NAS-”base“ with the drives I have?

[nachmandahadiat]

Sorry, I don’t even know the terms for this—I’d like a simple NAS, connected to my local wlan, but I thought why not use the external hard drives I already have (and have some kind of module that connects them to the network and provides the necessary software) rather than buying a synology or wd NAS station containing its own drive. Do I make any sense? And if yes, is there a good way to do this?

Thanks!

 

[dimme]

I do the same thing. I use a 2012 Mac mini as my server or HAs. Works great and has other uses also. You can also use anything from a old laptop, PC or raspberry pi. IMO it's better and more secure that a store bought nas

 

[nachmandahadiat]

Hello dimme, thanks. You use file sharing I suppose?

 

[MRxROBOT]

Hello dimme, thanks. You use file sharing I suppose?

I use a 2014 as my Time Machine / Media Server. I put my own drives in there. There's also plenty of USB ports for external drives. What's nice about the 2014 is it's limited energy consumption and it runs Monterey.

 

[dimme]

Yes file sharing, I used to run Mac OS server but it's not what it used to be.

 

[elvisimprsntr]

If you have an old x86-64 machine lying around, you can repurpose it as a NAS by installing enterprise class, open source NAS software from https://truenas.com. Runs on almost any x86-64 hardware and supports all common file system protocols, including TM.

 

[nachmandahadiat]

Thanks for your ideas. As I don’t have an older machine to spare—I gather there’s no NAS base on the market to hook the external drives I have to, not even a regular NAS with some usb ports for the same purpose?

 

[hobowankenobi]

...If you are in the market for a new router, Synology has an option or two that includes a nice NAS feature using an attached USB drive on their RT2600. So, nearly free, if one needs a good router upgrade.

If your existing external drives are housing standard SATA HDs, you could also pull them out of the enclosures and put em in a bare NAS.

 

[MRxROBOT]

Will this fit the bill? A “base” for your drives. There are cheaper alternatives, but this is a best seller for a reason.

Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation DS220+ (Diskless),Black

Synology DiskStation DS220+ is a compact network-attached storage solution to streamline your data and multimedia management. It features smooth data sharing, video streaming, and photo indexing, as well as well-rounded data protection and recovery options. File or folder level data restoration m...

www.amazon.com

 

[MRxROBOT]

Not best in class, but certainly more affordable.

TERRAMASTER F2-210 2-Bay NAS Quad Core 1GB RAM DDR4 Media Server Personal Private Cloud (Diskless)

TerraMaster F2-210 2-Bay NAS Quad Core Network Attached Storage Media Server Personal Private Cloud (Diskless) Acess your data anytime, anywhere

www.amazon.com

 

[MRxROBOT]

Lastly, you can run a couple external drives from the back of an Asus Router. All you need to do is add it as a client to your network. The options will be more limited and your speeds will be much slower. It is however the cheapest solution by far.

ASUS AC2900 WiFi Dual-band Gigabit Wireless Router with 1.8GHz Dual-core Processor and AiProtection Network Security (RT-AC86U) (Renewed)

ASUS AC2900 Wi-Fi Dual-band Gigabit Wireless Router (RT-AC86U) Renewed Ultrafast Wi-Fi with NitroQAM & 5GHz Quad-Stream Technology; whether you're gaming online in a heated competition or streaming a live event in 4K UHD, lag and buffering are simply not an option. NitroQAM (1024-QAM) technology ...

www.amazon.com

I personally think the best solution for you is to pick up a Mac mini from 2014 like I said initially. I’ve seen them go for as little as $100. It has 4 USB 3.0 Ports that you can plug your own drives into and sharing a drive from macOS is so simple. Just my .02