NAS for home and future; but first NAS?

[Enquiries]

Hi Robbie,

I am in the market for my first NAS for personal use. Although I consider myself tech savvy, it is always difficult to make 'apples-to-apples' comparisons without a lot of effort (which you do really well - thanks). I am still a little conflicted, having narrowed my choices (preferences) down to something like the Synology 920; Asustor 5304/6404; or QNAP T-453.

My use case is in two parts. The primary driver is data consolidation, protection and security as I want to collate and assure all the data I have on multiple devices including a bunch of old HDDs, phones etc - mainly photos and messages but a lot of academic material and an extensive ebook library.

The second driver is that I am about to do major home renovations and want to up-wire the house to incorporate distributed media access services, surveillance and suchlike. Having a device that can act as a home firewall, productivity hub and even hosting server is also within considerations.

I have a preference for "do it once, do it right" and am happy to have a higher initial investment for something I won't have to replace anytime soon. On another note, some of the brands advertise a "game like interface" which puts me off a bit. I am a traditional Windows/MAC user (and trainer) but have never been a gamer. I also detest Apple's iPhone OS and interface; and barely tolerate Android (which I've more or less had to do since the demise of Windows mobile).

Overall, I find myself leaning toward the Synology 920+ but have concerns over their limited interfacing and I/O options; then I question if this is really a concern?

I'd be interested in hearing your POV and any commentary you might add around potential candidates.

Again, thanks for your site, it is a valuable resource which I will certainly recommend to others,

Cheers

[ed]

If you happen to change Ethernet wiring too, it would be beneficial to have CAT6a or CAT7 for future-proofing. Old 1GbEEthernet is slowly being replaced by 2.5GbE. It would still work with old cables but 5GbE might already require something better.DS920+ would be a good choice. Synology OS integrates very well with other operating system and they make really good mobile apps. People have even managed to connect Qnap USB 5GbE Ethernet adapter to speed up network transfers.Otherwise Qnap 53D series is a good choice. It has 2.5GBE built-in and allows 10GbE to upgrade via PCIe.Once you set things up, there is little need to log into a NAS system. You will have a network drive mounted to your computer and mobile apps syncing the data.It will serve as a network storage access point. Qnap will allow you to have more configuration options if you like play with settings though.I hope this helps.