Wireless NAS device

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frankmachine

56 posts

Master Geek

#241050 8-Oct-2018 16:46

G'day all

I wonder can anyone suggest a good NAS device which can be installed on a standard WiFi network and mapped to by windows clients and so accessed as a backup drive by, in this case, 3 Windows computers in an office..? Obviously $$$ are a controlling factor here, I'm pitching at something under $500...

Alternatively, a device which connects via ethernet into a WiFi router would do I suppose (assuming it can be mapped to from Windows clients).

I was looking at this WD device, but the sole review is less than glowing....

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/HDDWDX8242/WD-My-Cloud-Home-4TB-Personal-Cloud-Storage?qr=rec-footer-view

Thanks if you can..

cheers

frank

wellygary

8342 posts

Uber Geek

#2103453 8-Oct-2018 16:55

The WD Myclouds and the like are not really NAS devices, they are basically just a consumer grade Networkable HDD

If you are looking to use if for more than one machine, then go down the Ethernet connected path with some sort of proper NAS like a Synology or Qnap

farcus

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#2103454 8-Oct-2018 16:58

a home NAS would usually connect directly to your router.
I'm using one of these . . .
A basic home NAS solution at a very good price that also includes web backup, media server and built in torrent client.
Only downside is that it only supports smb (windows), ftp and afp connections . . . . no nfs.

frankmachine

56 posts

Master Geek

#2103781 9-Oct-2018 10:53

I'm basically seeking a networked device (ethernet preferably), to which I can map and send the scheduled backups from three computers on the LAN. It seems quite hard to locate such a device, somewhere between an ext HDD, and a NAS device.

michaelmurfy

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#2103824 9-Oct-2018 11:08

frankmachine:

I'm basically seeking a networked device (ethernet preferably), to which I can map and send the scheduled backups from three computers on the LAN. It seems quite hard to locate such a device, somewhere between an ext HDD, and a NAS device.

If this is for backups I wouldn't mess around with a cheap solution - I've seen it too many times now where people have backed up to a single external consumer grade hard drive that has failed (with no backup from there).

Extend the budget maybe a little and go for a 2 bay NAS device - either Synology or Qnap. Grab 2x matching NAS drives for it, set up a cloud sync for important documents and call it a day.

Some options for a NAS:
QNAP: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NASQNP02281/QNAP-TS-228A-NAS-Server-2-Bay-SATA-6G-ARM-14GHz-Qu
Synology: https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/NASSYN02161/Synology-DiskStation-DS216se-2-Bay-NAS-Server-CPU

The QNAP has better specs here however Synology's software is simply excellent.

Grab a couple of Seagate Ironwolf or Western Digital Red drives - these come in anywhere from $130ea upwards depending on the size required. Ensure you grab 2x of the same size and set them up as mirrored in the NAS. This will mean if you grab 2x 2tb drives then you'll get 2tb capacity.

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nicmair

244 posts

Master Geek

#2103832 9-Oct-2018 11:11

I have a Zyxel NSA320 that would do the trick, as its what I used to do exactly what you want to do. It doesn't have any hard drives it, but takes 2 x 3.5 (I had 2tb drives in it).

google it and see what you think, then if interested, PM me.

Cheers

Nic.

JimmyH

2886 posts

Uber Geek

#2103877 9-Oct-2018 12:16

I second @michaelmurfy's advice.

But if the data you are backing up matters to you and is hard to replace, or irreplaceable, then I would go further. A 2-bay NAS with mirrored drives only protects you against one drive failing. Events like (say) a lightning strike or house fire could take out both the computers you are backing up and the NAS.

I would add 2 USB hard drives of the same capacity to the mix. Periodically back up the NAS to these in rotation, and store them disconnected from the network. Offsite (even in a garage separate from the house) if you can manage it.

You are looking at about $250 for a cheap brand-name 2-bay NAS (say an Asustor AS1002T 2-Bay NAS). Plus $425 for a pair of 4TB Seagate Ironwolf drives, so $765 for the basis backup solution. Adding a pair of 4TB USB drives at around $200 each to bullet-proof it would bring the total cost to around $1,000.

The question is, how much does the data you are backing up mean to you and how hard is it to replace?

1101

3122 posts

Uber Geek

#2103914 9-Oct-2018 13:36

wellygary:

The WD Myclouds and the like are not really NAS devices, they are basically just a consumer grade Networkable HDD

They are a basic NAS (mine is) .
Networked Attatched Storage : yep, my WD is just that.
Can be accessed directly \\192.168.1.x\stuff etc
:-)

There are much better NAS's available of course .
Plenty here at good prices, need to add the cost of a HD.
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/category/networking/nas?o=lowest_price

And just need to add
DO NOT RELY ON YOUR NAS AS THE ONLY BACKUP , or the only storage for your files .
Power spike, poof all gone. Crypto malware, poof: all NAS shared files gone (seen that)
Make sure you backup the NAS to USB (or cloud), most have a USB port in the front for backups

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xpd

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#2103929 9-Oct-2018 14:34

Or do what some others do (such as I) - home "server" (old desktop full of drives), all our files are stored there or backups run from the workstations to the "server", which then is backed up every morning via Backblaze to the cloud.

Obviously does rely on a semi-decent upload rate and unlimited data cap.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

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frankmachine

56 posts

Master Geek

#2103979 9-Oct-2018 15:43

I am the last person to endorse anything to do with Apple, but isn't there a product like Time Machine out there somewhere? a simple WiFi backup unit for PC's you can hide away somewhere?

gehenna

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#2103983 9-Oct-2018 15:56

NAS over Wi-Fi sounds like a world of hurt to me.

gehenna

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#2103984 9-Oct-2018 15:57

frankmachine:

I am the last person to endorse anything to do with Apple, but isn't there a product like Time Machine out there somewhere? a simple WiFi backup unit for PC's you can hide away somewhere?

Only backs up Mac's.

farcus

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#2104007 9-Oct-2018 16:18

gehenna:

NAS over Wi-Fi sounds like a world of hurt to me.

the Buffalo linkstation I linked to has Time Machine built in for Apple users and its own solution for Windows users . . .
comes as a single bay or 2 bay NAS

Users can back up data content on up to five computers for personal or business use. Windows PCs use the award-winning NovaBACKUP® Buffalo Edition, while Mac computers use Time Machine®: Now nothing more stands in the way of data backup from several clients!

jonb

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#2104027 9-Oct-2018 17:00

They are all 'Wireless' once you connect them via Ethernet to your main router. I have a DS112 with a single 4GB drive, and an attached USB 2GB Drive for the '2nd' Drive for extra backups or whatever.

It works great, and only cost a couple of hundred all up.