Store, Stream and Protect your Data with the Netgear ReadyNAS 200
Disclosure: The product mentioned was provided to me in order to facilitate this review for the NETGEAR Ambassador Program. All thoughts and opinions are honest and my own.
When it comes to home networking it shouldn’t take years of experience and a diploma in Network Engineering to set things up. Even with those assets under my belt, when it comes to setting up my home network, I pretty much want things as plug and play as it can be. You just really should not need my level of education to setup a network storage solution – that should be reserved for enterprise level technology.
NetGear has shown an understanding of this problem and answered it with the Netgear ReadyNAS 200. Network attached storage, or NAS for short, provides for high-speed dedicated file storage on a local network. If you have multiple computers in your home or have large amounts of files sitting on your computer then this is a solution for you.
Traditionally this is technology that would require high level knowledge as NAS boxes are typically complex to install. Fortunately this is not the case with the ReadyNAS 200, and indeed it was so easy to setup that anyone should be able to do it.
What is so impressive about the ReadyNAS 200 is that although it is simple enough for anyone to install, it is packed with enough features to impress even the most advanced users.
The ReadyNAS 200 comes with the box itself, an Ethernet cable, a power transformer and three power adapters (one for North America and the other two for travelling overseas.) There is no installation disc. All you do is plug everything in and open up your browser to the specified page to run a quick setup.
It’s a two-bay NAS and comes pre-installed with two regular desktop sized hard-drives with 1TB storage capacity each. It is capable of using two solid state drives which would increase the read and write speed. That said, as is, it features up to 200Mbps read and 160Mbps write times for super quick backups and file access – something you will be able to appreciate more if you have an 802.11ac WiFi network running on a router like the Nighthawk X4.
As I mentioned, the ReadyNAS 200 comes packed with awesome features and at its foundation is the BTRFS file system, often pronounced Butter F S. The benefits of BTRFS include better fault tolerance and easy administration. In fact you can look for 5 different levels of protection with the ReadyNAS 200 because of BTRFS.
- It comes pre-configured for RAID protection against disk failure – this simply means that files are written across multiple drives so if one drive fails you do not lose your data.
- BTRFS protects against bit rot which is a really common problem where your drive might accidentally cause data corruption through normal use.
- Files are backed-up with Snapshot technology which provides for point-in-time recovery.
- Built-in Anti-virus technology
- File replication to the cloud or another ReadyNAS box.
I was happy to find that the drives in the ReadyNAS are hot-swappable just like the servers I am used to working with in Enterprise-level solutions. What this means is that if one of your drives fail you can simply pull out the bad drive from the bay and slap a new one in without ever having to power down the system. While there is a rebuild process, there is never any downtime.
Anyway, going back to the setup, once you have it powered on and connected via Ethernet to your router, you simply navigate to http://readycloud.netgear.com. The page opens and asks if you want to set up the ReadyNAS. If you have other Netgeear equipment you will find them listed there too. Click on Start under the ReadyNAS to continue.
At this point you are asked to simply click the “Discover” button. I was quickly told that it was found and ready to be managed after I ran a firmware update. It honestly doesn’t get much easier than that. You can manage your device right from the ReadyCloud page including setting up share folders, snapshot settings etc..
As I mentioned, the ReadyNAS 200 comes pre-installed with antivirus software, but you do need to enable it when you are configuring your settings. You can also find in the app area useful tools like the Plex Media Server, Drupal, WordPress, and much more. You can also enable Dropbox or Netgear’s own ReadyNAS VAult for cloud backup for extra redundancy. There is even a ReadyNAS Surveillance App which turns the ReadyNAS into a Network Video Recorder.
One feature I really didn’t expect to find, but totally love, is the ReadyCLOUD feature which provides for mobile access to the your ReadyNAS content. This means you can easily access your files from not only other computers but from tablets and phones connected to your network.
ReadyNAS 200 is powered by a high performance ARM Cortex A15 1.4 GHz dual core processor, 2 gigabytes (GB) of Random Access Memory (RAM), and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports and Link Aggregation technology.
Whether you are looking for a backup solution, file or media management or even cloud-enabled file sharing, the Netgear ReadyNAS 200 is a great choice for both beginners and more advanced users.
I would absolutely love this. It sounds like something that everyone who works from home or online should have in their life. And it sounds great for parents who have a lot of pictures, too.
I’ve got to get this setup. I’m paranoid about losing my data.
Oh this would be very useful especially for photos. I would like to get one of this soon.
This seems like a great fall back system. I am wondering about the price. Price is always my biggest concern with technology. As I find if I weight a few weeks to a couple of months I can get the same item much cheaper.
It is certainly a plus that you don’t have to be tech savvy to use this because I am not! I do like the netgear brand…our modem is Netgear!
Netgear sounds really awesome! I have never heard of a product quite like this, looks really worth looking into more.
I love my ReadyNAS. I use it ALL the time. SO useful to have your very own cloud.
This looks like a really cool setup. I love that you don’t have to be tech savvy to use it either!
Oh this looks amazing. I need to get one of these. I’ve been talking about it for so long. It’s on my list this summer. I like the look of this one!
I really need to look into this. I’ve been thinking about doing a backup of my computer so this would help me. Thanks for your review.
This looks like a must have item for anyone who is in business. I know I’d love to have it for my business needs. Thanks for the honest review.
I’m a fan of Netgear products. I would enjoy having this product. I’d make good use of it that’s for sure.
I am in need of this. I am always looking for ways to have backups in case I love all my data! Thanks for sharing!
This is exactly what i need for my system. I will have to go pick one up so i do not have to worry about losing my data.
I want this! I have a lot of photos and important data stored in my laptap. A back up file would save me when something happens to the laptop.
This is cool stuff. I want to have one of these to store my kids pictures and all other documents and files.
Definitely a plus that one does not need to be tech savvy…which I’m not! Looks like a very useful product!
I LOVE Netgear products. We have used them since we moved to where we could get dsl internet.
As many computers that we have in our home, I really could use a raid storage system. I would never lose files again. I hate when that happens.
We just got a new router after our old Netgear finally died. This definitely looks like something we’ll have to get in the future though.
NOw this is a product I can use. I love Netgrea products. They are the best!
I am not very technical myself, but this looks like a great data storage solution. I will share your post with my husband – he loves this technical stuff.
I seriously need to back up all the photos on my laptop! If this thing dies I will lose thousands of old memories I love. I take everything off my phone and load on the computer, but an external drive is totally what I need!
You can never be too safe – it’s so important to back up your data. Looks like a great option. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, this sounds really neat! I’d love to try a storage device like this.
Omg this is defiantly something I need in my home office! I think anyone who works from home could use one of these handy gadgets!
I love that this protects your data. I have lost lots of data along the lines and this is something that would give me peace of mind.
This sounds like an amazing product indeed and I would love to have one of these. I love how you can pull the bad drive out and not mess anything up along with not even powering down.. Thanks for sharing.
I have a lot of gadgets and could use this one. It would serve my small business and make my office have more tools that are important for me!
We are ready for another device and hubby loves working with Cloud