This is a TerraMaster F2-212 review. If you need a Network Attached Storage either as a backup, storage or even media streaming solution, this article is for you. We will discuss all the software and hardware specs it offers and then discuss how they impact you.
Is the TerraMaster OS good and easy? How effective is their disk management? Can you swap disks easily? What formats are supported and are they any good? These are just some of the questions we will answer throughout this piece.
You may or may not like the NAS, that’s entirely up to you. This article will simply bring forth what’s available or missing with the TerraMaster F2-212. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
What is the TerraMaster F2-212?
The TerraMaster F2-212 is a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device. Its primary USPs are its pricing and the specs it offers.
It’s one of the most affordable NAS devices currently priced at a logical $169.99.
Along with the software, the physical attributes of a NAS matter as well, and here’s how the TerraMaster F2-212 feels and looks like:
- Depth: 8.74″
- Width: 4.68”
- Height: 6.06″
- Weight: 2.08Kgs
If you’re new to NAS, the F2-212 offers one of the easiest onboarding steps for a NAS out there. You can use the F2-212 to:
- Store and access large data files.
- Accessing the files from multiple devices, even remotely over the network.
- Stream movies and videos to multiple devices.
- Host your own websites/apps.
My verdict: Its redundancy and security measures make it a NAS that definitely deserves a peek.
2-Bay up to 44TB storage
The TerraMaster F2-212 is a 2-Bay NAS. Each Bay can support up to 22TB drives. Combined, it’s capable of offering up to 44TB storage.
If you have a SATA HDD you can fit in both 3.5″ and 2.5″ drives, 2.5” SATA SSD are supported as well.
My verdict: Yes we’ve seen other NAS offer higher Bay count. However, considering the price point here, 44TB is a rational deal. It deserves a 5/5 rating.
TOS 5 OS
To control and manage the NAS, the F2-212 offers us the TOS 5 operating system. Despite being an “operating system” for the NAS, it’s actually a browser-based panel. This means you do not need to make major changes to your system to start using the F2-212.
You can backup your files, sync your data, enable a “security isolation mode” and basically do a lot more.
Do note that if this is your first time with a NAS, you may need to study for a few minutes. I feel the manuals and instructions could’ve been slightly better.
My verdict: The OS is web-based, extremely simple, and easy to use even for beginners. The installation process could be improved. I’d rate it 4/5.
Multimedia features
The F2-212 can obviously also be used as a multimedia server. It has a dedicated multimedia app but I personally use Plex most of the time. Other third-party apps such as Emby too are supported.
Its advanced but simple-to-use customizations and features make it easy even for first-timers.
You can enable 1080P transcoding, custom file recognition and adjust a lot more.
My verdict: Combined with the hardware and software upgrades that we discussed later, the F2-212 provides one of the best media playbacks and streaming features. A 5/5 feature.
TRAID
TRAID or TerraMaster Raid is a disk array management tool that’s developed in-house by the F2-212.
I like it for one simple fact, it’s mostly automated. One of its biggest features is space combination. Almost no manual configuration is required.
Simply enable TRAID Array type and most of the magic doesn’t require any manual intervention.
Its 1 disk redundancy is impressive. In any array that has 1+ disks, TRAID guarantees that only 1 hard disk fails while the others remain functional.
My verdict: TRAID offers some of the most advanced disk management features, on automation. No reason to strip stars off its 5/5 rating.
Impressive hardware specs
The F2-212 boasts an ARM V8.2 Cortex-A55 64-bit 1.7GHz quad-core processor. In a simpler language, the 64-bit architecture supports larger data sets. It’s also capable of parallel processing which speeds things up exponentially.
The built-in floating-point unit ensures the calculations that require FPU can be performed better. Then there’s the Neon SIMD Engine. This is what makes the F2-212 multimedia and encoding as smooth as it is.
As for the RAM, it’s a 1GB DDR4 non-ECC RAM. It’s not upgradeable though.
It does feature a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port. While a 3.2 port would make things much faster, this is acceptable for the price point.
My verdict: The hardware is definitely extremely powerful. However, the RAM is not upgradeable and there’s no 3.2 port so I’ll rate it 4/5.
Easy HDD Swaps
This is a feature that often goes unnoticed but actually is a major help. The F2-212 is designed such that disks can be inserted and ejected without any tools.
Simple push and pressure is enough to crack open the case and insert your drives. The NAS features a simple push lock mechanism which would lock the disk in place.
My verdict: Of all the NAS I’ve used so far, the F2-212 clearly has one of the easiest disk swap features and deserves 5/5 stars.
EXT4 and Btrfs formats supported
The F2-212 supports both EXT4 and Btrfs formats. The data integrity that EXT4 offers is beyond impressive, especially with its data logging features in place. The data reading/writing speeds leave no room for complaints either.
In case you need more advanced features, Btrfs got you covered. Snapshots ensure you can recover lost files. Its data deduplication ensures the same files aren’t stored multiple times and checksumming ensures data accuracy and integrity.
My verdict: These two formats offer me everything I want and there’s no direct reason to complain, it’s a 5/5 for drive formats.
Seamless mobile access
I’m not sure if this needs an explanation. The F2-212 has a mobile client for both Android and iOS devices.
You can access all your files remotely from almost anywhere. More than access, the app provides remote management of the TNAS as well as some administrative privileges.
I personally love the ease and simplicity of the app. It has no advanced technical jargon.
My verdict: Definitely a 5/5 for the mobile app and remote access.
TerraMaster App Center
Finally, the app center is what we will discuss before signing off this TerraMaster F2-212 review.
You can find almost every tool you need on the app center, including but not limited to Plex, iTunes server, Terra Photos, qBittorrent, Aria2, and others.
In fact, Terra Photo is AI-powered allowing it to recognize locations, people, and objects. This helps searching for photos that much easier.
I liked it because the apps told me what other things are compatible or possible with the F2-212 that I wasn’t aware of.
My verdict: More apps can be added but the ones that are available do a pretty good job.
TerraMaster F2-212 review final verdict
Time for my personal opinion then? I feel, that at this price point, there’s almost no other NAS that offers the features or specs that the F2-212 offers. If some exist, I haven’t used them yet.
I love the TOS 5 OS, TRAID management, the extreme ease of swapping, and remote & mobile access among other things. Of course, the hardware specs are impressive too. Of course, I’ve used more powerful NAS but considering the price point, the specs are more than fair.
I’d have loved it if they somewhat improved their manuals and installation guides though. While it’s not a deal-breaker there’s definitely room for improvement.
Overall, I’d rate the TerraMaster F2-212 a 4/5 considering all its pros and cons.
