Back in 2022, we crowned the Asustor Lockerstor 2 Gen2 (AS6702T) with our Editors’ Choice award, praising its lightning-fast performance and impressive feature set. But here's the kicker: its successor, the Lockerstor 2 Gen2+ (AS6702T v2), not only matches that excellence but raises the bar even higher. With the addition of two 5GbE ports, an extra USB port, and a more wallet-friendly price tag of $469.99, it’s a no-brainer for power users seeking a top-tier two-bay NAS device. This upgrade earns it our Editors’ Choice award once again, solidifying its place as a powerhouse in the NAS market.
Design and Features: Unassuming Exterior, High-Performance Interior
At first glance, the AS6702T v2 might seem like just another nondescript box, sharing its sedate chassis design with its predecessors, the AS6702T and AS6602T. Measuring 6.4 x 4.2 x 9.0 inches (HWD), its gray-and-black enclosure houses two hot-swappable drive bays on the front, accompanied by LED indicators for power, USB and LAN activity, and system status. But don’t let its modest appearance fool you—this device is a beast under the hood.
The removable drive sleds feature drive-activity LEDs and can be locked for security, though they lack tool-free snap-in rails. Instead, you’ll need to use the included screws to secure your drives. The front panel also includes a power button, a One-Touch Backup button, and a 10Gbps Type-A USB 3.2 port for quick connectivity.
And this is the part most people miss: The rear panel is where the magic happens. Here, you’ll find the two 5GbE LAN ports, which support link aggregation for a whopping 10Gbps connectivity. Alongside them are a second 10Gbps Type-A USB 3.2 port, an HDMI 2.0 port, a power port, a reset button, and a Type-A USB 2.0 port for peripherals like printers. A single 70mm fan keeps the internal components cool, ensuring optimal performance.
Under the Hood: Power Packed for Performance
Inside, the AS6702T v2 is powered by a 2.0GHz Intel Celeron N5105 CPU, 4GB of DDR4 RAM (expandable to 16GB), and 8GB of eMMC storage. Like its predecessor, it boasts four M.2 slots, allowing you to add up to 32TB of SSD storage for lightning-fast caching or additional high-speed storage. But here’s where it gets controversial: While the device supports a staggering 64TB of hard-drive storage (using two 32TB 3.5-inch drives), some might argue that the need for such capacity is overkill for the average user. However, for power users and small businesses, this scalability is a game-changer.
If 64TB isn’t enough, you can expand further by adding two AS5004U expansion units, each capable of holding up to four 26TB drives, for a total of 208TB of additional storage. The system supports Single, JBOD, RAID 0, and RAID 1 configurations, with EXT4 and Btrfs file systems. When using M.2 SSDs, it also supports RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10, offering flexibility for various use cases.
Software: A Deep Dive into ADM OS
The AS6702T v2 runs on Asustor’s Data Master (ADM) operating system, a web-based application with a familiar Windows-like desktop interface. The desktop comes pre-loaded with 16 tiles for quick access to essential functions like system settings, app downloads, backup utilities, storage management, and resource monitoring. But here’s the real question: Is it user-friendly enough for beginners?
Navigating the interface, I found the Access Control tile particularly useful for managing users, groups, shared folders, and app privileges. The Settings tile offers nested options for network configuration, disk hibernation, notifications, and LED/buzzer controls. The ADM Defender tile provides robust security features, including firewall profiles, network packet monitoring, and trusted IP lists. Storage Manager simplifies drive volume creation, RAID configuration, and drive health checks, while File Explorer allows for easy file management.
App Central is where the device truly shines. With 256 downloadable programs, it caters to a wide range of needs, from digital entertainment and e-commerce to cloud server management and web development. But is 256 apps overkill, or just the right amount? Let us know in the comments.
Installation and Setup: A Few Screws Away from Greatness
Setting up the AS6702T v2 is straightforward, though you’ll need a screwdriver to secure the drives to the sleds. Asustor includes the necessary screws, so no need to worry about additional tools. For my setup, I used two 10TB Seagate IronWolf drives and connected the NAS to a 2.5GbE switch linked to my desktop PC’s 10GbE LAN port and router.
After powering on the NAS, I accessed acc.asustor.com via a web browser, downloaded the Asustor Control Center software, and let it detect the device. With a few clicks—Uninitialized, 1-Click Setup, and Btrfs file system selection—I was up and running. The initialization process took 13 hours, but with larger drives, you can start the setup and walk away. But here’s the burning question: Is 13 hours too long, or is patience part of the NAS experience?
Performance Testing: Speed That Impresses
To test file-transfer speeds, I transferred a 4.9GB folder containing a mix of files between the NAS and my desktop PC. The AS6702T v2 delivered an impressive 245MBps for both read and write speeds, outperforming competitors like the TerraMaster F2-425 Plus and Ugreen DXP2800, which scored 245MBps write and 188MBps read, and the QNAP TS-216G, which managed 233MBps write and 196MBps read.
But here’s the final thought: Is the AS6702T v2 the ultimate NAS for power users, or is there room for improvement? Share your thoughts below—we’d love to hear your take!
