In this day and age we are always taking photos or videos from our phones and other mobile devices. Eventually we get the memory full error and we have to go through the tedious process of offloading our media to a computer or external drive. When we want to look at our ‘memories’ again, we have to copy them back from the external storage to a pc, mobile device, or smart tv.
The other alternative is to sign up for an online storage service like dropbox. But here again, we may eventually outgrow our storage limits and have to upgrade to more storage at a higher price. Some plans even limit the amount of storage you can buy, then you need to setup another account with another monthly fee. Plus now you have your data split between two accounts.
If the data you want to store is confidential, you may be concerned about the possibility of data leaks or being hacked.
The other option is to install your own NAS or Network Attached Storage system.
Fortunately, this is no longer a feat that requires an IT department.
What exactly is an NAS and why would I want one.
NAS stands for network attached storage. An NAS can be attached to your network
physically through the ethernet or wirelessly. It provides a way for everyone on
your network to have access to a common set of files. For example, a family may
have an NAS setup to allow everyone access to family photographs and videos.
An NAS will allow you to control your own data and how it is used. And as with all technology, you will need to use secure passwords on your network. You can find a free secure password online at strongpasswordgenerator.com.
WHAT WOULD I DO WITH AN NAS?
An NAS can be used much like a traditional hard drive on your computer. It
can be used as a backup drive for all your devices. You can use it as a file server, meaning you can store your files, documents, spreadsheets, or other files on the NAS and access them when and where you need them. It’s like having your own personal dropbox or google drive. It can also be used as a storage location for movies, videos and music.
One of the Benefits of having an NAS is that you don’t have to fill up your device’s memory with high definition video and photos. They can live on the NAS and you can access them from any device on your network.
Another benefit of having your own NAS is that you own and control your data. What does that mean? Well, as you probably know, when you upload your files to a cloud service, they may be scanned for “anonymous keywords” so the service provider can send you more targeted advertisements. These services also backup your files regularly which can be good to prevent data loss or bad if your account or the vendor is hacked. If you have stored confidential documents with a commercial cloud storage company, there will be multiple copies of those files on the internet. Now to be fair, reputable companies like google, dropbox, and microsoft take great pains to ensure that your data remains secure.
Many commercial NAS systems also allow you to access your files from the internet. So your files truly are available anywhere. This eliminates the need to copy files to a thumbdrive or external drive when you’re traveling.
Where do I get an NAS?
Several companies provide prebuilt NAS units designed for home use.
Western Digital has a line of products they call “My Cloud”.
The “My Cloud” is available in capacities ranging from 2TB to 8TB and can be setup
and accessed from your smartphone, ios or android. Prices range from $160 to
$265.
SSK sells a 4TG product called “Personal Cloud” for $180. It too can be accessed via
your pc or smartphone. One feature I like about this product is this: if your wifi
goes down, you can still access your data by connecting the NAS to your computer
via usb. Then it will act as an external hard drive. This is known as Direct attached
storage or DAS.
Synology makes NAS systems for small businesses or people who need a lot of storage. As an example, if you’re an audio video editor, you may need a more robust product.
Synology NAS systems feature multiple hard drive bays, so if one drive fails, you still have a backup. They feature larger onboard memory which provide faster file access. The Diskstation DS220j has a media server built in.
It is important to note though, that the Synology NAS systems come without hard drives, so you will have to purchase and install your own drives.
When Buying an NAS there are a few things you want to consider.
Capacity: about 4TB is the best value right now. With a multi-bay unit you
want to look at the total capacity, what is the largest drive you
can install.
Access Speed: This is measured in Mbps. The higher the better.
Memory: Measured in MB, again higher is better. Note that some units
contain DDR3 memory while others feature DDR4. DDR4 is
faster.
Access: To be useful, it should support Direct Access Storage (DAS) mode, and
be accessible from your phone/tablet. Having anywhere access
through a secure encrypted channel may be helpful too.
What alternatives are there?
If you don’t need a full blown NAS, there are still a few things you can do.
Suppose you just want to be able to look at photos on your phone or tablet.
Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 have a built in DLNA Media server which will allow you keep your videos and
music on your PC and stream them to other devices on your network such as your roku ,xbox one playstation, and smart tvs that support the DLNA standard.
Another option is to install media server software such as Plex or Universal Media Player. Installing media
server software will offer you more features such as on the fly coversion of media files, meaning your files don’t necessarily need to be in mp3 or mp4 format.
There is an article on howtogeek.com that shows you how to setup the Windows 10 DNLA Server as well as media player software for window, mac and linux.
www.howtogeek.com/215400/how-to-turn-your-computer-into-a-dlna-media-server.
If you feel comfortable tinkering with electronics and coding, you can also build your own NAS.
For this you’ll need a Raspberry PI, an SD Card, one or more USB Hard Drives, and a few free hours. The benefits here are that you will be building a fully function NAS that can be used like a media server, cloud storage, and network backup as well as being available anywhere you have internet access.
The official Raspberry Pi website offers a good tutorial as well as links to the software you will need. magpi.raspberrypi.org/articles/build-a-raspberry-pi-nas.
Pimylifeup.com has another good tutorial for setting up “Owncloud” cloud storage.
www.pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-owncloud
CAN I ACCESS IT REMOTELY
One thing that I find particularly useful about having an NAS is that it can be
accessed from any computer where I have internet access. There is no longer a
need to carry around a usb with the sundry files that are needed from day to day. I can
access my own music and video collection while I’m at work or on the road.
I can create folders on my network and restrict access to them so that only I can view and edit the contents.
Each NAS system does this in slightly different way, so you’ll need to read the documentation for your particular NAS setup.
Of course the NAS whether purchased or home built does have encryption built in. In order to keep it secure you will need to provide a secure password.
TLDR:
The NAS is a central location to store your files such as data, video, music, photos.
It can be used as a wireless (wifi) streaming media server.
The NAS can be used as backup location for all the devices on your network.
It can create redundant backups, so if one drive on the NAS fails, the other will have recent copy of your data. You’ll be able to simply swap out the defective drive and you’re back in business.
Most NAS systems allow you to access the contents of the NAS through a secure online portal.
You can buy an NAS, or you can build your own (it’s not that hard).
While the NAS has many upsides, there is one downside. If you’re using it for data backup, having an onsite copy puts you at risk of losing your data should you have a fire or flood or other such event.
In my opinion, the NAS is one of those pieces of equipment I didn’t think was going to be useful until I actually built one. Consider adding an NAS to your home network.
