First-Time NAS Buyer – 4-Bay NAS for Family Use (Backups + Photos/Videos)

[whC]

Hi everyone,
I'm a first-time NAS buyer and would love some advice from the community.
Use Case:

• Home use for 4 users (family)
  
• Need to back up multiple devices:
  • Laptops (macOS + Windows)
    
  • iPads
    
  • Android mobile phones
    
• Expecting a large amount of photos and videos from mobile devices
  
• Would like to centralize everything in one place, with access for everyone
  
• Prefer a 4-bay NAS running RAID 5 for a balance of storage and redundancy
  

Nice-to-Haves:

• Some form of local AI/photo recognition or indexing would be great
  
• Easy-to-use mobile backup options
  
• Prefer not to rely too heavily on cloud-based services
  
• Open to exploring new brands like Zettlab or Ugreen, in addition to the usual Synology/QNAP/etc.
  

Questions:

1. What NAS models would you recommend for a setup like this?
   
2. How well do newer brands (like Zettlab/Ugreen) hold up in terms of reliability, software ecosystem, and support?
   
3. Would the Ugreen DXP4800 be sufficient for my needs, or would the DXP4800 Plus be a better long-term choice given my use-case?
   
4. Are there any hidden pitfalls or things I should know before choosing a NAS for this kind of use?
   
5. I do have access directly to purchase from China retailers (Taobao).  Is there a difference in the version or there is only one version for all markets?
   

Really appreciate any insights—thanks in advance!

[ed]

Hey, good to hear you’re looking into NAS options with AI features—things are moving fast in that space.

If AI photo recognition and future-proofing are on your radar, I’d recommend checking out QNAP’s 74 series models. They’re pretty solid because they support GPU upgrades, which is super handy for AI tasks. QNAP’s newer software releases are really leaning into AI for photo indexing and other smart features, so having that GPU option means better performance and future capabilities.

The 64 series from QNAP also offer some photo AI features, but they don’t support GPU upgrades. So you’re a bit more limited if you want to ramp up AI processing down the line.

As for Ugreen and brands like that—they haven’t launched AI-focused versions yet, so if AI is important to you, they might fall short at the moment.

So, if you want a NAS that grows with you and makes the most of AI-powered features, the QNAP 74 series is a strong bet. Otherwise, the 64 series or Synology can still cover basic photo AI needs pretty well.