NAS for home

[Infrasonic]

Something to bear in mind with any old NAS that is now out of support (not getting firmware updates) is that they can be hacked.

If you want to keep them secure put them on their own subnet (using an old router) or VLAN so that in the event that someone breaches your main router/firewall you don't get a NAS locked out by ransomware because there is no WAN link.

If you need a NAS to have internet access for remote access then make sure it is an up to date model getting regular security updates or duplicate those accessible files to an E2EE cloud service like Proton Drive and keep the NAS off the WAN entirely apart from a manual sync then turn off WAN access schedule. A cheap physical RJ45 A/B box could suffice...https://www.amazon.co.uk/CERRXIAN-Netwo ... 150&sr=8-5

[Infrasonic]

https://tailscale.com/kb/1307/nas

Tailscale makes it easy to securely connect to your Network-Attached Storage (NAS) devices over WireGuard®. There are different levels of official or community support depending on the platform.

Tailscale is completely free for most personal uses, including accessing your NAS. In general, install Tailscale on the NAS and follow the steps to authorize it. More specific instructions are available for some vendors as described below...

If you put Tailscale onto all your client devices as well then you'll have a nice encrypted network with almost zero effort. An additional benefit is you don't need to faff with DDNS or port forwarding (most of the time) if you want to remote in.

[mtk62]

If your house burns down and OD is corrupted then you have nothing...

A sysadmin colleague of mine went on a crisis management course.
There were examples given on the course of things that companies did wrong when trying to prepare for a crisis.
One of the ones that amused us greatly was the following.

A company diligently performed regular backups (digital tapes) and kept the tapes in a fireproof safe.
There was a fire at said company.
The small snag was that the record of the backups was a notebook - kept on top of the safe!

They did recover relatively quickly as they used the timestamps on the tapes to determine the order.
Just made it a little harder for themselves.

I keep meaning to have an offsite backup of my stuff.
I normally send a USB to my brother - who normally loses it.

[Infrasonic]

^^ The biggest issue is companies (and individuals) not testing backup restores on a regular basis.

It's all well and good having robust back up plans with multiple on and offsite copies but if you don't establish they are restorable and fully functional it's all a bit moot.

Ask me how I know...

[Gerry557]

Another vote for Synology unless you are a tampering IT geek that might want to save some outlay.

My other thoughts are consider more bays or you might have to upgrade sooner than you think.

Synology raid allows different disc sizes again easier to upgrade

You can get 5 bay addons for some of the nas units should you need even more space.

[Infrasonic]

If you go the traditional HDD route for the bulk storage seriously consider getting one of the NAS' with M.2 NVMe SSD caching capability, it will help with
read write and can be used as hot/warm storage for frequently accessed documents.

Bear in mind with the very large HDD options available now (20TB+) if you have a disk failure and need to resilver and rebuild a RAID 5/6 array it could take ages (days or possibly even a week+...). 10-14TB seems to be the sweet spot price and performance wise.

Another option would be a mirrored (RAID 1) solution backing up to a 5/6 NAS.

You can get RAID 1 dual NVMe Thunderbolt/USB 4 cases now, which have the added bonus of being very portable, handy if you are out and about with a laptop frequently. Use the RAID 1 as the portable DAS, back that up to a RAID 5/6/10 NAS when back at home/office.

e.g....https://www.acasis.com/collections/thun ... 4213343461

[chris]

Because of the software around Synology, I am another that would recommend going down that route.

Be careful what disks you buy. Watch this before buying Western Digital disks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLGi8sPLkLY . I would also buy larger disks than you think that you will need. I bought 2 x 8Tb disks and set them up raided. This was for videos, file storage and backups, which Synology does very well - although they are called business backups, they are perfect for home use and just work. However, because RAID means that there is just 8Tb of storage, I did run out and because I had a 2 disk NAS, had to upgrade to a 4 disk one, buying 2 extra 8Tb disks. I bought Seagate Ironwolf disks.

In terms of which one to buy, have a look at this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbzi3r0chv0 . The guy has a bit of a hippy vibe to him but seems to know what he is talking about and gives lots of good advice.

[Infrasonic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N8dcZaFJTg

Synology DS525+, DS1525+, DS425+, DS1825+, DS1825xs+, DS225+ NAS Reveal

[Infrasonic]

...
You can get RAID 1 dual NVMe Thunderbolt/USB 4 cases now, which have the added bonus of being very portable, handy if you are out and about with a laptop frequently...
e.g....https://www.acasis.com/collections/thun ... 4213343461

I bought one of these yesterday from Amazon along with 2 X 4TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe SSD's. Should be arriving soon...

[Infrasonic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9orRK7n8wBU

Mar 20, 2025
Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to NAS Encryption
00:32 - Apple iCloud & Backdoor Access Debate
01:35 - How to Enable Encryption on iCloud
02:05 - Sponsored Segment: NordVPN for NAS Security
03:40 - Why Encryption Alone Won’t Fully Secure Your NAS
04:12 - VPN Misconceptions & Encryption Risks
04:48 - How to Properly Encrypt NAS Storage
06:00 - Importance of Mounting & Unmounting Encrypted Storage
07:14 - VPNs & Remote NAS Access
08:08 - Limitations of VPNs for Full Encryption
09:11 - Understanding NAS Certificates & SSL Encryption
10:13 - Why You Need an SSL Certificate for Remote Access
11:08 - Summary: Three Layers of NAS Security
11:49 - Final Recommendations for Secure NAS Access
12:56 - iCloud Encryption Warning: Replacing Unencrypted Data
13:24 - Conclusion & Final Thoughts

[Infrasonic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UHpDPdUEl4

Mar 21, 2025
Video Chapters
00:00 - Introduction: Budget NAS with Compromises
00:44 - CPU & Performance Overview (Intel N100)
01:21 - Memory & Storage: DDR5 & M.2 NVMe Bays
01:59 - Fifth M.2 Slot & Pre-Installed Windows Drive
02:36 - NVMe Speeds & Performance Testing
03:09 - Missing Thermal Pads & Cooling Concerns
03:39 - Space Constraints & Airflow Issues
04:12 - Read & Write Speed Tests (NVMe Performance)
05:17 - Internal Data Transfer Speeds
05:48 - 10GbE Expansion Possibilities
06:23 - Power Consumption: Performance vs Efficiency
06:56 - Ports & Connectivity: USB, Ethernet, HDMI
08:15 - Difficult Installation & Upgrades
08:48 - Overheating Issues & Thermal Concerns
10:02 - Stress Testing & Thermal Camera Results
10:55 - Heat Management & Ventilation Needs
12:00 - Realistic Expectations for a $149 NAS
12:37 - Best Use Cases: Plex, Containers, & Clusters
13:11 - Final Thoughts & Where to Buy

[Infrasonic]

Offsite backups.

Another option is to run another NAS at a friend/relatives house and run mutual offsite backups to each other.

It will work better if both parties have decent fibre connections, but if you do a local backup first then subsequent internet syncs will be much smaller only reflecting any file changes. As long as you aren't trying to sync huge video/4K photo files then even a modest internet connection should be ok - run the scheduled backups at night when asleep.

Encrypted folders can be set on both ends so all data is kept private for each party.

Here's an example using Synology but most of the well known NAS brands have similar capability with the mid tier and higher models having their own apps. Rsync can also be used if you are comfortable with command line (or use a third party GUI).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8lJcf0V_-4

Aug 24, 2023
Synology allows NAS-to-NAS remote backups over the Internet! In this how-to I demonstrate how I started a large backup on my local network and then relocated it to a remote location for future backups

VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
01:34 - Prereqs
03:04 - Tailscale Outbound Connections Configuration
04:51 - Creating Backup Folder
05:14 - Setting up the Backup User
06:41 - Setting up the Backup
12:58 - Reconnecting to the Remote Server after physically relocating
15:30 - Conclusion

[Infrasonic]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0E8UFj1Qew

Mar 25, 2025 Ugreen NAS in 2025 - Is this the real deal?

Update review of their all SSD NAS firmware/OS improvements since launch- available in the UK now.

Looks very promising.
I've been keeping an eye on this one since launch. Back then it had too many OS issues but it looks like they've ironed most of them out and have a really good balance of working features now. Impressive first attempt at a NAS...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-DXP480T ... 1b6e3d217f

NAS compares has a similar video in the members area, once he puts it on public access I'll post the link.

[Infrasonic]

NAS compares... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AqrlLrDGZc

Mar 25, 2025
Video Chapters
00:00 - Intro, it's been a year...
00:30 - UGREEN NAS Early Reviews & Marketing Strategy
01:55 - Success of the Crowdfunding Campaign
04:18 - UGREEN NAS Software: UGOS Improvements and missed chances
05:23 - Virtual Machines, Docker, & Security Updates
06:28 - AI Features & Local Processing Capabilities
07:37 - Limited Global Availability is...well...umm...
08:11 - Upcoming UGREEN IDX Series & Future Direction
09:16 - Should You Wait or Buy a UGREEN NAS Now?
09:50 - Is UGREEN NAS Safe? Security & Remote Access Concerns
10:51 - Alternative NAS Software
11:59 - Final Thoughts: UGREEN’s Long-Term Viability
12:59 - Should Synology & QNAP Be Concerned?
13:26 - User Feedback & Buying Considerations
13:51 - Where to Buy & Supporting the Channel