Final Thoughts:
With the N2A2, LG has introduced what I consider to be its first truly consumer oriented NAS device. By leaving out features like hot swap drive bays and built-in optical drives, the company has delivered a reasonably priced device that is good looking, compact and easy to use. The N2A2 is ready to go out of the box and comes equipped with a pair of 1TB hard drives which can be configured for RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD or left as two individual disks. The N2A2 also provides the usual set of file and print services as well as features like USB backup, Apple Time Machine support, Torrent file sharing and an updated DLNA media server.
As you'd expect from a consumer grade NAS, the N2A2 does have its limitations. The device has only two USB ports which will be quickly taken up if you plan to attach both a printer and a USB hard drive. Also, the hard drives cannot be upgraded or replaced without some considerable effort and by doing so you will void the warranty. The may or may not be an issue, as LG's warranty covers the N2A2 for only a year.
Compared to LG's previous two and four-bay NAS devices, the N2A2 is quite affordable. Available through Amazon as well as some of the vendors on Pricegrabber, the NAS can be picked up for around $250.
Highs:
- Ships with two 1TB hard drives already installed
- RAID 0, 1, 5, 1+0 and JBOD disk configurations
- One touch and automatic USB backup
- Built-in backup, FTP and print servers
- iTunes music and DLNA media servers
- Apple Time Machine support
- Torrent file sharing
- Gigabit Ethernet NIC
- Easy to use web interface
- Compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux clients
- Good looking and well constructed design
- Quiet operation
- Reasonably priced
Lows:
- Hard drives are not removable
- Only two USB ports
- Cannot schedule backups to external hard drives
- Cannot transfer data from the NAS to storage devices
- Administrator rights limited to default admin account
- MobileApp for Android has some bugs
- Only a 1 year warranty
