LG N2A2 First Impressions
The LG N2A2 is a sleek looking NAS device. Out of the box it gives the impression of being a simplistic and user friendly device, and while that's mostly true, this rather unassuming product packs some powerful and flexible features.
With the proliferation smartphones and tablets, the N2A2 is able to stream information and media directly to portable devices. This means that the N2A2 lets users go beyond the storage limitations of handheld devices and gain access to videos, music and presentations via the Internet.
Although the LG N2A2's software is not nearly as powerful as the much pricier Synology and QNAP devices, it still provides a surprising amount of features. We'll explore the software side of things in greater detail shortly, but for now let's take an external look at the N2A2.
The unit measures just 6.25 x 4.52 x 9.05 inches which is slightly smaller than Synology's budget oriented 2-bay NAS device the DiskStation DS211j (6.33 x 3.46 x 8.58 inches). Despite its small footprint, the N2A2 comes pre-loaded with a pair of 1TB hard drives for a total capacity of 2TB when using RAID0.
With the two drives installed the N2A2 weighs 8.2lbs (3.72kg), typical for a 2-bay NAS device. We've excluded the power brick from that figure, which is made by "Asian Power Devices." As far as we can tell, it's a fairly cheap brand, but their products are also commonly used by Western Digital and Seagate.
The exact model is DA-60M12 and although there's no information on the APD website, based on their model nomenclature we believe this is a 60w 12v output unit. If that's the case then it's capable of providing far more power than the LG N2A2 actually requires, which is a good thing.
The front of the N2A2 features an attractive plastic molding that resembles brushed aluminum. In the bottom right corner is a USB 2.0 port to connect external drives and above it is a backup button for making quick, on-the-fly backups to the N2A2 from external sources.
In the top right corner are four white status LEDs that indicate power-on, network and drive activity for each hard drive. They blend well into the design and are not overpowering like some models where we've found the lights to be excessively bright.
Around back there's a power connector, small power button, an Ethernet port and another USB 2.0 port for connecting devices such as printers. There is also a small 50mm exhaust fan designed to remove heat generated by the two 3.5" hard drives. The fan operates at a relatively quiet 25dB.
The entire device is cased in a glossy white plastic shell that looks great and feels durable. At the bottom are four soft rubber feet which lift the N2A2 a few millimeters off the desk allowing a small vent to draw in cool air, so it's important to keep the device on a hard surface.