Generally, such devices can be controlled via a web interface, like your router can be. Many types of back-up software can back up directly to the network storage.
Network Attached Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
Rather than getting a dedicated NAS device and tacking it on to all your other devices, you can actually buy higher-end Wi-Fi routers that come with built-in hard drives. These devices function as your typical network router, but they also have all that fancy NAS server software and a built-in hard drive so you can get a NAS without adding yet another device to your household. Quite a few routers — especially higher-end ones — include USB ports. Plug an external hard drive or even a USB flash drive preferably not a flash drive if you intend on using it heavily into the USB port.
You can get much faster speeds if you use a USB 3. External hard drives can get a much larger speed improvement from USB 3. Rather than buying a pre-made NAS or attempting to use your router as a NAS, you can always buy a network-attached drive enclosure. These are dedicated NAS devices with the appropriate server software, designed to be connected to a network.
These can potentially be cheaper if you can get a decent deal on the hard drives. While some NAS devices come with software that needs to be installed on every computer on your network in order for them to access the storage device, many NAS devices don't need any complicated software tweaks. Just connect the NAS device to your network, power it up, and your connected PCs, Macs, and mobile devices will see the NAS on the network and be able to access its files and features.
Here's a rundown of features a NAS can provide your home or small business. Easily and automatically back up and protect content from PCs and Macs. Many NAS devices come with backup software either proprietary to the manufacturer or commercially available software such as Retrospect. Additionally, some NAS devices are compatible with Apple's Time Machine software, enabling all the Macs in your home to back up to a central location.
Further reading
With a NAS device centrally located on your network and available to all users connected to your network, everyone in your home or business will have access to documents, photos, videos, music, and more--all without having to turn on another computer to get access to files. In addition to storing video, music, and photo files, a NAS device can also stream those files over your network to not only your computers but a wide range of connected devices. For instance, many NAS devices can be used as a server for the Apple iTunes media library software, allowing you to serve up music and video to any computer or device such as an Apple TV in your home.
If you want to grab documents that you left behind at home or your home office, or stream music that you forgot to load into your MP3 player, a NAS device can deliver them to you wherever you might be as long as you have broadband Internet connection for the NAS and either a Wi-Fi or 3G connection for the remote device. Most NAS devices provide a secure method for connecting your laptop to files stored on the NAS, and more NAS devices are offering apps for Apple and Android-powered mobile devices to remotely access files stored back at home--allowing you to show off.
This gives you the ability to share a printer with all the computers and compatible mobile devices on your network.
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A NAS with a fixed amount of storage will have either one or two hard drives placed in an enclosure for storage space ranging from GB to 4 TB. This is a good solution for those who are focused primarily on streaming media, or those who want to back up just a couple of computers with small storage capacities. With the ability to add more hard drive space as needed, a NAS with multiple hard drive bays is a good solution for those with larger multimedia libraries, creative professionals such as photographers and videographers , and small businesses or homes that require multiple computers to be backed up.
Another advantage of using a NAS with multiple hard drives is the ability to redundantly back up your data over multiple hard drives using RAID. Some NAS devices also include one or several USB ports, enabling you to add even more storage via external hard drives. Additionally, depending on the NAS device, the USB port can be used to connect a printer if it includes a built-in print server. You can choose from several RAID levels, each providing distinct functionality. Here are two examples: This can be handy, say, if you have a very large iTunes library that you don't want to break up into two different drive locations.
This is obviously more costly, since you're purchasing two hard drives to store the same data, but it can be an invaluable insurance policy for your most important files.
The Best NAS for Most Home Users
In order to serve files to other devices, both the NAS and the device that will be receiving the file either as a stream or as a download must be DLNA Certified Products. With Universal Plug and Play UPnP , devices that are connected to the same network can automatically detect one another for easy sharing of files. While the Wi-Fi-enabled Time Capsule provides a central location for backups for all the Macs in your home, it's technically not a NAS device as it only provides backup and recovery functionality.
You can't use it to stream media i. The former is a computer technology, while the latter is a multi-million-selling hip-hop artist. His debut album Illmatic, released in by Columbia Records, was critically acclaimed and would go on to be widely hailed a classic in the genre. Nas was part of hip-hop supergroup The Firm, which released one album.
The research
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