Network Storage

[CarbonImage]

Hi guys, long time browser first time thread starter. Hope this is in the right place etc.

I keep chewing through USB hard drives (broken 4 in the last couple of years) so I'm looking for a more robust solution. Luckily I have a wired home network as well as WiFi, so I have a number of options.

Ideally I'd like to be able to have a time machine drive/partition (approx. 512GB to match my rMBP), with 1-2TB reserved for storage that can be accessed by as many devices on my network as possible. If I can access it via iPad/Android/Windows then that would be ideal. I'd also like to be able to stream media directly from it, so speed is definitely a consideration.

So far I've looked at the WD My Cloud which seems good for the money, or buying an older Mac Pro (1,1), which offers the added benefit of being able to increase capacity but with the drawback of increased power consumption and potentially being less future-proof.

Any other thoughts or ideas? What am I missing?

 

[glenthompson]

I would look at the Synology NAS devices. I have an older one and it handles my stuff fairly well - no problem streaming video to my iPad. You want an NAS to be hardwired to your router so you get the maximum speed.

 

[phrehdd]

As mentioned by glenthompson, Synology has some very good offerings. I would suggest you venture over to smallnetbuilder site and take a look at their NAS reviews (along with tests). You get an idea of what is out there plus they often show a typical cost of the unit (links to Amazon and other sellers etc.).

Some of the more popular makers - Synology, QNAP, Asustor, and Netgear round the serious user choices with some nice home user NAS by Western Digital, DLink, and a slew of others.

 

[HvLee]

Like already suggested; take a look at the Synology ones. They are easy to setup, support your mentioned platforms (apps) and also supports Timemachine directly. For streaming purposes it also has a set of programs built in.

I personaly use a intel based Synology (DS415+) and it runs Plex perfectly to the Apple TV 4. It is a realy good combination.

 

[Spudlicious]

I have a couple of network drives courtesy of the Amazon Vine program, and right now I'd recommend the WD DL2100. Available with various drive capacities, it's TimeMachine ready and mine works with El Capitan, which not all do.