Best cheap nas/media server for novice for backup and multimedia

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gasolin

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Aug 6, 2012
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Best cheap nas,media server for backup of music,videos,pictures but also as a unit that can be used to play videos,music and pictures between my tv,pc and android phone.

I live in denmark so prices isn't the same here as it would be in usa.

what i look for in turns of price is something like a Zyxel NSA325 v2 with a 2 or 3 tb nas harddrive or a wd my cloud min 3 tb, since you can't easily change the harddrive it has to be no less then 3tb
 
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SuperSoph_WD
Hey there, gasolin!

For your purposes both NAS systems should do the job.
Actually, with a 2-bay NAS you can swap hard drives easily with the proper instructions, of course. Most NAS manufacturers have this info available on their website knowledge base. If you really want a reliable storage, I'd go with a 2-bay NAS because it gives you the opportunity to set up a RAID configuration. I personally see RAID1 as a pretty reliable storage solution.
You mentioned My Cloud, I'd suggest to take a look at My Cloud Mirror (2-bay) as well and see if it fits your price range.
http://wdc.com/en/products/personalcloud/consumer/
However, the most important thing when it comes to NAS/RAID environments is the hard drive itself.
So whatever NAS...
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hey there, gasolin!

For your purposes both NAS systems should do the job.
Actually, with a 2-bay NAS you can swap hard drives easily with the proper instructions, of course. Most NAS manufacturers have this info available on their website knowledge base. If you really want a reliable storage, I'd go with a 2-bay NAS because it gives you the opportunity to set up a RAID configuration. I personally see RAID1 as a pretty reliable storage solution.
You mentioned My Cloud, I'd suggest to take a look at My Cloud Mirror (2-bay) as well and see if it fits your price range.
http://wdc.com/en/products/personalcloud/consumer/
However, the most important thing when it comes to NAS/RAID environments is the hard drive itself.
So whatever NAS system you choose, make sure you order them with the proper HDDs inside.
My recommendation is to be aware of these things since they are the heart of the NAS systems.
I suggest you check out WD Red drives, they are specifically designed for these purposes and they are compatible with most NAS/RAID systems out there including both of those you mentioned. WD My Cloud line actually come with WD Red drives.
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=810

Hope this was helpful. :)
 
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gasolin

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I think i will go for a nas server from synology https://www.synology.com/en-global/products/compare/DS214se/DS213j Mabye the DS213J because i feel that the fps it can play movies at is to low and it has a faster cpu and more ram.

I am only getting 1 harddirive later i will ad one more.

Is there any cheaper alternative to the synology DS213J and a 3tb wd red?


Wd my cloud mirror is way to expensive in Denmark for my budget although the 6 tb version is cheaper then the 4tb where i buy most of my hardware even the 6tb my cloud is more expensive.

I would lik to spend no more then 250€, 321$ for a 3tb nas server (1x3tb)

Is it possible to play flv videos form a nas server Is this the way to play flv videos from a nas server? https://originwww.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/tutorials/457
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Hi again, gasolin!

I'm not supposed to discuss product prices, but I'm sure you will be able to find something online that is within your price limit. I guess buying a diskless NAS with just one HDD is just what you need.
Yes, it is possible to play videos from the NAS storage and yes, flv are supported by this Video player.
So you shouldn't have any problem with that.
Just FYI though:
Since you want to buy a 2-bay NAS with one WD Red, make sure you install the HDD right because later when you add the second drive, you won't be able to set up the RAID/JBOD properly and you might lose data.
I think with this model the top bay is marked HDD 1 and the bottom is HDD 2, so make sure you install the HDD in the top bay.

Hope this helped you! :)
 
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gasolin

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Only have good experince with wd harddrive so i want one-two from wd.

Is a wd my cloud fast enough for music,videos so it could be used as a central media server and streaming to chromecast? Small nas servers are not always fast enought for videos (fps) especially full hd videos
 
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bwallx

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If you are looking at the WD My Cloud, I'd caution that forums are seemingly full of complaints. I recently bought the 3Tb version. I am not an expert but this is aimed at the home user so I assumed it would be simple. Hell no! The Western digital software is awful. This is in part because of the poor documentation which typically doesn't bother explaining anything, just instructs you to follow a series of steps. The instructions are typical of those written by the techs who worked on it, not by users!

I also found that my Win8.1 system kept 'loosing' the NAS. Horrible. Sorry.

So I may as well ask here - is there any third party NAS software I can use instead? Even if it means reformatting the drive and starting over?

Or can I put the 3Tb drive into a sort of NAS box with more usable software perhaps?
 
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gasolin

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I do want a wd red just not shure if i should pay for what a Synology Disk Station DS214, DS214+ or maybe DS214play costs.

Does the DS214PLAY support plex media server app? What nas server supports plex media server app?

http://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/25uqj1/plex_not_working_on_ds214play/

I have a chromecast if i buy another one for my Dell U2414H will it work with the monitor and is it possibel to use only 1 monitor at the same time
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

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Jul 30, 2014
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Hi again, gasolin!

I can suggest several links to threads that hopefully could answer your questions:


https://forums.plex.tv/index.php/topic/82909-synology-ds214-series-and-plex-support/
http://allaboutchromecast.com/chromecast-how-to-guide/how-to-use-chromecast-to-share-desktop-screen-and-audio-to-tv/


It is not actually a 'must have'. It really depends on what you are planning to use your NAS for.
If you're using it only as a storage, it doesn't really matter what are its transcoding capabilities.
If you want to use it as a home server and you want to stream directly from the NAS itself, then you need to consider transcode-capable NAS systems. But even if the video format is not supported, my research shows there are quite the number of third party apps/ plugins you can download to make it work.

Hope this helps you! :)
 
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SuperSoph_WD

SuperSoph_WD

Glorious
Jul 30, 2014
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Hey there, bwallx!

Sorry to hear about your issues with WD My Cloud! :(
I think you are struggling with a static IP issue on the cloud. Here's something that could help you configure a static IP on My Cloud:
http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/11384
If this doesn't help, here's a thread that suggests a couple of other solutions as well:
http://community.wd.com/t5/WD-My-Cloud/My-Cloud-4tb-drive-looses-connection-with-Network/td-p/699046
If you can't fix it, I suggest you contact tech support for more thorough instructions:
http://support.wdc.com/contact/contact.asp?lang=en

I hope this will resolve your problem!
SuperSoph_WD
 
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