Looking to buy a NAS, first time buyer


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Background: Home Windows 8 pc (3TB space), Macbook Air, 3 Ipads, 3 Iphones, Boxee Box, ASUS AC66U router.

 

I want to unload all my MP3's and MKV movies that I have on my Hard Drive, and move them to a NAS. This will free up my Hard Drives and help better organize my files. I want my MP3's on a NAS, which my Home PC Itunes can access and stream. I want my MKV files on a NAS, so I can stream them to my Boxee (opposed to SMB share off my Windows 8 box). Also want windows 8 backups on there also. Does it sound like a NAS is the best solution for me?

 

If so, I see a lot of positive feedback on Synology products. Seems like no local stores here in Chicago carry these. I looked at Microcenter, and see a D-Link DNS-325. Would this be a major downgrade over a Synology (DS212j 2200)?

 

I'm trying to find one that already has HD's in it, but those seem tough to find. 

 

Opinions please.

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Synology makes great NAS's. i'm a huge fan. their fw works great and has a ton of features that i never use :laugh:

 

we also use 2 of their rackmount models at work. theyre lightening fast.

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I have the 212j and it works great for exactly what you're suggesting.  I can stream MKV's straight to my Samsung TV without issue.  Some of the other brands will be limited on how well they work through DLNA.

 

I ordered it from Amazon online and it came quick.  Easy to set up.  Features are great.  Easy access on Android or iPhone for access and admin.  You can even add bluetoon, WLAN or sound through USB if you really want.

 

Get a Synology.  The 213j is the newer one for low end home use.  Buy the 213j and two 4TB hard drives.  Don't bother with 2TB drives, it's a waste and you'll regret it six months later..

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Synology all the way. Most of them don't come with hard drives, but it's really easy to add a hard drive in these things. How many hard drive bays do you want? If you want 2 bays, I can highly recommend the Synology DS-213. I stream straight from my NAS to my Xbox 360/other computers. It's also used for backups, and just general data storage. Online stores are your friend - Newegg/Amazon 

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Do you have a computer that you are not using? Try xpenology. Run an ESXI server and virtualize the synology ddm on your server works great over here. Got all the features of the synology nas.

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Count another vote for Synology. I originally had an HP MediaSmart Home Server which I loved until MS removed the awesome feature of "Drive Extender", and then released WHS 2011 which REALLY dumbed down it's interface and capabilities. I researched different NAS devices for over a year and was torn between either Synology or QNAP. I had a friend who bought a Synology and allowed me to remote into it and tinker around with the OS. After comparing it to QNAP's online demo of their OS, it was a no-brainer. QNAP is good, but Synology's DSM (operating system) interface left it in the dust. I have now owned 3 different Synology NAS devices and currently am running a DS212+. Rest assured that it will do all the things you listed and MUCH more. One thing about Synology is that you really need to pay attention to what hard drives you put into it. There is a large "compatibility" chart for hard drives on their web site, and you need to make sure you purchase hard drives that are compatible with the model of Synology NAS you get. Really a non-issue, unless it bothers you a lot to spend 10 minutes making sure you get exactly what you need for optimal performance. I have noticed on NewEgg.com that you can get certain Synology NAS devices with the hard drives already installed, so that might make it a little easier for you. I know that Western Digital makes specific NAS-ready hard drives with their Red hard drive line, but they are almost always sold out. I guess they are pretty popular.

 

I have sold numerous Synology NAS devices for my customers, and not one complaint in over 3 years since I started recommending them, especially for my Mac clients who LOVE LOVE LOVE the Time Machine Server built into DSM. Feel free to ask any specific questions you may have.

 

Tim

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Love Synology. Hate Drobo. 

 

212J on sale today at NewEgg. 

 

Was told by many to stay away from the DS212J as it is slow, noisy, and now discontinued model =/

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I've been wanting to get a NAS for over a year now. I'd like to be able to just plug it into my router and then let everyone in my house hold have access to it along with my Sharp TV being able to see it as well. Would be nice to not need Plex on my iMac to watch movies.

 

I have about 8TB in HDD's and would like to consolidate them. But not spend a ton of money to do it.

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Ended up going with Synology DS213 and 2 WD 3TB drives. Any suggestions on how to set up the drives?

 

Was thinking of going this route:

 

Setup each drive as a separate volume and don't use RAID (including RAID-0) in a small 2 drive NAS.

Setup NAS to backup some or all folders on volume 1 to volume 2, every 24 hours or some such, automatic. 
Setup NAS to backup all or some folders to a USB3 drive, manually when you bring that drive out of hiding and plug it in - like once a week.
Setup DSM's Time Backup so vol2 has a 90 day (or so) history of all file versions in VIP folders (in case you delete by mistake, or honk up a file).

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I got a synology and I love it, best thing ever I got a DS412+, I find the interface much nicer than the QNAP's. I think they are similar with performance and stuff but QNAP seem to be a bit more expensive.

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I got a synology and I love it, best thing ever I got a DS412+, I find the interface much nicer than the QNAP's. I think they are similar with performance and stuff but QNAP seem to be a bit more expensive.

 

How do you have your hard drives setup?  So you keep like an organized folder structure for stuff you stream, access, mp3s, and backup?

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I have a DS213 with 2 HDD's: 1 TB WD Red, 2 TB WD Red. There is no RAID relation between the drives - they are both treated as separate drives. I don't need fault tolerance or performance from the NAS. I'm just using the NAS to store data - backups/media/internal web server. 

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I have a Cyberpower 900AVR UPS

Right now, the USB goes from the UPS to my computer.  Do I want to instead have the USB go from the UPS to the NAS?

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I have a Synology 1511+ that use to host MKV's for XBMC. It has a great OS and it's extremely stable. You can add expansion modules to it too. I have 30TB of stoage now.

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How do you have your hard drives setup?  So you keep like an organized folder structure for stuff you stream, access, mp3s, and backup?

It's just 1 volume with the folder structure as you said and within a shared folder.

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