NAS is an acronym for Network-Attached Storage, which in simple terms is similar to a removable hard disk that provides additional storage space for a computer. A portable hard disk is usually attached to a USB port on one computer, and if you want to use it elsewhere, you need to uninstall it from the system, unplug it from the port, and then plug it into another computer. This approach is limited in time and space, can only be connected to a computer at the same time, the space and the use of the computer it needs to be placed close enough, and at the same time there is a risk of hard disk damage. NAS is not the same as a portable hard disk, and is connected to a variety of computing devices through the network. This allows multiple devices to share at the same time, and on the other hand, it also gets rid of space limitations - as long as the network can be connected to the place you can use, and most NAS products can be connected to more than one hard disk, home products in the two-disk and four-disk is more common, usually with the RAID method of storage.
File access is the most basic function of a NAS, and there are many applications derived from it. Commonly, for example, data backup, computers and cell phones can be set to automatically save backups on the NAS at regular intervals, so that you no longer have to worry about the hard disk hanging up or losing your phone, and then you can no longer retrieve important documents and photos. Cloud synchronization, you can use different computers at home and in the office, or even on the road when you open the phone to edit the same document at any time, no longer have to resort to e-mail or USB flash drive to copy back and forth between multiple devices. In addition, the NVIDIA? VRM is also a powerful and efficient way to connect to your PC, so that you can easily access your PC's data from anywhere in the world, including the Internet.
While NAS has many advantages, it is not without cost. First, in order to network and cope with multiple devices accessing it, the NAS needs to have some computing power - it is a computer or server in its own right, with its own CPU and memory. A portable hard disk is relatively much simpler, and the main thing inside the hard disk case is to pass the data stream between different hardware interfaces. Not counting the cost of the hard disk, the price of an average home NAS is now more than ten times that of an average portable hard disk enclosure. Secondly, most of the mobile hard disk with a USB 3.0 cable connected to the computer can quickly read and write files, and NAS if you want to achieve comparable transmission speeds, to rely on high-speed network, which requires gigabit switches, gigabit network cable, 5GHz high-speed wireless routers and so on. Deploying such an infrastructure requires a bit of network knowledge and, of course, costs money.
When I first saw this product, I was looking forward to it. Because, for the initial understanding of Xinhua San, it is mainly routers, switches, and in recent years also began to involve the server, cloud storage, cloud computing, and positioning targets mainly in the government, health care, education, transportation, military departments, etc., the family and individual consumer products, and other friends (Huawei, Haikang, Dahua, etc.) relatively speaking less.
With the closure of the services of the various cloud disk vendors, private cloud disk, NAS seems a bit urgent. Always do not think of a day when their data can not be stored and headache. This time the launch of the H3C Magic M2 hit the home cloud disk, I do not know how its real function and experience, whether it is called a cloud disk or home NAS.
First, the outer packaging
Unpacking the courier to take out the time, the feeling is still quite good. Now the technology circle began to popular, no design is the best design, so its overall appearance is more square, with a more environmentally friendly carton, feel also quite texture. Front on a simple photo and "wireless private cloud disk" a few words to solve all the design. On the back, we briefly introduce the product model and main technical features as per usual.
The overall unboxing photo shows the power adapter, manual, main unit, network cable and HDMI cable.
Second, the body
The Magic M2 itself includes the following ports: USB 3.0*1, Magic*1, Function button*1, Reset button*1.
On the side of the Magic M2 are the sockets and buttons, which are, from left to right, the "USB 3.0 port", the "Magic port", the "USB 3.0 port", the "Magic port", the "Magic port" and the "Magic port". From left to right, they are "USB 3.0 port", "Magic port", "Reset button", "Function button", etc. The USB port can be used to connect to external storage devices such as USB flash drives and hard disks. Press and hold the reset button for 5 seconds or more until the system indicator blinks rapidly and the settings are restored to factory settings (files in the hard disk will not be lost). Function key short press 1 time, import data; short press 2 times, eject USB device; long press 5 seconds or more, the device enters/exits sleep mode.
Third, the power adapter
M2 continues the previous Magic minimalist design, using the net port body separated design, using the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) instead of the traditional RJ45 interface, with a simplified version of the HDMI cable to achieve the dual-function of the network cable and wire, the original need to be inserted in the body of the network cable all through the HDMI cable to the power adapter, and at the same time, the original need to plug in the body all the way through the HDMI cable to the power adapter, and the power adapter. The original need to plug in the body of the network cable through the HDMI cable to the power adapter, while the original labeling of the "WAN" or "LAN" has been changed to a more understandable "Internet" and "computer", very user-friendly.
Fourth, on the hard disk disassembly
Installation of the hard disk only four steps: 1. Along the green border to open the shell outward 2. Draw out the removable hard disk case 3. into the hard disk (front up, interface to the outside of the hard disk case) 4. back into the shell. The hard disk needs to be purchased by yourself, and it is recommended to support 2.5-inch SATA interface hard disk (7mm and 9.5mm thickness hard disk). In the manual is very graphic through the form of pictures can be split to explain, in order to more obvious embodiment, add a GIF animation to illustrate the put.
M2 supports both PC web management and mobile APP control, both of which can be used for local LAN control as well as remote management. M2's APP is based on the CAPWAP protocol centralized control system, which enables centralized management of wireless network devices and auto-configuration functions, allowing users to master the wireless network control method in the shortest possible time. For those who love to toss aside, because it is too simple, it also loses some operability.
1, the PC side
In the power and connected to the router under the power, in the web page, enter 192.168.124.1 (the default management IP) to open the management page. The management page is at the bottom of the page, and is divided into a simple version and a professional version, making it easy for different people to set up their own settings.
By going further in the Pro version of the setup interface, I found that the M2 has the same features as a regular router, including 2.4G/5G WIFI setup, user management and upgrades, overall performance monitoring, and basic Internet control.
1.1 Storage
Enter 192.168.124.1 in the My Computer address bar, and the login screen will pop up, with the default account number being magic and the password being the WIFI password. Once you have successfully logged in, you can access the built-in hard disk. (When you first set it up, you will be prompted to format the hard disk, and you can access it normally only after it is formatted successfully). After the formatting is complete, the hard drive automatically creates several folders: Other, Video, Pictures, Documents, Downloads, and Music
I configured an INTEL SSD drive, and tried to put a 260M video in the Video folder, and the actual upload speed was about 11MB/s in real-world tests, which isn't particularly impressive.
Unfortunately, after a simple setup, hard drive access and management is only supported on a LAN, which means that offsite computers can't access and manage it. It feels a bit different from a cloud drive.
2. APP
Its home page is still on the simple side, and the overall color palette is cooler.
After registering and connecting to the previously set wireless, it will prompt you to enter the management password, which is the same as the WIFI password.
2.1 Setup interface
The setup interface is actually more similar to the PC terminal, but it's just transferred to the app. Only there are also more apps than PC, such as hard disk backup, mobile backup and offline download.
Wi-Fi management is also very easy, you can set up 2.4G and 5G Wi-Fi individually, or you can turn on the dual-band 2-in-1 function. 2.4G and 5G will use the same configuration when you turn on it, and the terminal will automatically adapt to stronger devices, automatically connecting to higher-speed 5G WiFi in close proximity, and connecting to higher-quality 2.4G WiFi through the wall when you are farther away.
Advanced.
Because Magic M2 has a USB 3.0 port, it also has the possibility to connect an external hard disk, so the function of hard disk backup has been added in the app.
The user control interface allows you to see what devices exist that are currently connected to the cloud drive.
2.2 Offline Settings Download
Magic M2 supports offline download function, supports magnetic links, HTTTP, etc. and seed files. However, during the actual test, there will be some links can be downloaded, some links can not be downloaded. Of course, this is not a problem for it, Xunlei basically dominates the download software market in China, plus Xunlei recently closed the third-party offline download channel, forcing several vendors to invalidate the offline download function and seek cooperation from other vendors.
To test this, I randomly found a movie to test. 1.8G of movie size, counting the time to get the seed and the time to download almost half a day or so. If you usually find a good-looking movie, you can download it remotely offline and watch it at home. The premise is that you have to make sure the link is downloadable.
In the storage interface you can view files in different paths, and note that images can be viewed in different network environments (LAN, offsite WIFI, 4G). However, video files can only be viewed under LAN, 4G and off-site wireless can not be viewed online, but can only be downloaded and viewed during the actual test. I don't know if this can be solved by upgrading.
2.3 Backup Functions
Mobile phone users just need to click the main page button, select the cell phone album, choose the pictures and videos that need to be uploaded (you can check the box to delete the source file), click OK, and edit the classification label to upload. The photos and videos are intelligently categorized, supporting multiple categorization methods such as tags, time, and location.
The official claim that H3C Magic M2 is a home private cloud drive specially customized for the personal data market, the product combines network storage, file management, secure backup, social sharing, offline downloads, and wireless routing into one. It adopts the latest 802.11ac technology, enterprise-grade firewall, wireless transmission rate up to 1167Mbps, and built-in 1TB surveillance-grade hard disk (optional). It is a home private cloud drive that integrates network storage, file management, security backup, social sharing, offline download, wireless routing, and intelligent management.
From my personal point of view to experience and feel, named family private cloud disk, a little sorry for the word "cloud". From the overall framework, structure and function to analyze:
1, hardware
Because Magic M2 from the overall design ideas, in fact, is a router, the so-called cloud disk and backup, just the equivalent of the router in the hardware directly increased SATA interface. In fact, and the outside world with a USB interface router to go to the nature of about the same, such as millet, Asus, 360, etc..
The use of a network cable and power cord in one HDMI cable is really more innovative and convenient, while the power adapter in the form of a note in Chinese, so that consumers are less difficult to start, and more clearly understand the difference between WAN / LAN. （
2. The M2 can only update its firmware regularly, and is not very maneuverable compared to a NAS LINUX, but because of this, it is better suited for those who don't like to mess around with it, and it's better to have a single, easy-to-use device.
Summary
1, the family happens to want to change the router friends, this product is still quite good, after all, but also with the storage function. Older children's photos just can be stored. Subsequent APP will be upgraded, will increase the privacy of storage, the user is relatively independent, do not affect each other, home travel essential tool.
2, like to toss or recently consider building their own home NAS or cloud disk, this product is not very suitable for you, do not be cloud disk two words confused to, they do not have cloud services, pure hardware only. It's just a router with a hard disk slot.
Thanks! Thanks a lot guys!