no status or 'Time Remaining' indicator to let you know how quickly your file is transferring (or if it has stalled completely).

Click Any To Enlarge

Thus, we found it best to simply map a network drive to the NAS on your PC or Mac (instructions are provided, though it's pretty simply for experienced NAS users) in order to upload or download files. Treating this like an external hard drive on your desktop is the most convenient way to get or store information. We should also mention that a few of our larger .zip and .dmg files would transfer over but never show up; it's as if they simply got lost on the way to the folder. Eventually things worked out, but we'd be remiss of our duties if we said that every single file transfer happened without nary a problem.

Click Any To Enlarge

Have a look at the screengrabs above and below (posted in order) to get a better idea of what you'll face in the Account Management phase. Any screengrab can be enlarged by simply clicking on it.