The Best NAS (Network Attached Storage) Devices For Home Users
Your files are important, in addition to then is accessing them from your network in addition to the web. There's no meliorate means to buy the farm on that access intact than amongst a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. Here are the best.
The selections below accept been chosen specifically for habitation role users: those who accept quite a fleck of digital detritus they ask to motion around quickly, in addition to occasionally access from the web. That beingness the case, our main in addition to upgrade picks are both from Synology, which stands to a higher identify the pack thank you lot to its rock-solid hardware in addition to industry-leading suite of apps that are hosted on the devices in addition to accessible from remote PCs in addition to mobile devices. We've also included a pick for those who current media on a regular basis, either around their ain habitation amusement centers or to friends in addition to identify unit of measurement on the spider web via PLEX. Check them out below.
It's of import to note, none of our selections hither (or NAS units inwards general) include the drives you lot ask to truly host files. It's upwardly to you lot to determine how much storage you lot ask in addition to to fill upwardly the bays appropriately.
The Best Basic NAS: Synology DiskStation DS218j ($170)
With ii full-sized 3.5-inch bays in addition to back upwardly for upwardly to 24 terabytes of storage betwixt them, Synology's DS218j entry model should endure to a greater extent than than plenty for most users. The enclosure uses a dual-core 1.3GHz processor in addition to 512MB of local RAM inwards social club to efficiently read in addition to write across the network, in addition to a unmarried gigabit Ethernet port volition buy the farm on things speedy.
The DS218 blueprint isn't new, but the upgraded J variant adds USB 3.0 ports on the dorsum for slow expansion. Most importantly, the NAS includes costless access to Synology's impressive suite of cloud connecter apps, allowing you lot in addition to other users to access storage, sync files, in addition to current audio, video, in addition to photos equally fast equally your network connecter volition allow. In add-on to a depression price—only virtually $20 to a greater extent than expensive than budget dual-bay difficult crusade enclosures—this smaller NAS is slow on your mightiness bill. It sips electricity similar a fancy-pants bar patron who accidentally ordered a Jack in addition to Coke but is also embarrassed to ship it back.
This model lacks some advanced features similar built-in media transcoding, super-fast read in addition to write times, in addition to hot-swappable drives, but for a user who only needs a lot of storage that's slow to buy the farm to from anywhere, it's an fantabulous in addition to economical choice.
The Best Premium NAS: Synology DiskStation DS1517 ($560)
If your specific line organization needs a massive amount of always-on storage in addition to super-fast access to it, Synology's mid-range DiskStation DS1517 is the upgrade you're looking for. In add-on to iii extra crusade bays versus the DS218j above, the bays are hot-swappable, then you lot tin withdraw in addition to insert novel drives without restarting the machine. With a maximum of 10TB inwards each bay, this enclosure tin handgrip upwardly to 60TB of information all on its own, amongst upwardly to x to a greater extent than drives via Synology expansion units bringing the maximum total infinite upwardly to an amazing 180TB.
You tin access all that storage at upwardly to 436 megabytes per instant thank you lot to a beefy quad-core 1.7GHz processor in addition to 2GB of built-in RAM, in addition to the enclosure supports a diversity of RAID setups in addition to network layouts amongst 4 (count 'em, four!) gigabit Ethernet ports. Like the to a greater extent than consumer-oriented model above, the DS1517 supports all of Synology's local in addition to cloud software, amongst added capability for local safety photographic goggle box camera footage recording.
At $540 this is a pregnant investment, in addition to nosotros don't intend the extra RAM capacity in addition to M.2 crusade back upwardly on the $700 DS1517+ model volition endure necessary for anyone using a NAS enclosure inwards a habitation role environment—which puts the base of operations model DS1517 solidly at the travel yesteryear of our listing equally the best premium NAS for habitation users.
The Best NAS For Media Streaming: QNAP TS-451+ ($451)
Those who desire a NAS custom-made for serving upwardly hard disk video on the local network or over the pop PLEX platform should depository fiscal establishment jibe out this model from QNAP. While it doesn't accept the same branded software back upwardly equally the Synology picks, its Intel Celeron quad-core processor in addition to 2GB of retention (user expandable to 8GB amongst laptop DDR3 modules) is much meliorate at on-the-fly streaming in addition to transcoding.
The packet supports 4 hot-swappable drives amongst a maximum of 48TB of storage, amongst expansion options via USB 3.0. Dual Ethernet ports connect to your local network, but the existent highlight is a built-in HDMI port that tin host upwardly videos direct from the NAS itself, amongst command provided yesteryear the included infrared remote. Slap this NAS inwards your amusement middle in addition to plug it into the network, in addition to you're arrive at to picket a K hours of local video and host it throughout your habitation or the spider web at the same time. It fifty-fifty includes a Bluetooth connecter for slow local well playback. Thanks to the media-centric features in addition to lower price, it's a meliorate alternative for PLEX addicts than the comparable Synology models.
