Initial Setup

Switch the unit on once you've installed the HDDs and connected both the power and networking cable, and wait a couple minutes for its power LED to turn a solid blue. Once it does, open a browser window on a client PC that is on the same LAN as the NAS and has access to the Internet to visit readycloud.netgear.com.

Should you lack Internet access, you can also perform the initial setup procedure through the RAIDar application we will examine later.


Pick the option "Set up a new ReadyNAS" in the first screenshot above and hit the "Discover" button on the next page. Our NAS was discovered, and we only had to click on "Setup" afterward to initiate the configuration procedure.


You have to create a ReadyCLOUD account to access the NAS and any files on it from anywhere. You actually have to push the "Backup" button at the face of the NAS to complete the setup procedure, and although we did so many times, nothing happened, which had us download and install the RAIDar application to finish the initial configuration procedure. Unexpected, it will most likely make inexperienced users feel very uncomfortable.


The RAIDar application immediately discovered the NAS to prompt us to wipe all installed HDDs of all the data from a previous NAS review. Once done, the volume-data-syncing procedure initiated automatically. It can take a while; however, the NAS is functional while data is being synchronized, although performance as the task is being completed isn't at its best given most resources are working to sync the volume.

Software

RAIDar not only allows you to set up the NAS as it can be used to preform other useful tasks, like restarting the device, downloading the log files should the admin page not be accessible, or performing various diagnostics on the ReadyNAS in case of a problem.

Web Interface

The first time we logged into the ReadyNAS OS, we were informed of a firmware update that was available for download. We obviously made a point of updating to the newest version available before doing anything else.


The administration page will greet you as soon as you type in your username and password. It looks very simple compared to QNAP's and Synology's offerings. That said, Netgear's OS offers a lot of functionality and is also very user friendly to those with less experience. We would have preferred a windowed and more polished interface; however, such a UI would also gobble up more system resources.

At the top of the screen are eight tabs, System, Shares, iSCSI, Accounts, Network, Apps, Cloud, and Backup. Most of these also have submenus. As you can see, the OS' major functions are categorized with the help of those tabs, which, given it is also snappy, makes for a rather positive user experience.


In the top-right corner is the profile menu inside of which you can change the OS' language or log out of the interface. There is a Settings submenu that allows you to change the administrator's password, set a password recovery question, or provide a recovery email address.