ZyXel NAS 542 - experiences?

[rf97a]

So I want to get off the iCloud/OneDrive/DropBox wagon and go for a NAS system with 4 drives and set up a "personal cloud".  I would also like to enable cloud access for my family from this device (wife, kids, brothers)

 

So after browsing a little, I came across this device: ZyXel NAS 542. My first question is if there are any experiences here with this device? How is the user interface?

 

And secondly; is it possible to use a different OS on this device? And if so, what OS/Software would you recommend checking out?

[Guest]

The few reviews that exist about it are not painting it in a great light. Their NAS line doesn't seem very well supported. I would avoid this NAS.

[Windows7ge]

If you want easy pre-build solutions look into Synology, or QNAP. If you want to be able to install your own OS you'll want to look into either building your own server from scratch or buying a pre-build with no OS.

 

If you need this on the cheap for simple home use this could be done using an old computer. Just be sure you have proper backups.

[dalekphalm]

I second QNAP or Synology. Their OS's are pretty similar (typically QNAP just rips off any good features Synology comes out with - but these days, they're probably ripping each other off more often then not). They both have a pretty good plugin selection, and have a decent amount of features built right into the OS.

 

Look for one on sale, or consider buying a used one.