Cheap NAS for backups

jonorigin

jonorigin

jonorigin

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6 Nov 2002
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I'm looking for a bit of NAS related advice. I have 1 PC, 2 x laptops and a Mac that I'm currently backing up via a USB drive manually. I'd like to get a NAS that I can stick on the network and get it to backup to a schedule. I already have 2 x 1tb drives I could use with it and don't need it for streaming or anything like that. Can anyone recommend something cheap and cheerful that would do the job?

Thanks

Jon
 
How cheap? An idea of budget would be helpful.

Also bare in mind the old adage 'you get what you pay for'. I ahve reviewed NAS solutions fomr Buffalo/Seagate/Iomega etc and nothing compares to a quality enclosure like a Synology or QNap whcih sport great software/features/speed and reliability!

If you had a Synology DS212j you could raid those two drives for redundancy and have a whole host of features. REVIEW

Or you could get something like the DS112j which holds one drive and pop the other in a caddy and hook it to the DS112j. All devices could use the nas and the nas could back up to the caddy? REVIEW
 
Just need to define cheap Jon :)

Your main problem on the cheap side is compatability with both your Windows and Mac machines and frankly .... speed. Especially if your going to schedule across that many machines
 
Thanks very much guys. The 1 bay Synology looks good and is right at the top of my budget. I was looking at something like the Zyxel NSA221 as it has 2 bays and is dirt cheap, but I understand it is deathly slow. The 2 laptops are connected via wireless, and the Mac via Powerline so i'm not going to get decent speeds from them whatever happens I guess.
 
Personally, I'd buy a small PC or one of those HP Microservers.

Much more functional than a NAS and you get a spare machine out of it!

I picked up a brand new VIA Artigo A2000 for around £60 not so long ago. The only downside is it only supports drives up to 1.5TB in size. I replaced the fan with a xilence redwing and it's now silent
 
I did think briefly about a HP Microserver, but i'd rather have something cheaper, quieter, less power etc. I've got enough machines around the house as it is and don't really need any extra features!
 
I still think the DS112j is the way forward. Cracking feature set mate for not a lot more than one of the lesser makes/models but in terms or performance/features light years ahead. Remember the device plays a big role in speed too, it's not just about the way the other devices connect.
 
Tho not the cheapest solution - as I said in another thread after years of messing about with cheaper NAS setups, standalone PCs, etc. I recently got myself a QNAP and really wish I'd done it in the first place.

The ability to realtime backup the internal disc(s) on it to an external USB2/3 HDD alone makes it great - no more worries about losing data if the internal RAID fails, etc. but the number of features and features that actually work make it so worthwhile - unlike pretty much every cheap NAS I've ever used the user/group management is actually semi easy to use and actually works and it properly spins down discs that are idle and goes into a low power state when its actually idle properly so when its not in use it almost silent.

It might not be cheap and/or overkill for some uses but its worth every penny and is the solution I was always looking for but wasted time trying to get without spending so much money on.
 
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Having done some more research today I think you are all right - a cheap solution would be a false economy. I'm going to go with the Synology DS212J I reckon. Thanks again for everyone's input!
 
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