Which Synology NAS

[Enquiries]

Primarily for storage of photos and video clips (6 people); backup of iPhones and computers (6 people); and monthly storage of 24/7 recording of Home security camera Aqara G5 (1 camera). Remote access of files and security video. Would like 2.5 gbe, upgradeability, variety of storage sizes, and ease of use.

[ed]

Thanks for laying out your requirements so clearly — it really helps narrow things down.

Between your budget and needs (6–10 TB mirrored, 6 users, photo/video backup, remote access, 2.5 GbE, ease of use), there are two clear options worth considering:

If you want something that’s very straightforward to set up and maintain, I’d recommend the Synology DS425+. It has 2.5 GbE, is quiet and compact, and runs DSM which is by far the easiest and most polished NAS software around. Perfect for family use, it supports Time Machine, smartphone backups, photo/video libraries, remote access and sharing, and even has facial recognition built into Synology Photos. You can also expand later with larger drives and use the M.2 slots for SSD caching or a fast storage pool if needed.

If you don’t mind a bit more setup and want more flexibility, the QNAP TS‑464 is also a good fit. It comes with two 2.5 GbE ports (which can be combined for more bandwidth if your switch supports it), a stronger CPU and more RAM out of the box, and even a PCIe slot if you want to add 10 GbE down the line. The software (QTS or QuTS Hero) has more features than Synology, but it’s a little less beginner-friendly.

For most home users who want something as close to “plug and play” as possible, I’d lean toward the Synology DS425+. If you think you might want to run more apps, virtual machines, or heavier workloads later, the QNAP TS‑464 is worth a look.

Both of these can handle mirrored 6–10 TB easily, and support the kind of AI-driven photo organization and remote access you’re after.

If you’d like, I can also recommend specific drives to go with either of them — WD Red Plus, Red Pro, or Synology’s own HAT3300 drives would all work well here.