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Zettlab D6: 30-second review
A NAS drive can become an integral part of any business, enabling you to store and back up files in a single location that’s then accessible through the network, not just by a single machine as with a desktop hard drive, but by multiple devices. What’s more, unlike a desktop hard drive that is essentially just the drive, a NAS features its own CPU and operating system, with a processor, memory, and often multiple points of connectivity that enable you to run applications, virtual machines and even web services, making it an extremely powerful piece of kit for any business.
NAS systems should be a business essential, but now, with the integration of AI into these systems, it opens up a completely new angle. The latest Zettlab D6 is one of a new range of localised AI-enhanced NAS systems. They not only give you all the usual basics of a NAS but build on that with AI search, chat, and enhanced features that can do all sorts of things, from analysing your images, video, audio and documents to extract useful information, to transcribing entire videos and audio documents. Unlike traditional NAS systems, which required a certain level of technical skill, now with built-in chat, you can ask the NAS directly, as if it were a human, to open files, create new user groups, add remote access to folders, and much more.
Zettlab D6 is one of several entry-level models that feature four, six, or eight drives and come with either an ARM 3588 CPU or, for the Ultra models, a faster Intel Core Ultra 5125H CPU, which is quite a step up. In this review, I’ve looked at the D6 version, which features the ARM CPU.
Even then, compared with other AI-enhanced systems I’ve looked at recently, this takes things to another level, with the AI search for images, files, videos, and documents far exceeding what I’ve seen before. The local AI personal cloud assistant just makes finding various items much easier. The fact that you can interrogate video and audio files as well just takes it even further.
Getting started with the Zettlab D6 is straightforward, and if you’re used to any of the best NAS devices, then there should be nothing here to complicate the process. What’s really nice to see is that Zettlab have incorporated its own desktop and mobile app that also streamlines everything.
Once everything is set up and you’ve connected it to your router or network, access through the desktop app, browser interface, or mobile application is straightforward and offers plenty of standard NAS options, including setting up the installed hard drives in whichever RAID configuration you feel is most suited. For this test, which was RAID 0, I wanted to make sure I got optimum performance out of the installed drives.
Checking through standard file backup and other usual NAS features, the drive performed exceptionally well, and there was nothing too challenging, with a good, fast network connection for access and uploading. But what really impressed me was the fact that you could download AI language models to the NAS and start to utilise them for chat, then interrogate the contents of the NAS in a human way. What’s more, as you upload your files, every file is scanned by the AI, so it is easier to search and find exactly what you want.
As an example, I was looking for an image of a DJI drone in the woods, and all I needed to do was type in “drone in the woods”, and that file was located, even though there was no tagging involved. Likewise, I needed to find a video where a certain subject was mentioned for a company.
Usually, this would have meant watching through several videos to find the one clip. However, all I needed to do was type in the name of the subject, and instantly the three videos that had a mention of that subject were listed, with a full transcription of the voiceover and video content.
By the end of the test, as a straight NAS, this is unbelievably easy to use, but with the AI integration, it just takes what this box is capable of to the next level. Whilst there were a few incidents where it ran out of resources uploading files, for the most part, when everything was uploaded, the AI search and additional features worked exceptionally well.
What’s more, applications like Plex for multimedia and music could all be installed. While the ARM version of this NAS is good and will suit most smaller businesses, if you are looking at AI development or anything more involved, then I would spend the extra and upgrade to the Intel Core Ultra 5125H version. This test, while I was pushing its abilities, hit the limits on several occasions, and that more powerful processor will more than likely have a dramatic effect on the potential of this AI-enhanced NAS.
Zettlab D6: Price & availability
- How much does it cost? £499/$499
- When is it out? Now
- Where can you get it? Widely available
The Zettlab is presently available through the Kickstarter platform, with the Zettlab D6 presently on offer for £499/$499. You can also purchase the D6 directly from the Zettlab website.
Zettlab D6: Design
Specifications
CPU: Rockchip RK3588 (ARM, 8-core)
Graphics: Mali-G610
NPU: 6 TOPS AI accelerator
RAM: 16 GB LPDDR4/5
Storage: 6 × SATA III 3.5″/2.5″ bays, 1x M.2
Front Ports: USB-A 3.0, USB-C 3.0, SD card slot 4.0 and 3.0, TF 4.0
Rear Ports: 2.5GbE, 1GbE, HDMI, 2X USB-A 2.0, HDMI
Size:
OS Installed: ZettOS
Accessories: Power cable, tool-less trays, basic documentation
Straight out of the box, this is one of the best-looking NAS systems I’ve seen, not just for the standard box-like design, which offers optional dust plate and front plates, but also through to the large and easy-to-use drive bays that enable quick and easy installation and insertion into the unit.
The Zettlab D6 has a full metal construction, with a high-quality feel and a good range of ports across the back and front, enabling connection straight into your network, as well as other devices and external drives, making it a perfect option for photographers and videographers.
However, one of the things that really stood out to me about the drive was the screen on the bottom left. It gives you all the information about the drive, such as which drives are in use, and importantly, the IP address, so you can log on quickly. It’s just a really lovely addition that’s not only useful but looks great as well.
When it comes to size and weight, this isn’t a small unit, measuring 255mm x 237mm x185mm and weighing 5980 g without any of the drives installed. As with most NAS drives, it will take standard 3.5-inch HDDs or 2.5-inch HDDs/SSDs with a caddy, which is great. Here, the way the drives are placed into the NAS uses a tool-less system, which is simple to use and fits the drives securely.
Taking a look at the ports on the back, there’s a 2.5Gbps and 1Gbps LAN, 2x USB 2.0, and an HDMI port to connect to a monitor if needed.
On the front, to the right of the screen, are two SD card slots, one SD 4.0 and the other SD 3.0, a TF 4.0, USB 3.0 Type-C, USB 3.0 Type-A, and a direct copy button that can be pushed to start the transfer process automatically.
Another big feature here is that, while many NAS systems are relatively noisy, Zettlab have managed to create a large two-fan system at the back that generates very little noise, apart from startup, which is common with most NAS systems. Even as I was copying terabytes of data over to the internal storage, the noise it generated remained relatively quiet in comparison with my other systems.
Zettlab D6: Features
A quick run-through of the features shows that this is something very different from your standard office NAS. The big feature here is on-device AI, which includes image recognition, OCR and transcription, all accessed once an AI model has been downloaded. Several different models are available, including Gemma, DeepSeek and LLaMA, depending on which route you want to take.
In this test, I downloaded several to give them all a go and settled on one of the lighter Gemma models for the chat and AI interrogation of files.
Everything runs off the Zettlab OS, which is clearly laid out and very easy to use, really harnessing the power of AI, not only to locate and manage files, but also to give you an almost human language interface with the NAS.
For example, if you open the Zett AI app within the browser or dedicated interface, you can search using shortcuts for various tasks, query the knowledge Q&A, and utilise the onboard chat using whichever language model you have downloaded.
This means you have an AI LLM assistant app that is run locally. Although, as I found out during testing, it can be limited by available RAM and CPU when you’re running other tasks or the AI is already busy analysing uploaded content.
Of course, going back to the standard NAS features, there are plenty of options for configuring the hard drives you install into the barebones unit. Once they’re installed, you have the option of RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10. As you’d expect with any NAS system, there are also features such as scheduled backups, folder sync, USB file import, SD card and TF/microSD card import, and connection to external storage for additional backups. With those six bays, it’s possible to install up to 148TB of data with 6×24TB drives and a 4TB M.2 drive.
Zettlab D6: Performance
The big feature of this Zettlab D6 is the AI integration, and it’s taken that to the next level compared with many other AI-enhanced NAS units I’ve looked at. It truly is part of the system, and the LLM can be run locally rather than relying on an online connection. This means that the AI enhancement and file analysis are all done onboard, which does hog the CPU and RAM somewhat, but for the most part keeps everything local.
Getting started with the basic setup is straightforward, with each of the drive bays simply sliding out with a tool-less design. This enables you to pop in the drive, clamp it, and slide it back, locking it in place using the large lever handles at the front. Once all the drives are installed, you can plug them into power, connect one of the Ethernet ports to your router or switch, and then power on.
Once that’s done, it’s over to your computer, be that Mac or PC. I downloaded the desktop app to start this review, but you can also connect directly to the NAS via the browser interface by typing in the NAS box IP.
This is where the first part of usability really comes into play. Quite often, you have to search around for the IP address of your NAS. Here, with the Zettlab D6, it appears on the small LCD screen in the bottom left of the unit. It really couldn’t be easier. Next to that, you can see if all the drives are installed correctly. It’s just a very neat and stylish-looking screen.
To connect, I just used the desktop app, and after a quick scan, it located the NAS and did everything else. All I needed to do was confirm it was the NAS I wanted to connect to, add a username and password, and then create the first storage pool. This included creating a RAID 0 configuration, though you have the option to choose whichever RAID setup you prefer. I went for RAID 0 because it offers fast access and is ideal for photography and video content.
Once that was done, I could use the NAS as you would any online storage. I could set up backups for folders or entire systems. It’s just nicely thought-out and straightforward, and Zettlab’s own OS is neat and tidy.
However, there’s more to it, especially with the AI model. Looking along the bottom of the app, you’ll see options including the App Store, Zett AI, Files, Settings, Cocard, Clip, Photos and Virtual Machines. There’s quite a lot here to get started with.
The app section is much like any other NAS environment, and you can download Docker so that programs like Plex can be installed. While the library isn’t huge due to this being the ARM version of the NAS, there’s still a good amount here to get you going.
Moving over to Zett AI is where things start to get interesting. Initially, it asks you to download an LLM model, and there’s a good selection to choose from, including Gemma, PHI, DeepSeek and LLaMA, with different distribution packages available depending on the weight you want. In this review, I focused on Gemma-3-4B-IT-Q8_0, one of the lightweight options. Once it was installed (which took a few minutes), access to Zett AI instantly gave insight into what’s possible with this NAS. The search enables queries through all the data, and as it analyses your files, the results get deeper. For example, if you have a picture of someone using a camera in a forest, you can type in exactly that, and it will appear, even without tags or metadata.
The next tab I tested is “Shortcut”. At present, this is a little limited, but it enables you to adjust and interact with the NAS. So, if you want to create a new user, you can ask it to do so, or if you want the fans to be a bit quieter, there’s an option. What I found during testing was that if I typed in what I wanted, the system would often respond with “command not recognised”, but it would list the commands that were possible to ask. So, at present, while it’s good, it is very limited.
The “Knowledge Q&A” is similar; you can ask questions, and generally, it will respond with some piece of knowledge about almost any subject. It’s a standard AI-based chat function.
The final option is the “AI Chat”, which is much like all of the other chat interfaces and allows you to interact with the AI.As you use the NAS more and engage with the Zettlab OS, you start to find different areas of AI interaction. ThroughZettlab AI, it’s more of a generic chat and search feature, whereas if you click on the “Files” option, this opens up the file folder from the storage area, where you can manage contents in the usual way. However, if you scroll down to “Label and AI Categories”, it will automatically categorise your content using AI.
What’s clever here is that if you click the “New Category” tab in the top right and type in something like “lighting”, it will search through all your images and content and gather anything related to that under one category. It can be even more specific. If you type in a product or person’s name or phrase, it will locate all related files and organise them under that new category.
From this point, the AI features really start to gather pace, and the usefulness of the search instantly far exceeds all standard search options. The most powerful of these has to be “Clip”. Essentially, what this application does is take an image, audio, or video file and analyse it, then extract useful transcripts. So, for example, if you upload a video, once it’s analysed, the NAS will give you the full transcript, ready for use.
This also makes every single bit of media you put on the system searchable in a way that just isn’t possible with most setups.
Other sections, such as “Photos”, work in a similar way, using powerful AI integration to search through your content.The traditional means of categorising and tagging become far less important, as the system will do all that for you, and even enable me to find images that I would have thought were lost.
As a standard NAS, it’s impressive. But when used with these AI features, it takes everything to the next level. If you’re a small business that stores lots of data, having this system that you can interrogate to find content will save you hours.
While the system is good, there were a few occasions where I would get an error due to a lack of resources, as the system was analysing image, video, and audio files during upload. However, once I let it run its course, which could take a few hours, when I came back to the system, all the AI features were back up and running. This is something to keep in mind: most of the AI features work perfectly, but you need to give them time to process, especially with large volumes of data.
When it came to connection speed, through my wireless network router, I saw transfer rates of 82MB/s read and 65MB/s write, which is decent enough for my network. As a NAS solution, this takes file management to the next level and introduces powerful AI integration in a way I haven’t seen before.
Zettlab D6: Final verdict
If you’re a small business, keeping track of all your files can be a real challenge. While a NAS is a great option for backing up and managing files, it’s usually down to you to organise and tag them properly so they can be easily found later.
However, with the Zettlab D6, you have a very professional system that holds its own against much of the competition, with a relatively polished OS that makes it extremely easy for anyone to navigate and use, plus support for Docker apps and expansion.
The fact that it includes six slots for HDDs and an ultra-fast M.2 drive to give it a boost makes it a great option even as a standard NAS, especially with the extra functions and features. But then, when you incorporate AI, it takes this storage system to the next level.
What really impressed me as a videographer and photographer is that all the files transferred and organised onto internal storage could then be searched by their actual content, not just how I’d filed or tagged them.
The system was able to read them, and I could interact with that search in a human way, using phrases like “please find me a dog in a wood”, and it would do so. Even more impressive, with video and audio files, if I were searching for a snippet of speech in a video, I could just type that in, and the NAS would locate it, having already analysed and transcribed the audio content.
This is far beyond anything I’ve seen before. While there were a few issues during processing, which temporarily halted some AI features, once everything had finished, the system was exceptionally fast. The fact that you have a local LLM to work with and potentially train is a big deal.
The Zettlab D6 shows the potential of AI. With language engines installed, enabling localised chat and features, it makes a powerful option and a great alternative to cloud storage, although cloud backup can also be integrated alongside the physical storage within the unit.
Should I buy a Zettlab D6?
|
Value |
This is the first time I’ve seen AI so seamlessly integrated with a NAS, and the effect is superb for the price. |
4 |
|
Design |
The approach to design is both stylish and functional. I particularly like the small screen on the front. |
4.5 |
|
Features |
This is one of the most feature-packed NAS systems I’ve looked at, with local AI, RAID, HDMI, and the ability to plug SD cards directly in. |
4.5 |
|
Performance |
Considering what this NAS box is capable of, performance is generally exceptional, although it does slow slightly during heavy processing. |
4.5 |
|
Overall |
It’s amazing to see what AI can make possible when used right. Using a NAS like this really highlights what’s possible in the near future. |
4.5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
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