NETGEAR ReadyNAS 202 Review
Netgear ReadyNAS 202 Review
NETGEAR ReadyNAS 202 Review
Travel The World Knowing You Can Securely Back-Up Your Files & Photos
By WAVEJourney
Travelling as much as we do we take well over 15,000 photographs each year, which means we’re always concerned about backing up our files and data, and storing it in a secure manner. So when Netgear approached us to test the Netgear ReadyNAS 202 we were quick to jump in and see how this device would help our situation. We’re happy to say that having our own private cloud (ReadyCloud) has been very successful so far – especially when we’re not the most techie people we know.
WHAT IS THE NETGEAR READYNAS?
The short and simple explanation: NAS is short for Network Attached Storage. It is a storage device and operating system that enables all users (via their computers and electronic devices/gadgets) to access via the internet. The NAS makes your stored files/data available from anywhere in the world when you have an internet connection.
Netgear ReadyNAS 202
MODEL TESTED:
Netgear ReadyNAS 202 – 2-Bay – Model Number: RN202
SET UP:
Most important to us is ease of set-up and use. We found the Netgear ReadyNAS 202 ticked all the boxes in this regard – out of the box and set-up with Jill’s PC within 10 minutes (tech savvy people could probably be up and running in half the time). It was a simple process to plug in to an electrical supply, connect to the router, load the start page (www.readycloud.netgear.com), and follow the instructions on the screen. Our biggest challenge was finding another electrical outlet to plug into (needed to get a bigger surge bar) in the location of the router. Within an hour we had Jill’s PC fully-backed up onto the ReadyNAS, and the automatic sync functioning to keep it up to date. Viv’s laptop took almost 24 hours to back-up due to the huge amount and file size of photos.
WORKS WITH:
PC; Mac; Smartphones, Tablets.
WAVEJourney tested the ReadyNAS device with a PC, Windows laptop, iPod Touch (iOS), and Samsung tablet (Android).
Netgear ReadyNAS 202 2-Bay
PROS & FEATURES:
- Quick and easy set-up of 2-bay unit with 4TB
- CPU has 2GB of RAM memory
- Maximum 12TB capacity
- Free ReadyCloud account with Netgear
- Automatically backs up PC/device
- Syncs folders between READYNAS and PC
- Back up of photos from smartphone
- Drag/Drop photos for saving/sharing
- Free mobile apps
- Snapshot technology for file recovery
- Anti-virus and malware protection built-in
- Automatic RAID protection against disk failure
- Plug your camera directly into the ReadyNAS via the USB slot and upload photos (avoiding slower file transfer via the internet from a computer).
- High performance streaming
- 1.4 GHz dual core processor
- 3-year warranty
- Price: about US$300.00
Netgear ReadyNas Specs
CONS:
- Memory can not be upgraded, but the 2 GB should be plenty for home/small business use.
- Does not have an HDMI port
- The ReadyNAS must be connected to the internet to function. In the past we have put internet service on holiday when away for more than 30 days, but in the future we won’t be able to do this if we still want the ReadyNas to back-up our devices while we are travelling.
- The ReadyNAS must be plugged directly into the router to function as it doesn’t have WiFi capability. We ran out of electrical plug capacity in our office so had to remove another gadget in order to set this up.
- Viv had an issue backing up photos from her iPod Touch. The back-up would get an error and then restart by duplicating the photos already backed up (still not able to fix this problem).
Only 90 days of free phone support under the warranty
BOTTOM LINE:
Being non-techies, we’re not entirely sure how the Netgear ReadyNAS 202 really operates, and fully understanding the functioning of it is certainly not important to us. But, we do know that even we could easily set this up and back-up our computers and devices. That in itself is priceless to us!
We think that the Netgear ReadyNAS 202 is ideal for anyone that wants to create their own personal (home or small business), secure, private cloud that can be accessed from anywhere in the world where there is an internet connection.
Note:
NETGEAR provided this item free of charge for WAVEJourney to test and review as part of their ambassador program. See our full disclosure statement to see that this has no effect on our opinions or reviews.
