We have MacBook Pro and a Mac mini as well as various tablets and iPhones. We want to be able to view all the files on a hard drive on both computers without having to plug stuff in. Remote access would be a bonus but not essential. I’d like to just be able to turn the computer on and it be there. Is a NAS the way forward? I’d like it to be easy but I doubt it is. I’ve looked around on the web but just get more and more confused. Basically I know very little about computers or their associated gubbins so please imagine it’s a small child asking this question and answer accordingly.
Ta.
We have a virgin superhub if that needs taking into account.

Some wifi boxes (eg Apple Airport Extreme) let you plug in a USB hard drive and then mount it as a NAS for everyone of the Wifi to see.

Not sure if the Virgin SuperHub supports that. If not, you’d need a NAS hard drive and just connect that via Ethernet to the Virgin SuperHub.

Have you thought about using something like Dropbox?

Why not just create a share on the Mac Mini and use that as your NAS?

A NAS sounds about right. Have a look at the Synology range, they allow backups from the macs using time machine. Remote access, including mobile apps and work with all sorts of network media devices.

They are expensive but worth the money for the friendly user interface and reliability.

Have you thought about using something like Dropbox?

A pretty good solution unless you also want to stream music / films, in which case it’ll be too slow….

A pretty good solution unless you also want to stream music / films, in which case it’ll be too slow…

Again, just use the Mac Mini with something like Plex running on it.

My Qnap NAS has a Qsync folder – you have a Qsync folder on your computer – anything you put in there gets copied to the qsync folder on the nas and any other machines you’ve configured with a qsync folder. Delete something and it’s removed from all. Use the Qfile app to access the files remotely on the web.
Bloody perfect for you I reckon.

(Although, without a NAS of your own, I’m sure there’s a cloud solution that will do something similar.)

There are ‘simplified’ NAS systems for people who want something that is plug & play, with minimal fiddling about….Western Digital do one called MyCloud that you can get from somewhere like Maplin.

I just had a quick look and there seems to be a specific Apple solution called something like Time Capsule. Dunno if that would work better in what sounds predominantly like an Apple household….?

Synology are consistently rated highly. You’ll generally buy the bare NAS and then have to add drives.

These files, are they important?

Are you backing them up?

QNAP here. Works well.

I just had a quick look and there seems to be a specific Apple solution called something like Time Capsule.

Do you mean Time Machine, which is their back up solution.

You can connect USB drives to their Wifi Hub and it will NAS them for you.

Are you backing them up?

That’s what the NSA/GCHQ are for…..

We’ve had good experiences of a Western Digital MyBook system (superseded by MyCloud as mentioned above) on a PC network. It’s great as storage system and media server (streams to our digital radio). There is an option for remote access via Western Digital servers (whether or not you have a static IP I believe) although we’ve not used this.

I can’t say how one would behave with Macs, but there are Time Machine options on the configuration page for Mac backup (so I’d assume that it’d be good).

2TB units are less than £100 and I think that there are 4 and Mirrored options.

I’ve got a synology NAS recently, it’s reasonably easy but you’d still have to know a bit to sort it out. There are apple devices called Time Capsule which would do what you want and I’d imagine would be simpler if you’re fully apple. They have redundant features and are expensive though.

If I was you and didn’t want to learn about computer stuff, I would go to an apple store and get them to explain what a Time Capsule could do and see how hard it is to set up.

Do you mean Time Machine, which is their back up solution.

Time capsule is this, an Apple NAS with WiFi.

I’m happy to learn I just need it explaining as if I’m a simpleton. Time capsules just seem a really expensive solution for what you actually get. I’ve read a bit about NAS and that seems to be what I’m after.
Drop box isn’t right for us as we want to put 75000 pictures on it as well as films and music.
Someone suggested a drobo 5n but that’s a bit expensive. Synology seem to get mixed reviews.
I’ll keep looking. Thanks for the advice so far.

Synology is actually pretty good for a beginner. There’s video how to guides on the website and embedded help in the OS which is broken down into each application and then again by task.

I have a Synology NAS. While it’s fine accessing mapped drives through a file manager, the software it uses for syncing between your computer and the NAS is a complete pile of ****, in my experience. You can plug USB devices into the back of it to directly transfer stuff over, but half the time it won’t recognise what you’ve plugged in (necessitating deleting some temp files off the connected device and an overly long reboot).

Which one are you using Kit, Hyper Backup? What’s wrong with it?

Time capsule is this, an Apple NAS with WiFi.

Must be loosing my Apple touch, never heard of it!

Synology are consistently rated highly

Consistently destroy hard drives too.*

I’ve had Synology, wouldn’t buy another, would upgrade my Qnap to another Qnap if I needed to, without researching any other brands.. Apps are better than Synology for what I do.
Mine’s old enough that there are apps available that don’t support the processor, but it’s still lightning fast. Remote login always amazes me with the connection speed.

*your experience may be different to mine, my friend’s and brother’s.

footflaps – Member

Do you mean Time Machine, which is their back up solution.

As above, it was called time capsule. Not familiar with Apple products though, so dunno what time machine is/does and how it differs from time capsule.

Time capsule looks like a nice looking box, but seems a lot more expensive than other options that seem to offer the same/very similar functionality. I think there’s a theme there……

RichPenny – Member
Do you mean Time Machine, which is their back up solution.
Time capsule is this, an Apple NAS with WiFi.

I think Time Capsule was discontinued when they sacked off their router department.

so dunno what time machine is/does and how it differs from time capsule.

It’s really just some annoying SW on the iMACs which asks ‘Do you want to back up this machine to this drive?’ every time you plug a USB drive in.

And they did do some Airports with a built in HD which auto backed up your iMac for you – no idea if they still make those.

retro83 – Member

I think Time Capsule was discontinued when they sacked off their router department.

It’s on the Apple website & described as ‘all-new’ and ‘re-designed from the ground up’.

stumpy01 – Member
It’s on the Apple website & described as ‘all-new’ and ‘re-designed from the ground up’.

Oh, fair enough! Sure I remember reading they’d dropped it a little while back along with their router line up.

They dropped the old one and made a new one.

I still have the old one and it has been brilliant. Also does my wifi as I have the wifi on the router disabled. Works *really* well.

Rachel

Hijack, sorry, I’ve been thinking about this idly for a while.

I’d like my music files in a box, plugged into the Hifi via a DAC, and controllable from my android phone or tablet. All the tunes are on the laptop and the moment, and I’d like not to have to get that fired up, plugged in for the evening’s listening if I don’t have to.

What kind of box/driver would I need for this?

Can’t imagine needing much else from a NAS. photos are backed up elsewhere. Although it might be nice to flick through photos on the telly. it’s in the same corner. Presumably that’s easier – just USB from the box and do it from the telly?

Time Capsules were also the turnkey Apple solution for NAS Time Machine backups. They do work really well if you’re prepared to pay for one – the one NAS I got working erratically with Time Machine had me convinced it would be worth paying for the Apple solution in this case for reliability.

I gues an Airport / Airport Extreme with a USB disk would do the same but I’m Macless these days.

Hijack, sorry, I’ve been thinking about this idly for a while.

I’d like my music files in a box, plugged into the Hifi via a DAC, and controllable from my android phone or tablet. All the tunes are on the laptop and the moment, and I’d like not to have to get that fired up, plugged in for the evening’s listening if I don’t have to.

What kind of box/driver would I need for this?

I’m after something very similar. I’d like a NAS I can dump my mp3 collection onto and access it via my iphone (with a stable/gslick app) to play then play over a Bluetooth speaker from my phone.

Presume the right NAS with a good app will do the trick?

I gues an Airport / Airport Extreme with a USB disk

We ran this for years. The Airport would crash if you tried to move too much data between drives though. We now have 10TB hanging off the iMac, but obviously it’s only available when the iMac is on.

nedrapier – Member

Hijack, sorry, I’ve been thinking about this idly for a while.

I’d like my music files in a box, plugged into the Hifi via a DAC, and controllable from my android phone or tablet. All the tunes are on the laptop and the moment, and I’d like not to have to get that fired up, plugged in for the evening’s listening if I don’t have to.

What kind of box/driver would I need for this?

Can’t imagine needing much else from a NAS. photos are backed up elsewhere. Although it might be nice to flick through photos on the telly. it’s in the same corner. Presumably that’s easier – just USB from the box and do it from the telly?

A NAS will do what you want, although I am not sure about feeding it in through a DAC to the hi-fi.
You can get network players that will play directly from a NAS through your hi-fi.
You could also plug in a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth adaptor to the hi-fi & use a phone/tablet as the music player with the data streaming wirelessly from the NAS.

I think most ‘smart’ tvs will connect to a NAS to allow you to look at pics etc. on them.

A NAS will do what you want, although I am not sure about feeding it in through a DAC to the hi-fi.
You can get network players that will play directly from a NAS through your hi-fi.
You could also plug in a Wi-Fi/Bluetooth adaptor to the hi-fi & use a phone/tablet as the music player with the data streaming wirelessly from the NAS.

Cheers stumpy. I bought a fancy Epiphany DAC a little while ago, and 320/lossless files played from the laptop sound great. Since bought a few chromecast audio thingers, which do a good job of multi room playing, podcasts etc, but it would be good to still use the DAC when playing the ripped files for “sat down opposite the speakers with a glass of whisky” type listening.

Buffalo SomethingOrOtherStation, 4 bay and been great. just a shared drive, so you copy files on to the shared drive and they’re available from there. Stuff also available to internet enabled midi hi-fi (EDIT like what stumpy says) and smart telly. Means I can show photos on telly, which is nice.
4 drive bays means disks can be mirrored or striped so if a disk fails, I don’t lose everything – no protection against drive being wiped or hit with malware/virus but more secure than shared single drive on computer. Also considerably more expensive and a bit of a faff to set up but not too complicated

I think most ‘smart’ tvs will connect to a NAS to allow you to look at pics etc. on them.

Plex will be your friend for accessing media on a NAS via your TV.

Plex and a Chromecast 😉

I’d definitely be looking at putting your photos on Google photo.

I’ve got a QNAP TS212 two bay NAS, had for 5 years or so I reckon. One of the drives failed a few days ago, so I ordered two new hard drives. I removed the failed disk and replaced it with a new one, it copied everything over to first new disk overnight. Then, this morning I removed the second (still working) old disk and replaced it with a new disk. Powered the NAS on again and it automatically detects the new disk and starts rebuilding to it.

I can check the progress of the rebuild from work, and tell it to update the firmware remotely too (as well as access and upload files). Overall I’m happy with it and the RAID has saved a loss of data (yes I have other backups, but still).

I’ve got a QNAP TS212 two bay NAS, had for 5 years or so I reckon. One of the drives failed a few days ago, so I ordered two new hard drives. I removed the failed disk and replaced it with a new one, it copied everything over to first new disk overnight.

You’re lucky it just didn’t stamp rubbish over the working one, Raid 1+1 is notoriously flaky as it relies so much on correctly detecting which drive has got corrupted and has only a 1 in 2 chance of ballsing it all up.