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We liked
The ReadyNAS 3130 is a strong offering for SMBs as well as enterprise users, and the headline snapshots feature works excellently. It's a feature all NAS units should offer, and could save the day for those users who accidentally lose important files.
Although it's not the fastest NAS you can buy, the ReadyNAS 3130 is capable of some good file transfer speeds.
The ReadyOS software supports all kinds of network standards for different shares, the iSCSI support is very good and the cloud backup options work well.
We disliked
There's no 10GbE option. Although bonded links with multiple gigabit Ethernet ports mean you get 4Gb/sec of network performance, 10GbE is restricted to more high-end NAS units.
A 1U form factor is perfect for organisations with rack setups, but a smaller version, squeezing the exact same features into a small box that could fit under a desk might be preferable for home users.
That said, Netgear of course sells plenty of smaller consumer-oriented NAS units, with the ReadyNAS 316 being most similar to the 3130, and it's very close in terms of the feature set. If you want a smaller unit, that's the one to go for, as it still supports the headline unlimited snapshots feature.
While functional, the iPad version of the ReadyCloud software we tested could be improved, with better viewing options to show more information about files, or create shared links directly within the app. Although it's not bad, the app could do with some more work, and it would be nice if the user was given more control over their files.
Final verdict
The ReadyNAS 3130 has very good software, offers good performance and it's relatively affordable too, with pricing that is very competitive with other prosumer/SMB/enterprise NAS units that feature the same number of bays.
The software offers a nice looking GUI, with plenty of advanced settings to integrate with a corporate network and there are lots of apps to extend its functionality.
Although a few areas could do with a bit more polish, Netgear deserves a pat on the back for the 3130, and the long list of features it offers.
