
Rather than getting a dedicated NAS device and tacking it on to all your other devices, you can actually buy higher-end Wi-Fi routers that come with built-in hard drives. RELATED: The Best NAS (Network Attached Storage) Devices
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Many types of back-up software can back up directly to the network storage. You can then access the files using a variety of different applications and even run different bits of software on the NAS itself, such as media-server solutions for streaming media and BitTorrent clients for downloading directly on the device. Generally, such devices can be controlled via a web interface, like your router can be. They’re all-in-one solutions so you can just grab a box, plug it in, and start using it. Essentially, these devices have built-in hard drives and some basic server software that can connect to your Wi-Fi or wired network and provide a NAS file server. Alternatively, you can just read our guide to buying the best NAS device.


Head to a website like Amazon and perform a search for “NAS” and you’ll find a bunch of devices marketed as a home file or media servers. We are just extremely satisfied customers and I wanted to pass this info along to anyone who may also need this type of solution.The most obvious - though not necessarily best - way to get a NAS is just to buy a pre-made, ready-to-use NAS device. This post may read like an ad but we have no connection with Synology. We use a much larger version of this in the Fstoppers office as our main server. If you're looking for a server solution while traveling or if you want more storage for your home, the DS716+II is a great choice because it has the ability to connect to a five-bay expansion unit to add even more storage. Also, unless your computer has multiple Wi-Fi chips, you won't be able to connect to the box and the Internet at the same time. It's not as good as a wired connection but it's nice to have the option. Sadly the top speeds we were able to get with any router on the market was around 45 MB/s. This router has the same five Ethernet ports on the back so we can still use it wired but it will also broadcast our NAS box wirelessly as well. Recently I've swapped out our switch for the TP-Link C7 AC1750. This gives us around 110 MB/s read speeds with a wired connection.

In the past I connected the NAS box to a standard five-port switch and then ran Ethernet cables from the switch to our laptops. These NAS boxes can do a ton of different things but we only use them to backup our data and to access our data from multiple computers at once. This small little box will hold two separate drives that will work together to back up your data and it will share this footage over a network connection. The one we currently have isn't available anymore but the current version is the DS716+II.

Sadly, there isn't a simple way to connect two computers to a single hard drive, but we've found a better solution.Įvery time we travel we bring along our trusty Synology NAS (Networked Attached Storage) box. For years we wondered why external hard drives didn't come with multiple USB ports so that two or more computers could work off of the same drive at once.
