doubts regarding Synology/Unifi NAS

[D‐e-n]

Hello.

I enjoy watching Nascompares on Youtube and now I'm looking for a new NAS myself.  But the lock-in problems at Synology, the hard drive prices, and the silence surrounding Asustor and Qnap are making me doubt what to do.

I currently have a Windows 10 server with a J3455 CPU, an SSD, a 6TB hard drive for data, and a built-in 4TB drive to which I use a script to write backups. I also synchronize cloud storage on the server. Currently it's OneDrive but I'm planning to  switch to pcloud or sync.com. The server's main purpose is hosting Emby Server.  We have an Nvidia Shield next to our tv which is the main user.  We are a family of two.

I want to better protect our data, so I'm looking for a NAS to run Raid 1 or Raid 5.  If possible and financially benificial I'd like to reuse as many hard drives as possible. Besides the 6 and 4 terabyte drives mentioned, I also have a 3TB Seagate NAS and two older 2TB Samsung Spinpoints.

Self-building the NAS isn't my preference. I don't want any hassle, but something that just works. Hosting the Emby server separately on a NUC is an option. In that case, a NAS from Unifi could also be a good choice I think. For various reasons, I don't want a Chinese product. Ugreen, Minisforum, etc., are therefore out of the question.

My initial thoughts were a Synology or Unifi NAS, but I'm a bit stuck at the moment. A second opinion would be welcome.

[ed]

your situation is pretty common right now because Synology has become more locked down, QNAP has gone quiet on consumer releases, and Unifi entered the NAS space but without full server features. Since you want something reliable, non Chinese, low maintenance and able to protect your data while still running Emby smoothly, there are really three clean paths that fit your priorities without forcing you into heavy tinkering.

The simplest route is a Synology Plus model because DSM is still the most stable and least demanding system for someone who wants things to just work. A DS425 Plus or DS225 Plus will give you RAID 1 or RAID 5, Emby support and good backup tools, and both handle mixed drive sets if you use Synology Hybrid RAID. That means you can reuse your 6TB, 4TB and 3TB drives right away, then replace disks over time without losing capacity. They also give you cloud sync built in for OneDrive, pCloud and others, and you can still run Emby directly on the box if you keep using the Nvidia Shield as the player so no transcoding is needed. If you want to avoid Synology’s drive prices entirely, stay with SHR and your own disks and you never touch their locked drive lists.

The second route is Unifi UNAS if you move Emby to a small NUC or mini PC. UNAS boxes are beautifully built, non Chinese and make sense for people who want storage only, not apps. They do RAID, Time Machine, SMB, snapshots and all the basics, but they have no Emby, no Docker and no transcoding. So the combination many people use is a tiny Intel mini system running Emby Server and a UNAS 4 or UNAS Pro 4 for the storage. This gives you clean separation and long term flexibility, and Unifi’s ecosystem is very polished if you already like their hardware.

The third path is QNAP if you want stronger hardware but still want an appliance rather than a DIY project. The TS 262, TS 464 or the AS5404T from Asustor are good examples of simple, reliable boxes with wider functionality than UNAS but without Synology’s lock in. They accept any drives, run Docker, run Emby and can reuse your current disks until you upgrade them. They are also non Chinese in terms of ownership even though some manufacturing happens in Taiwan.

For your needs you only have two real requirements: a box that can run RAID without friction and something that can either run Emby or cleanly feed Emby on your Shield. Because your usage is lightweight and local only, even a DS225 Plus or TS 262 would handle everything without drama. If you want the most balanced do everything NAS without going into DIY, the DS425 Plus or TS 464 would be the best long term choices. If you want Emby separate, a UNAS 4 plus a NUC is the cleanest and most modular setup.

Here are the links for the mentioned models:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Synology+DS42...=ncmail-20
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Synology+DS22...=ncmail-20
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=QNAP+TS+464&l...=ncmail-20
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Asustor+AS540...=ncmail-20