EUR211,56
QNAP TR-004 Expansion Unit
Product ratings
Pros
Cons
19 reviews
Total scrap
The device was deliberately placed worse by QNAP in order not to endanger the larger devices.
I have a TR-002 and this reads / writes in a RAID0 with 2x Crucial MX500 500GB SSDs good 4-600MB/s, with four SSDs in the TR-004 (also RAID0) are not more than 250MB/s possible because the backplane is limited to 2Gbits. What is this ? This is not even SATAII standard and therefore does not correspond to the description on the part of QNAP with SATA II 3Gb/s.
Even the TR002 is faster. Use = 0. Device goes back immediately.Pro
- Four slots
- Various RAID modes
- USB 3.1 connection
- Simple handling
Contra
- Slower than the TR002
- Useless USB 3.1 - only 25% of the capacity is used
- Useless performance RAID modes (0 and 10)
- Falsely advertised - does not even reach SATAII standard (3Gbit/s)
Not recommended for Linux servers
I bought this as it was advertised as being compatible with Linux, and that is only partially true. The HDDs are seen indeed, but it is not possible to use `smartctl` to check HDD status/health or even to run SMART tests. There are unofficial patches on github, but when those will get into stable distributions is years.
The cooling is good, but it's not controllable - the internal CPU controls the fan speed - and without SMART, it's not even possible to know how warm the HDDs are.
I think that connected to a QNAP NAS or to a Windows/Mac machine for which they offer software, this works well, but for Linux I definitely don't recommend this. And I also think that the advertising is a bit of a lie, given the lack of proper Linux support.
Also, this doesn't support UASP, so the top speed (across all HDDs) is still only ~200MB/s, the same thing as only one HDD. Maybe with a NAS it works better, but their official numbers also say about that number, so very slow, even with mechanical HDDS.
So, two stars from me.Pro
- Nice, big cooler
- Real easy HDD installation/removal
Contra
- Not possible to check HDD SMART status under Linux
- No UASP support
- Not possible to control fan speed
Works, but is surprisingly inflexible. Here I would have clearly expected more.
Processing and transfer rate are good. The fan is temperature-controlled and imho quite quiet. However, the case is unexpectedly inflexible if you want to use it (as intended) as a NAS expansion. Then you are forced to create exactly one RAID group. This must contain at least 2 hard disks. The use with one or more single disks, several RAID groups in parallel or a combination of these is not possible. Apparently this only works if you use the device as external storage. But then I can't create shared folders for users other than the admin in the QNAP storage manager. According to the manual, online expansion of the raid group is also not possible. Here I would have expected much more flexibility from the manufacturer. I hope that QNAP will improve the software.
Pro
- Processing
- Transfer rate
- Controlled fan
Contra
- inflexible as NAS extension
Well suited as DAS on Synology NAS
I use the device on my Synology NAS via USB as a DAS in JBOD mode for automatic backups. This allows me to continue using my NAS HDs that have become too small. I can't use the QNAP RAID Manager (software) this way, but I have set the RAID mode on the back using a toggle switch. On my Windows PC I see the HDs as a single network drive, as JBOD.
There would certainly be cheaper alternatives, but the device is of high quality and easy to use. If no backup is currently running, the device goes into sleep mode and is automatically woken up by the backup process from the Synology NAS.
Pro
- Good quality
- RAID options (hardware and software)
- Sleep mode
- Volume ok
Contra
- as DAS rather expensive
reliable storage solution
I only use my drives in pass-through mode (individual hard drives without hardware or QNAP software-based RAID). A reasonable deal for a 4-bay enclosure.
Pro
- easy to use
Contra
- plastic caddy
Nice DAS
Bought one to expand our HTPC, so using it as a DAS. Came nicely packaged and with everything one needs: screws, quickstart guide, cables etc. Was initially worried since quickstart guide clearly states on page 1 ‘All data will be wiped upon initialization’, but quickly realized the unit come precofigured for software mode out of the box. Flipped the switch on the back of the unit to hardware mode, aka DAS, popped three data containing 4tb drives in, powered it on and everything showed up in Windows straight away, no problems.
Software is pretty rudimentary, in DAS mode that is, so no serial numbers, but one can easily identify which disk is in which slot which is handy. S.M.A.R.T. data is also reported to QNAP utility, but there are other ways to read that data anyways (which means, the unit passes S.M.A.R.T. data through, which sometimes with some HDD encosures is not the case). Fan is quiet, but will see how the thing operates when filled with 4 16tb drives which will be running hotter, at least a tad. For now, disks are chilling around/below 30c. Nice.
One thing I learned from a review, HDDs are not hot swappable, you need to unmount the drive in OS then pop it out (maybe also power the unit down, but not sure). Since we will not be using this as anything other than bulk storage, it is fine. We do not mind the following procedure (just to be on the safe side): unmount old drive in Windows, power off DAS, remove old drive, insert new drive, power on, format and leave as is for the next few years, lol. Satisfied with the purchase. For 199 alpine pesos, that is. Recommended.
EDIT: Added 4th 4tb drive and although I followed abovementioned procedure (unmounted all 3 drives in QNAP utility - eject feature - powered down PC, then DAS, inserted new drive, powered PC on and then DAS) I got explorer and disk management freezing in Windows upon reboot. So I powered everything down, booted into Windows and then turned the enclosure on (previously I turned the enclosure on before booting into Windows). Now everything works fine, all drives are recognized and are hovering between 30 and 34c while copying from one drive to another. Speeds are ok, 120-130mb/s for large and about half for small(er) files. Not bad, not great (all drives are 4tb Red Plus CMRs btw).Pro
- cheap
- works
It's OK, but it's too expensive for a simple extension box.
Pro
- Looks like a quality product
- RAID
- Software compatible with QNAp
Contra
- High price because it's the only way to expand the NAS properly with QNAP
Is simply perfect
Bought four 8 TB RED disks, installed them in minutes, set the DIP switch to Raid 5, switched on VOILA!
Formatted via USB to my Mac and could immediately start copying my photos.
It couldn't be easier.Pro
- Cheap
- Simply
- Quickly installed
No support for Linux
It is practically not useful for any good NAS setup using Linux. This should be included in the description to help people avoid buying it.
When we configure the disks in individual mode, none of the disks show their true serial number, SMART data can not be read, also the writer speed is more than half as compared to the same hard drive being put into an Icybox enclosure, connected to the same machine.Pro
- Quite
Contra
- No support for SMART in Linux
- No support for QNAP external Raid software support in Linux
- No UASP support
Supplied with Schuko plug
Unlike the TR-002, which is also available from Digitec, the TR-004 is not supplied with Swiss power plugs, but with a Schuko plug, which makes a replacement purchase or adapter necessary - certainly not recommended for an application of this type.
Contra
- Plug not designed for Switzerland
Extension
Equipped with 4 x 3TB WD disks, in a Raid5 array. Provides high security and good data transfer for my media server (Plex). It is also possible to change individual disks during operation without having to turn it off.
Pro
- Different Raid
- Compact
- Fast transfer USB 3.0
Solid device
Basically a solid device with simple configuration. The hard drive mounting does not require screws. The slots are completely made of plastic, which is a bit of a shame. The connection is made via a USB C interface and brings me in the 1GBit network about 105 Mbit/sec.
Unfortunately, pre-existing raids cannot be expanded with this device and only one device can be installed per Qnap, which was incorrectly described on the Qnap site.Pro
- Easy to configure via dip switches
- Automatic sleep mode
- Fast data transfer
- Easy hard disk mounting without screws
Contra
- Unfortunately only one expansion per Qnap Nas
- Existing raids can not be expanded
OK price / performance ratio, but had hoped for more speed.
I had hoped for more speed under Linux, because the device is connected via USB 3.0. But no, for a USB 3.0 device it is relatively slow concerning the transfer rates. EDIT: If you attach the TR-004 as "External RAID Enclosure" to a QNAP NAS and leave the handling to the QNAP OS (dip switch on "Software Control") the performance is noticeably better.
It is definitely not suitable as a "NAS replacement" on a Linux server, the access times to 4 x SATA disks via 1 x USB cable are too slow for that. But to create a backup of my QNAP NAS via "rsync" in regular intervals, it is sufficient. As an "archive" where you don't touch the data all the time it is usable. But I'm not sure why the device is so slow under Linux...
I switched my TR-004 to "Individual Disks" mode via dip-switch, so that I can see each disk (/dev/sdb, /dev/sdc, /dev/sdd, /dev/sde) individually under Linux. After that I was able to create a RAIDZ1 ZFS pool via "zpool create qnap raidz /dev/sdb /dev/sdc /dev/sdd /dev/sde" (roughly equivalent to RAID5).
EDIT: Change of plans. Now use it as an external JBOD directly on a QNAP NAS and there it makes a much better impression. Change of rating to 4 x stars.
The 4 x 4 TB disks I wanted to use here under ZFS are now going into a HPE MicroServer Gen10 instead.Pro
- Easy Installation
- Works under Linux
- Works with ZFS (mode "Individual Disks", then set up ZFS RAIDZ1)
- Case is compact, fits everywhere
- Good performance as "External RAID Enclosure" on a QNAP NAS
- Makes a good impression as external JBOD on a QNAP NAS
- QNAP OS immediately recognizes the device and can manage it, update firmware, change RAID levels, etc.
Contra
- Speed under Linux not great, despite USB 3.0
- Tw. loud rattling with a lot of activity
- no CH power cable included
- RAID setup not very flexible, e.g. setting up 2 x RAID1 is only possible in a roundabout way
- Software "QNAP RAID Manager" only exists for Windows or Mac
Good
Good thing if now a power cable with CH plug would be there, or at least an adapter, then 5 stars.
I would buy again
Great machine, fulfills the purpose absolutely well
Pro
- Performance
- Capacity
- Easy to install
Contra
- Price
Flawless expansion
I bought the TR-004 because my NAS has reached its capacity limit. It is easy to configure via hardware settings or via the software (RAID Manager) in the NAS. The creation of folders and shares works just like in the NAS. I need the extension for my PLEX server. Streaming movies from the TR-004 to the NAS and then to the TV works flawlessly and smoothly. Especially worth mentioning: the device is very quiet!
Unfortunately, as usual with QNAP devices, the power cable is not CH suitable.Pro
- very low noise
- easy configuration
- very good transfer rate
- good price/performance ratio
Contra
- power cable not suitable for CH
