Description
TS-231K manufactured starting from August, 2021 will keep only one USB 3.2 Gen1 port instead of two on the rear side. Powered by quad-core 1.7 GHz processor, the TS-231K provides 2 drive bays storage space to securely store your important files and data, while allowing you to easily share files with family and friends. Featuring a compact pure white minimalist design, the TS-231K can easily integrate with any home décor and takes up very little space. The TS-231K comes with lockable drive trays, ensuring the drives will not be accidentally removed or fall out and cause data loss. The TS-231K provides comprehensive local, off-site and cloud backup and secure Snapshot technology to help create a reliable backup and disaster recovery plan. In the event of a system crash or accidental file deletion, you can quickly restore the system to its normal state.
From the manufacturer
Cost-Effective Network Attached Storage
Better than traditional external hard drives, the TS-x31K offers a more cost-effective storage solution with powerful drive failure protection. Network connectivity helps you build your own private cloud, so your files go with you, on all of your devices.
Backup and Snapshots
Enable comprehensive backups and secure Snapshot technology for a reliable backup and disaster recovery solution. Snapshots record the state of your NAS, making it easy to revert back to a previous state, keeping your data secure from attacks like ransomware.
Windows and Mac Backups
Use QNAP NetBak Replicator to backup your Windows devices, and with support for Time Machine built-in, automatically backup your Mac. QNAP makes it easy, fast, and convenient to backup all of your devices.
Your Private Cloud
Build your own safe private cloud for file synchronization with the TS-x31K Series. Unlike Dropbox, there are no size limits or monthly subscription fees. Sync files, collaborate on projects, easily share, and access the files from anywhere, at any time.
Greg Glockner –
Not the NAS you’re looking forYou want the QNAP TS-431KX. Let me explain.We use multiple QNAP rack mount NAS at work, and we needed a device for offsite air-gap backup. First, we tried the TS-131K 1-bay NAS. Had to return it after discovering that you cannot use a generic USB enclosure to expand the storage; you must use a QNAP-model expansion device.Next, we tried the TS-431K 4-bay NAS. Had to return it after discovering that it runs slow due to insufficient RAM. Furthermore, the RAM is hard-wired and cannot be upgraded.However, the TS-431KX is what you want: it comes with 2GB of RAM, upgradeable to 8GB.
Drive4Fun –
Extremely slow CPU and response, incompetent customer service and no skills of software maintainers(Revised and lowered the score due to continuous instability and extremely slow response after upgrade to latest reboot.)Strangely enough there was a YouTube review by some self proclaimed expert on the NAS systems, who assured the audience that while Synology is more about apps, QNAP is about stable HW and software.Don’t believe any such hogwash. QNAP NAS in general has a bunch of very inexperienced HW designers, who chose a CPU by an Amazon subsidiary, which claims it is superior to most of the NAS CPUs out there. NOT TRUE AT ALL! Annapurna CPUs are NOT for this purpose and it is a bad choice with very response time.On top of this QNAP seems to have issues creating proper embedded SW image. The boot time is ridiculous — over 2 and a half minutes. Why? What is taking so long? This is the slowest booting system I have ever seen. Even MS Windows does not take that long on a slow HW with low memory and bad, slow HDD.Linux based system, even embedded (like on a NAS or a home router) boots much, much quicker than that. Synology NAD for example boots in less than 30 sec. Regardless of the device model.While python is a great language, QNAP does not have competent programmers. The processes sometimes fork so many instances with quite a lot of overhead, that the OS is overwhelmed with the Python interpreter, running hundreds (yes hundreds) processes, which it keeps piling and does not respond, at which point I have to hold the Power button for > 10 seconds and downgrade to a stable SW version, which is released about 2-3 months ago. This happened to me twice with two separate builds (FW updates). What a sloppy and incompetent job. With latest FW version I was able to stabilize the runtime state, but I had to go into the console and kill all spawned Python processes by hand, which took me a while, since the system was very slow to respond. Once I killed the processes it returned to its quiet state with the stable previously mentioned firmware.Alter all this when I filed a ticket and a rep asked me to give him access to MY DATA. Yes, they would ask you to use TeamViewer and expose all your work and data to a customer service rep. RRRRIIIGGGHHTT!!! I did not believe what I am hearing. Really, wanna see my data? How dare you ask such a privacy violation action? Apparently QNAP does not have privacy policy and does not respect any such out there at all.Last thing was really unbelievable. Instead of asking for logs, diagnostics data, the rep said they cannot help me diagnose myself and and I have to wait for their new release.I would like to challenge the competency of the SMEs in QNAP from HW designers, software integrator and developers to CSRs. I am wondering who is running this company and how did they get so many nice reviews? Is there something fishy going on?
Rev. Jim B. –
Entry Level NAS with Good Features, but NAS Migration unsupported configurationUPDATE: DO NOT BUY IF YOU PLAN TO MIGRATE YOUR DRIVES!!I contacted QNAP support and now know I got ripped off! It turns out that even though I used their “NAS migration” (which is a selling feature) the old file system is “unsupported” so I migrated myself into a brand new unit that they will not support until I reformat it (what I was trying to avoid with the migration in the first place). The iSCSI isn’t performing right and I have no hope of a fix now that they declared the configuration unsupported!****************************This is my second QNAP NAS. My TS-219P served our small business very well for over 10 years. To QNAP’s credit, they honored its lifetime support warranty and provided security updates all that time. I upgraded (when they stopped providing security updates for my 219P) to the TS-231K. With twice the memory and quad-core CPU it looked great. Again, to QNAP’s credit I was able to migrate by simply moving my drives over to it.However, this is S – L – O – W booting. It takes 4 minutes to apply firmware updates and then 14 minutes to reboot. That is beyond “a cup of coffee” territory! The boot is slow enough that you will reconsider whether you are going to apply every firmware update.
Amazon Customer –
You could do better..If you are looking at this you are looking for mass storage for pictures, videos, or anything that you need to store. However it’s a bit too expensive in my opinion, if you build your own computers you can totally do better than this. The underpowered CPU and 1gb of ram is unacceptable for 2021. If you have multiple people accessing this it will get slow quick. However since it’s mostly just me accessing this NAS, it’s perfectly fine, even two or three people can access at the same time and still be ok. However if you have the technical know how to build your own NAS, I would take that every time. I’m giving this four stars because it didn’t seem hyped in the description and it does what I need it to do, I just want people to make an informed decision before purchasing.
Dean U –
Excellent network storageI bought two of these for movie storage. That makes four QNAP NAS drives that I have. I really appreciate the “Qfinder Pro” app on my desktop which makes it real easy to access and configure these devices.
An old soldier –
After owining two of these thumbs downThree years dealing with QNAP products. The first was buggy and incredibly slow. I purchased the TS-131K in hopes that the hardware would perform better. Boy was I wrong! Long story short-the unit respond terribly to power outages, the software is very buggy, even with a fast SSD, due to poor ARM CPU performance, you can’t get decent streaming performance, even on a LAN using Ethernet. This is it for me. I pulling the plug on all QNAP products after this.
Marshall –
Great for what I’m using it for.I use it to make the 220000 photos our family has and a home based cloud available to my family. Great for that. I’m using 2 8TB drives in a RAID 1 configuration.
Edward A. Luczycki –
Great little NASPicked this up to replace an older depreciated 4-bay QNAP specifically because I am familiar with QNAP products and they generally just work. Paired it with a cloud backup service and it works just as I had envisioned. I don’t love the plastic drive tray’s, however they are well designed for quick swaps of 3.5″ drives and once they are loaded, you’re not going to mess with them much. It’s relatively quick, file access and backups run well.
Ralphael –
Great old fashion and powerful NASJust bought the TS-431K as a backup to my TS-431P that I bought many years ago. Not much has changed between the two models but I am changing my old TS-431P from Raid 6 over to Raid 5 and I needed another NAS to copy the files, reformat the old NAS then copy all the files back over. Two NAS, one for backup and the other as the Main. One of the main thing about buying a REAL QNAP NAS is the ability to run Apps within the tiny processor on the NAS. Things like DLNA, Media Apps, Web page server and even Security camera recorder. Although for myself I only use the NAS as a file storage and it gives me a peace of mind that I can create a RAID to join up four hard disk drives into one massive NAS drive. I am using four 10TB drives to create a Raid 5 with 30TB usable space. Raid 5 gives me protection from one disk failure out of four drives. Thus I can backup my NAS if a failure is indicated before swapping out the one bad drive with a brand new hard drive for rebuilding. Although you could use a single disk drive as a backup or the main and making a copy over to another hard disk drive, but the problem is that if the one hard disk drive fails you have no recourse in copying the data off the drive. Where-as a NAS with Raid 5 will give you the chance to copy the data into another disk drive if there is a one disk failure among the four disk drives. With Raid 6 you can get up to two disk drive failures before you lose the data. However with Raid 6 you only get half the usable space. For example you have 40TB by using four 10TB hard drive and with Raid 6 you will only have 20TB usable. Where-as with 40TB Raid 5 you will have 30TB usable, which is why I am converting my old TS-431P from Raid 6 to Raid 5. Last thing, the baby blue stripe isn’t as baby blue in the photos. Although I can see a plastic covering over the baby blue which probably is obscuring the brightness of the baby blue. I think I will leave the plastic layer on. Anyway I highly recommend this QNAP NAS.
Kompressor –
Not a great unit for me but great service and feedback from the seller.In all fareness, you get what you pay for. Its a good entry level unit if you have very basic storage needs. Its advetisedhaving lots of possibilities, wich it has. You just have to choose wich one you want to run because you don’t have much resources left over to run said functions, once the unit finally boots. Don’t be like me and expect good performance buying entry level hardware.