Ask Engadget: What's the best budget NAS?

Yeah, we've seen a similar question before, but this one's looking specifically at NAS devices that won't force you to liquidate half your assets to afford. We'll let David take it from here, and once you're done reading / responding, send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com:

"I'm tempted to buy a NAS that centralizes all of my shared media, as well as act as a central backup. Redundancy is not a necessity as RAID0 will eventually fail and I'm not inclined to go RAID1 and waste the valuable disk storage space. I already have a few that I've been looking at, Buffalo's LinkStation and D-Link's DNS-323. What's people's opinion nowadays? Must-have features: UPnP support with transcoding (to media players, Xbox 360, PS3), torrent / NZB support with post processing, a nice GUI, a backup mechanism. Am I asking for too much?"

At first glance, we'd have to say "yeah, you just might be stretching it." But hey, maybe there's some perfect device hidden in the middle of nowhere that a kind reader will clue you in on. And if you're looking for dirt cheap, there's always the Addonics' USB-to-NAS adapter.

[Jongscx @ Dec 12th 2008 8:33AM]

Anything Mybook... The Mybook World Edition, great price, easy setup...

[page87 and counting @ Dec 12th 2008 9:08AM]

NS4300N is THE unit to use. Filly featued, Windows, Linux, Mac compatible out of the box. 4 drive bays, raid 0,1 or 5. Intuitive web interface, fast... what else could you want? Easy to upgrade (start with 2x1tb drives, easily add 2 more all while keeping your file in tact and accessable! Freaking awesome system!!

[kenuf @ Dec 12th 2008 10:35AM]

ReadyNas Duo. Its got most of what he's asking for.
BT client
UPnP
ITunes server
backup software (i think)
usb for expansion and offloading files (from a drive or camera)

It is limited to 1TB drives though, its not dirt cheap but its not bad either and all the work is done for you. Interface is good and I can manage it on my fone.

[Lunasea @ Dec 12th 2008 12:05PM]

Unfortunately sharing media on floppy disks would be faster then a MyBook...

[TavisJohn @ Dec 12th 2008 12:58PM]

Mybook sucks! The boxes FRY (Yes fry) hard drives! I have had 3 fry themselves in the past few months. They last just long enough to be out of warranty and then literally burn themselves out!

Now I am unsure if this includes their NAS solutions... But the MyBook external Hard Drives suck! I have 4 more that I am preemptively replacing. (The latest one to burn out literally burned out the moment I finished moving all my data off of it onto another drive!)


From now on I am using external boxes that are RAID1 and have a fan. That way if a drive fails, I do not loose EVERYTHING!


So a tip for ANY NAS you get, make sure it supports RAID1 or some kind of auto-backup system. Either with 2 HD's inside or externally over USB or ESATA.


I have a QNAP TS101. http://www.qnap.com/pro_detail_feature.asp?p_id=67
It is nice, however you can't have the web server, media streamer, and everything else turned on... It is a bit much.
Also USB storage "Permissions" tend to be forgotten without rhyme or reason...
It is also picky about the exact type of HD's you use with it.

So I would not really recommend it. I will be getting a totally different NAS next time I purchase one.

[tpp @ Dec 12th 2008 11:25PM]

Second the comment from TavisJohn. MyBook's kill hard drives. What's worse than that is that WDC is not honoring warranty on the units either. I will never buy MyBook's again.

[yode @ Dec 13th 2008 8:33AM]

Best Nas?
Illmatic without a doubt

[tiuk @ Dec 13th 2008 12:54PM]

I know it was said, but I think it can use the emphasis: MyBooks suck. We have about 6 or 8 at work and we've had four failures in the past year. Worst external drives we've ever bought.

[Ahmed Alzayani @ Dec 12th 2008 8:35AM]

Cheap old PC with Linux and 2 x 500 GB 3.5" HDD

[varun @ Dec 12th 2008 8:49AM]

I second this. Chances are good if you're in the market for a NAS, you have a couple of computers. Re-purpose an older one, or pick up a refurb or second hand one from a your local computer shop. FreeNAS has a 32MB footprint, has a wonderfully simple and easy to use interface, and meets all but the last of your requirements out of the box. And you can get a plugin for it to do automatic pull backups. That said, you may find reading SmallNetBuilder.com's review of the DNS-321 and DNS-323. Beautiful interface, very fast, but unless you go with the 323, no Bittorrent, etc.

[EvilSpectre @ Dec 12th 2008 8:54AM]

Im with him, old PC and FreeNAS will do all you want it to do
http://www.freenas.org/
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/how_to_build_a_nas_box

[mb @ Dec 12th 2008 9:02AM]

or fbsd 7. ZFS is yummy.

or check out http://freenas.org

[JiltedCitizen @ Dec 12th 2008 10:09AM]

I'm trying this and my old PC hates linux apparently. Random lockups and such, I was looking forward to using freenas in a virtual machine.

[Jamus @ Dec 12th 2008 9:33AM]

If looks and space is not an issue, an old PC is definitely the way to go. Software-wise, I am looking at trying a run of OpenSolaris to hopefully get some of that ZFS goodness myself!

[protozoider @ Dec 12th 2008 10:09AM]

Best thing is to get a really power efficient system, which will also be quiet and cool. You don't need much for hardware except a gigabit LAN and a fast HD. It's the cheapest, longest lasting, and most stable and expansive solution. Most NAS hardware has limits or problems. I never found one that isn't really expensive that works well.

As I have mentioned many times though. As engadget has reported before. There are new routers that allow you to plug in an external hard drive right into your router and share on the network without any other equipment. I'm not sure how great this works but I'm guessing it's the cheapest and fastest solution.

[Krush @ Dec 12th 2008 12:32PM]

Agreed ... but FreeNAS setup is not for eveyone - I gave up trying to find drivers for my old SCSI card. Bought a cheapo Airlink101 OfficeNAS enclosure at FRYS - dropped in a WD 1 TB drive and plugged it into my wireless N 300 router. Never had any problems for the past 11 months. I'm able to stream HD home videos to my HTPC (over WiFi) and also share an old USB external HD through the NAS setup .....

[Fred Source @ Dec 12th 2008 1:24PM]

If you want a NAS plus a whole lot more, take a look at the open source home server from www.amahi.org

[BLKMGK @ Dec 12th 2008 2:40PM]

I prefer to use unRAID and low end low cost components. Still based on Linux, boots from FLASH, but allows drives to sleep when not being used and all drives do nto need to spin in order to read or write like conventional RAID. you will also not lose the entire thing if you lose multiple drives and no hot spares are needed. Not the fastest thing in the world but fast enough to stream multiple HD videos at once...

Lime Technology has the software for this and a very good support forum, a new release just came out too!

[Janz @ Dec 12th 2008 4:38PM]

Good solution but power hungry. I've been running two such servers for several years until I decided to replace them with two NAS. I was suprised that my power bill dropped by nzd200 (Don't know if power is cheap where you are) a month. That's a lot of $$ that could have gone towards gadgets.

I thought that my bill was due to heating. Funny thing is, those PC were heating the room. It's colder now in winter without it, but at least I don't need a fan in summer now.

[codeo @ Dec 12th 2008 5:29PM]

I agree with the recommendation for unRAID. If you have a spare PC which can boot from a USB drive then this will let you turn a collection of IDE or SATA disks into a nice, parity protected, RAID array. This system is rather unique in that it uses RAID4 and does not stripe the data, by doing this you can build an array out of a set of disks that are not all the same size, so if you have some spare disks laying around you can probably start with them. They also allow you to add additional disks to the array without having to do any migration. The trade off is that read speeds can be slower than a RAID5 because there is no striping, but typical IDE and SATA disks are certainly fast enough to stream hidef media, so that's probably not a significant concern.

[Wardotron @ Dec 12th 2008 8:36AM]

I'm interested to hear people's opinions on this, particularly in respect of devices that share media via iTunes AND uPNP for mixed platform environments... (zzz I know, but such a NAS would answer a lot of problems...)

[Cybertrash @ Dec 12th 2008 8:37AM]

I have a DNS-323 that I got almost a year ago, and have been quite happy with it.
It's hackable and runs linux, so you can make it do just about anything.
Here's the main community page for it: http://wiki.dns323.info/

[Robot @ Dec 12th 2008 10:49AM]

"What to but" indeed.

[Jason @ Dec 12th 2008 8:40AM]

Linksys NSLU2 (Slug)

[majello @ Dec 12th 2008 8:42AM]

Check out Netgears ReadyNAS Line. Does the uPNP thing nicely (either using a built-in server or twonky) and has an iTunes server (which i don't use), is easy to set up and works like a charm. Bittorrent is built in as well, and there's a good deal of third-party modules. easy upgrade to larger disk-capacities is also something that i like. and their support-forum is extremely helpful, which can be a big plus...

check out www.readynas.com

[smileytang @ Dec 12th 2008 2:21PM]

Another vote for ReadyNAS here.

Worried about the raid space usage? Pop in four drives and set it up under 'X-Raid' (ie. Raid 5). Uses only 25% of the full storage for redundancy (ie. one of the drives can fail and you don't lose any data, but you still get 75% of your total available storage space).

It's maintenance free, and gives you a huge gamut of storage server options. It will share all your media via itunes, and/or it place nicely with devices such as squeezebox.

They're a little pricey (compared to full out budget options), but I've have mine running 24/7 for over 2 years now with no failures, glitches, or necessary maintenance.

[Scott @ Dec 12th 2008 9:48AM]

Second that. The ReadyNas is really good (I have an NV+) and does everything the poster is asking for. But it's not exactly cheap. They used to sell a naked one with no drives, but since Netgear bought them that option's not available AFAIK.

But if you pony up the initial cost, you get 4 drives in RAID5, or X-RAID, which is their own version of RAID5 with auto-expandability. That's a really nice feature, since all you need to do is replace 1 drive at a time with a bigger one and let the RAID rebuild. Once you've done all 4 drives, your storage is automatically expanded to use the new space without the need to reformat. I'm getting ready to replace my 4X250GB drives with 4X1TB, and it's going to set me back about $300...really a good deal when you outgrow your existing storage.

[wizzle @ Dec 12th 2008 3:52PM]

Also really liking my ReadyNAS. I moonlight in IT consulting and we set these up for a lot of clients - they are very reliable, but definitely on the expensive side for a home setup. I does take about a day to expand the RAID every time you add a drive, though I've never seen this happen quickly, and presumably you won't do it often.

Supposedly Drobo is killer for a home setup, and much much cheaper - Engadget clearly likes them. I would buy one if I didn't already have the Netgear.

[Fanfoot @ Dec 12th 2008 5:42PM]

Isn't RAID 5 slower than molasses though? Fine if this is just a backup server, but otherwise...

I have a Drobo. Obviously the flexibility and all is great. But the thing is so damn slow! I would only consider using it for backup. Also, I've often seen issues with the things coming back up after a reboot/power down. You often have to kick the thing by unplugging it and plugging it back in. Unreliable.

[tpp @ Dec 12th 2008 11:33PM]

I have ReadyNAS NV+ as well, and while I think it is a great NAS drive, there's nothing budget about it. It's expensive as hell.

[Sean Chambers @ Dec 12th 2008 8:45AM]

I have a QNAP TS-209 Pro II that I use as my main media server/nas. Among other things, it has a built in bit-torrent client, twonky media server (streams movies to my PS3), a slim server (to stream music to my logitech boom) and web/mysql. It also looks quite nice (sits in my TV rack) and is extremely quiet. I would definitely recommend it.

[James @ Dec 12th 2008 9:04AM]

I am with Sean, I use the QNAP 209 II and it works great. Highly recommended.

[J @ Dec 12th 2008 9:49AM]

Another vote for QNAP, I have the TS-101.

[Harry @ Dec 12th 2008 2:04PM]

Another happy 209 owner here- love it!

Also, I think only someone who's been lucky not to have a major disk crash would say that RAID is a waste of disk. Even if the data is eventually recoverable somehow, just not having to deal with that is worth $100 that a TB disk goes for these days.

[Adam @ Dec 12th 2008 8:47AM]

I love my DNS-323. Wouldn't trade it for anything in it's price range. Does way more than I would even expect out of something in that price range

[Mic2000 @ Dec 12th 2008 8:48AM]

QNAP TS PRO 109 II, works fine with my consoles. As a great torrent download server, FTP, Backup Server, etc. All you mentioned above in the article and even more!

[randeX @ Dec 12th 2008 8:49AM]

Synology makes some of the best NAS devices.
"UPnP support with transcoding (to media players, Xbox 360, PS3), torrent / NZB support with post processing, a nice GUI, a backup mechanism. Am I asking for too much?" NO, Synology has all of this ;) and much more

[MrMee @ Dec 12th 2008 11:34AM]

I have to agree, synology are by far the best NAS devices we've used. Really easy to upgrade as well, very well supported.

[Mike @ Dec 12th 2008 10:20AM]

I second this - I have the Synology DS107e, and it does everything you mentioned, including streaming 720p video to my PS3 for playback. It's a great little NAS, and very small and quiet. It was also the cheapest NAS I found, especially if you don't have an old computer lying around.

[SK @ Dec 12th 2008 1:11PM]

I would also have to agree, I have a Synology NAS device; it runs busy box linux and can be managed completely through its web interface. It's reliable, energy efficient, and you can even SSH into it. Also, you don't need any special software to access it; it has numerous ways of accessing it

[zargon @ Dec 12th 2008 8:50AM]

I would seriously beg you to reconsider on not going with a RAID configuration, while not totally secure since redundancy is only half the equation, it will give you better projection. While RAID 0 makes your buy two disks while only getting the space of one, you can sustain a 1 disk failure and not lose any data. Not only that, but replace the failed disk and you are off and running again with redundancy. If you are looking for more space, RAID 5 or 6 is what you want. RAID 5 is going to be the most common and most economical, RAID 6 is meant more for large arrays. RAID 5 requires at least 3 disks, but you can have more. You only lose the space of one of the drives and again, can sustain a 1 disk failure. Redundancy is a must if any of the data on there is valuable to you, even if it the value is time, like ripping all of your CDs. With hard drives being so cheap these days, I think it is kind of silly to not give yourself at least some protection.

If you can't be swayed to use redundancy, I have heard the Buffalo products are good. You might also want to consider something like the Popcorn Hour A-110. It is a media streamer, but also has room for a 3.5 SATA hard drive, which will give you the ability to share it out to your network and it even has a bittorrent client built into it. If you are tech saavy even a little, I would also suggest going the DIY router. FreeNAS or OpenFiler will take care of all the heavey lifting as far as managing of everything, they are tailored BSD (FreeNAS ) or linux (OpenFiler) distros specifically designed for this purpose. All you need is a PC with enough space for all the hard drives you want to put in it. You can do RAID or LVM (which will allow you to combine all sorts of drives of different sizes into a logical volume) and share it through SMB/CITS (Windows Sharing) or NFS and manage it all through a nice web based interface.

[DJBnJack @ Dec 12th 2008 10:15AM]

You'd be talking about Raid 1 instead of Raid 0 in your first example :-)
Raid 0 has 0 redundancy.

[Jägs @ Dec 12th 2008 10:25AM]

Just one minor quibble with your post, zargon: what you first describe as RAID 0 is actually RAID 1 (two drives mirrored for redundancy). RAID 0 is striping, so you get the storage of both drives; however, if one drive fails, you lose all of the date on both drives.

Otherwise, yes, RAID is good for redundancy in case of hardware failure, but is not a complete backup solution--especially against accidental deletions, etc. Too bad manufacturers have not stepped up with consumer-friendly, relatively-inexpensive external backup solutions to keep up with the amount of data people are now storing. Perhaps Blu-Ray will be a good solutions, especially if Pioneer brings the 400GB variety to market.

[zargon @ Dec 12th 2008 10:28AM]

Yeah, it has been a long week and I for some reason always get those mixed up, even after talking about it just last week.

[Chris @ Dec 12th 2008 8:51AM]

Linksys NSLU2 - had it for 2 years, runs without fault, for $80, can''t be beat. does backups flawlessly, hackable if you want, all around a great buy - and at about the size of a pack of cards, outright tiny.....Excellent.

[zedster @ Dec 12th 2008 8:52AM]

I have to echo FreeNAS, I run PFsense its router brother and love it. yes you have to tinker but its worth the time because of all the features you get and ability to make hardware changes so easy. Other wise, Debian or FreeBSD is a good way to go and just have a full server set up.

Also, can't you back up via rsync either way?

[Alex Valentine @ Dec 12th 2008 8:52AM]

Old pc + Drives + http://www.openfiler.com/

[Eric @ Dec 12th 2008 8:52AM]

I have a 500GB LaCie NAS which can be picked up on Newegg for under $100. It works great and and can stream my media to my X360 and map the network drive. The only problem is that the from the internet GUI, there's a bug they have yet to fix that does not allow any files over 2 or 3 GB to show up.

[Douglas Knudsen @ Dec 12th 2008 9:04AM]

I have the LaCie too. Works a treat. The USB over ethernet jack on it sucks though. slowwww and if your USB drive plugged into it goes to sleep, you have to reboot the LaCie. Besides that it works really well.

[Jimmy @ Dec 12th 2008 8:53AM]

I asked myself this same question last week. With Windows Home Server on sale, I decided to go that route. Not only is it a NAS but it's a Windows 2003 server you can do pretty much anything with.