The Best Personal Network Attached Storage For 2024

Piers Anthony By, Piers Anthony
Updated
Best Personal Network Attached Storage
Best Personal Network Attached Storage

The Rundown

1. Best Overall: Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation

The Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation DS220j is an ideal entry-level network-attached storage solution for your home. It allows you to store and share photos, videos, documents, and personal data quickly and securely. Read Review

2. Runner Up: Synology 4 bay NAS DiskStation DS920+

The Synology 4-bay NAS DiskStation DS920+ is a powerful, reliable, and scalable storage solution for your home or business. It features two built-in M.2 SSD slots and Synology SSD Cache technology that allow you to boost system I/O and application performance. Read Review

3. Best Efficient: BUFFALO LinkStation 1-Bay NAS

The BUFFALO LinkStation 1-Bay NAS is a powerful and reliable storage device for home and small office use. It is compatible with any operating system and has a dedicated media server for easily storing and streaming your media files. Read Review

4. Best Technology: Asustor Lockerstor 6 Bay NAS

The Asustor Lockerstor 6 Bay NAS is a powerful device that provides extreme speeds with four M.2 Slots for caching or storage, or both. It also has the capability to combine multiple Ethernet ports for speeds way beyond 2.5 gigabit Ethernet. Read Review

5. Best Design: Synology 1 bay NAS DiskStation

The Synology 1-bay NAS DiskStation is a versatile 2-bay NAS designed for small offices and home users. It has a 64-bit quad-core processor, delivering sequential throughput at over 112 MB/s reading and 112 MB/s writing. Read Review

When storing files, storage is one of the top concerns for anyone who works from home. Whether you’re a heavy photo user or need more space for your digital documents, having an extra storage drive can be useful. But finding the best place to put your storage drive can also be tricky. After all, how many external hard drives do you have lying around? Do you have a spare desktop or laptop you don’t use anymore? If not, what are your options?

Even if you have an empty hard drive that you could use as a secondary storage option, knowing where to purchase it from and get the best value cannot be easy. With that in mind, here are some of the best network-attached storage (NAS) devices for your home office to use as additional external storage.

After 18 hours of product research and analysis, we can identify the best personal network attached storage is Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation. The performance of this NAS device is of an excellent standard, and it offers a complete set of features that can satisfy your requirements. You can also check out the Synology 4 bay NAS DiskStation DS920+ to meet your needs. 

Our Top Picks

TOP Choice #1 Synology 2 bay NAS DiskStation
Our Score:
9.8
Synology

DS220j is an entry-level 2-bay NAS designed to store and share photos, videos, and documents for home and personal users. The private cloud solution is powered by the award-winning DiskStation Manager (DSM) OS, providing an intuitive user interface and safe data protection approaches for easy digital asset backups from computers and mobile devices at no additional cost.

You can easily access files on the Synology NAS over the Internet using QuickConnect. DiskStation allows you to synchronize your files across multiple devices or several locations, so you never have to go without your data. It can centralize and organize your photos and videos in your private cloud for easy sharing and management. DSM makes it easy to back up files for all your devices and avoid accidental data loss. You can even back up data from your DiskStation to other devices or any primary cloud storage provider. Nevertheless, you can find this device difficult to use if you are not a tech savor. 

TOP Choice #2 Synology 4 bay NAS DiskStation DS920+
Our Score:
9.7
Synology

If you want to simplify your NAS and boost efficiency, look no further than the Synology DS920+. There are two M.2 SSD slots built right in, and with Synology's SSD Cache technology, you can speed up your system's I/O and your apps. Synology DX517's scalable storage architecture allows you to begin with a small initial installation and add additional storage as your data needs increase.

You can quickly and easily organize your digital photo collection, share and sync files between computers and mobile devices, and use lightning-fast web applications. DiskStation enables the entire office to centralize files and collaborate on projects thanks to its support for various network file-sharing protocols. You can also synchronize files across multiple devices or locations to facilitate collaboration among distributed teams. This device ensures that your files are secure with Synology and that you retain data control. Nevertheless, its hardware may sometimes lag a bit. 

TOP Choice #3 BUFFALO LinkStation 1-Bay NAS
Our Score:
9.5
BUFFALO

If you're seeking a secure and user-friendly personal cloud solution, consider Buffalo's LinkStation 700 series NAS. This NAS server allows you to store all your important files in one location and access them quickly from any device. You can easily back up multiple computers running Windows or macOS and Android or iOS mobile devices to a centralized NAS. Additionally, you can create your private cloud by combining the NAS with services like Dropbox or Microsoft OneDrive, enabling swift data storage, retrieval, and sharing over the internet.

Equipped with a Hexa-core processor and a native 2.5GbE Fast Ethernet port, this NAS storage efficiently handles large data streams at high speeds. You can securely share storage or files with others without compromising privacy by granting specific permissions for accessing particular folders. However, it may experience some slowdowns when multiple users simultaneously handle it, especially during file writing.

4 Asustor Lockerstor 6 Bay NAS
Our Score:
9.4
Asustor

Almost every enumerated benefit of this product is excellent. This network-attached storage unit has four M.2 slots that can be used for storage or caching. You can dedicate each space to a specific function or switch things up. With room for four M.2 SSDs, this NAS can adapt to various situations where faster storage is a priority.

Compared to Gigabit Ethernet devices, the performance of the two 2.5GbE ports on this Lockerstor Gen2 is significantly higher. On top of that, the relatively new addition of SMB Multichannel support means that this NAS can pool the bandwidth of multiple Ethernet ports to achieve speeds much more significant than 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet. Moreover, this device provides optimal cooling for the NAS by allowing increased airflow to reach every part of the system. However, people unfamiliar with technology may have trouble learning to use the interface of this product because it is not very user-friendly. 

5 Synology 1 bay NAS DiskStation
Our Score:
9.2
Synology

Are you seeking a versatile, high-performance network-attached storage device for your small office or home? Look no further than the Synology DS218+! This 1-bay NAS packs a powerful 64-bit quad-core processor and 2 GB of DDR4 memory, delivering lightning-fast sequential throughput at over 112 MB/s reading and writing. That means you'll have plenty of bandwidth to handle demanding tasks like 4K video transcoding on the fly so that you can enjoy your favorite movies and shows without lag or stutter.

It also comes with Synology's award-winning DiskStation Manager (DSM), a powerful and intuitive operating system that lets you easily manage and organize your data. Whether you're storing important files, backing up your devices, or streaming media to your TV, the DSM makes it simple and hassle-free. And with support for a wide range of clients and browsers, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, you can access your data from anywhere, anytime. Plus, it is designed with data security in mind, featuring SSL encryption and a closed system that minimizes vulnerabilities from third-party apps. Unfortunately, this device may make a bit of noise while in operation.

6 WD 56TB My Cloud Series NAS
Our Score:
9.0
Western Digital

The My Cloud Pro Series offers online storage for managing your digital assets and accessing, saving, and sharing production files from anywhere with an active internet connection. It is compatible with various platforms, allowing you to securely store and organize all your media for use in creative projects.

With its extensive network storage, this device enables easy access to your unprocessed photos and final mixes from a central location. Thanks to its quad-core Intel Pentium processor and 4GB of RAM, streaming high-definition videos and sharing large files is effortless. To ensure data security, the My Cloud Pro Series offers multiple RAID options, password protection, and 256-bit AES volume encryption, safeguarding your data from unauthorized access. Additionally, it provides redundancy during power outages. The only downside is that its manual instructions could be better. 

7 BUFFALO LinkStation 2-Bay NAS
Our Score:
8.8
BUFFALO

Buffalo's LinkStation SoHo 200 series is an excellent choice for small and home offices and professional users seeking a reliable and affordable RAID-based NAS storage solution. This simple NAS server delivers dependable performance and high data security, perfect for everyday storage and backup needs.

The pre-configured RAID setup protects out-of-the-box data, allowing easy backup from multiple computers (Windows and macOS) to a secure network storage location. The NAS operates on a closed system, preventing the installation of third-party applications and enhancing security by avoiding potential app vulnerabilities. This 2-bay NAS offers the flexibility of RAID data protection. You can configure a RAID 0 array for maximum storage capacity or a RAID 1 array for data redundancy if one of the NAS drives fails. The only minor downside is that the device's initial setup can be a bit cumbersome.

8 QNAP 8 Bay High-Capacity NAS
Our Score:
8.6
QNAP

3 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port

2 x 10 Gigabit Ethernet Port

AnnapurnaLabs Alpine AL324 ARM Cortex-A57 quad-core 1.7GHz processor

9 BUFFALO 4-Bay Desktop NAS
Our Score:
8.4
BUFFALO

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

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

MADE IN JAPAN - Quality made data storage

10X AS FAST TRANSFER SPEEDS: 10GbE gives you 10x as data fast transfer speeds as 1GbE with CAT 6A or higher-rated cabling.

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

PEACE OF MIND INCLUDED: 3-year warranty (includes hard drive coverage) with 24/7, award-winning US-based support. (Additional warranty options available.)

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

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

Often buyers are reluctant to buy best personal network attached storage. When considering a large purchase, certain things should be examined. Our knowledge and experience of best personal network attached storage will help in making the best options.

Please keep in mind the following criterial before selecting the best personal network attached storage:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FAQs

What is a personal network attached storage (NAS)?

A personal network attached storage (NAS) is a data storage device that connects to a computer network and enables data storage and retrieval from a single centralized location. It is typically used for file sharing, data backup, streaming digital media, and other related tasks.

What are the benefits of using a personal NAS?

Personal NAS provides a secure and centralized location for storing and sharing data across a network. It is a cost-effective way to store data and can be easily accessed from multiple devices. Additionally, personal NAS devices offer features such as data redundancy, encryption, and access control which can help protect data from unauthorized access.

How do I choose the right personal NAS?

When selecting a personal NAS, consider factors such as storage capacity, transfer speed, and the features that are important to you. It is also important to ensure that the NAS is compatible with your network and the other devices you plan to use it with.

What is the difference between a personal NAS and a cloud storage service?

A personal NAS is a physical device connected to a local network, while a cloud storage service is a virtual storage solution hosted in the cloud. A personal NAS offers more control and privacy over your data and faster access times, while cloud storage services provide more scalability and convenience.

When new data becomes available, we routinely adjust the list of best personal network attached storage. Please do regularly visit our website for the most up-to-date news.

If you have any questions or difficulties with best personal network attached storage, please do not hesitate to contact us. We'll try our best to do everything we can to assist you if you ask!


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About Piers Anthony

Piers Anthony

Piers Anthony is a freelance writer and computer expert who enjoys helping others get the most out of their technology. He has written extensively about laptops, soundbars, and other computer-related topics, and he currently serves as the editor of The Audio Insights website. When he's not writing or tinkering with his gadgets, Piers can be found spending time with his wife and family.