Networked External Drive In 2022: Best Picks & Guidance

Erich Jackson By, Erich Jackson
Updated

Our team of experts compiled the top 12 Networked external drive by gathering about 6,892 customer reviews complimenting the product quality and service via market research. High-ranking June 2022 businesses, such as Buffalo, Synology, Western digital, Asustor, Terramaster, Qnap, will be featured here at that time.

Our Top Picks

4TB 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.

Intel dual-core processor with AES-NI hardware encryption engine; 2 GB DDR4 memory (expandable up to 6 GB)

Average 15% performance boost to photo indexing and other computing-intensive operations, as well as database response time.

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

Invite family and friends to share and collaborate on content.

24/7 file server for your household to store share and backup personal data

Compatible Drive Type* (See all supported drives)-3.5 inch SATA HDD, 2.5 inch SATA HDD (with optional 2.5 inch Disk Holder), 2.5 inch SATA SSD (with optional 2.5 inch Disk Holder). Note- "Compatible drive type" indicates drives that have been tested to be compatible with Synology products. This term does not indicate the maximum connection speed of each drive bay

4 TB Total capacity – 2 Drive Bays ships with RAID 1 (Automatic Backup) = 2 TB usable capacity. Set to RAID 0 to use the full 4 TB.

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

Access and sync your files seamlessly from network, Check Synology website for full software features

Sequential throughput at over 113 MB/s reading and 112 MB/s writing

Automatic file synching across all your computers

High-performance 1.3 GHz dual-core Processor for lag-free streaming

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

3 year manufacturer warranty

Compatible with 2.5" or 3.5" SATA SSD/HDD drives up to 36TB (18TB x 2). Expand as much storage as needed with ease

Real-time hardware transcoding of up to two concurrent 4K video streaming.

AES hardware encryption engine encrypts shared folders and network data transmission to keep data from unauthorized access.

What Is The Most Excellent Strategy For Purchasing A Good Networked external drive?

Upon looking for the perfect Networked external drive, a lot of things should be taken into account. Each item has its own challenge of purchasing.  As a result of the formation, we're here to help, advise, and provide answers to these problems.

Our top pick will highlight perhaps one of the most fantastic products currently available on the market and answer frequently asked questions about them.

  • Which one on this list is the best?
  • What factors should you examine when determining which product is best for your needs and circumstances?
  • Where to go to learn more about the product?
  • What are the values of shopping for this item?
  • What are the pros and cons of shopping for this product?

Along with the availability of selling websites, product consulting platforms, and platforms for customer evaluations and comments in today's information technology network, everyone may participate in this list. 

A close inspection of these attributes would be valuable as they were developed and assessed by humans and technology. Keep in mind the following points:

Ports And Connections

Connectivity is important. It's worth looking for a NAS with HDMI output, such as the QNAP TS-251B. This will allow you to connect your NAS directly to your TV and not require it to stream across the network. A separate media streamer will be required if the TV cannot play video from any network source.

Choosing Disks

You have the option of buying a fully loaded NAS unit or selling an empty chassis. The empty chassis is best to use for your drives. One thing to note: not all drives will work with every NAS device. Many manufacturers keep a compatibility listing.
It is important to note that not all NAS devices will work with green drives, which automatically shut down when there's no activity. This could be a sign that your disk is failing. Make sure to check before you commit to buying your drive.

Apps

Software and features are the second most important concern after storage. Instead of forcing users to download their media software, we prefer that NASes have an app shop where they can get popular apps like Plex.
Many NAS drives offer Android and iOS apps, making it easier to access your music, photos and videos from your smartphone or tablet.

Form Factor

Form factor refers to the physical dimensions, shape and size of a computing device. This affects how hardware components are designed for the bigger unit. Form factor is usually available in two forms for NAS storage devices: tower-type cases and rack-mount. It should not be difficult to choose between the two choices. Rack cases, for example, are suitable to be used in enterprise networks because they can expand. For consumers and small to medium businesses, tower type casing works better.

RAID

RAID is a redundant array of disks. Although RAID is a complex concept, it can still be used to protect your data in the event of a failure. RAID 1-5 and 6 are the most common variants.
No matter what you do, your NAS should not be considered the sole backup for your data. You'll lose your entire data even if the box dies or something more serious like a fire. You will need another backup option, and preferably one that is cloud-based.

Transcoding

What processor power is required for your NAS? Although NAS drives are powered by lightweight OSes, transcoding will be possible with a more powerful processor and more RAM.
It means any media file can be quickly converted to a format compatible with your set-top box or TV.
This can be very useful for videos that are higher than the TV's resolution. Look out for the possibility to convert 4K video to Full HD live.

Ease Of Use

Complex systems require dedicated IT professionals to manage them. You will require a system that is easy to maintain, especially if you are limited in your resources. A NAS should be easy to set up and requires minimal effort. Enterprise solutions will have higher administrative and labor costs, but the savings that the system brings are negligible.

Capacity

Simply put, the more storage you have on a NAS, the higher its capacity. We recommend a Synonology DS-1511 with at least four to five bays. It offers plenty of storage capacity when loaded up with 1TB and 2TB drives.
A two-bay unit, which is more affordable and will suit your budget better, can be a great option if you have smaller needs.

Remote Access

Remote access will be required to your NAS files if you aren't at home. Previously, this meant signing up to a third party DNS service. However, most NAS drives can be set up with just one account. You can log in to the account, and the manufacturer will handle connectivity to your home box using their servers.

FAQs

What Number Of Bays Are You Going To Need?

You can put your hard drive into bays (or slots). You can store more data if you have more slots than others. Are you able to have multiple bays? A RAID configuration can be created. You can allow multiple drives to work together by creating a RAID setup. You can create one huge storage area by using the JBOD and RAID 0 To avoid data loss, you can use RAID 1 for all files. You can choose as many bays as you need for your RAID configuration.

How Does A NAS Device Work?

Excellent Question. It's a device that stores data and makes it accessible to all of your internet-enabled devices. The device connects to the home network, which is simply the network that you have connected at home or work. It makes data accessible. The data can be accessed from anywhere you have WiFi access, such as hotspots in buildings or your 4G mobile internet connection.

Do You Really Need A NAS?

A NAS drive is necessary if you have multiple backup locations and data scattered across devices. It will allow you to back up multiple devices with ease, automation, and greater reliability.
A NAS is necessary for businesses that have large data sets.
Buying a NAS is a great way to ensure that your internet-accessible data remains secure. You will save money over the long-term and you can choose your own security measures.

What Is A NAS External Hard Drive?

Unlike USB 3.0 or eSATA External Hard Drives that can only be accessed via the internet, a NAS external hard drive is accessible through your home network. You can therefore access the contents of your NAS external Hard Drive (DATA), on any device that supports DLNA, such as an iPhone, iPad or Smart TV. This means that you don't need duplicates of your data across all devices. Instead, one central NAS storage device can be used to store all your data.

Can I Use An SSD Drives In A NAS?

While it is common to place a hard drive in a NAS, SSDs can be used inside some. To improve your performance, you might be able use a PCIeNVMe SSD to cache.
You should make sure that you choose an SSD for use with a NAS such as the Seagate IronWolf 110 and Western Digital Red SA500. They are designed for continual use thanks to DuraWrite technology.
SSDs have a disadvantage in that they are limited to 4TB of storage. Another drawback to SSDs is their higher price.

What Does Diskless NAS Mean?

Diskless means that the network storage device is not equipped with Hard Drives. Many NAS brands like WD or Buffalo only offer their NAS servers with drives already in place. This can increase the cost of the device and limit your options for Hard Drives. You can select the drives you need, as well as how many, and then install them yourself to create a custom NAS storage solution. It is easy to install the hard drives. You can also save time and increase your storage capacity by selecting and installing the drives yourself.

The list of Networked external drive will be regularly updated to be included in additional data by our editor's team. Please keep an eye around for any amendments made to our website.

Our consultants could support you with problems related to Networked external drive and other things as well. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you need advice.


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