Thecus N5500 NAS may be too pricey for most storage fans

Adding storage to the home or SMB with NAS is gaining in popularity, but at the moment it's a bit hit and miss - either the interface tends to be rather cumbersome or the performance is awful.

While the Thecus' interface isn't great, it's the closest we've seen to the best of both worlds.

Setup was trickier than we would have liked, requiring knowledge of NAS concepts even with the wizard. The device itself is loaded with features: a plethora of networking and sharing options, 5 internal drive slots, one eSata port, 5 USB ports - all of which can be used for additional drives and USB printers - and a USB connection to your computer to use it as DAS.

What it doesn't come with, however, are any drives preinstalled. This keeps costs down and gives you the freedom to choose your own, but it's an extra cost to bear in mind before buying.

Overall it is a pricey storage solution, but if you need the performance and reliability then it's definitely worth considering.