Technically speaking, any desktop or laptop computer can work as a home media server with network attached storage and RAID capabilities. (File redundancy is always a tradeoff for usable storage space, and some people may opt for less redundancy to avoid spending a ton of money on hard drives.)įully Featured: Repurpose a Desktop or Laptop Adding new drives to your NAS device is incredibly easy, and depending on how you set up your raid array RAID, you might never need to worry about losing data if a drive needs to be replaced.

They also use RAID to “combine” hard drives for increased performance and file redundancy, a form of real-time data backup. And much like the Dropbox and OneDrive cloud services, you can even access your NAS unit when you’re away from home.īecause NAS devices are intended for everyday consumers, they make the server setup process as straightforward as possible and feature multiple easy-to-access drive bays. You can use your NAS unit to wirelessly back up files from your computer, phone, or tablet, or even download the files from your NAS without plugging a hard drive into your device. In other words, they’re like cloud servers for your home.

Whatever You Do, Don’t Forget the Hard Drives!ĭedicated NAS Devices Are Purpose-Built for Home Streaming TerraMasterĭedicated NAS devices connect several hard drives to your home internet, allowing you to remotely access their contents from any device.

Affordable and Powerful: Use an NVIDIA Shield Streaming Stick.

Fully Featured: Repurpose a Desktop or Laptop.

Alternatives Exist, and You Can Combine Them with a NAS Unit.

Dedicated NAS Devices Are Purpose-Built for Home Streaming.

Plex compatible nas