Which NAS to buy?

[Enquiries]

Hi Rob,

First I'd like to thank you for sharing all the great info on this website. I currently use a 8 years old Buffalo Linkstation 2-bay NAS (2x 2TB, RAID1) and would like to move to a new 4-bay one, initially fill it with 2x 8TB disks, using the LS afterwards for external backups.

As an owner of both an iOS and Android phone (preferring iOS), I limited my scope to Synology NAS', as the DSM apparently is more user-friendly and "iOS alike". I'd like use the NAS for storing and managing my huge amount of fotos, music and video files. I therefore think that the DS918+ should perfectly fit my needs. Following my questions:
- as I'm not in a total rush, should I wait until Synology releases new 2020 models?
- is the DS918+ an overkill for my needs, means a DS419 would be more than enough?
- does the DSM have a functionality to automatically backup (selected files/folders) on my existing LS (RAID 0)?
- I currently organise my fotos in a folder structure like YEAR > MONTHS > DAY. Can I keep that structure but also make use of the additional functions offered by a photo app with e.g. face recognition, without changing that structure?
- how can I protect a NAS system against viruses and hacker attacks? Is there a kind of firewall installed or can be installed?
- what NAS HDD has currently the best price per TB ratio (8TB or even more)?

Thanks a lot.

Best regards,

Andreas

[ed]

With Synology new releases most of the time does not mean better performance. The only innovation they have done is with DS918+ which feature built-in cache slots. Otherwise, the only thing Synology stand out with is their software. If you use case you would be OK with DS418 or DS418play. DS918+ would be an option if you wanted to run a Plex server.You will be able to use RSYNC to automate backups to your LS.You can use the Photo Station app if you want to keep years folders. Photo recognition would requite DS Moments app.You can install a firewall and enable snapshots and version control to keep data safe.The cheapest 8TB as today is Iwonwolf drives and a very similar price for WD Red.I hope this helps.