I’ve dozens of devices in the home, however the one which will get probably the most quantity of use needs to be the NAS. I exploit a DiskStation DS1019+ for backing up all my photographs and movies, and there is a DiskStation DS1522+ that serves as my Plex media server. I have been utilizing a NAS server as centralized storage for simply over a decade now, and it’s a type of merchandise that you do not actually understand you want till you get one, and then you definitely surprise how you have executed issues with out it.
The fundamental premise of a NAS is simple; it is only a metallic field that homes onerous drives, and then you definitely join it through Ethernet to your router so it is accessible to all gadgets on your house community. What makes a NAS so nice is the seamlessness with which it permits you to do issues — whether or not that is streaming locally-saved media through Plex, backing up photographs, movies, and paperwork mechanically, working your personal audio server, and so forth.
If you have not already purchased a NAS, Black Friday is often the most effective time to get began with a server. There are many offers going stay very quickly, and a lot of the best-selling NAS servers and NAS onerous drives will go on sale. Having used the present slate of merchandise, the server I would suggest for many customers is the DiskStation DS224+. It’s a 2-bay NAS that has highly effective {hardware}, twin Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, and the most effective set of software program options in its class.
I used the DiskStation DS224+ for simply over three months now, and it’s terrific: it does a terrific job as a Plex media server, and because of utilities like Synology Photographs, I can simply again up photographs and movies from all my telephones to the NAS mechanically. Should you simply need to see what all of the fuss is about with a NAS server, the DiskStation DS224+ has the whole lot it is advisable to get began.
Should you suppose you will want greater than two drive bays, you must take into account the DiskStation DS423+; though the naming is a little bit complicated, it has the identical {hardware} because the DS224+, however with two extra drive bays.
The DiskStation DS224+ and DS423+ have the identical set of software program options, and the mix of {hardware} together with the standout software program makes these a terrific alternative in the event you’re simply studying extra in regards to the ecosystem. In fact, you will want just a few onerous drives to go together with the NAS servers — they’re offered as diskless models — and there is excellent news on that entrance as properly, with the best NAS hard drives at present out there at enormous reductions.