Setup & OS Overview
The setup process of the ASUSTOR Data Master (ADM) operating system is similar to that of other Asustor products. However, having separate apps for handling the same piece of hardware is an odd choice that seems to be ongoing with no intention to change. This leaves many users frustrated, especially newcomers to the Asustor ecosystem.
After connecting the NAS to power and your network, you must download the Asustor Control Center application. This application will find the NAS within your network, allow you to access it, and start the initialization process. However, you must install a different application, ASUSTOR EZ Sync, to handle remote file synchronization.
The integrated screen can be an alternative way to set up and initialize the NAS during the first deployment. The NAS will also display its local network IP, which you can input to your browser’s search bar. Doing so will lead you to the web interface, the NAS, from where you can access all of its features. The navigation buttons are very intuitive and use and have a tactile feeling.
There are also several smartphone applications, available both on Android and iOS, listed below:
- AiSecure2 – Surveillance of up to 4 cameras
- AiPhoto3 – Photos Backup (Must have Photo Gallery 3)
- AiVideos – Movies, TV shows (Must have LooksGood)
- AiMusic – Music (Must have SoundsGood)
- AiData – Browse and Share files
- AiMaster – Control NAS (including wake on LAN)
While it is nice to see first-party implementations of these apps, Asustor needs to improve them quite a bit before considering them suitable alternatives to having online subscriptions. For example, if your NAS is off, you have to turn off your phone’s access to the internet; otherwise, it will keep trying to connect to the NAS, and you will not be able to access your locally saved files.
AiPhoto3 is well set up, with options to back up your phone’s photo library automatically. It requires almost zero setup steps besides downloading the app on your phone and signing in. Having the option to back up everything or start backing up now is also convenient. You can also specify under which conditions you want to back up photos (power and internet access).
- AiVideos lets you stream all videos stored in your NAS, supporting playback of most file types.
- AiMusic provides all the basic functionality you would expect on a music app and provides the option of local music storage.
- The AiData app contains all your shared folders, which you can share or store locally.
- The AiMaster app provides ADM access and some basic functionality, but you may be better off logging in through a browser.
