In Use (continued):
My main complaint with configuring the N4100PRO was also encountered on the N3200. The issue is that the device comes set to an IP address of 192.168.1.100, so that value has to be within the range your network recognizes, as well as being available for use. The device can accept an IP address set by a DHCP server, but only after you have accessed it at 192.168.1.100 and made the necessary configuration changes. Having DHCP enabled by default would make things much easier. With the N3200 I reconfigured my network in order to accommodate it, and spent a good deal of time in the process. With the N4100PRO, I grabbed an old router and accessed it with a computer that has proven to be pretty flexible with change... an ASUS EEE PC. The image below shows my initial connection to the N4100PRO, being accomplished by a computer about 1/5 its size.
With DHCP enabled and the default admin password changed, I shut the N4100PRO down in order to be started back up again while connected to my primary network. It was immediately available, and with far less effort than I encountered on the N3200 thanks to this new approach.
The main interface for Thecus devices is via a web-based system. There are dozens of tabs that can be navigated to configure every aspect of the device. The below left screen shows system information that is available on what might be considered the "home page". Device information, up time, and the firmware version are echoed. Checking the Thecus website for firmware updates is a good idea to keep the system up-to-date and bug free, and doing so revealed that the N4100PRO had a newer version available online.
 
The above right screen shows an example of two things. One, that the top menu bar may provide plenty of options, but that mousing over each of these drops down plenty of more detailed items to choose from. Configuring a RAID array, adding a printer, scheduling downloads, creating user accounts, and so on are all available in here, and all are rather simple to set up. The second thing this screen shows is that you can schedule for the system to shutdown/restart at certain times. I had been looking for an inactivity sleep mode, but did not find one. This scheduled shutdown seems to be the closest thing, and won't be as energy efficient as letting the drives spin down when not in use whenever they can.
In addition to making itself available via an IP address, the N4100PRO also makes itself available in the Window's Network interface (see below left image). The icon lets you access the admin interface, and you can also map network drive letters to shares on the device, as well as creating a media server shortcut for accessing movies and music.
 
The unit comes with two disks, one of which contains an application for accessing some basic features of the N4100PRO, as well as a back up utility. I would say you could skip both applications, as they are rather unnecessary. The above right screen shows the introduction to the "Thecus Setup Wizard" utility, where you must select the Thecus model to be set up.
The below left image shows the "Thecus Setup Wizard" loaded up to the device discovery screen, and the below right image shows the screen where you can change from a static IP to DHCP. If you can't access the device's default IP on your network, you aren't going to be able to use this utility without having accessed the N4100PRO via a web browser initially. Considering that the web interface can provide all of the same functions and then some, I'd rather not have it installed. The backup utility is unnecessary simply because it isn't device specific and it is rather basic.
 
Unlike the N3200, the N4100PRO comes with a second disk that contains another backup utility. DriveClone 5 is a useful, feature-packed application from Farstone that is worth using, and provides many features that make customizing a backup rather easy. More information can be found on the official product page.
|
|
