I'm looking for a NAS for home, and also to host some of my private projects (in docker).
2 bay NAS should be sufficient for my data, and 2GB RAM.
What about security? I read in many posts that Synology is more secure than Qnap and that I shouldn't expose NAS to internet anyway.
Does it mean I should block ALL access to NAS from internet? or just not expose admin web console ?
What about syncing files between devices (google drive or dropbox client functionality) - at the end this is what I need, syncing files between PCs (even when they aren't at home).
Does hardening that setup make sense? routing traffic thru reverse-proxy (I have RaspberryPi4 Nginx for that), banning login, geofencing etc.
or it's still not safe and better to use VPN ? (I have WireGuard on my RPi4 as well, so I can use it too.), then synology/qnap security debate doesn't make sense here.

I was thinking about buying older NAS to learn about it, and after a few months, when I know more, I could be buy final device (maybe 4 bays, and for many years).

I thought about used Synology DS218+ (~220 eur), DS418play, Qnap TS-453B 16GB (around 250 eur), TS-251D 8GB (around 250 eur too)

however, older models - ds218+, ts-453B have Celerons J3355 and J3455   www synoforum com  /threads/reliability-issue-with-intel-celeron-n3350-j3355-j3455-and-pentium-n4200-cpus.1419/  nascompares com  /intel-apollo-lake-n3350-j3355-j3455-and-n4200-nas-cpu-issue/
so is it safe buying those devices? even for a few months ?


TS-251D (Celeron J4025 - I couldn't find problems with it).
Is it a good idea? or maybe I should look at other models? 
ore used DS220+ it has  J4025 too (no problems with it?)

new TS-262 costs almost 2x of that,  DS224+ only a bit less.

I used to use unraid as a temporary measure. and it helped move things to another storage device. but I started looking more to flash storage more and more because i noticed the greatest cause of noise was from the spinning discs. I've been using an old case as well but at this point. its just too big. I was looking into the flashstor but since ive heard there was a gen 2 coming, i was thinking of waiting for that to come out first. either ill like it more or itll help drive down costs on earlier units maybe.
However i dont like being too limited in options. I was wondering if there were any other relatively compact devices that i could also consider. Id like to stick to flash drives so either m.2/nvme or 2.5 in drives would work too.

Hello there,

I am relatively new to the world of NAS and would appreciate some guidance from the more experienced members of this community. I am looking to invest in a NAS system primarily for home media streaming and backing up important files and photos. After doing some preliminary research; I have come across a few models that seem promising; but I am having a hard time deciding which one would best suit my needs.

I have a large collection of movies; TV shows; and music that I want to stream to multiple devices; including smart TVs; tablets; and smartphones. I would like the NAS to handle 4K streaming without hiccups.

I need a reliable solution for backing up my family's computers and storing photos and documents. Redundancy and data protection are important to me.

As a beginner; I prefer a NAS that is user-friendly with a straightforward setup process. Good software support and a robust app ecosystem would be a bonus.


I would love to hear your thoughts on these models. Specifically; how do they compare in terms of performance, reliability, and ease of use? Are there any other models I should consider? Additionally; any tips on initial setup; essential apps; or must-have accessories would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.

Subject: Assistance Required for Mapping QNAP NAS TS-431K Network Drive in Windows Explorer Over the InternetDear Sir,I hope this message finds you well.I need assistance with using my QNAP NAS TS-431K. Specifically, I want to know how to map a network drive in Windows Explorer over the internet. I primarily use a Windows 11 laptop while on the go, and my QNAP NAS TS-431K remains at home on my local network.Could you please advise on the various ways and methods that can be used for this purpose? Additionally, I would appreciate any best practices and your preferred option for achieving this setup.Thank you very much for your help.Best regards, Nawaf

Hey, first thank you for everything you do, I guess said from the whole community!! So my plan is to build relatively low in electricity demand Homelab with TrueNAS scale. The hardware I plan is: ASRock B760M-ITX, 32ram single stick for now, 1TB Samsung 990, 5x20TB exos x20 in RAID5, i5-13600, pci card for extra sata ports in the jonsbo N2. The idea is to run TrueNAS and virtualize/container in it Home assistant with bunch of add-ons needed, Jellyfin with requester, Sonarr and the whole gang there, Adguard, Nextcloud, Vaultwarden and perhaps some other small things I'll experiment with. I calculated that on theory it should consume around 90kW per month(don't know rlly). Is that whole thing sound reasonable to you and would you change something in this scenario? I also for routers plan Deco x60 so no 2.5 for now I guess.

What factors should one consider when trying to choose a raid option? I plan on getting a 4bay qnap nas to replace google drive, photos, do some plex and back up my computers and phone and cant figure out which one to choose.

I have a Synology DS1621xs+ and want to understand the performance differences on DSM 7 for RAID/cha choices/

Have a 10G network, 24GB RAM, and two empty M.2 slots for cache.

I don't need much space (8TB) but I do want a larger array to improve performance. The lowest cost would be a RAID 1 with two 8TB but that is the slowest option?

RAID five is fastest solution? but how much performance gain do you get as you add drives?

Also limited to drives that Synology allows with specific firmware is hard to find a newer drive that matches. the best cost drive I can find is an Exos X16 16TB Seagate Recertified $150 with a 2-year warranty. But wanting a fast array , the smallest I would have three disks or 32TB which is 4 times the space I need. 5 2TB drives are more $ than the 3 16TB.

Isn't it bad on RAM and Cache requirements to have tons of free space? Or can you just not assign part of the space?

I usually overthink everything. Please help with a solution for this platform.

I was thinking of a 4 bay nas for storing and editing photos via Lightroom and Photoshop. Today I have 20 TB of photos divided into 5 external disks and backup to the cloud. Works with a Mac Book Pro M1 with 1TB of SSD and 16GB of memory. This feels insecure and slow the way I work now, what about connecting via Thunderbolt? Do you have any good suggestions, preferably a budget and a standard cost, incl. HD?

I've rebuilt all my file names (15,000 videos), organized, up scaled video aspect where possible, and spent hours setting up the libraries on PLEX for Movies and TV shows augmenting the metadata with my poster art. I've done this a number of times and then had to start over. Is there a way to copy, backup, and retain not only the settings but the look and design of my PLEX library? Thanks!

Hi, I hope you're well.

After some advice on the best NAS (preferably Synology as I believe they have the best / most user-friendly software) to use predominantly as a Plex Media Server but also to store general files and music.

I don't want to go crazy with the budget and would like to future-proof as much as possible.

I'm thinking something along the lines of a 2-4-bay NAS with around 16TB.

Most files I have are H.264 @ 15-30 Mbps bit rate.
I do have the odd H.265 HEVC file @ 15-30 Mbps bit rate that will need transcoding

I've been looking mainly at the DS224+, DS723+ and DS923+ but I'm not sure which route to go down. There may even be a better option I am not looking at.

Let me know if you need any more info.

Thanks
Ben