There is no scarcity of alternative if you happen to want a house NAS, and you do not have to depend on typical HDDs both — all-flash NAS servers are gaining momentum, and the F8 SSD Plus is a terrific showcase on this space. However what if you happen to want a transportable possibility, one which’s tailor-made to work on the go?
You may get an SSD enclosure, slot in a drive, and join that to your cellphone, and whereas that could be a first rate different, you do not get a lot in the way in which of options. That is the place UnifyDrive’s UT2 is available in; the NAS is designed to be a really moveable resolution, and it comes with the flexibility to again up images and movies out of your cellphone, simply make that information accessible on your own home community, and even again up SD playing cards.
Whereas UnifyDrive is a brand new entrant on this class, the UT2 will get lots proper from the get-go, and having used the NAS for simply over a month, I believe it’s a nice alternative if you happen to want a dependable method to again up information whereas touring.
UnifyDrive UT2: Pricing and availability
UnifyDrive is crowdsourcing the UT2, with the NAS accessible on Kickstarter. The UT2 is slated to retail for $599 when it begins basic availability, however in the course of the crowdfunding section, you possibly can choose it up for $399 — a $200 low cost. The mission has acquired $695,062 in funding as of writing, and UnifyDrive notes deliveries will begin going out from November 2024.
UnifyDrive UT2: Design
UnifyDrive did a superb job with the design of the UT2, and the NAS has a design that is much like an exterior HDD — albeit larger. There is a silicone case that provides much-needed safety to the chassis, and the diminutive design means the UT2 does not weigh a lot, coming in at simply 350g.
There is a vent on the aspect to ship passive airflow to the innards, and the UT2 can maintain two M.2 2280 SSDs. The drive slots are situated on the underside, and the drive cowl has a slotted design to stop overheating. The design is refreshingly utilitarian, and the dimensions together with light-weight nature of the UT2 makes it extremely handy to take wherever. It’s roughly the identical dimensions as a 20000mAh energy financial institution, however does not weigh as a lot.
Contemplating the dimensions, you get an exhaustive collection of ports. The UT2 comes with a devoted USB-C port to energy the gadget and cost the interior battery, and there is a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port together with HDMI 2.1 connectivity. The HDMI port is a good addition, because it lets you join the NAS to a TV — UnifyDrive even bundles a distant with the UT2.
On the opposite aspect, you get a USB-C port, CFexpress slot, normal SD card slot, and a USB-A port. The connectivity provides the UT2 a sizeable benefit over conventional exterior drives, and the truth that you possibly can add as much as 16TB of complete storage — 8TB in every M.2 slot — makes it extremely attractive. I did not see any usability points with the UT2; the NAS does not overheat even underneath load, and the silicon cowl does an important job defending the chassis.
UnifyDrive UT2: Options
The UT2 has a good set of options, and what I like probably the most concerning the gadget is the flexibility to simply again up SD playing cards with a single button. Simply slot in an SD card, hit the PlugBackup button twice, and it’ll begin backing up the contents of that card. It’s a nifty use case, and one I utilized extensively within the month I examined the UT2.
You’ll be able to arrange the UT2 with the UnifyDrive app on Android, and it has a clear design and comes with a ton of helpful options. Contemplating UnifyDrive is a brand new entrant, I figured it will have a fundamental cellular utility, however that is not the case in any respect. You’ll be able to simply entry the information on the NAS, again up images and movies in your cellphone to the NAS, monitor system and reminiscence use, and a lot extra.
The exhaustive management is a particular edge, and UnifyDrive deserves credit score for getting this proper on the preliminary attempt. Much like each different NAS server, you possibly can entry the information through SMB — that is how I moved information to and from the NAS with my Home windows machine — and there is a flash drive mode that successfully turns the UT2 into an exterior drive.
In flash drive mode, information is partitioned into exFAT so it may be readable as a drive on Home windows and macOS machines, and what’s nice about this mode is which you could set the quantity of storage you need to be accessible. Once more, this can be a characteristic that is thought out properly, and also you get all the opposite common connectivity choices to entry information on your own home community, together with DLNA, WebDAV, NFS, and so forth.
The UT2 comes with a built-in battery that safeguards information; it routinely kicks in once you take away the facility connector, and you may set shutdown limits. The battery lasts underneath 90 minutes, and that is greater than sufficient if it’s good to switch images throughout a shoot.
UnifyDrive UT2: Efficiency
UnifyDrive did not depart something out relating to the {hardware}, and the UT2 is powered by a Rockchip platform that has 4 Cortex A76 cores mixed with a quartet of A55 cores clocked as much as 2.4GHz. There is a Mali-G610 that has six shader cores, and 32GB eMMC flash reminiscence. You get 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM, however it’s soldered, and there is not any method to improve reminiscence down the road.
The twin M.2 2280 slots are primarily based on the Gen 3 normal, and UnifyDrive bundled two 500 WD SSDs with the package deal for testing — the retail bundle does not embrace any storage. I did not run into any points when transferring information to the built-in SSD, and I received bandwidth much like that of different all-flash NAS gadgets I examined.
The two.5 Gigabit Ethernet port is a welcome addition, and it lets you slot within the NAS in a house setting with ease. There’s additionally Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, and also you get the choice to arrange the UT2 as a hotspot. It holds up properly as an exterior drive when utilizing the flash drive mode, and as I discussed earlier than, the flexibility to again up SD playing cards with the press of a single button is simply handy.
There are a number of options lacking; UnifyDrive is including a characteristic that permits you to again up the contents of the NAS to a cloud server, and a built-in music participant and e-reader aren’t accessible as of writing.
UnifyDrive UT2: The competitors
UnifyDrive has a novel product within the UT2, and there is not one other NAS that does fairly as a lot and is designed to be moveable. For those who want a superb all-flash server to make use of in your house, I like to recommend TerraMaster’s F8 SSD Plus. It has eight M.2 slots, 10GbE connectivity, and higher software program options. However you do not get any portability with the NAS.
For those who want a method to again up information on the go, an exterior SSD continues to be one of the best ways, and I like to recommend Essential’s X10 Professional. I used this drive for the higher a part of a yr now, and it has been dependable.
UnifyDrive UT2: Must you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
You need a moveable NAS to again up your cellphone dataYou want a dependable method to again up SD cardsYou need a NAS that doubles as an exterior drive
You should not purchase this if:
You want a sturdy feature-set
The thought of a transportable NAS is extremely alluring, and to its credit score, UnifyDrive delivered the fundamentals. The UT2 makes it simple to again up information, and the inherently moveable design provides it a particular edge. You get all of the connectivity choices you might ask for, and the {hardware} itself is highly effective — rivaling that of home-based NAS gadgets.
The largest differentiator is its means to again up SD and CFexpress with a single button, and the built-in battery permits it for use on the go with none problem. It holds up simply in addition to a house NAS because of 2.5GbE connectivity, and if you happen to want an all-flash server that you should utilize on the highway to again up images and movies, the UT2 is a good general alternative.