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I am a complete n00b when it comes to Network Attached Storage. However, the need for an entry-level NAS (or something like it) has arisen. My budget is about $100-$120 and I'll be attaching two 2TB hard drives (leaning towards Western Digital Green's). Here is what I am looking to do with a NAS setup:
I've looked into Western Digital's My Book Live series, or Seagate's GoFlex Home equivalent products, but there are SO MANY complaints about reliability with both brands that have turned me off.
I also have USB ports on my Asus rt-n56u router that I can make (basic) use of, but unless I am mistaken, this option does NOT allow me to setup a mirror for backup purposes. Also, transfer rate is limited from what I understand. The Asus does have an advantage in that it has an "AiCloud" feature which lets you access files remotely...not sure if I can easily do that with a traditional NAS setup.
My research has pointed me towards the D-Link DNS-320 or the ZyXEL NSA320. User reviews on Newegg and Amazon say that the ZyXEL has feature-rich firmware, is DLNA-compliant, and is "quiet like a mouse." Meanwhile, user reviews seem to indicate that D-Link's more recent firmwares have drastically improved the usability of their enclosure. For example, it emails you to notify of disk failure. The enclosure seems to be faster than ZyXEL's, but runs quite hot and it's loud.
What should I do? Any advice is most appreciated!! Happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday!!
- Share photos and music between all computers & tablets inside home Wi-Fi network. I do Photoshop work, so transfer speeds for large RAW and JPEG files are important.
- Most of my devices are Windows and Android based. However, girlfriend's an Apple person, so it NEEDS to be Macbook & iPad compatible. (Also, am I correct to understand that I would need to format the HDD's as EXT2/EXT3 -- the only way that the drives will be readable/writable in both Windows and Mac environments?)
- Stream music to other computers/tablets/speakers around the house (something along the lines of DLNA, or DLNA itself). This is somewhat crucial since I am tinkering with a whole-house audio ideas.
- Dabble in video streaming, but this is a super low priority since I don't really rip movies into MKVs.
I've looked into Western Digital's My Book Live series, or Seagate's GoFlex Home equivalent products, but there are SO MANY complaints about reliability with both brands that have turned me off.
I also have USB ports on my Asus rt-n56u router that I can make (basic) use of, but unless I am mistaken, this option does NOT allow me to setup a mirror for backup purposes. Also, transfer rate is limited from what I understand. The Asus does have an advantage in that it has an "AiCloud" feature which lets you access files remotely...not sure if I can easily do that with a traditional NAS setup.
My research has pointed me towards the D-Link DNS-320 or the ZyXEL NSA320. User reviews on Newegg and Amazon say that the ZyXEL has feature-rich firmware, is DLNA-compliant, and is "quiet like a mouse." Meanwhile, user reviews seem to indicate that D-Link's more recent firmwares have drastically improved the usability of their enclosure. For example, it emails you to notify of disk failure. The enclosure seems to be faster than ZyXEL's, but runs quite hot and it's loud.
What should I do? Any advice is most appreciated!! Happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday!!
