Which NAS to buy?

[McScooby]

I'm waiting for the Synology DS3018XS pricing, if too much although "old" the DS916+ will prob get it with the newly released WD Red Pro 10TB drives.

 

[bopajuice]

Synology has great software but I'm happy with my QNAP.

Don't like the design? Look similar to me.
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I have both QNAP (TS212) and Time Capsule. I used QNAP for TM backups, but had a lot of frustrations with it. Never tried a restore from QNAP, but got a lot of failed backups warnings. TC has been flawless, using it for several Macs and Hackintoshes, and no issues with backups or restores (several successful restores). But, in my experience, USB3 drives result in much faster restores (and backups) than networked drives.

I would balk at jumping into third party NAS for Time Machine at this point. With Apple about to rollout the new APFS for Macs (I am assuming it will become the default in the next macOS release), compatibility is not certain with third party network storage systems, it may only work with Apple gear, or attached USB\Thunderbolt drives. They claim it will eventually become open source, but the timing may lag.

I wouldn't be so quick to assume Apple is bailing on the network gear. They simply said the teams were re-assigned to other products, which could mean a new product that does networking + ?. Maybe the speculated Siri device will be a network device with speakers, drives ala TC, and central iTunes storage\Apple Music... Rumors seem to be that they will unveil this in the WWDC keynote next month, so maybe wait and see what they have up their sleeve?

Boy with all the rumors of new releases at the keynote it almost sounds like Apple is releasing all new products and hardware across their entire line.

 

[SpinalTap]

Currently, I use an older Netgear ReadyNAS. Ideally, I'd like a QNAP TVS-471 (i3) but at nearly £900 I'd prefer not to spend that much.

So, one alternative is to buy the entry-level HP Microserver Gen8. HP often offer promotional discounts on this model - which results in a nett cost of around £90. The supplied Celeron chip can easily be swapped-out for an Intel i3. To buy a Microserver that already has the i3 included as standard would typically cost around £700.

Add iHomeServer (£19) for full iTunes functionality. The added cost will be for a Windows Server licence (eBay).

Not bad for a fully-upgradeable NAS.

 

[adib]

You might want to take a closer look at your router. I admit I have an Apple AirPort Extreme. I've done Time Machine backups wirelessly on both a WDMYCLOUD and Synology DSM with at least 4 different Macs and only had an issue 1 time where it got corrupted. I just rebacked it up and it has been fine ever since.

Edit: Because doesn't everybody own 14 different Macs?

Were those backups encrypted?

 

[an-other]

I've been using a Synology NAS for years now. I had no knowledge or experience with NAS prior to purchase. I've been extremely pleased with my purchase, and would recommend it. I'm sure there are other quality NAS out there.

 

[Hawaga]

I own an Asustor and I have to say it's brilliant, both hardware and software-wise. Works seamlessly with Time Machine. Great support too.

I heard many good things about Synology.

My 2 cents

 

[TonyK]

I've been using a Synology NAS for years now. I had no knowledge or experience with NAS prior to purchase. I've been extremely pleased with my purchase, and would recommend it. I'm sure there are other quality NAS out there.

My only issue with my Synology NAS (DS216J) is speed for TimeMachine or other backups. Running 1GB internally and it is still slower than I like. It works great for iTunes and my photos but backups have been less than optimal. The TimeCapsule just purchased has helped with TimeMachine backups but ChronoSync is another story.

Still working on it when time permits.

 

[drober30]

Of the two mentioned, my suggestion would be the Synology.

If you haven't done so already, got to their web site https://www.synology.com/en-us and take a look at the 'Live Demo'.

I love my synology 1515! They are always adding new features! Been going strong for years!

 

[automactic]

I'd recommend against using Time Machine on a NAS – otherwise you're just inviting frustration. Attached external drives – Thunderbolt or USB – are still the best for use with Time Machine.

Time Machine backups over a network tend to get corrupted easily, which when it happens requires you to discard all backups made and start all over again. This usually happens every two weeks or so – depending on how noisy your wireless network environment is operating in or how frequent you disconnect while a backup is running.

Strongly agree! Expect for the error message in your link, I also have "Time machine does not have enough space" error.

What makes it worse is apple is using "to improve reliability" as an excuse, as if they were doing me such a big favor, whereas the truth is the program cannot recover from an error.

 

[celticgrid]

Just tossing in another vote for Synology. I've had various 'consumer' NAS units over the years but for the past couple have been running a pair of Synology units, one main and one which automatically stays in sync with it. WD Red drives. And slowly over time I have made more use of the various DSM features available. Great kit.