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Aorus Corsair Crucial Gigabyte Intel Kingston Samsung Seagate Synology Western Digital
Outside of automated backup, you can also manually transfer files to a NAS, including photos, videos and music. This is a great way for short-term or long-term storage solutions, plus it means you can have centralised folders and files that can be accessed across devices (no more manual transfers with a USB external drive). One of my favourite uses for a NAS is streaming media. For example, you can digitise your library of DVD and Blu-ray movies then stream them from NAS to smart TV via services like Plex. Combine the convenience of NAS video streaming with the Nvidia Shield TV Pro and any video that’s 720p or above can be upscaled on the fly. Certain NAS drives like the Synology DS920+ support 4K video streaming, too. More confident NAS users can also tinker with some advanced features. NAS can be used to build personalised cloud storage, which is accessible by your devices when you’re out and about. This saves the cost of signing up to services like Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive, plus it gives you greater control over capacity (though internet speed can be a limiting factor). That said, you can have the best of both worlds. For instance, I like linking my NAS to OneDrive and Google Drive for more convenient backup where I don’t need to leave a computer on for larger file transfers. For small and medium business users, NAS can be used to run an email server or build a website. NAS can also be used to virtualise different operating systems, plus NAS is a great tool for app testing and development. If you buy a NAS for your home or business, it can also be connected to an IP camera for more convenient live-stream viewing and footage management. A Philips head screwdriver is the only tool you should need to get inside the NAS enclosure and firmly install the hard drives. Remember to pick NAS-specific hard drives for a better chance at storage longevity, particularly if you use the NAS every day. Once the drives are installed, position the NAS wherever you like, as long as it can reach a power outlet and you have an Ethernet cable long enough to connect NAS to router or modem-router. Follow the manual instructions or app guidance for accessing your NAS interface for initial and additional configuration. In terms of initial configuration, the biggest first step is to determine whether you want your NAS drives to combine for a single pool of large storage. Alternatively, access half the total capacity but benefit from a redundancy backup system, so you keep all of your data if one of the hard drives dies. From here, it’s personal preference for the kind of packages you’d like to install on your NAS to make life easier. Synology, for instance, includes a Google Play Store-like package centre to personalise your experience with apps for backup, video and music streaming, and download management.
