A NAS or Network-Attached Storage Device is a small computer that is used to back up computers as well as serve files to your local networks. Having a NAS makes perfect sense if you are someone who needs access to humongous amounts of data from several computers on the same network.
While a 4 bay NAS will give you more ports, which automatically means a higher amount of storage space, it may not be the right choice for you given that you may not really need around say 32TB (4 drives of 8TB each). Also, the 2 bays are considerably cheaper than the 4 bays. If you are sure that a 2 bay will be enough for your needs, then have a look at some of these products and our thoughts on them.
A simple plug-and-play device from Western Digital, The My Cloud EX Ultra just needs to be connected via the ethernet port to your system. It comes with a 1.3GHz dual-core processor and 1GB memory for super-quick file transfers. It is powered by My Cloud OS and offers data backup to MY Cloud or any cloud servers. It will also automatically synchronize content across all devices and it’s 256 AES volume encryption offers top security. You also have a pair of USB 3.0 ports on the back which you can use to add more storage or connect it to a backup system.
Netgear’s ReadyNAS 212 offering is a superfast storage device packed with a quad-core Cortex A15 1.4GHz processor, 2GB RAM and up to 200MBps read & 160MBps write speeds. It offers a maximum storage capacity of 32 TB. It also comes equipped with 2-gigabit ethernet ports supporting aggregation and the B-Tree file system (BTRFS) offering high safety with its extensive backup and redundancy features. You can also stream in real-time in 1080p and transcode to a remote device. You also get the ReadyCLOUD portal-based user interface and app for various devices making it your personal cloud service accessible from anywhere.
Synology DiskStation DS218+ packs a powerful punch with its Dual-core 2.0GHz processor and 2GB expandable to 6 GB DDR3L-1866 RAM. It also comes with quoted transfer speeds of 113MB/s for reads and 112MB/s for writes. With its real-time 4K video streaming capability, you can also enjoy high-quality video playback on various devices. Synology’s QuickConnect cloud feature provides you with the ease of accessing your files anywhere, anytime and can be synced across multiple devices. BTRFS technology offers high security to protect your precious data. With this device, you can have a storage capacity of 28TB across 2 drives.
The DiskStation DS718+ is equipped with 1.5GHz quad-core CPU, over 226 MB/s sequential reading and 188MB/s writing, 2GB DDR3L-1866 memory (expandable up to 6GB), 3 USB 3.0 ports and 2 LAN ports. All of this power adds up to a device offering fast transfer times. It also adds scalability with the option to expand to 5 drives as your storage needs grow over time. This device also comes equipped with BTRFS technology and the ability to stream 4k videos and easily transcode 4k to 1080p. Needless to say, you also have the capability to access your data from anywhere and on any device.