NAS for small office

[henry_ks]

Looking for a NAS for small office... using a normal router, and most of the staffs are using laptop (connect to the internet thru wifi), only 2 desktop connect thru LAN.

Is it that the NAS just need to connect to 1 of the available LAN port on the router?

May I know what to look out for and which brands are recommended?

I understand that some of the NAS you have to buy the HDD separately , but some of the NAS already comes with the HDD, what is the difference?

The capacity required is only 1TB or 2TB, don't need so big because it is for office usage, so it is not for storage of videos or movies.

I saw Seagate has Seagate NAS 2bay, Seagate NAS Pro 2bay, Business Storage 2bay NAS, Business Storage 1bay NAS...
Are these a good choice?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey, henry_ks!

Yes, the NAS is usually connected to the router through only one Ethernet cable.

Since you don't need any big capacity NAS systems, I'd advice you to check out WD's expert series as well.
(wdc.com/en/products/personalcloud/expert/)
My personal recommendation would be My Cloud EX2. Basically, because it is a 2-bay NAS, and you have the choice to buy it diskless and extend the capacity up to 8 TB, if needed.
As for recommending drives for your storage, I'd suggest WD Red drives, which are specifically designed for small offices. They also have 24/7 support provided, just in case you have any troubles with them. Also, other users give some pretty good feedback about them as well.
(wdc.com/en/products/internal/nas/)

I guess you have the option to choose whatever suits best for your office.

I hope this was helpful.


SuperSoph_WD

 

[jtjt00]

Budget for the NAS?

 

[henry_ks]

Hey, henry_ks!

Yes, the NAS is usually connected to the router through only one Ethernet cable.

Since you don't need any big capacity NAS systems, I'd advice you to check out WD's expert series as well.
(wdc.com/en/products/personalcloud/expert/)
My personal recommendation would be My Cloud EX2. Basically, because it is a 2-bay NAS, and you have the choice to buy it diskless and extend the capacity up to 8 TB, if needed.
As for recommending drives for your storage, I'd suggest WD Red drives, which are specifically designed for small offices. They also have 24/7 support provided, just in case you have any troubles with them. Also, other users give some pretty good feedback about them as well.
(wdc.com/en/products/internal/nas/)

I guess you have the option to choose whatever suits best for your office.

I hope this was helpful.


SuperSoph_WD

How many types of WD hard disks are there in the market?

You mean I can get My Cloud EX2 either with or without hard disk inside? Why not just get it with hard disk supplied together?
Is it okay for it to run 24/7?

Do you know the estimate price of this set up?

 

[henry_ks]

Budget for the NAS?

Maybe $300+ or below...

If not I think maybe just subscribe to have a bigger capacity for dropbox will be better and cheaper than having NAS.

 

[henry_ks]

Office only around 10 pax, maybe in the future may increase to 15.

Is it okay if there are 10 people all accessing, reading or writing to the NAS at the same time?

I heard that some NAS you can access even if you are not in office not in the same wifi or LAN network?? All NAS able to do that or only some?

 

[jtjt00]

You budget is too low:

Synology DS214 2-Bay NAS $390
WD Red Hard Disk:
1TB: $90
2TB: $133
3TB: $169
4TB: $238

You need 2 disk to run RAID 1 for mirror.

Maybe $300+ or below...

If not I think maybe just subscribe to have a bigger capacity for dropbox will be better and cheaper than having NAS.

 

[henry_ks]

You budget is too low:

Synology DS214 2-Bay NAS $390
WD Red Hard Disk:
1TB: $90
2TB: $133
3TB: $169
4TB: $238

You need 2 disk to run RAID 1 for mirror.

I heard that Synology is a good and popular brand...

But any other model by Synology which you will recommend? (Maybe cheaper) They have so many models, I don't even know what's the difference between them.


Or other comparable brands?

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

How many types of WD hard disks are there in the market?

You mean I can get My Cloud EX2 either with or without hard disk inside? Why not just get it with hard disk supplied together?
Is it okay for it to run 24/7?

Do you know the estimate price of this set up?

Hi again!

There are a lot of WD drives on the market, they are divided in different series and each family of drives is designed for a specific purpose.
However the WD Reds are specifically for home and small office NAS systems and PCs with RAID, designed and tested for compatibility in the unique 24x7 operating environment.
So, yes, it's okay for them to run 24x7.

As for the EX2, you can get it with the drives as well.
The diskless option is there for the users that want to build a NAS themselves, it is also known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Drive).
However you can buy the EX2 with WD Red drives, indeed.

You can estimate the price yourself at store.westerndigital.com My Cloud EX2 4TB
The drives are WD Red and they are even pre-set in RAID 1, so I guess that saves you the trouble to do it yourself.
And I think it's close to your price range as well.

Is it okay if there are 10 people all accessing, reading or writing to the NAS at the same time?

I heard that some NAS you can access even if you are not in office not in the same wifi or LAN network?? All NAS able to do that or only some?

Yes, it is okay and you can have all 10 people using the EX2 without any concerns.

Yes, you can access the EX2 even when you are not in the office and/or in the same network. It comes with the My Cloud dekstop and mobile app, so you can access it from anywhere.


Hope this helps.

SuperSoph_WD

 

[Gribber]

I heard that Synology is a good and popular brand...

But any other model by Synology which you will recommend? (Maybe cheaper) They have so many models, I don't even know what's the difference between them.


Or other comparable brands?

If price is a concern,

Gun for: D-Link 327L (2 bay)

Dont expect fanciful apps or features.
Read/write speed is excellent for the price paid for.

 

[Gribber]

Hi again!

There are a lot of WD drives on the market, they are divided in different series and each family of drives is designed for a specific purpose.
However the WD Reds are specifically for home and small office NAS systems and PCs with RAID, designed and tested for compatibility in the unique 24x7 operating environment.
So, yes, it's okay for them to run 24x7.

As for the EX2, you can get it with the drives as well.
The diskless option is there for the users that want to build a NAS themselves, it is also known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Drive).
However you can buy the EX2 with WD Red drives, indeed.

You can estimate the price yourself at store.westerndigital.com My Cloud EX2 4TB
The drives are WD Red and they are even pre-set in RAID 1, so I guess that saves you the trouble to do it yourself.
And I think it's close to your price range as well.




Yes, it is okay and you can have all 10 people using the EX2 without any concerns.

Yes, you can access the EX2 even when you are not in the office and/or in the same network. It comes with the My Cloud dekstop and mobile app, so you can access it from anywhere.


Hope this helps.

SuperSoph_WD

Personally I will not recommend WD NAS.
Majority (probably) of the NAS from WD comes with below average read/write speed.

 

[Gaiason]

Personally I will not recommend WD NAS.
Majority (probably) of the NAS from WD comes with below average read/write speed.

maybe can get 2 bay qnap?

 

[henry_ks]

Anyone tried Asustor AS-202T 2-Bays NAS??

A shop told me that I should get Synology DS214, but if it is too expensive, go for Asustor AS-202T is better than going for Synology 214SE or Synology 213J

Is it true??

 

[iconfuse]

sorry for the hijack, i am also looking for a recommendation for a home NAS.

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/storage-clinic-119/recommend-me-nas-support-cloud-storage-4778830.html

 

[Skypower]

Synology DS414 is good
Buy 4x 3TB WD Red HDD

Build SRAID with 3x 3TB
Last 3TB use to backup the more impt files on SRAID

*Backup application is built in the Synology OS

 

[Gribber]

Anyone tried Asustor AS-202T 2-Bays NAS??

A shop told me that I should get Synology DS214, but if it is too expensive, go for Asustor AS-202T is better than going for Synology 214SE or Synology 213J

Is it true??

Depending on what you need.

Read/write speed?