NAS Solution - suggestions/information

[jawsthemeswimming428]

I’m looking for a solution to accommodate the following:

1. Personal cloud – I don’t want to rely on Dropbox and others/want to store my documents and media locally but also have access to them securely from anywhere. I want to be able to set it and forget it with syncing. Whether it be my phone, tablet, or PC/laptop I’d like everything to be in sync. I’d also prefer apps vs web browser on mobile devices.
2. Apps – After playing around with a few NAS interfaces, I do like the inclusion of certain apps on top of the standard.
a. Notes app that is accessible on mobile as well as PC/laptop
b. Photos app that is accessible on mobile as well as PC/laptop
c. The ability to monitor/manage the NAS remotely would be nice too
3. Backup – Still not sure which route I’m going to take here so I’d like some flexibility.
a. Cloud backup – I currently have my photos and important documents going to Boxcryptor using Box.com as well as Sync.com. I may continue with one of them. I’d like the ability to have one of these services synced with the files on the NAS.
b. Remote backup – I also may try to have a friend/relative put some type of NAS device at their home in a geographically different location. The ability to backup over the Internet/VPN to a remote NAS device would be nice as well. Preferably not locked to the same make/model.
c. USB Backup – This may be an option as well. I’d like to be able to plug a USB into the NAS and have it backup all contents periodically.
d. NAS Bays – I’m contemplating going with a 1 or 2 bay. If I went with 2 bays, I’d use RAID1. If I’m doing a backup using one of the above methods is it necessary? Or would I be ok with a 1 bay device?

A few of the devices I have been looking at:
Synology DS118
Synology DS218
Synology DS218play
QNAP TS-230
WD My Cloud Home
WD My Cloud Home Duo

I don’t really care about multimedia streaming to TVs or other devices. I’m thinking when all is said and done, I’d like 4TB of usable space. I don’t want NAS specs to be a bottleneck. Trying to get opinions on if some of these are overkill or not. Is there another, better solution for what I’m trying to do? What am I missing? Any info/suggestions/ideas are welcome.

 

[L&LD]

With your 'wants', I would buy the most current router model available to you today (I suggest QNAP) to have the features you want for the longest time possible.

Spending a little more today for better 'hardware' is well worth it in the NAS space where the units can still be useful 10 years or more into the future.

The capacity you need today shouldn't be the basis of what you're considering. Buy a 4 bay model (if your budget allows) and only use the number of bays you want until you need them.

4x 1TB HDD's (or SSD's) will give you a much faster storage option than any 1 or 2 Bay NAS can offer.

Unless you're using (high quality) SSD's as the drives within, I would recommend as a minimum 2 HDD's in RAID1.

Buying a 4 Bay model vs. a 2 Bay model will be more expensive today. But buying the 4 Bay model you will want and need in a few years will be more expensive overall (vs. just adding 2 more drives, for example).

Do you have a hard budget you're trying to stick to? Do you need faster than 1GbE connections to your network and devices?


I'm glad you're considering a backup plan for the NAS already. Yes, it is required (a NAS, or RAID1/5/10/60/etc.) is not a backup). Almost any NAS with 2 Bays or more should support plugging in a USB drive and being able to use it for backup.

 

[dosborne]

NAS Bays – I’m contemplating going with a 1 or 2 bay. If I went with 2 bays, I’d use RAID1. If I’m doing a backup using one of the above methods is it necessary? Or would I be ok with a 1 bay device?

Raid is NOT backup!
Raid is redundancy and protection against *some* physical points of failure. Raid doesn't protect you from file deletion, NAS enclosure failure, NAS power supply failure, .....

Many of the things you "want" can be accomplished with a VPN into your home system and a basic NAS (hopefully at least a 2-bay).