The Best Home Network Attached Storage For 2024

Harlan Ellison By, Harlan Ellison
Updated
Best Home Network Attached Storage
Best Home Network Attached Storage

The Rundown

1. Best Overall: WD Diskless My Cloud Pro Network Attached Storage

This device features an Intel Pentium N3710 Quad-Core 1.6GHz Processor with 4GB DDR3L Memory, allowing you to store and access your data quickly and efficiently. It also features built-in video transcoding, along with quick and easy setup and a robust Device Manager with My Cloud OS 3. Read Review

2. Best Bang For The Buck: Asustor Lockerstor Enterprise Network Attached Storage

It features an Intel Atom Quad core C3538 2.1 GHz CPU with 8GB DDR4 RAM, enabling lightning-fast data speeds. The Lockerstor is compatible with 2.5" or 3.5" SATA SSD/HDD drives up to 180TB, making it perfect for large-scale storage needs. It also offers dual 10 and 2.5 Gigabit ports, allowing for up to 20 gbps of speed. Read Review

3. Best Performance: BUFFALO LinkStation 710 4TB Home Network Attached Storage

With 2.5GbE multi-gigabit speeds, you can back up and secure your data quickly and easily. Stream your files from anywhere, in any format, so you can access them quickly and easily. Plus, with 4TB of storage, you can store all your files and never worry about running out of space. Read Review

4. Best Convenience: WD 6TB My Cloud Home Network Attached Storage

This device provides a centralized storage for your favorite photos, videos and files, so you can access them from anywhere. With the intuitive My Cloud Home app, you can easily manage and access your content from anywhere. It also features a 6TB capacity for storing large amounts of data. Read Review

5. Best Versatile: TERRAMASTER F5-221 NAS Network Attached Storage

It is an incredibly powerful and versatile storage system that provides a secure private space in the cloud, a wealth of business applications, a variety of backup methods, and the ability to enjoy thousands of containers on Docker. With its high-performance processor, and integrated RAID protection, the F5-221 provides reliable and secure storage for your data. Read Review

In today's digital age, we all generate and store massive amounts of data on our devices. Whether it's photos, videos, music, or important documents, our storage needs are ever-increasing. This is where Network Attached Storage (NAS) comes in.

A NAS device is essentially a server that connects to your home network and allows you to store and access your data from multiple devices. But with so many NAS options available in the market, how do you choose the best one for your home? In this article, we'll take a closer look at the top home network attached storage solutions available today. From Synology to QNAP, we'll explore the features, pros, and cons of each device to help you make an informed decision. Whether you're a professional photographer looking for a robust storage solution or a casual user seeking an easy-to-use NAS device, we've got you covered. So, let's dive in and find the best home network attached storage for your needs!.

We think the best home network attached storage of 2024 is WD Diskless My Cloud Pro Network Attached Storage. With 4TB of storage, you can store all your files and never worry about running out of space. However, in order to provide the reader with a wider variety of alternatives, we recommend adding Asustor Lockerstor Enterprise Network Attached Storage if you are interested in purchasing another appealing one. Here are the buying guides that we specially made for you guys. Follow all the words below for successful shopping!

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 WD Diskless My Cloud Pro Network Attached Storage
Our Score:
9.8
Western Digital

Intel Pentium N3710 Quad-Core 1.6GHz Processor with 4GB DDR3L Memory

Quick, easy setup and a robust Device Manager with My Cloud OS 3

Comprehensive security through password protection and AES 256 bit volume encryption

Centralized storage to organize media and improve your workflow

Built-in video transcoding for HD streaming through Plex

TOP Choice #2 Asustor Lockerstor Enterprise Network Attached Storage
Our Score:
9.6
Asustor

3 year manufacturer warranty

Intel Atom Quad core C3538 2.1 GHz CPU with 8GB DDR4 RAM (expandable up to 64GB) for power user and business

Compatible with 2.5" or 3.5" SATA SSD/HDD drives up to 180TB (18TB x 10). Expand as much storage as needed with ease

Dual 10 and 2.5 Gigabit ports. Take advantage of up to 20 gbps of speed with both 10-Gigabit ports or up to 5 gbps on both 2.5-Gigabit ports.

2 x M.2 NVMe PCIe Gen2 SSD ports for fast cache. Bringing Double Performance

TOP Choice #3 BUFFALO LinkStation 710 4TB Home Network Attached Storage
Our Score:
9.5
BUFFALO

4 TB Total capacity – 1 Drive Bay, HDD included.

ORGANIZE AND SECURE YOUR DATA – Use NAS as an easy-to-access central storage location. No more searching through different external drives or cloud accounts.

SECURELY SHARE FILES WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS – Create individual access of folders to ensure your data remains private while securely share storage space or files with others.

MADE IN JAPAN - Quality Devices.

24/7 US-BASED SUPPORT - With 2-year warranty, including hard drives.

SUBSCRIPTION-FREE PERSONAL CLOUD – Store and back up videos, music, and photos and access them from anywhere without paying any monthly storage charges.

2X AS FAST TRANSFER SPEEDS - 2.5GbE gives you twice as fast transfer speeds as 1GbE without needing special cabling.

CLOUD INTEGRATION - Sync with Dropbox, Azure and OneDrive to create a hybrid cloud for extra data security, cost savings, and flexible scalability.

HASSLE-FREE INSTALLATION – Hard drive included, and no computer needed for setup. Simply connect the NAS to your router for instant shared network storage for all your devices at the same time. Product is compatible with PC, MacOS, Android, and iOS.

PURPOSE-BUILT STORAGE WITH DATA SECURITY FOCUS – Storage designed to keep your data safe, the NAS features a closed system to reduce vulnerabilities from 3rd party apps and SSL encryption for secure file transfers.

4 WD 6TB My Cloud Home Network Attached Storage
Our Score:
9.4
Western Digital

Stream music and movies with Sonos, Google Chromecast, Plex Media server and more. ( Services may be changed, terminated or interrupted at any time and may vary by country.)

Organize and easily find your content with the intuitive My Cloud Home app.

Centralized storage for your favorite photos, videos and files from your devices and popular cloud accounts.

Features an aluminum-alloy shell and intelligent temperature control ultra-quiet fan, good in heat dissipation. The F5-221 NAS enclosure is compatible with 3.5" and 2.5" SATA HDD, 2.5" SATA SSD. For better and stable performance, please use dedicated NAS hard drives.

An ideal Plex server / media server: real-time hardware transcoding of up to two concurrent 4K video streaming.

The F5-221 NAS server adopts AES hardware encryption engine to encrypt shared folders and network data transmission to keep data from unauthorized access.

POWERFUL HARDWARE: the F5-221 NAS storage is equipped with Apollo J3355 2.0GHz dual-core CPU, and 2GB of RAM (expandable up to 4GB). Dual 1GbE LAN ports with each reaching at 119MB/s read and 118MB/s write (network failover / Link Aggregation supported).

Advanced Btrfs file system featured in the F5-221 5 bay NAS offers 71,680 system-wide snapshots and 1,024 snapshots per shared folder.

16 TB Total capacity – 2 Drive Bays ships with RAID 1 (Automatic Backup) = 8 TB usable capacity. Set to RAID 0 to use the full 16 TB.

24/7 US-BASED SUPPORT - With 3-year warranty, including hard drives.

DIRECT COPY - Back up your devices via USB. Copy photos/videos/files without a computer.

HASSLE-FREE INSTALLATION – Hard drives included, and no computer needed for setup. Simply connect the NAS to your router for instant shared network storage for all your devices at the same time. Product is compatible with PC, macOS, Android, and iOS.

SMALL OFFICE / HOME OFFICE NETWORK ATTACHED STORAGE: Optimized to organize, store, share, and back up your important files.

MADE IN JAPAN - Quality Devices.

SUBSCRIPTION-FREE PERSONAL CLOUD – Store and back up videos, music, and photos and access them from anywhere without paying any monthly storage charges.

BACK UP MULTIPLE COMPUTERS & DEVICES – PC backup software included, and you can set up automated backups of data on your computers and mobile devices.

2X AS FAST TRANSFER SPEEDS - 2.5GbE gives you twice as fast transfer speeds as 1GbE without needing special cabling.

SECURE YOUR PRECIOUS DATA - Storage designed to keep your data safe, the NAS features a closed system to reduce vulnerabilities from 3rd party apps and SSL encryption for secure file transfers.

7 WD 20TB My Cloud Pro Network Attached Storage
Our Score:
9.0
Western Digital

Intel Pentium N3710 Quad-Core 1.6GHz Processor with 4GB DDR3L Memory

Comprehensive security through password protection and AES 256 bit volume encryption

Centralized storage to organize media and improve your workflow

Built-in video transcoding for HD streaming through Plex

Quick, easy setup and a robust Device Manager with My Cloud OS 3

8 WD 4TB Diskless Network Attached Storage
Our Score:
8.8
Western Digital

Integrated backup software for PC users and Time Machine support for Mac users

Twonky DLNA-certified media server and iTunes support

Centralized storage with anytime, anywhere access

RELIABLE STORAGE W/ EFFORTLESS SETUP: RAID 5 pre-configured for out-of-the-box protection to save you time and effort.

PURPOSE-BUILT FOR DATA PROTECTION: Features 256-bit drive encryption, a closed system, and flexible replication and backup features to keep your data safe.

DATA RECOVERY SERVICE – Qualifies for free simple logical data recovery with award winning support when registered

FEATURES – Asustor Backup Plan allows you to automatically schedule a backup of your data from any PC or MAC to your NAS. Asustor EZ-Connect allows you to connect to your NAS remotely from any computer or mobile phone. Asustor EZ-Sync turns your NAS into a real-time file syncing personal cloud space with file versioning.

APPS – Over 200+ free unique apps for any home or business use. The apps offered cover a wide range of utility and features such as: server backup, cloud backup, anti-virus, media server, photo syncing, music and video streaming.

TIER – Power / business user 4-bay NAS for storage and multimedia with 2.0GHz Quad-Core processor and 4GB DDR4 RAM, able to handle as virtual storage machine. This NAS packs a power performance with two built-in 2.5GbE ports and three 3.2USB ports.

Product Images, Product Titles, Product Highlights from Amazon Product Advertising API

What to Look For in a best home network attached storage?

Buyers are frequently hesitant to purchase best home network attached storage. Certain factors should be considered while making a significant purchase. Our understanding and expertise with best home network attached storage will assist you in making the right decisions.

Please take the following points into consideration before selecting best home network attached storage:

Ease Of Use

A NAS is a great option for small businesses that need a solution that can run without much maintenance. Choosing a NAS that can be set up quickly with minimal labor is always a wise decision. For enterprise solutions, higher labor and administrative costs are insignificant when compared with the benefits that a NAS can bring.

Form Factor

The form factor of a computing device affects the design of hardware components that go into the larger unit. For NAS storage devices, form factor usually comes in two variations: rack-mount, and tower type cases. Choosing between these two options is straightforward. For example, rack cases would be suitable for enterprise networks since they have an expandable capacity. Tower type casing is better for consumers or small-to-medium businesses.

RAID

RAID stands for redundant array of inexpensive disks. RAID can be quite complex but at a basic level, you’ll want to use it to provide redundancy so if a disk fails your data is still safe. Three of the most popular variants are RAID 1, 5, and 6.
Whatever RAID you choose, however, don’t consider your NAS to be the only backup of your data. If the box just dies, or if something catastrophic happens like a fire, you’ll still lose all your data. To mitigate this you'll want another external backup, preferably to the cloud.

Capacity

In simple terms, the more drives you can cram into a NAS the greater its potential storage capacity. In most cases, we suggest something with four or five bays like the Synonology DS-1511. Loaded up with a swag of 1TB or 2TB drives it offers plenty of capacity.
If your needs are more modest then a two-bay unit is also handy and won't break the bank.

Transcoding

What type of processor does your NAS need? NAS drives run dedicated OSes that require a lightweight processor and more RAM. A faster processor and more memory will enable features such as transcoding, which means that any media files can be converted on the fly into a format that's playable by your TV or set-top box. It can also be useful if your videos are a higher resolution than your TV can handle, so look out for the ability to transcode 4K to Full HD in real-time.

Ports And Connections

Don't overlook connectivity. If your priority is to use your NAS as a home video server, it might be worth picking one with an HDMI output like the QNAP TS-251B so you can connect it directly to your TV. And if your TV can't play video from a network source, you'll need a separate media streamer.

Apps

After storage, the next main concern is software and features. We prefer NASes that have an app store where you can download popular apps such as Plex instead of forcing you to use the manufacturer's own media software. NASes also offer apps for Android and iOS, which make it easier to get to your photos, videos, and music from your phone or tablet.

FAQs

What is a Home Network Attached Storage (NAS)?

A Home Network Attached Storage (NAS) is a device that allows you to store data on a network. It connects to your home network, allowing multiple users to access files from different devices connected to the network. It is a great way to keep your data safe and accessible from anywhere.

How do I set up a Home Network Attached Storage?

Setting up a Home Network Attached Storage is relatively simple. First, you will need to connect the NAS to your home network. This can be done by connecting an Ethernet cable or a wireless connection. Next, you will need to install the software on your computer that will allow it to access the NAS. Finally, you will need to create a username and password to access the device from any device connected to the network.

What are the benefits of a Home Network Attached Storage?

There are a number of benefits to having a Home Network Attached Storage. It allows for data to be easily accessed and shared between multiple users, devices, and locations. It also allows you to back up your data, ensuring that it is safe in the event of a hardware or software failure. Finally, it allows you to access your data from anywhere, anytime, giving you peace of mind that your data is safe and accessible.

What types of files can I store on my Home Network Attached Storage?

The types of files you can store on your Home Network Attached Storage will depend on the device you have. Generally speaking, you can store a variety of media files such as photos, videos, music, and documents. You can also store software and applications, as well as virtual machines.

We constantly update the list of best home network attached storage as new data becomes available. For the most up-to-date information, please visit our website regularly.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any queries or concerns with best home network attached storage. If you ask, we'll do our hardest to help you in any way we can!


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About Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison is a writer and audio equipment enthusiast. He's particularly interested in home theater HiFi audio, and he has been the editor of The Audio Insights since its inception. Harlan is known for his sharp wit and scathing critiques, but he also has a great love of music and audio gear. When he's not writing or editing, Harlan can be found listening to music or watching movies with his wife.