Cheap "Starter" NAS - WD MyBook Live?

[Griffon]

Hello,

I've been interested in NASes for a long time, and even though I don't really "need" one, I want to get a basic one to get a taste of them.

Here in Turkey a QNap TS-112 costs 240 $, a Synology DS110j 255 $, Zyxel NSA-310 190 $ and a NSA-320 260 $, without disks. Since I have only 1 desktop and 1 laptop, and no media streaming needs, these will be too expensive for just trying out a NAS.

Some of my online friends also interested in NASes got the WD MyBook Live and they seemed happy with it. It can be purchased for around 195 $ for the 2 TB version.

I plan to use it as a central media storage (including RAW photos taken since 2005), iTunes server, and to occasionally serve its contents over the internet to my iPhone or other computers. In the future it will also serve videos to an LG Smart TV and maybe an iPad. I hope to back it up to a USB drive connected to a Linksys EA3500 router.

Do you think the WD Live would be "good enough" for home use, without stability problems, that I won't regret not spending 175 $ more (double the price) and getting a bottom-of-the-line QNap or Synology? Keep in mind I don't need blazing performance or very varied features but would obviously want trouble-free use.

Also, I will need a gigabit router for the NAS. I was thinking about the Linksys EA3500, which can host a USB drive. Can the WD Live back itself up to this drive, without keeping a PC open?

Thanks in advance for your replies! I hope I'll have fun with these cute little computer-ish boxes.

 

[stevech]

I studied long, being an engineer, and chose a Synology 2 drive NAS + USB3 external drive for backup. Very pleased. QNAP was my 2nd choice.

I wouldn't buy WD or Seagate or IOmega NASes. Probably not Netgear. Based on software functionality and bring-your-own-drives (BYOD) being my preference.

 

[thiggins]

I use a single drive WD My Book Live as my primary NAS. It mainly serves backup duties.

I use SyncBackSE to back up directories on my main computer every few hours. Then once a day, the MyBook Live backs itself up to another NAS.

The WD can back up to any SMB network share without a computer involved. The only downside is that it must back up the entire NAS contents. This is an incremental backup. So the first one will take a long while but subsequent backups will be quicker.

QNAP and Synology NASes cannot back up to network shares. The backup target must be running rsync, which the EA3500 does not.

Iomega NASes and NETGEARs can back up to network shares and don't have to back up the entire NAS contents.

 

[MoogLe]

I have a 2TB WD My Book Live NAS that I use only for media storage which is streamed to my boxee box and I couldnt be happier with it.

I stream 1080P content without any hickups whatsoever even on wifi N.

I'm now looking to add a Synology NAS to my network since the WD drive is 99% full and I need more space.

But yea for what you're describing, I think it will work perfectly since that's pretty much what I use it for. I have not tested the Iphone apps but I know they are available.

 

[Griffon]

Hello,

Thanks for the replies, and sorry I couldn't reply for a while.

stevech, I'm also an engineer, and I would *really* prefer a Synology or QNap NAS. I checked the specs, features & applications, the BYOD concept and the web demo of the Synology, and ideally I would have a Synology 213. However, it's too much money for what I will use it for.

thiggins, thank you for the detailed information, especially regarding backups. I was planning to have a backup of the entire WD Live anyway. It seems I can put my photos, videos, music and Time Machine backup on the NAS, and then have it copy all its contents to a 2 TB USB drive connected to the EA3500 by itself. This is good enough for me.

MoogLe, glad to see a happy user of the WD Live! I hope to have it stream to an LG Smart TV also, and I'm happy to see it works well.

Yes, I don't have too high demands (or expectations) from the WD, I mainly want it to be an "entry level" NAS for consolidating my media to a central place (and have it backed up!). 2 TB is plentiful for me ATM.

It seems the WD Live will serve me well for now. If/when I find it limiting after a few years, and I find their cost acceptable given my expectations, I will consider a NAS fit for an engineer.

 

[stevech]

IMO If you have a spare SATA 1TB or so, you'd be better buying a DS212j or some such, diskless.

A backup drive just for a PC's disks is cheaper/easier as simply a USB or eSATA drive enclosure.