How to choose the ideal home NAS

I have long used a NAS at home to centralize the storage of personal and professional data for myself (and those of the rest of the family) as a preferred use, since it is not unique as we will see later. For me it is an essential device in these times of pandemic: massive teleworking, kids studying at home and permanently connected, as well as an amount of data to process that does not stop growing.

In addition, I have been in this computer and technology for so many years that everything has happened to me . I do not trust Windows errors , or malware such as Ransomware that encrypts files and leaves them inaccessible, as well as a physical failure of the storage units themselves from which no computer is safe.

Of course, I use backups and external backup drives; I try to have the files on internal disks / partitions different from those of the operating systems and I also rely on cloud services to save and manage a part of the data. But, for the user or professional who, like me, prefers to centralize everything in a single device and have it at hand under physical control with total privacy , there is nothing better than a NAS.

What is a NAS and what is it used for

The acronym for Network Attached Storage combines storage and connectivity technologies to offer the benefits of both worlds. Imagine a typical external storage drive that connects to a local computer network. Basically it is that, although its capacity goes much further and allows total access to data from home or from anywhere in the world via the Internet.

Another interesting capacity of a NAS is that it has its own hardware and by using network protocols (generally TCP / IP) and standardized file systems, they allow access from any type of device you can think of, from a PC. , a mobile phone or a television, regardless of the operating system they use.

Although the main objective of a NAS is to add physical storage capacity to the entire network and handle files, its great versatility allows other outstanding uses:

  • Multimedia media serverto stream content to other computers. A joy, because the most capable models allow you to transmit, for example, a movie with 4K resolution to a television.
  • Collaborationin document editing in a similar way to how we do in cloud services such as Microsoft 365 or Google Docs.
  • Management of automatic backup copies ofany computer equipment to avoid surprises in the event of their errors.
  • P2P clientusable without the need to have the computer turned on. You mount your Torrent network and you forget; the NAS will continue to work without the need for PCs.
  • Video surveillance. You can connect IP surveillance cameras to save your recordings.
  • Private cloud. Ideal for setting up your own cloud, which can also connect with other public ones such as OneDrive, Amazon or Google Drive.

How to choose the ideal home NAS

As we said above, a distinctive feature of this type of equipment is that it works autonomously from personal computers or mobile devices from which they can be connected. To do this, they have their own internal hardware , storage drives, connection ports, operating system, and applications.

Storage capacity

It is surely the differentiating factor that every user will value when buying a NAS. The industry offers everything you are looking for. From simple consumer models with space for one or two storage units, to large data center racks that can use hundreds of them. They also vary in the inclusion or not of storage units, as some models come fully equipped, while others (most) come with empty bays for the user to mount their own.

In fact, you can use both the hard drives that you have at home or in the office without using that you have been withdrawing from other computers or acquire new models specialized in NAS, optimized for lower consumption and greater durability, something to keep in mind if As is common in these computers, you will have them running 24/7. In both cases, assess the total capacity that you will need before the purchase and give it the corresponding margin.

Internal hardware

We can say the same in this section. A NAS has its own motherboard, processor, and memory , and their level varies dramatically, from a simple ARM SoC for a consumer model to a 48-core Intel Xeon for the more powerful models for data centers.

If in addition to the typical storage functions you want to use the NAS as a media server, make sure its processor has the capacity to do so. Mid-tier and advanced models also allow you to expand the capacity of the base RAM or use additional M.2 PCIe SSDs that act as a cache and accelerate data transfer from main storage drives.

Connectivity

Taking into account that the basis of the operation of a NAS is its ability to transmit files over a network, an obvious recommendation is that it at least have an Ethernet connector with support for 1 Gbe (or higher) and not lower standards because it will be very noticeable in performance when handling data and it will be impossible to use it for another of its uses such as multimedia transmission. There are models of all kinds with support for more advanced networks or several connectors for LAN.

The rest of the ports are accessories, although they can be useful for any user. For example eSATA or USB to which you can connect external storage drives or support for microSD memory cards. It is also common for them to offer unit operation LEDs or system control LCD screens.

Operating system and applications

NAS run on proprietary web-based operating systems . Large manufacturers such as QNAP or Synology offer outstanding developments in design and operation, as well as hundreds of well thought-out applications to cover any task of use.

Although they are not as specialized machines, if you opt for the option of mounting a NAS on your own, for example taking advantage of an old PC to turn it into a network storage server accessible from other computers, you can use free and open source operating systems such as FreeNAS.

Installing a NAS

Starting a consumer or small office NAS  is quite simple as you may have seen in some product reviews that we have been offering you, such as the WD My Cloud Pro PR4100 or at a higher level the Synology DiskStation DS1621xs + . The process is to install the storage units that we are going to use, connect it to the local network and configure it using the software that it includes.

For these systems it is advisable to use hard drives instead of SSDs due to their higher capacity and better price per GB. The performance advantages of solid state drives here are not as significant as in a personal computer. It is not necessary that the hard drives be of the same brand nor is it mandatory (although it is recommended) that they have the same size, although depending on the RAID level you use, you will only be able to take advantage of the capacity of the smallest of them. Therefore, if you have a free hard drive at home or in the office, a NAS is going to be the best use for it.

The operating systems from the big manufacturers are fantastic. Web-based, powerful, yet very intuitive to get started, with setup wizards to format and prepare disks, automated setup, easy-to-use user interfaces, and a host of applications to extend your operation beyond simply Save data.

NAS Buying Guide

The offer of this type of equipment is not updated with the assiduity of a laptop or a smartphone. It is simply not necessary. If you select a good NAS to start with, it will last you many years . Most models allow you to expand the storage capacity in the future with larger hard drives and that will surely be the only update task you do, although you have the option of installing more RAM or using M.2 SSD to data cache.

We leave you a sample of the existing offer with updated prices and with the mind set for use in a  computer desk ,  home, small business or home office , with prices ranging from 100 to 500 euros because the industry offers solutions for all budgets and needs.

 

Specialized NAS hard drives

If you select an “empty” NAS, you can use, as we said, hard drives that you have at home or in the office. But if you need to buy new there are models optimized to work 24/7 that offer lower consumption and greater durability. As an example, we leave you two of the best series:

  • WD Digital (RED)- Internal hard drive for desktop NAS devices (Intellipower, SATA 6Gb / s, 64MB cache, 3.5 ″). It offers versions from 1 TB for 61 euros and other options with 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 Tbytes.
  • Seagate IronWolf- Internal Hard Drive for NAS Systems (3.5 ″, 5900 RPM, up to 180 MB / s – SATA 6 Gbit / s). It offers versions from 1 TB for 53 euros and other options with 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 Tbytes.
by Abdullah Sam
I’m a teacher, researcher and writer. I write about study subjects to improve the learning of college and university students. I write top Quality study notes Mostly, Tech, Games, Education, And Solutions/Tips and Tricks. I am a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence or virtue.

Leave a Comment