The evolution of information storage methods runs through the entire history of human development, from oracle bones to paper, from tape to optical disk, the strengthening of information storage capabilities on the one hand intuitively reflects the progress of science and technology, on the other hand, it also inherits the wisdom and ideas of each generation, thereby promoting the development of society.
After entering the 21st century, with the rapid development of Internet technology, the amount of information data is getting larger and larger, and storage media such as hard disks and U disks are gradually beginning to appear inadequate, thus promoting the advent of the cloud storage era. Cloud storage is mainly divided into public cloud and private cloud, the former is represented by Baidu network disk, although free, but speed and data security have been criticized. As a result, in recent years, private clouds with higher costs but better experiences have become the choice of more and more users.
Why do we need a NAS?
The easiest way to set up a private cloud is through a NAS. The so-called NAS, that is, network-attached storage. Friends familiar with computers know that the operating system and all the information in the computer are stored in the hard disk, and nas is to install the hard disk into a separate device and connect directly to the Internet. The NAS has a separate power supply and can perform various operations through the buttons on the fuselage and supporting software. In other words, NAS is like a small server.
People choose NAS to a large extent because of its flexibility. Ideally, users should be able to access the NAS, open, play, upload, and download files anytime, anywhere, on any device. However, at this point, many traditional NAS products are not in place, not only more restrictions on access devices, but also some even require the same WiFi environment to be used.
Another function of NAS is data backup. In today's data volume is also "inflationary", even mobile phones have achieved 1TB, 1, 2TB hard disk has not been able to meet the backup needs of many people, and most NAS products have multiple hard disk bits, storage capacity can reach dozens of TB, mobile phones, computers and other devices backup needs can be met.
Overall, if a person or several people need to access the same batch of files on different devices on a regular basis, NAS is a well-worthwhile option.
The brand polar space from China is an emerging force in the NAS field, and its launch of the polar space Z4 at the end of 2020 is widely acclaimed. Compared with traditional NAS manufacturers, the biggest feature of Polar Space is the flexibility and ease of use of its products, which can not only be accessed through terminals such as mobile phones, computers, TVs, etc., but also do not have too many requirements for the network environment. This year, Polar Space launched the 2022 new Z4 (hereinafter referred to as the "new Z4") on the basis of the Z4, taking the home NAS experience to a new level.
XiaoBai can also easily get started with nas
Compared with the public cloud, NAS storage capacity is larger, faster, more secure, and more widely applicable, but why has it not been promoted on a large scale in China so far?
In addition to the price, another major threshold for NAS is the difficulty of getting started, searching for relevant tutorials on video websites, you can see that even the total duration of the "getting started" tutorial is nearly 90 minutes, and it is also full of many unfamiliar terms. For many users who are interested in experimenting but are not tech-savvy, this type of video is likely to play a role in "dissuading".
After breaking through the difficulties of assembly, users also need to face an obscure interface. Nowadays, many products have added graphical operator interfaces, but there are still a lot of technical terms that make people scratch their heads. In order for the NAS to achieve various functions, it is also necessary to install various "kits". They are like apps, playing videos, managing files, backing up photos, reading external storage devices and other functions require corresponding kits. For novice users, it also takes a lot of effort to find and debug kits.
The new Z4 is a product that is unique in terms of ease of use. As a finished NAS, the new Z4 does not require users to find their own materials for assembly, but plug in the hard disk, Internet cable and power supply can be used.
The hard drive is located on the front of the fuselage, and the snap snap can be pulled out, and the whole process is very smooth. The new Z4 has 4 hard disk slots, the maximum support for a single disk 20TB / 7200 rpm, that is to say, it can store up to 80TB of data, for home use, this capacity is definitely more than enough.
The new Z4 supports the screwless installation of 3.5-inch hard disks, just open the snaps on both sides of the hard disk bay, put them in the hard disk and then buckle back, without any tools, very worry-free.
Compared with the old model, the new Z4 moves the USB type-A and type-C interfaces on the fuselage from the side to the front cover, which is convenient for placement and use, and also enhances the dust resistance. In addition, the installation method of the front version has been changed from snap-on type to magnetic type, which is more convenient to install and has a lower failure rate.
At the software operation level, the operation of the new Z4 is equally simple and straightforward.
After installing the device, you can use the mobile app to register an account and bind to the device. Under the same WiFi, the app will automatically find and connect the device, if not found, you can also scan the QR code on the fuselage cover to match.
After the matching is complete, the hard disk can be formatted. In addition to the common RAID1 and RAID5 modes, the new Z4 also has a special ZDR dynamic dual backup mode, which allows users to independently select important data for double backup, which not only ensures the safety of data but also saves hard disk space, especially suitable for home use.
After completing the above preparations, we can start using the new Z4 officially. Compared with other NAS products on the market, the biggest difference between Polar Space's products is that it has a very simple operating system ZOS built-in. The interface of ZOS is similar to common public cloud products such as Baidu network disk, and the home page does not have any terms that ordinary users cannot understand. Through the "+" on the page, you can synchronize the content on your phone to the polar space, which is as simple as sending Weibo and Douyin.
The health of the entire device can also be seen at a glance on the phone, including hard disk space, temperature, etc.
Common NAS products on the market tend to have large discounts on the functions of mobile clients, but Ji space brings functions such as file management, film and television, and reading external storage devices to mobile phones, and the operation logic is similar to the mainstream apps on the market, which greatly reduces the threshold for getting started.
On nas "home" computers, ZOS controls are equally straightforward, using either a client or a web page, and there is no mandatory client to download files, as some software does. The computer-side operation interface is more concise, and users can also hide their infrequently used functions, thus making the interface more refreshing.
ZOS file management logic is also the same as the common computer system, sliding multi-select, dragging and dragging, right-click options these common operations can be copied on ZOS, but also minimize the user's learning costs.
Polar Space New Z4 is very convenient in both hardware assembly and software operation, on this basis, it also realizes the deep combination of hardware and software, and presents the commonly used functions in the simplest and most direct way, which greatly reduces the difficulty of getting started, making it a NAS product that is very suitable for novice users to get started.
Enjoy family video entertainment anytime, anywhere
Nowadays, NAS is a must-have product for movie lovers - computers and mobile phone screens are too small, TVs are not convenient to find high-definition film sources, and decoding capabilities and storage space are likely to be insufficient, and NAS can become a bridge connecting various devices to achieve the best experience by finding film sources on the computer and watching on the TV.
The new Z4 has a strong film and television service capability.
The new Z4 itself does not provide movie resources, so it is necessary to import other resources first. If your movies are stored on a portable hard drive, you just need to connect the mobile hard drive to the new Z4, then find the "External Devices" option in the file management interface on your phone or computer, open it and copy the resources. The copy speed is related to the specifications of the removable hard disk and the hard disk inserted on the NAS, and it is generally very fast.
There are also many users who store resources in baidu network disk, in response to this, the new Z4 also has a "network disk backup" function to help users smoothly "move". After you bind the Baidu network disk account and the polar space account, you can directly access the resources in the network disk from ZOS and download them directly to the polar space.
The new Z4 network disk backup speed is also very fast, in the test, the maximum speed of backup is faster than our usual download speed. In addition, this function does not need to be opened all the time to run the client, for users with more resources, you can turn on the backup before going to bed and shut down to sleep, and the next day after waking up, you can see that the resources have been backed up.
The new Z4 also supports mainstream download forms such as bt, magnetism, and pt. Taking magnetic force as an example, after copying the magnetic link, the polar space client will automatically identify, and the user can choose the download tool that comes with the polar space or the built-in Thunderbolt to download.
However, Polar Space is not a professional magnetic download software, so the download speed will appear slightly slower, if there is a Thunderbolt member, the use of the built-in Thunderbolt download speed will be improved.
Once the resource storage is complete, it's time to watch with the new Z4. The new Z4 has a built-in "Extreme Film and Television" function, after binding the folder of stored film and television resources to the Extreme Film and Television, the system will automatically identify the information of the film and television content, and play it synchronously on mobile phones, computers, televisions and other terminals.
The intelligent matching ability of Ji Film and Television is very powerful, and after uploading the movie, it will automatically identify key information such as cover, introduction, starring list, rating and so on. Incorrect matches can also be manually corrected, just search for the title to match the correct information.
Users who store more movies do not have to worry about the clutter of resources, and Ji Film and Television supports filtering according to film specifications, production regions, and film types, and also supports sorting by addition time or movie release time. Users can also create categorical albums according to their preferences. If multiple versions of a movie are stored in Polar Film, it can also store these movies under one entry, which is convenient for users to select when watching.
For TV series, Ji Film and Television can also automatically match information and split episodes. In addition, Ji Film and Television will automatically record the playback progress, thus avoiding the situation of clicking on an episode and finding that you have watched it and manually jumping to the next episode.
When playing film and television content, Ji Film and Television can also achieve image quality adjustment, audio track switching, double speed playback and other functions, in addition to matching subtitles, just enter the film name can be automatically matched, which is very practical when watching foreign language film and television works.
The new Z4 has excellent hardware configuration, using intel J4125 CPU, memory optional 4GB or 8GB, so that the new Z4 will not appear stutter when watching true HD HDR movies. At the same time, the network capabilities of the new Z4 are also outstanding, so that the film does not suddenly stop loading when it reaches the climax.
In the test, we chose the 60G size 4K version of "The Matrix 3" for testing, and there was no smearing and stuttering on the screen when playing. In terms of loading, it was only waited for a while at the beginning of the playback, and then there was no frequent loading. It can even be said that when using the new Z4 to view true HD film sources, you can get a viewing experience comparable to that of Blu-ray players.
The new Z4's extranet experience is also very good, directly log in to your own account to connect normally, without any manual configuration, nor do you need a public IP address and a smart router. In the state of extranet access, the function of polar space is also unlimited, and routine operations such as playing videos and sharing files can be completed. Still taking video playback as an example, the new Z4 can still play HD movies smoothly under the outer network, it can be said that in addition to the download speed will be affected by some, other aspects of the experience is almost the same.
The characteristics of the new Z4 intranet are especially suitable for students, office workers and other groups, such people may not be in the same network environment as the new Z4 for a large part of the time, but they can still access the content at any time, so that their NAS can be useful anytime and anywhere.
Overall, the hardware and network capabilities of the new Z4 are outstanding, and the use experience of Extreme Film and Television is better than that of commonly used kits such as PLEX and Emby, and only simple binding can achieve smooth synchronization of film and television content between various terminals. The combination of hardware and software makes the new Z4 a product that is very suitable for use as the core when creating a home theater.
Living, playing, working, there is enough space
In addition to film and television capabilities, the new Z4 has a wide range of uses in life, entertainment and work.
In life, the backup of mobile phone albums is a feature that many users need. The new Z4 has a built-in "Polar Album" function, and once you have selected the photo folder in your phone or computer, you can start backing up. The backup and opening speed of the polar album in the internal and external network environment are very fast, and the small pictures generated by the application icon and cache will be blocked during the backup, and the index and slight thumbnail will be automatically generated after the backup is completed.
Polar Album also has a unique "AI discovery" function, which automatically identifies special formats such as GIFs and videos, as well as people, places, time, etc. in photos, helping users archive and classify photos from multiple dimensions. In addition, Polar Album also supports album cleaning function, which automatically scans duplicate photos in the album and slims down the storage space to make the album more organized.
For freelancers or small studios, the new Z4 is also great for work. After turning on the Samba service, follow the instructions on the client, and after a few simple steps, you can use a computer in the same WiFi environment to directly access the content in the polar space. For video editing, picture editing, and other jobs that often require teams to share footage, this feature of Polar Space is very useful.
For users who often need to back up and synchronize files, the new Z4 also provides document synchronization. After you bind a document sync folder, changes in the contents of the local folder are quickly reflected in the folder in the polar space.
File modifications made in the cloud are also automatically synced locally, eliminating the need to back up after each modification.
For Mac users, the new Z4 also supports mac time machine backup function, to know that the storage space on the Mac is called a small amount of money, this function can help users alleviate a lot of pressure.
In terms of entertainment, in addition to the film and television functions, Pole Space has also added a "Pole Reading" function on the Android side, supporting txt, epub, PDF and other e-book formats. In the test, we imported the txt version of "Dream of the Red Chamber", which can be seen that extreme reading can be automatically divided into chapters, and also supports memorizing reading progress. The fly in the ointment is that for the time being, it does not support manual correction information like Ji Film and Television, and the Dream of the Red Mansions we downloaded has no cover, if you can add it manually, it would be better.
Finally, let's talk about the power consumption problem that many users are concerned about. After our tests, the new Z4 with two hard drives inserted plays movies at about 17W, while the usual power is about 13W or less. According to the average 15W, 24 hours do not shut down, 0.5 yuan per kilowatt hour of electricity to calculate, then the new Z4 will generate about 0.18 yuan of electricity per day, the annual electricity bill is only 65 yuan, there is no need to worry about causing additional electricity burden.
The new Z4's control of temperature and noise during operation is also commendable, with air outlet noise of 46.8 decibels, which is basically not felt if the ear is not attached to the fan port. The air outlet temperature is only 26.4 degrees, which does not make people feel hot even in the summer.
It can be seen that the new Z4 of Polar Space can cover the needs of individuals, families and small studio users from entertainment to life to work, and simplify the complexity of the software system to maximize the closest to ordinary users. For users who are familiar with the basic operation of computers and mobile phones, the new Z4 almost does not have a barrier to entry.
For a novice user who wants to set up a home NAS, it is most appropriate to understand it. In the past, the establishment and operation of NAS, including the various thresholds for downloading and playing film and television resources, have always been a mountain in front of novice users, which directly and indirectly waste users' time and money, and let many users directly give up the idea of forming a NAS. The idea of the new Z4 is to make a NAS that can be plugged and played, which is precisely the most scarce type of product on the market.
On the basis of ease of use, the performance and scalability of the new Z4 is not backward, whether it is network transmission speed, film and television decoding capabilities or the richness of built-in software can ensure that users get an excellent user experience. On the whole, the new Z4 of Polar Space is very much in line with the habits of the Chinese people, and it is the best choice for users who try to form a family NAS for the first time.