Since the introduction of "Mi Routing" with a built-in hard drive, we know that smart routers can still play this way. Of course, there are also those who compare NAS, the network storage devices. But "router + hard drive" is nothing new. Why is it making waves in the field of smart routers?
Q: What is the difference between a professional NAS and a router + hard drive?
A: What are the similarities between router + Hard drive and NAS
Now let's look at the definition of NAS: first of all, professional NAS is not the way by function, it is just a special kind of private data storage server, including storage devices and embedded systems software, usually possess their own nodes in the network, without the intervention of the application server, and allows the user to access data in the network, can provide a cross-platform file sharing function.
Of course, the combination mode of "router + hard disk" obviously conforms to the definition of NAS, and the combination mode is more flexible. Some routers are equipped with USB ports and directly connect to mobile hard disks, while some routers have BUILT-IN SATA ports and can be used when inserting hard disks. In this way, we can not only realize the routing function, but also store some files on disk, and can be accessed in the form of FTP, which is now commonly referred to as "private cloud storage". But in fact this is just a prototype of NAS.
In addition, we know that NAS is a supermini computer with a hardware architecture of CPU+ memory + storage + network and an independent operating system. Although the hardware configuration of smart routers is also going up all the way, and even some high-end router hardware configuration is almost the same as low-end NAS, but there are still great differences with NAS in operating system and professionalism.
The two products are suitable for different people
As a professional data storage device, NAS pays more attention to the following aspects:
1. Scalability. Common NAS are basically two-disk start, the higher there are four-disk products, single-disk NAS products are rare. Therefore, the capacity supported by NAS is much higher than that supported by router +NAS. In addition, many NAS are equipped with USB ports, which can be connected to external hard disks or flash drives to increase the storage capacity.
Two, access speed. In terms of internal interfaces, traditional NAS can directly support interfaces of hard disks, including the most common SATA3. Therefore, the access speed is much higher than "router + hard disks". Of course, data replication between hard disks is also very fast. As for external interfaces, NAS are often equipped with gigabit Ethernet interfaces.
Management. NAS has an independent operating system and a complete hardware architecture, so it is more professional in management. It also supports file access rights, such as different people can access different folders. In addition, we can give the NAS a fixed IP address, so that the NAS can turn into a remote network storage (that is, a web disk), and of course you can configure it as a mail server.
Fourth, safe and reliable. The MOST typical DISK array modes supported by the NAS are RAID 0 and RAID 1. The former features high capacity and fast access. However, if one of the hard disks fails, all data is lost. The latter feature is secure. Even if a hard disk fails, there is no need to worry about data loss. However, the storage capacity is only the capacity of a single hard disk.
As a home network storage, although there is a big gap compared and the professionalism of the NAS, but "the router + hard disk" scheme, only need to spend intelligent router + a hard money can be brought the function of the entry-level NAS for home users experience (and of course the router), but also in terms of user experience upgraded, Such as easier file access and multimedia sharing, especially now that high-definition televisions and smartphones and tablets are becoming more common, it's a good idea to store high-definition movies and music in this way. In addition, there are routers that support offline downloading, that is, handing the downloading over to the router, and even BitTorrent support. In addition, the smart router is very playable, for example, you can install various plug-ins, suitable for players to "toss".
Therefore, NAS essentially starts from data and can make data storage more stable and secure. After years of technological precipitation, there is no doubt that NAS is professional, so it is mostly used in enterprise-level applications. However, "router + hard disk" is more suitable for family users because it is closer to family life and easier to operate.
Why is NAS penetration so low among home users?
Before the introduction of router + hard drive, NAS penetration among home users was also very low, mainly for three reasons:
First, there is not a considerable amount of data storage demand, especially in today's broadband speed is constantly improving and cloud on demand is popular, only a small part of the audiophile used to store more than ten GB of HIGH-DEFINITION video files;
Second, the operation of NAS is still slightly complicated, especially the data transmission must be uploaded and downloaded by browser or client through FTP, so more people prefer to use large capacity mobile hard disk to solve this problem;
Price is also a key factor, because the price of NAS is not very cheap, especially with the continuous decline of computer prices, we can even DIY a low-end computer to build a NAS (although this requires rich computer knowledge and does not have any advantage in power consumption).
The router + Hard drive solution cannot replace NAS
Although "router + hard disk" program does bring entry-level NAS to the user experience, but even the built-in hard disk to the rising number of router products, prices are lower, is also difficult to reverse the NAS penetration rate is not high in the family, this in on a question has been answered, in a nutshell is six words "not necessary". Of course, "router + hard disk" this kind of scheme has appeared many years ago, and today "router + hard disk =NAS" such argument can not ignore the contribution of network water army.
However, in enterprise applications, it is believed that no one will abandon NAS professional storage and choose router + hard disk, which is an amateur solution with low reliability. Therefore, these products are more suitable for ordinary home users and will not pose a threat to the professional NAS market.
To sum up, the solution of professional NAS and router + hard disk is just like the camera function on a mobile phone. No matter how excellent the camera phone is, it is not as good as the DSLR in terms of the "camera" function alone. Undoubtedly, the camera phone has the portability that the camera does not have, so it also wins the favor of the majority of consumers. But whether a camera phone is right for you or a professional SLR is right for you depends on your specific needs.