N5200pro

[katza]

Hi all,

Nice to participate in a lively forum. I'm from Dubai, UAE.

Looking at the rich feature set of N5200PRO, I wish it had the following also:

1. Handling multiple IP Cameras for home surveillance
2. Downloading Bit Torrents
3. A Print server
4. An iTunes server
5. Handle USB webcams
6. Option of installing home surveillance software

Please let me know your opinions.

--Katza

[Funkstar]

Welcome to the forums

I'm pretty sure the N5200Pro supports multiple IP cameras, I haven't used that functionality, but i would be surprised if you could only use one at a time.

Have a look through the IP Camera manual from the thecus site:
http://www.thecus.com/download/manua...CAM_UG_V10.pdf

As for a BT client, have a look on the Thecus Wiki for a module:
http://www.onbeat.dk/thecus/index.php/N5200_Module_List

As far as modules are concerned, the N5200 and N5200Pro are identical.

These modules are maintained by members of the user comunity, might be an idea ot head over there and have a look about:
http://thecususergroup.proboards106.com/index.cgi

As for iTunes, i'm not really sure, never really used it. I think it needs a DNLA server, but again the user group should be able to help on that front, same goes for USB webcams and surveillance software.

Hope this helps

[katza]

Hi,

Many thanks for the reply.

I find the N4100+ having the most features for a home media server, with usual NAS capabilities and unlimited expandability through modules.

Very nice if it also had:

1. A remote.
2. IP Cam server
3. Web Server
4. ISO Mount
5. Multiple RAID
6. Dual Mode Support
7. Superior Power Management

Do you’ve any reviews of the N4100+ being used for media applications?
Thanks.

--Katza

[Steve B]

Originally Posted by Funkstar

As for iTunes, i'm not really sure, never really used it. I think it needs a DNLA server, but again the user group should be able to help on that front, same goes for USB webcams and surveillance software.

Use the firefly module for iTunes sharing. It'll appear in the menu on the left in itunes under "Shared"

[pit234a]

Originally Posted by katza

Hi,

Many thanks for the reply.

I find the N4100+ having the most features for a home media server, with usual NAS capabilities and unlimited expandability through modules.

Very nice if it also had:

1. A remote.
2. IP Cam server
3. Web Server
4. ISO Mount
5. Multiple RAID
6. Dual Mode Support
7. Superior Power Management

Do you’ve any reviews of the N4100+ being used for media applications?
Thanks.

--Katza

I only know a little bit about N5200 and nothing about the rest of that Thecus products.
N5200 is a quite powerful CPU for just building network shares plus it is i386 architecture and thus it is well supported to serve different Operating Systems. Thecus took a Linux kernel and added busybox, a typical embedded Unix -like system. Typical embedded, because small and lightweight and therefore, pretty reduced in its capabilities. So, you might wonder why they developed their NAS around such a puny little system instead giving it a full featured GNU, for example.
I also wonder why.
But with a look at the architecture (as I understand this), some becomes clear: the system is partly hosted within a ROM, a flash memory, that only can be written with a certain procedure, not in normal use. The place in that flash-roms (well, they are not real ROM) is limited, they are expensive and slow. Than there is a CF-Card used for some more tasks, also keeps information about the system and is almost coded, so unreadable.
The system is loaded into RAM and than, necessary parts from both sources are mounted as needed. This asks for small Operating systems.
In my opinion, it would be as cheap and easy to just use a kind of USB-Stick to host a system on it and boot it and do it with a full featured Unix -like OS.
THAN you would been able to play with your NAS as you want it without being reduced in the way it is now.

Some of that points you mentioned I found however realized also with busybox. You maybe able to find people to compile your more stuff you need, not all has to run within busybox and it should be fairly easy to compile stuff for i386 environments.