Which NAS? Which Powerline adapters?

[wooden]

Hi

I'm looking to upgrade my home network and I'm looking for some advice on what to get.

Firstly I'd like to get rid of a G5 I have and replace it with a NAS drive. At the moment the G5s main job is to be an iTunes server. The rest of the computers use iTunes home sharing to access it but I'd like to have the actual library on the NAS and point all the iTunes programs on each machine to it. The G5 also stores random files such as pictures, videos and other docs.

The other thing I'd like to do is get better powerline adapters. I got some Belkin ones after some older ones died and I couldn't find replacements. I had routers connected on the room ends of the old ones to improve my wifi connection as the main box is on the other side of the house. It worked well but since I've had these new ones I can't get the routers to work. All the settings are correct but a google search suggests that other people are having the same problems so I think different adapters are needed.

Any opinions are welcome.

Cheers

 

[troy14]

Hi

I'm looking to upgrade my home network and I'm looking for some advice on what to get.

Firstly I'd like to get rid of a G5 I have and replace it with a NAS drive. At the moment the G5s main job is to be an iTunes server. The rest of the computers use iTunes home sharing to access it but I'd like to have the actual library on the NAS and point all the iTunes programs on each machine to it. The G5 also stores random files such as pictures, videos and other docs.

The other thing I'd like to do is get better powerline adapters. I got some Belkin ones after some older ones died and I couldn't find replacements. I had routers connected on the room ends of the old ones to improve my wifi connection as the main box is on the other side of the house. It worked well but since I've had these new ones I can't get the routers to work. All the settings are correct but a google search suggests that other people are having the same problems so I think different adapters are needed.

Any opinions are welcome.

Cheers

Most people here seem to be huge fans of the Synology NAS units. I myself have no experience with those, but use a ReadyNAS Ultra 2. It does what I need (...storage, backup, holds my media for Plex). I think if you get either you can't go wrong.

As far as powerline adapters.... are these absolutely necessary? Wiring ethernet would be the best and fastest...I noticed a huge improvement when I wired all my equipment with Cat6..

 

[wooden]

Hi

Thanks for your reply, I'll check out the units you mentioned.

I do need to use powerline adapters though, to put in cable would mean running it all through the house. My mrs would go beserk

 

[Giuly]

The Synology DS413J does everything you want, including the iTunes Server.

As far as the power line adapters go, the Linksys Powerline AV Wireless Network Extender might be what you want, as it has wireless built-in and you don't need to hook up a router to it.

 

[phrehdd]

I would suggest you go to a site called SmallNetBuilder. They have excellent reviews and tests of various NAS. As well, a few reviews on powerline products.
Most people who use powerline go for those rated with "500" as opposed to "200." Example Belkin AV500.

The challenge with powerline is your system is dependent on wiring that may not be along the same line (fuse). This creates a slow down if the intended target rooms are not on the same electrical lines.

Synology, ReadyNAS, QNAP, Thecus are the big players, then you have marginal slower small units from Buffalo, D-Link and so forth. I have used Synology, ReadyNAS and QNAP all with nice results. While I am somewhat into QNAP these days, for a smaller unit, Synology is an excellent fit.

 

[designs216]

I chose the ReadyNAS Duo for my own network storage experiment. It is compact, offers several RAID options and won't break the bank since I already had a few bare disks lying around. Looks like the latest iteration has added USB3. As for powerline ethernet adapters, I use the TRENDnet TPL-406E2K kit to transmit movies to my BlueRay player downstairs.

 

[utekineir]

with regard to the power line stuff for awhile I used to use an old slingbox branded powerline setup (slower speed rated model) to feed an original model airport express,

even those two dated items provided enough bandwidth to stream a slingbox feed via wifi on the axp into my old garage couple hundred feet from the house with no issues, modern hardware i would assume to have a significant improvement in capability assuming the home wiring works in your favor.



newegg has a shell shocker today of the new model 2 bay seagate nas with 2 1tb hard drives for $250, the few reviews show it to be an improvement over their previous black armor models.

also netgear refreshed their ready nas lineup yesterday from what i was reading, pretty much leaving previous owners high and dry on the new os update, between that "support" and my experience on the software end of their centria router (decent enough hardware if you get cheap) I wouldn't touch netgear nas items for anywhere near the same price as synology.


have you thought about instead of using the powerline adaptors just using an axp to extend your network?

 

[notjustjay]

If you are truly unable to run CAT5/6 cable then there are still other solutions other than powerline networking (which I've used successfully, but like you say, they're sometimes flaky).

Wireless networks are getting better and faster, and there are good solutions to extend network range if one access point isn't enough for your house.

I recently replaced a flaky old D-Link router with a (Netgear?) simultaneous dual-band router, which puts out two network SSIDs at 2.4 and 5 GHz. Whatever devices I have that support 5 GHz, I use that network with them, the rest connect to the standard 2.4 GHz one. That reduces interference both between my own devices and all my neighbors'.

At a campsite I volunteer at, I needed a way to extend the camp's internet connection from the office to several other entire buildings (cottage, dining hall, director's cabin) and I used a couple of EnGenius 2611P long-range wireless access points in an access point to client bridge configuration. A little bit expensive in terms of all the additional equipment but it works and I'm shocked at just how far away I'm able to beam a wifi signal.