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Iosafe 214 NAS Review
Iosafe 214 NAS Review
1 of 10
Sections
Page 1 ioSafe 214 NAS Review
Page 2 Setup, Performance and Verdict Review
Pros
Peformance tests limit of Gigabit Ethernet
Seemless Synology SHR & DSM integration
Incredibly durable
Cons
No backup Gigabit Ethernet
Front port USB 2.0 only
Key Specifications
Review Price: £549.99
Marvell Armada XP dual core 1.06GHz CPU
512MB DDR3 RAM
1x Gigabit Ethernet
2x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
SNR, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0 and RAID 1 compatible
What should give ioSafe a leg up with this is its partnership with Synology.
Currently our favourite NAS maker, Synology has an exclusive agreement with
ioSafe to provide them with its chipsets and excellent DSM (DiskStation Manager)
software. All of which suggests if ioSafe can get the hardware right, the rest should
fall into place.
Of course this bulk is down the 214’s determination to protect your data.
Consequently the entire body is metal and access to the drives comes only by
removing a 40mm thick fire-insulated metal front panel, followed by a 10mm thick
waterproof metal inner casing. Access to both requires the provided allen key and
ioSafe separately sells a floor mount (pictured below), which adds further
protection and the ability to padlock it.
All this leads to some impressive claims. ioSafe boasts the 214 can protect data
from heat of up to 1550 Fahrenheit (845 degrees Celsius) for 30 minutes and
submersion in up to 10 feet of salt water for 72 hours. But it is worth noting that
these figures correspond to protection of your data. Much like a car with crumple
zones, the NAS itself is sacrificed to protect the drives inside, though this is clearly
the crucial part for anyone considering this type of NAS.
In addition the Synology connection means the 214 is compatible with the
company’s wealth of Android and iOS apps for remote file access and media
streaming as well as the latest DSM firmware updates. Impressively the 214 is
even compatible with Synology DiskStation Manager, which has only just
launched. Android handset makers would do well to take notes.
From a hardware perspective the ioSafe 214 is also well served. Being based on the
Synology DS214, it comes with the same Marvell Armada XP dual core 1.06GHz
CPU, 512MB DDR3 RAM and supports 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives up to 4TB
(with 6TB compatibility on the way). There are two rear USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit
Ethernet and a USB 2.0 front mounted port and quick copy button for fast saving
content from external drives.
As with other Synology NAS, the front port has not been upgraded to USB 3.0 – a
small grumble. Slightly more surprising is the single Gigabit Ethernet port. For a
device so concerned with safety it seems odd there would not be a backup port as
standard like the Synology DS414.
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