Qnap TS-251B 2-Bay Tower Home/Soho NAS With Dual-Core Processor and PCIe Slot

Qnap Systems, Inc. launched the 2-bay TS-251B NAS.

Powered by an Intel Corp.‘s J3355 dual-core processor, the TS-251B provides home and SOHO users with a cross-device multimedia experience with its 4K media transcoding and streaming capabilities, 4K HDMI output, and a range of backup and sharing applications.

TS-251B NAS rear

The TS-251B also provides a PCIe slot to expand its core functionality.

With its PCIe slot, users can expand the functionality of the TS-251B. A company’s QM2 card can be installed to add M.2 SSD caching and 10GbE connectivity; a compatible wireless adapter (e.g. QWA-AC2600) to create a wireless storage and streaming environment; a USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) card to increase the number of USB ports; or a QXG-10G1T 10GbE network expansion card to add 10GbE connectivity.

QM2 pcie, wirelessap, and ac2600 cards

“The TS-251B is Qnap’s first home NAS with a PCIe slot, allowing users to add extra functionality to meet their needs. They can add SSD caching and 10GbE connectivity by installing a QM2 PCIe card to improve system performance while also future-proofing for 10GbE network environments,” said Jason Hsu, product manager, Qnap. “The TS-251B also features 4K transcoding and 4K-capable HDMI output for users to enjoy a complete multimedia experience at home,” Hsu added.

Powered by a 14nm Celeron J3355 dual-core 2.0GHz processor (burst up to 2.5GHz), 2GB/4GB DDR3L RAM (up to 8GB), a single Gb LAN port, and supporting Gb SATA drives, the TS-251B provides dependable R/W speeds and provides Intel AES-NI hardware-accelerated encryption to ensure the security of sensitive data on the NAS. It supports snapshots, allowing users to recover data in the event of accidental deletion/modification or ransomware attack.

The TS-251B’s App Center provides a range of productivity tools: Qsirch full-text search allows for quick file search; IFTTT Agent and Qfiling automate user workflows for improved efficiency and productivity; Qsync and Hybrid Backup Sync simplify file sharing and syncing across devices. A variety of streaming applications, including Cinema28, QVHelper, Qmedia and Video HD allows users to enjoy a smooth multimedia experience using different streaming protocols. Users can also use the firm’s remote control RM-IR004 (sold separately) with the QButton app to customize the functions of the buttons for easy navigation.

Key specs of models:

TS-251B-2G: Celeron J3355 dual-core 2.0GHz processor (burst up to 2.5GHz) with 2GB RAM (1x2GB)
TS-251B-4G: Celeron J3355 dual-core 2.0GHz processor (burst up to 2.5GHz) with 4GB RAM (1x4GB)

Tower model; dual-channel DDR3L SODIMM RAM slots (user upgradable to 8GB); hot-swappable 2.5/3.5-inch 6Gb SATA HDD/SSD; one PCIe Gen2 x2 slot; one GbE LAN ports; one HDMI v1.4b, up to 4K UHD; two USB 3.0 Type-A ports, three USB 2.0 Type-A ports; one USB-copy button; one speaker, two 3.5mm microphone jacks (supporting dynamic microphones); and one 3.5mm line out audio jack.

The TS-251B is available.

Click to enlarge