The Basics:
The image below provides out first look at the
Thecus N3200 3-Bay SOHO network storage system. For a network attached storage enclosure, it looks pretty sharp! The housing is constructed mostly of black aluminum, with a front panel made of various plastic panels.
Each of the three hard drive bays can be seen thanks to the mesh inserts provided for ventilation. A control panel and LCD display are found near the bottom of the front panel, along with a lone USB port.
The images below take a closer look at the front of the N3200, where we can see some of the features in greater detail. The drive bays are all concealed by a single cover that slides up and off for access. To the right of the Thecus logo in the below left image is where an LCD display will light up to provide a variety of system information. Below this is a USB 2.0 port, as well as a series of LEDs that indicate network and drive status. An individual LED is provided for each drive and for both network connections, so trouble-shooting should be simplified.
To the right of the LCD and LED panels are the controls (as seen in the above right image). The power button is centered between two "dog-bone" shaped buttons that allow you to navigate through all the on-screen information and controls. The screen will be shown a bit later in the review, revealing what kind of information you might be able to access.
The next set of images provide a look at the back of the enclosure. Here we find a fan that has a thermally regulated speed controller to keep the drives cool, two RJ-45 network connections (one for LAN and one for WAN), a reset button, an eSATA port, a USB 2.0 port, a power connection, and an expansion port which apparently serves no purpose on this model.
While the variety of connections (LAN, eSATA, USB), may make one think that this enclosure could be connected to a computer in different ways, this is not the case. It connects via a network connection only; wired by default, or wirelessly with an appropriate USB wireless adapter. I did not find any details on what wireless adapters might work, and didn't not test this feature. The eSATA port is provided to connect other storage devices, while the USB port can be used to connect to extra storage, a wireless adapter, a printer, or even a webcam.
