We are hosting an extended 4 week Ask Me Anything AMA for the NETGEAR ReadyNAS line of products and we would love to answer your ReadyNAS questions. Best of all, posting your question below enters you in a sweepstake to win a ReadyNAS 214 with 4x 2-terabyte hard drives. *Update - 9/14 - The Winner has been contacted - We will announce soon. Learn more about NETGEAR ReadyNAS products for Home and ReadyNAS for Small & Medium businesses. Sweepstakes rules and alternative means of entry: How to ask a question and enter: In the discussion thread below post a question for our ReadyNAS team about ReadyNAS products. During the Questions & Answers and entry period: 7/26/2017 – 8/28/2017 a ReadyNAS rep will visit this thread and answer relevant questions Monday-Friday. After the Q&A is finished one lucky respondent will be chosen at random to receive a ReadyNAS 214! We look forward to your questions. Good Luck Update 8/29 - The AMA Period is now closed. Thank you to everyone for submitting their questions about ReadyNAS. Register to post your question

Um, I get this contest is a great way to get everyone use to the new forum but it's not effective for responding to questions. This whole conversation is listed as a single topic, so many of the people who are asking questions will have to scroll through all the responses to get answers, and that's not the best experience with a new forum. However, I would like to say I like the digs.

Rottenweiler wrote: Does the 214 run OS6? How does an ARM processor compare to Intel models? Can you use the 10TB drives in this system? Thanks. Simply put, Intel processors are 64-bit, ARM processors are 32-bit. Of course, a modern ARM processor outperforms against a 2004 Intel processor. So, you do need to look at the architecture, the speed, etc. etc. But in general, if you are buying a new product from the same vendor, it is safe to assume that a system based on Intel processor is faster than one that is based on ARM. In the example of ReadyNAS, you have a quad core ARM in RN212/214. It is still slower than a dual core Intel in a RN420 (422/424/426/428). The size of the drive does not have any relevance to the overall performance (tiny bit, almost not noticeable). It runs the same, slow or fast. It is the conduit (i.e. interface) between the HDD and the mother board in the ReadyNAS that determines the speed. Of course, the spec of the motherboard.

Tofu87m wrote:How does this model compare to the qnap 451+ as far as streaming plex and capturing and streaming gameplay to places like twitch, YouTube, ectThe QNAP TS451+ has an Intel based chipset which is perhaps similar to the ReadyNAS 314 or the newer 400 series, also on price about the same. ReadyNAS 214 has an ARM based chipset more like the TS431+, specs and price also similar. For streaming, I think the answer is much simpler: can the RN214 stream content and even transcode, and the answer is yes it can. If you want to know which has more processing performance, then the answer is also pretty easy in this comparison, and that is the QNAP TS451+. However, I think you need to consider what you are trying to achieve and figure out the best NAS for the task. With your current question I think they can both do that task quite easily.

daspiel wrote:Why NetGear over any other brand?ReadyNAS is generally very reliable and stable and as a central file storage it is excellent. Afterall, your data is what you value most! I'm not saying there are no issues, but I observe excellent stability for this basic function. I find the backup modes also very good, if a little confusing to start with. When expanding capacity, popping in an additional disk and have ReadyNAS x-raid expand automatically was seamless the times I have done it. The fan on the Duo v1 was noisy (so I changed mine), the NV+ v2 is not as bad but not silent. There is no way to turn the fan off for example when the disk are sleeping and the temperature is sufficiently low, which would make the unit totally silent when not in use. The newer RN200 series have larger fans that are quieter I believe, so less of an issue now. When I have looked elsewhere, let's say QNAP (I have one) and Synology (I don't have one), the community forum here is by far superior in my opinion. Always helpful and I don't recall a time where the pros were sarcastic or flat out abusive (which I have observed on some forums). Having said that, I do feel the ReadyNAS lacks advanced features compared to the others, especially Netgear provides little (useful) add-ons. There was a time when Netgear wanted to go for fee based add-ons (even for community contributors who did not want to charge), that was a real joke and fairly offensive to consumer level users. The community add-ons are limited, so I suggest you take a look for yourself in the appropriate sections to check if there are any features missing. From personal experience, the ReadyNas NV+ v2 ReadyDLNA had tagging problem in early versions, I raised the issue here and one of the developers created a patch to resolve it. That was rolled in to the next release. I haven't experienced any other issues, and I've had 4 NAS units over the last 10 or so years. I am a bit disappointed that Netgear end-of-lifed the NV+ just a few months after I purchased it, and in fact it was only on the market a short while. I do understand the reasons and I accept that sometimes you just have to move on. The NV+ has still served me well for about 4 years (purchased Jan'2013) and is still my main NAS, so I can't really complain. Personally I would highly recommend the ReadyNAS and my own next purchase will likely be a RN214, which I think offers best value for money, performance and features that I need. I've got in to the ReadyNAS ways of doing things and don't want to change, but I'm sure other NAS units are also pretty good. It will mostly come down to preferences on the interface and whether the unit has the features you need.

Danila wrote: hi! what can possibly convince me to switch to new model from my current model ? (RN 10400) Best regards, Danila The 104 is good as a basic file server or backup storage where speed is not a concern. Once you want to do more than that you'll really benefit from using a more powerful unit. I want our ReadyNAS customers to be happy. If you're happy with how your NAS is performing and what it can do now you don't have to rush into upgrading.In my opinion it's better to choose a unit that is more powerful than what you need than to choose one that's not powerful enough. I started out as a ReadyNAS customer before I joined NETGEAR. If I was buying a unit for myself now I'd buy the RN628X. At the same time I know the performance of that unit, the 8-bays and the price is way overkill for most home users and will remain so for years to come. I'm not the average user. We have a wide range of units to suit various needs. You can just move your disks across to the RN214 (it is advisable to get both units up to the same firmware first, put a scratch disk in the RN214, update the firmware if necessary, verify the firmware update was successful, power down both units, remove the scratch disk and move the disks across keeping the order the same).If you want to move to an Intel model (e.g. RN424) then I'd suggest uninstalling any apps you've got installed first. It's nice to know that you can move your disks to a newer ReadyNAS model when the time is right for you to upgrade whether it's now or later (of course it's best to check back when you do decide to upgrade to make sure that's still the case).

AMA - Ask Us Anything About ReadyNAS and You Could Win a ReadyNAS 214!

217 Replies

Replies have been turned off for this discussion

voodoogts
Aspirant
Jul 26, 2017
Is the NAS214 built in anti virus software free and is it automatically updating ?
- douglas_cheung
  NETGEAR Expert
  Jul 27, 2017
  voodoogts wrote:
  Is the NAS214 built in anti virus software free and is it automatically updating ?
  
  Yes, it is free. It updates once a day, automatically.
Piggy3754
Aspirant
Jul 26, 2017
I see that there is Anti-Virus software running on the ReadyNAS, but not by defaul, but who's list are you running? How often is the update pushed out and will it be realtime or required download? I know that I often set and forget devices such as a NAS, so this is a main concern for me.
- douglas_cheung
  NETGEAR Expert
  Jul 27, 2017
  Piggy3754 wrote:
  
  I see that there is Anti-Virus software running on the ReadyNAS, but not by defaul, but who's list are you running? How often is the update pushed out and will it be realtime or required download? I know that I often set and forget devices such as a NAS, so this is a main concern for me.
  
  The ReadyNAS automatically updates the virus database once a day, of course, as long as you turn on that feature. ReadyNAS uses an open source anti-virus database.
Eryk1138
Aspirant
Jul 26, 2017
We have 2 models readyNAS 626X, one offsite and one on premis, I also have a small 2 bay ReadyNas at my home. I know these use Debian as an OS, however I am somewhat confused as to what ReadyDR and Rsync do behind the scenes and at the Linix level. Could you please explane that?
- douglas_cheung
  NETGEAR Expert
  Jul 27, 2017
  Eryk1138 wrote:
  
  We have 2 models readyNAS 626X, one offsite and one on premis, I also have a small 2 bay ReadyNas at my home. I know these use Debian as an OS, however I am somewhat confused as to what ReadyDR and Rsync do behind the scenes and at the Linix level. Could you please explane that?
  
  rsync is a file level backup tool.
  
  ReadyDR operates at the block level. Therefore, it is more incremental, requires less Internet bandwidth (helpful in your case when you have two systems across the WAN), and it has NETGEAR ReadyNAS software management UI around it. The ReadyNAS UI makes it simple to set up, and the software places the snapshots in the destination unit in a separate share that is not writable by anyone, including the admin. This is a great anti-ransomware tool.
  
  To people who use ReadyNAS more than a NAS, like iSCSI JBOD, VM storage, the additional benefit is that ReadyDR backs up everything, because it is block level, including LUN, VM storage.
Newsat11
Luminary
Jul 26, 2017
Um, I get this contest is a great way to get everyone use to the new forum but it's not effective for responding to questions. This whole conversation is listed as a single topic, so many of the people who are asking questions will have to scroll through all the responses to get answers, and that's not the best experience with a new forum. However, I would like to say I like the digs.
- abox
  NETGEAR Employee Retired
  Jul 26, 2017
  Newsat11 wrote:
  
  Um, I get this contest is a great way to get everyone use to the new forum but it's not effective for responding to questions. This whole conversation is listed as a single topic, so many of the people who are asking questions will have to scroll through all the responses to get answers, and that's not the best experience with a new forum. However, I would like to say I like the digs.
  
  Newsat11 - I agree! We are going to let things roll and keep this up for now. You are providing some super helpful responses! Would you mind using the "quote" feature to help clarify what you are answering?
  
  We are already reviewing some really cool ways to run these going forward. Stay tuned, and thanks for helping!
  
  Alex
- shebeast
  Aspirant
  Jul 30, 2017
  What is the warranty on this device, and is it commercial grade?
  - aks
    Virtuoso
    Jul 30, 2017
    shebeast wrote:
    What is the warranty on this device
    Warranty is covered in message #73 - it is 3 years for the chassis, but may be region dependent. Check you local Netgear site.
    
    and is it commercial grade?
    What are you looking for specifically? The RN214 is classified as a home/small business class device, could you provide details about the number of users, storage capacity you need, or any other requirement you are looking for in "commercial grade".
- jktmagic
  Aspirant
  Aug 01, 2017
  Any way to upgrade the cpu or motherboard to make this thing useable? So far it is a waste of money?
  - douglas_cheung
    NETGEAR Expert
    Aug 02, 2017
    jktmagic wrote:
    
    Any way to upgrade the cpu or motherboard to make this thing useable? So far it is a waste of money?
    
    Would you like to share what model you bought? And roughly how much did it cost?
antics
Aspirant
Jul 26, 2017
how easy is it to set up for someone who isnt really knowledgeable about nas.
- William10a
  Master
  Jul 26, 2017
  I would love to move from a usb drive to a full nas storage system and from I understand is it is easier to manage for multiple computer system.
- douglas_cheung
  NETGEAR Expert
  Jul 27, 2017
  antics wrote:
  
  how easy is it to set up for someone who isnt really knowledgeable about nas.
  
  It is pretty easy. There are a lot of knowledge based articles available. But for an easy-to-follow visual illustration, you can view this video clip:
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fgBwJ2RZPI
  
  Enjoy!
Guppy
Star
Jul 26, 2017
I was looking into whether the ReadyNAS can be used with the Arlo home cameras. According to the thread below from 2016, they are not yet integrated. Do you know if Arlo support will be added?
https://community.netgear.com/t5/Current-NETGEAR-and-Partners/Arlo-cameras-with-ReadyNAS-Surveillance/m-p/1182592#M6109
hmlopeztexoma
Aspirant
Jul 27, 2017
Is there embeded backup software for PCs and laptops or simply using the backup functionality in Windows 10 is what is needed?
slompochomp
Guide
Jul 27, 2017
Currently I am using a SSD drive connected to my routers USB 3.0 port with a USB 3.0 to SATA cable and just using the ReadyShare on the router. How well does ReadyNAS 214 proforme compaired to what I have currently setup and what other benifits would I expect to see with the ReadyNAS 214?

Thanks in advanced!
- douglas_cheung
  NETGEAR Expert
  Jul 27, 2017
  slompochomp wrote:
  
  Currently I am using a SSD drive connected to my routers USB 3.0 port with a USB 3.0 to SATA cable and just using the ReadyShare on the router. How well does ReadyNAS 214 proforme compaired to what I have currently setup and what other benifits would I expect to see with the ReadyNAS 214?
  
  Thanks in advanced!
  
  Using ReadyShare is a great start. Once you are comfortable with that technology, but hunger for more, you should look at RN214.
  
  1. The performance of data access is limited by the router. RN214 is a dedicated device just for data storage, access and sharing.
  
  2. RN214 has four drives. Obviously, larger capacity. For sure, especially that your current USB is a SSD based storage. Also, this is very important, a four drive system, when you configure it as RAID5 (default), you will have protection. RN214 comes with 5 levels of data protection against mechanical, physical, human, system level errors, and virus attacks.
  
  3. There are more sharing, streaming, oh, yes, Plex, that is not avaible in the router. (Plex is available to the very high end models of NETGEAR Nighthawk. But, obviously, the performance is, again, limited by the Router.)
jak0lantash
Mentor
Jul 27, 2017
New ReadyNAS hardware is released that brings different CPUs and RAM, sometimes different NICs, new software releases brings some new features. Except for the RR4360, there isn't any new unit that truly makes a difference, that brings something really new to the product line.
Are you planning on releasing ReadyNAS products that bring new features? Such as a media center version with an HDMI port and something like Kodi embedded. Or a NAS with DAS capabilities, so it can be connected directly to a computer and allow direct storage, which could be useful to a broad range of customers, from the novice to home office and power user.

Is Docker going to be natively supported by ReadyNAS? This is available on most mainstream NASes nowadays and really boosts a NAS capabilities. There are some powerful x86 ReadyNASes but no native virtualization platform to truly take advantage of their CPU.

How about Arlo? Any plan on adding support to store Arlo videos on ReadyNAS?

Will there be a new ReadyNAS OS with a revised interface, possibly with easy and advanced mode (or more control than currently)?

+ Is there going to be a RN322? (aka an x86 unit cheaper than RN422).
- douglas_cheung
  NETGEAR Expert
  Jul 27, 2017
  jak0lantash wrote:
  
  New ReadyNAS hardware is released that brings different CPUs and RAM, sometimes different NICs, new software releases brings some new features. Except for the RR4360, there isn't any new unit that truly makes a difference, that brings something really new to the product line.
  Are you planning on releasing ReadyNAS products that bring new features? Such as a media center version with an HDMI port and something like Kodi embedded. Or a NAS with DAS capabilities, so it can be connected directly to a computer and allow direct storage, which could be useful to a broad range of customers, from the novice to home office and power user.
  
  Is Docker going to be natively supported by ReadyNAS? This is available on most mainstream NASes nowadays and really boosts a NAS capabilities. There are some powerful x86 ReadyNASes but no native virtualization platform to truly take advantage of their CPU.
  
  How about Arlo? Any plan on adding support to store Arlo videos on ReadyNAS?
  
  Will there be a new ReadyNAS OS with a revised interface, possibly with easy and advanced mode (or more control than currently)?
  
  + Is there going to be a RN322? (aka an x86 unit cheaper than RN422).
  
  RN422 is at about the same price as RN312 now...
  
  The world has moved on... RN422 will be the new darling, like RN312.
maibaum
Aspirant
Jul 27, 2017
Are there any plans to offer a package which would include all the essential Netgear products for setting up your home network? Aka a combo package with ReadyNAS + WiFi router + modem + cabling. It would be an insta-buy for me if it came with an enclosure for the devices.
- douglas_cheung
  NETGEAR Expert
  Jul 27, 2017
  maibaum wrote:
  
  Are there any plans to offer a package which would include all the essential Netgear products for setting up your home network? Aka a combo package with ReadyNAS + WiFi router + modem + cabling. It would be an insta-buy for me if it came with an enclosure for the devices.
  
  I am sure that would be NETGEAR marketing's dream. That is a great idea for a digital store where the buyer is asked a series of questions and products are recommended to him/her and placed into a basket.
  
  A fixed bundle is probably not realistic because there are so many cominbations and permutations of possibilities.

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AMA - Ask Us Anything About ReadyNAS and You Could Win a ReadyNAS 214!