Areca ARC-1686-2NOD
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD
2-Bay Entry Level M.2 NVMe Hardware RAID Adapter With PCIe Gen 4.0 x8 host interface
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD is a 2-bay M.2 NVMe hardware RAID adapter with x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 host connectivity.
It supports 2 x M.2 Connector and tri-mode interfaces that handle 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA and Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) devices.
The adapter includes off module power loss protection using an on-board supercapacitor and support for individual NVMe PowerDisable for remote drive power cycling.
- RAID levels: 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOD.
- Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC for hardware RAID processing.
- Broad OS support: Windows, Linux (open source), FreeBSD (open source) and Mac.
Category: NVMe RAID PCIe Cards
Brand: Areca Technology
Original price was: £ 491.28.£ 404.95Current price is: £ 404.95. | £ 485.94 inc VAT
Please Call Us For Availability Of This Item
We’re the UK’s #1 Areca Reseller!
We pride ourselves on knowing, selling and supporting Areca RAIDs & Controllers better than anyone else in the UK!
All our Areca RAIDs ship pre-configured & tested (RAID5 or RAID6, for Mac or PC). Please allow us 1-2 days to do this for you for free.
Seen a better price elsewhere? Let us know & we’ll do our best so you also benefit from our Areca knowledge, expertise & totally free after-sales support.
– The UK’s Areca RAID Experts!
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD Product Overview
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD is a 2-bay M.2 NVMe hardware RAID adapter that brings hardware RAID services and enterprise reliability to compact M.2 storage layouts.
The adapter uses a tri-mode ROC and PCIe Gen 4.0 host connectivity to support mixed NVMe and SATA M.2 devices with off-module power-loss protection and management tooling.
Processor and RAID Engine
Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC handles RAID processing on-board to reduce host CPU load and deliver consistent parity and mirroring operations.
Host Interface
The adapter presents an x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 host interface for high-bandwidth connectivity to a compatible system.
Drive Connectivity
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD provides 2 x M.2 Connector and supports 6Gb/s SATA and Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) devices per slot.
Tri-mode Device Support
Each M.2 bay offers a tri-mode interface supporting 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA and Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) to accommodate a range of M.2 storage types.
RAID Levels and Data Management
Power Loss Protection
The adapter supports off module power loss protection for Non PLP NVMe drive using on-board supercapacitor to maintain data integrity during power events.
Power Disable and Recovery
Support individual NVMe PowerDisable feature allows the adapter to electrically power cycle a physical NVMe drive to assist with remote recovery or drive reset.
Reliability and Security
Hardware secure boot ready, redundant flash image for adapter availability and SED support for hardware NVMe encryption capable drives provide firmware resilience and drive-level encryption options.
Environmental, Power and Dimensions
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD operates from 0 °C to 55 °C at 10% to 85% non-condensing humidity, uses 12V operating voltage and consumes Approximately 12/14 Watts (without M.2 drive). The form factor measures 64.41(H) x 167.65(L) mm and includes an on-board hold-up supercapacitor.
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD Key Features
- Tri-mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC provides dedicated hardware RAID processing to relieve host CPU overhead.
- x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 host interface delivers PCIe Gen 4 connectivity to the host system.
- Tri-mode interface at each M.2 bay supports 12Gb/s SAS, 6Gb/s SATA and Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) device connectivity.
- RAID levels 0, 1 (Simple/Multi Mirroring), 10, Single Disk (Single/Dual/Triple) or JBOD are available for flexible protection and performance tuning.
- Supports off module power loss protection for Non PLP NVMe drive using on-board supercapacitor to protect data during power events.
- Support individual NVMe PowerDisable feature to electrically power cycle a physical NVMe drive for remote recovery or reset.
- Hardware secure boot ready and redundant flash image for adapter availability to improve firmware reliability.
- SED support for hardware NVMe encryption capable drives to enable drive-based data encryption.
- Capacity expansion and RAID level/stripe size migration are supported to simplify storage growth and reconfiguration.
- Management via in-band PCIe with web browser-based McRAID storage manager and ArcSAP quick manager for graphical and remote administration.
- Broad operating system support including Windows, Linux (open source), FreeBSD (open source) and Mac for cross-platform deployment.
- On-board hold-up supercapacitor keeps M.2 fault LED status for drive identification after unsafe shutdowns.
Areca ARC-1686-2NOD Technical Specifications
| Model | Areca ARC-1686-2NOD |
| Form Factor | 64.41(H) x 167.65(L) mm |
| I/O Processor | Tri-Mode Dual Core ARM A15 1.6GHz ROC |
| Drive Connector | 2 x M.2 Connector |
| Drive Support | 6Gb/s SATA, Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) |
| Device Interface | PCIe Gen4 NVMe / 6Gbps SATA per M.2 slot |
| Tri-Mode Interface | 12Gb/s SAS/SATA / Gen 4.0 PCIe (NVMe) at each M.2 bay |
| Host Interface | x8 PCIe Gen 4.0 |
| Power Disable | Support individual NVMe PowerDisable feature |
| Off Module Power Loss Protection | Support off module power loss protection for Non PLP NVMe drive using on-board supercapacitor |
| Hold-up Supercapacitor | On-board |
| Management Port | In-Band: PCIe |
| Management Software | McRAID storage manager (web browser-based) and ArcSAP quick manager |
| Security | Hardware secure boot ready; Redundant flash image for adapter availability; SED support for hardware NVMe encryption capable drives |
| Capacity & Migration | Capacity expansion, RAID level/stripe size migration |
| Operating Voltage | 12V |
| Power Consumption | Approximately 12/14 Watts (without M.2 drive) |
| Operating Temperature | 0 °C to 55 °C |
| Operating Humidity | 10% to 85%, non-condensing |
| Operating System Support | Windows, Linux (open source), FreeBSD (open source) and Mac |
Areca Technology Delivery Information
In general, next working day delivery services (UK Mainland) are available on Areca equipment orders placed before 2pm (subject to stock availability).
We kindly advise you let us preconfigure each Areca RAID (as RAID5, RAID6 etc), so they arrive properly setup, ready to “plug’n’play”.
This is a free service, and takes 1-2 days prior to shipping.
Non-timed deliveries should be delivered between the hours of 9am and 6pm.
Orders placed after 2pm on Fridays and on weekends will be processed as normal the following Monday.
Orders placed on Bank Holidays will be processed the next working day.
If urgent, please call one of our helpful account managers so they may double check everything for you, enabling you to place your order with confidence.
Please note: these product details are for guide purposes only, and may contain errors.
We always recommend double-checking the product specs and features on the the manufacturer website, or contact us if unsure before ordering.