If you're looking for the best NAS device for your needs, then you've come to the right place, as we've created this expert list of the best network attached storage devices for centrally storing all of your important files.
Making sure you buy the best NAS device for your needs is a big - and important - task as you need to make sure that the NAS device you're buying has enough storage to hold all your files. You'll also want to keep an eye out for advanced features, such as download managers, backup software and server settings that can make these NAS devices an integral part of your home or office network.
If you've not heard of NAS devices before, they are essentially hard drives that connect to your router via an Ethernet cable (often fast Gigabit Ethernet), therefore creating shared storage that can be accessed by your desktop PC, your tablet and almost any device that connects to the same network.
Some NAS devices also allow you to access the files they store remotely over the internet - essentially making your very own cloud storage similar to paid services such as iCloud and Dropbox.
They tend to be platform-agnostic, which means they are able to work with almost any device you connect to your wireless network – including DLNA-compatible devices (a standard for sharing media) such as smart TVs.
Think of them as supercharged external hard drives; mini servers, if you like. Indeed, many small businesses are now using NAS drives as an alternative to the expensive, power-hungry server they used to need to have in the cupboard.
WD has achieved quite considerable success with its unashamedly consumer-friendly My Cloud products, which can stream to any DLNA-compliant device and can be accessed via mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Labelled as a 'personal cloud', it's a NAS box by any other measure and starts at 2TB of storage (you can also get it in 3 or 4TB). As it's a one-bay unit, it can't back itself up to a drive inside the unit, but it can back up to an external hard drive via a USB port on the back.
- Read our full WD My Cloud Personal review
Picking up on the 'personal cloud' theme, this unit from Seagate takes its lead from My Cloud, but it offers far larger capacities, along with dual bays for two hard drives. This allows the Seagate Personal Cloud 2-Bay NAS device to mirror the files on one hard drive to a second one, giving you protection in case one of those drives fails.
We also like the no-fuss appearance of this unit, meaning it can sit nicely under a router or on a shelf. It works with cloud accounts, including Dropbox and Google Drive, and you can also use an app to share content to streamers, including Chromecast and Roku.
The QNAP TS-251A is an awesome NAS device that comes with more features than you can shake the included remote control at. You've got dual Ethernet ports, a HDMI out for connecting it up to a TV and beefy hardware including a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Celeron CPU and 4GB of RAM (that can be expanded to 8GB) for hardware transcoding media files.
The QTS operating system allows you to easily install a range of apps, from Plex Media Server, file sharing apps and even a karaoke app, as well as run Ubuntu Linux for even more flexibility.
In short - this is a fantastic NAS device, though you'll need to buy the hard drives separately, so factor that in to the overall cost.
This 2TB dual-bay NAS (it's also available in 4, 6, and 8TB capacities) comes from Buffalo, the company that also makes the TeraStation line of advanced NAS units.
The key selling point of this model is that it can integrate directly with BitTorrent, meaning it can download stuff for you even when your PC is turned off. Like many of the other devices here, you can also stream to it via various devices, it's platform agnostic and you can use it as an iTunes server.
If you want a flexible and feature-rich NAS that performs well, then the Synology DiskStation DS416+ is definitely worth considering. It comes with 4 bays, each able to hold hard drives with capacities up to 10TB for a combined total of 40TB of storage space. If that's somehow not enough, you can further expand this NAS device with Synology's expansion chassis, adding a further five bays and boosting the maximum capacity to 90TB.
This is clearly a NAS device that would fit both a home network and a small to medium sized business, and it comes with plenty of tools to make sure your important files are secure. If you're looking for a NAS to be used as a media server, then the Synology DiskStation DS412+ has you covered with a number of features that allow 4K and 1080p video transcoding. If you don't mind paying a premium, this is an excellent NAS device for whatever your needs are.
This two-bay unit can create a mirrored backup of your stuff (duplicating your data on both drives), using RAID configuration. That's quite an advanced feature for a consumer box and you do pay quite a lot for that capability and WD's user-friendly presentation, including an easy-to-master, browser-based control screen.
This is a 4TB unit (6, 8, and 16TB units are also available). For extra piece of mind, you can also back up the contents to Dropbox.
This great NAS is a two-bay device with a DLNA media server on board. As with the QNAP enclosure, there's no storage included out of the box, and you'll need to buy your own drives.
While this means it takes a little more time to set up, the flexibility of choosing your own drives means you'll get the capacity and speed you need, while sticking to your budget. The DiskStation software will also sync with Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and others, as well as different DiskStations.
As well as the RAID capabilities found in more expensive and complex NAS devices, this box is meant for small business use and supports Microsoft Active Directory. It can also act as a file server, FTP server, backup server and P2P download server.
WD's EX series are also available in diskless variants, though this price is for the 4TB version. 8TB, 12TB and 16TB are also available. If you don't need any of this extra stuff, then get the My Cloud Mirror.
If you're looking for a NAS device to help manage your backup needs, the DL4100 might be worth. taking a look at.
One of the coolest features of this device is its web dashboard that offers users options for backing up to cloud services such as Dropbox and Box. Additionally, we really liked the ability to set up SMS and email alerts in case the system failed for whatever reason.
As far as storage options are concerned, the DL4100 comes with four drive bays in your choice of four configurations. Aside from some annoying issues with wireless transfers, we found that the DL4100's 1.7GHz dual-core Atom processor and 2GB of RAM (configurable up to 6GB) performed admirably. Combine this with an easy setup and cloud connected web apps, and you have an interesting backup offering on your hands.
- Read our full Western Digital DL4100 review
While the Time Capsule offers a seamless option for Mac users, its 2 and 3TB storage options are supremely expensive compared to other alternatives.
It might be wireless itself, but the lack of wireless isn't an issue for any of the other devices here because you will almost always wire them into a router… a wireless router. You access content in exactly the same way.
As with many of the other devices here, you can use the USB port on the rear to share a USB printer or external hard drive.
What the Time Capsule does well is make it easy to setup and configure automatic backups for Mac and iOS users. If you're an Apple fan that doesn't like getting into the nitty gritty of technology, this is a good choice.
- Read our full Apple AirPort Time Capsule review
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