Network Streamer Network Attached Storage

ThomasD

Decided to pull the trigger on the Cambridge 851D. Can't stand having my Iphone tied up when streaming my playlists or Spotify anymore. All reviews were pretty positive & they seem to be out of stock everywhere (hoping that is a good thing). Have one on back order from Cru...field. Still need to figure out the stand alone NAS issue. Something other than memory sticks. Need to have a solid storage media apart from any laptop etc. Anyone chime in with experience in this matter? Looking for just a couple Terabits of storage. And simplicity is key because I'm not digitally talented.

billbillw

I'd think about the future before setting up any NAS. Do you want to use it for anything other than music? Photos, documents, videos? Do you want it to run Plex or other apps? Do you want it to be redundant (RAID mirrored)? There are literally dozens, if not more options when it comes to stand alone NAS boxes. You an also build a small PC to run as an NAS for about the same cost, but the PC would tend to have better performance and more ability to run apps like Plex.

I started with a Buffalo Linkstation with two drives. I used it for streaming video rips to Kodi, music streaming to various devices, and backup/central location for photos/documents/install files.

I used that for a long time and it started to fill up (it was mirrored pair of 3TB drives). So, I added a 2nd NAS with a pair of 2TB drives and split my music/photos from my videos (which are space hogs). That was actually doing well until I decided I wanted to have a server which could run Plex and do other things.
Eventually I landed at the server I have now (pair of hex core CPU, four 4TB drives in ZFS format). Now, I don't see you going that far, but it does show how things can evolve.

All that said, I'd probably start with a stand alone box from Buffalo, QNAP, Synology, WD/Netgear, etc. I would avoid a single disc device. Dual-bay minimum, but consider at a 4-bay for expansion ability. There is a huge price jump going from a dual bay to a 4-bay, but it is less than getting a 2nd device and they hold their value more.

Most of the time you can save money by getting your discs separately and installing them vs getting one that already has discs installed.

A good resource for NAS information/testing is at this website: https://www.smallnetbuilder.com/nas

steveinaz

I have been considering the Western Digital MyCloud mirrored NAS. It looks simple, like me. I don't stream movies and I'm not looking at setting up a "super network" just a more convenient, accessable (and backed up) storage solution.

Currently I have a WD external usb HDD connected directly to my Oppo BDP-103 via usb cable, but I'm also looking at a wireless solution.

honestaquarian

I got a Western Digital 3 Terabyte network back up hard drive years ago. I use it to back up my computer and also store movies and music. All of my Hi Rez music is on it and it streams to my Oppo via DLNA as well as via SMB (the only way I can get stereo and multichannel DSD files to stream without having to resort to using a USB stick) Works flawlessly.

steveinaz

Very cool. The WD's seem like a good value.

billbillw

If I had it to do over again, I'd take a used/refurb business PC, throw in a pair of decent sized drives, load FreeNAS (on a USB stick), and go with that. It would easily out perform any 2-bay stand alone NAS and be cheaper.

Something like this:
Ebay HP i5 mini-desktop

And a couple of these:
Amazon 4TB WD Red (NAS) drives

You might need a 2nd drive caddy. Lots of tutorials on the web to setup FreeNAS.

recoveryone

can't go to wrong with this option, I've had mine for a year now no issues to speak of.

Viking64

Hey, you! Get off of that! ^^^^^

msg

And Paint it Black instead!

erniejade

I have a western digital ex2 nas for about 4 years now. No issues except i cannot run minimserver native on it like i can with a qnap. The wd. Is simple to use, and can run plex without having another oiece in the mix.

erniejade

Almost forgot, if your not worried about backuo, why not oick up an aries mini from skip and put a 2 tb drive in it?

lightman1

Brian has discovered the wondrous effects of alcohol and posting without proofreading.


Tell the Mighty B I said Hi..

erniejade

Too funny and she says hi back.

stretchl

DSkip wrote: »

Honestly, just adding your music to a computer on your network is easy and accomplishes the same thing as a nas.

That’s what I’ve been thinking, reading this thread. How is a network attached storage device different from simply having a dedicated hard drive on one’s computer and streaming the files wirelessly or via ethernet to the system?

ThomasD

Lots of great suggestions. Hadn't considered just using a computer other than my laptop which I can't dedicate to the cause because it travels with me all the time.
But again, what about a 'mirror' drive for the computer? Was thinking of something that would just sit on a shelf in the audio rack for convenience. Some of this seems to get easier to comprehend while some doesn't. And it's my ignorance and lack of experience that is to blame.

steveinaz

Well, with a simple NAS the software is already there; minimal configuration, and uses far less power..and the COST is relatively low. The WD MyCloud starts at about $179, and gets very good reviews.

billbillw

It is possible to just share from a PC drive that runs 24/7, but Windows OS doesn't always cooperate when it comes to sharing files. It works sometimes, but then for unexplained reasons it doesn't work at other times or with certain devices.

With a stand alone NAS, you should be able to see those files from just about any device on the network. That goes for something off the shelf like the WD/QNAP/Synology devices, or with a built FreeNAS server.

You also don't have to worry about the NAS/FreeNAS server rebooting to install updates like a Windows machine. They may have firmware/software/OS updates, but they won't force them on you. It will be your choice when to install/reboot.

I should point out one benefit of building your own (ie: FreeNAS) is that if the hardware fails (CPU/Mainboard) fails on a stand alone NAS, you typically can't take the drive and put it in another device and salvage the data. With a FreeNAS machine, you could easily use those drives in a new FreeNAS build and not loose data.

Unfortunately, I did have one of my NAS boxes (a Zyxel) die suddenly and unexpectedly. It went into a boot loop that couldn't be fixed. I was never able to get the data off those drives. Luckily I had most of it stored on my PC, but I did loose a few things.

stretchl

Ah. Seems to work fine using my Mac as a server, though I do wonder if I’d get better/cleaner/faster data via Ethernet rather than WiFi.