High-performance NAS with one-the-fly & offline video transcoding for SOHO and home users

The TS-251 provides a high performance & high capacity storage solution for SOHO & home, workgroup, and SMB users. Powered by the advanced QTS operating system, the TS-251 performs as an easy-to-use yet powerful NAS for data backup, file synchronization, remote access, home entertainment, and is ideal for users to build a personal cloud to access their data easily.

• Transcode Full HD videos on-the-fly or offline
• Play 1080p videos with 7.1 channel surround sound pass-through via HDMI output
• Create a personal cloud and stream your multimedia library via DLNA, AirPlay, and Plex
• Centralize your file storage, sharing and backup
• Run a virtual machine and extend the functionality of the NAS with an integrated virtualization solution
• Expand the total raw storage capacity up to 50TB (with maximum 10 hard drives) with the economical QNAP expansion enclosure UX-800P

High performance

Powered by a new 22nm 64-bit dual-core Intel® Celeron® 2.41GHz processor with 1GB energy-efficient DDR3L RAM (upgradable up to 8GB), coupled with the support of dual LAN ports and HDMI connectivity, the TS-251 is a powerful home NAS with supreme value and great performance to deliver up to 220MB/s read & write speeds. The TS-251 can also automatically increase the processor's clock rate from 2.41GHz to 2.58GHz when needed for CPU-intensive tasks. The TS-251’s fast encryption and decryption performance provides transfer speeds of up to 68MB/s with AES-256 bit volume encryption, boosting system performance & security while ensuring the safety of sensitive personal data stored in the TS-251.

QTS - Simple and efficient

Thanks to the intuitive user interface of QTS, system operations of the TS-251 are smooth and handy. Its intelligent desktop allows you to find desired functions quickly, create desktop shortcuts or group shortcuts, monitor important system information on a real-time basis, and open multiple application windows to run multiple tasks concurrently, bringing greater operating efficiency.

 

Easily build your personal cloud and access anywhere

QNAP’s myQNAPcloud provides an always-connected infrastructure for business and home users to build their private or personal cloud with ease. Through any web browser or the free mobile app the TS-251 becomes your personal cloud so you are always connected to your data. Take advantage of the myQNAPcloud service, which allows you to remotely access your TS-251 wherever you are. Instantly stream or share your multimedia contents and share them with your friends.

 

Real-time & offline HD video transcoding

The TS-251 delivers superior real-time Full HD video transcoding to convert your videos to formats that can be smoothly played on PCs, mobile devices and Smart TVs. It allows for up to 5 devices to simultaneously view different videos stored on the TS-251 with on-the-fly hardware accelerated transcoding. The TS-251 allows you to enjoy instant videos on multiple devices - even those that lack computing power or have limited file format support - without the need for complicated and time-consuming file conversion.

With the benefit of offline transcoding, if you can only connect to an Internet connection with limited/restricted bandwidth, you can still enjoy smooth videos by selecting a pre-rendered lower resolution to play the videos via File Station, Video Station, or the Qfile app for iOS & Android without affecting the TS-251’s performance running other applications. This also allows more people to play videos via streaming. The TS-251 also allows you to set a dedicated folder for automatic video transcoding.

 

Stream media via DLNA, AirPlay, and Plex

You can use DLNA-compatible devices such as HDTVs, Smart TVs, Sony® PS3, Microsoft® Xbox 360 and Hi-Fi systems to enjoy HD quality videos and high-resolution audio content such as DSD (Direct Stream Digital) audio format stored on the TS-251. You can also use the Qfile app on an iOS device to browse videos and photos stored on the TS-251 and play on the TV via Apple TV. By installing the QAirplay app, available on the QTS App Center, you can stream your media content directly on a TV via Apple TV. The media contents are streaming on Apple TV, bypassing your mobile device, thus saving the energy of your mobile device. The TS-251's support for Plex Media Server organizes all of your media with rich information and transforms the TS-251 into a powerful & easy to use streaming machine with DLNA, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Google TV support.

 

Enjoy Full HD videos with HD Station via HDMI

QNAP HD Station integrates the powerful XBMC v12 media player and web browser. With HDMI 1.4a connectivity, you can connect the TS-251 to a HDTV to enjoy your rich multimedia content on the big screen. The splendid user interface and support for 7.1 channel surround sound audio passthrough* bring smooth playback of Full HD videos providing a quality home theater experience**. You can also turn your mobile devices into remote controls by installing the Qremote app or use QNAP RM-IR002 remote control and MCE remote controls via the built-in IR receiver of the TS-251 for convenient & easy control of the HD Station. Moreover, the HD Station supports YouTube Pairing, allowing you to select a YouTube video on your smartphone, tablet or computer and play it on HDTV via the TS-251.

*A receiver with HDMI support is required for decoding multi-channel surround sound. 
** The quality of video and music delivery can vary according to hardware and network environments.

 

Extend the functionality of the TS-251 with Virtualization

Introducing the world’s first consumer-grade NAS with integrated virtualization technology. The Virtualization Station transforms the TS-251 into a 2-in-a-box NAS that can function as an all-in-one NAS and a virtualization platform supporting multiple operating systems, fast virtual machine creation, virtual machine import/export, snapshot, and enables desktop operations on web browsers. With the easy-to-use interface, you can centrally manage all of the virtual machines created on the TS-251 with minimal effort. You can also download VMs on demand from online VM markets and import them to TS-251 without any complex procedure.

Note: The TS-251 comes pre-installed with 1GB RAM. In order to use the Virtualization Station on the TS-251, you must upgrade the RAM to at least 2GB. 4GB or more is recommended. Maximum 1 VM can be run at the same time.

 

Cross-platform file sharing, centralized data storage

The TS-251 supports SMB/CIFS, NFS, and AFP protocols for file sharing across Windows, Mac and Linux/UNIX. Data, logs and ISO image of CDs and DVDs can be centrally stored in the TS-251 and protected by an integrated antivirus solution.

 

Well-rounded backup solutions to secure data

QNAP NetBak Replicator supports real-time and scheduled data backup on Windows including Outlook email archiving. Apple Time Machine is also supported to provide Mac OS X users with a solution to effortlessly back up data to the TS-251. The USB 3.0 port on the front panel of the TS-251 features a one-touch-copy function for you to instantly back up data on external drives to the TS-251 with just one click, or alternatively to back up data from the TS-251 to external drives. A wide range of third-party backup software such as Acronis® True Image and Symantec® Backup Exec are also supported.

 

Disaster recovery solutions bring peace of mind

The TS-251 offers various data recovery options. RTRR (Real-Time Remote Replication) supports real time and scheduled data backup to remote Turbo NAS or FTP servers and synchronizes files to remote folders from local folders with better backup efficiency and reduced backup time. The TS-251 also supports rsync protocol to back up data to remote servers on a scheduled basis. Data can also be backed up to and restored from a range of cloud storage services, including Amazon® S3, Amazon Glacier, Microsoft® Azure, ElephantDrive®, Symform®, Dropbox® and Google® Drive.

 

Optimize home computer management with the IT Management Station

The IT Management Station, powered by Mandriva® Pulse, provides a flexible service for managing your home computers. By installing the IT Management Station on the TS-251, you can easily manage multiple family computers with different operating systems, effortlessly handle backup & restore jobs to protect your precious data, and centrally install & update software on multiple computers with greater efficiency.

 

Archive your photo memories. Share your life.

The TS-251 acts as your photo vault for you to back up your favorite photos. The Photo Station makes photo sharing simple, and you can designate your own access right controls. Simply upload your photos to the TS-251 to create & organize your photo albums through a web browser, and share with your family and friends through social networking sites such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest. Your mobile devices are useful too, with the Qfile mobile app in your iOS® or Android™ devices you can instantly upload photos to the TS-251.

 

Build your home music library and enjoy music anywhere

The Music Station helps categorize your music collection, and displays album covers to easily organize your personal playlists. Through the music station web player, you can enjoy your music anytime, anywhere with a few clicks. Thousands of local and global online Internet radio programs are also built-into the Music Station for you to enjoy.

• Stream music and high-resolution audio (DSD) content to your DLNA Hi-Fi system and indulge in a high-quality sound experience.
• Stream music via AirPlay to compatible devices.
• Listen to your favorite songs streamed from iTunes Server, or play music via web browsers on your PC.
• Listen to your music on mobile devices through the Qmusic app.

 

24/7 download center

The TS-251 is a perfect download center for high speed BT, Magnet, PT (Private Trackers), eMule, FTP, and HTTP downloads. After the download tasks are set ready, you can turn off the computer, and the TS-251 will download as many HD videos as you want. With the QGet utility you can manage your download tasks on multiple Turbo NAS devices remotely on the local network or the Internet. You can also install HappyGet app to back up abundant online videos to your TS-251.

 

Dropbox-like file synchronization across computers and mobile devices

With Qsync, your TS-251 is turned into a safe data center for file synchronization. Any file uploaded to the TS-251 will be made available for all linked devices, such as computers, laptops and mobile devices. Qsync is especially useful for frequent travelers in managing files and ensuring that different devices have the most up-to-date files. Qsync provides multiple ways for file synchronization and group file sharing, greatly enhancing the flexibility of team projects and collaboration.

 

Comprehensive surveillance solution providing 24/7 security

The TS-251’s Surveillance Station offers a professional surveillance solution with a user-friendly management interface, a wide range of over 2,600 compatible IP camera models, and expandable IP camera channel licenses. It supports real-time monitoring, video & audio recording and playback with a wide range of customizable settings.  You can also install the VMobile app on your iOS® or Android™ devices to manage the monitoring of cameras anytime, anywhere, for total surveillance of your monitored environment.

 

Signage Station - Creatively present your animated content

With the Signage Station, it’s easy to create content for a wide range of materials such as personal animated resumes or life memory books. The Signage Station is a great tool to bring your resume to life with rich media content to creatively present your background and accomplishments. You can also create personal memory books to edit and record each life event. The iArtist Lite application, with intuitive editing tools, helps you to easily create these signs with drag & drop tools. Your creativity can now travel around the world with a few simple steps.

 

Access, use, sync and enjoy with your tablets and smartphones

The TS-251 is your private cloud storage that virtually enlarges the capacity of your smart mobile devices. Qfile allows you to access, upload, download, manage, and share stored files easily as if you are carrying tons of files in your pocket. If Qfile is installed on an iOS device, users can also browse videos & photos stored on the TS-251 and play on a TV via Apple TV. Qmanager lets you monitor & manage the TS-251 remotely and efficiently without turning on a PC, while Qmusic allows you to listen to your music collections on the TS-251 anytime and anywhere, and download to enjoy offline.

 

A private space for work & sharing

Notes Station

The Notes Station provides a private & secure way to share and collaborate on digital notes. With just a few steps it’s easy to create notes from web pages (or by importing from the TS-251), edit notes with the intuitive web-based editor, and even create to-do lists & calendar alerts.

 

Install-on-demand apps to extend NAS functionality

The TS-251 has a built-in App Center that provides various install-on-demand apps developed by QNAP and third-party developers, including tools for backup/sync, business, content management, communications, download, entertainment, and much more. It is also a centralized location for managing & updating installed apps. In addition, QNAP’s development platform embraces the open-source spirit to enable developers to create their own apps, adding potentially limitless potential for the TS-251.

 

 

Energy-saving

The TS-251 utilizes a 22nm CPU and DDR3L RAM which feature low voltage, low power consumption, maintaining high performance in system operations with the benefit of energy-saving. Other eco-friendly designs include S3 sleep mode, HDD standby, scheduled power on/off, hard disk standby mode, and Wake on LAN.

The Best NAS for Home Users - The Wirecutter (US) (2015/06/12)  TS-251 "It was one of the fastest we tested, and it was the fastest in write speed of the entire group. It offers hardware more powerful than that of most NAS devices in its price range, it has upgradable RAM, and it comes with flexible, powerful software that does everything most NAS users need." 2015-06-12                 Editor's choice - PC Expert (France) (2015/01/12)  TS-251 "The most powerful two-bay NAS that we tested in terms of reading and writing performances." 2015-01-12                 PCMag Editor's Choice Award - PCMag (US) (2014/10/20)  TS-251 "It's rare for a NAS device to ace all three categories (performance, features and price), but QNAP's TS-251 NAS comes closer than just about any two-bay SOHO NAS I've tested. This dual-drive NAS offers excellent read/write performance, solid fault tolerance, and a sweet set of features, all of which make it a multimedia content storage star for home or small office networks." 2014-10-20                     Gold Award - Inside Hardware (Italy) (2014/10/16)  TS-251 "The read-write performance of the TS-251 is very excellent, together with the overall performance making it the best NAS. Thanks to the excellent hardware, the operating system is very responsive, fast and fluid, allowing the TS-251 to handle various features without significant slowdowns." 2014-10-16