NAS

[Enquiries]

I am retired and discovered a love of photography and that I am good enough to sell my landscape work. I travel frequently for a month or more in my van. My home gets hit with hurricanes so I would like to have a second unit in another state. Thus I could have double copies at home and a copy elsewhere. Ideally I would like to be able to upload to the units in case my van gets broken into or I lose a card. I work mostly in RAW/NEF format with Nikon Transfer 2, NX Studio, and Corel Painter. Laptop with Thunderbolt, separate monitor when home. How does that work in re to graphics? With a low end laptop without Iris XE it was awful. Alternative way of sending a few quid?

[ed]

It's fantastic that you've turned your passion for photography into a successful venture! Given your needs and circumstances, here’s how you can set up an effective storage and backup solution:

Storage and Backup Solution
1. Primary and Secondary NAS Setup

For your primary storage and backup, consider investing in two NAS units:

Home NAS: Use this unit as your main storage location, where you’ll keep all your RAW/NEF files and other important data. A high-capacity NAS with redundancy options like RAID 1 or RAID 5 will help protect your data from drive failures.
Remote NAS: Place this in a secondary location to ensure you have a backup copy away from home. Services like Backblaze B2 or Amazon S3 can also be integrated with your NAS for an additional layer of off-site backup.
2. Synchronization and Uploading

To keep your data synchronized between your home NAS and the remote NAS, you can use:

Syncing Software: Tools like rsync, Synology’s Hyper Backup, or QNAP’s Hybrid Backup Sync can automate the process of copying files between NAS units.
Cloud Backup Services: For added security, consider backing up to a cloud service. Many NAS units offer integrated support for cloud backups.
3. Mobile Uploads

Since you need to upload files from your van:

Mobile Apps: Many NAS brands offer mobile apps that allow you to upload files directly from your phone or tablet. Look into apps provided by Synology, QNAP, or Asustor, depending on your NAS choice.
Remote Access: Ensure your NAS supports remote access and file uploads through secure methods. Setting up a VPN on your NAS can provide secure access while you’re traveling.
Laptop Graphics and Performance
For editing RAW/NEF files and using software like Nikon Transfer 2, NX Studio, and Corel Painter:

Graphics Performance: If your current laptop struggles with graphics, consider upgrading to a laptop with a more powerful GPU. Models with dedicated graphics cards (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon) will handle photo editing more smoothly.
Thunderbolt Connectivity: Since your laptop has Thunderbolt, you can connect external SSDs for faster data transfer and editing. This is especially useful when working with large RAW files.