Digital photos, videos, music, and more — the volume of personal data we store grows by the day. That’s why the question of where to find secure, simple storage solutions is increasingly on the minds of computer users.
On the one hand, it’s important for the data to be easily accessible — and in some cases by multiple users. Standard external hard drives are one option, but the logistics can get complicated. A different, better option is network attached storage, or NAS for short.
NAS refers to a box that holds one or more hard drives and a processor capable of assuming the functions of a standard file server. The NAS doesn’t connect to just one computer, but rather directly into the home network via an Ethernet cable to the router.
“Networking is on the rise in private households as well,” says Roland Stehle from the Society for Entertainment and Communications Electronics (gfu) in Frankfurt. As would be expected, NAS storage is thus also of increased interest for consumers. The devices come from manufacturers like Buffalo, Netgear, Plextor and Western Digital.
The primary benefit is centralized storage. “It’s of interest to families with two or more computers, for example,” says Daniel Mauerhofen from Western Digital. Everyone with access to the home network can access the data. Films, photos, and music are then available to all network-ready devices in the home.
The NAS owner defines who has access to what during the initial configuration, and the setup procedure is not overly complicated. “The user interface for these devices is similar to that found in Windows,” says Boi Feddern from c’t magazine.
Simple models are available for around $100. In many cases those are actually NDAS (Network Direct Attached Storage) devices. Unlike NAS, those devices do not include a server function. Any computer needing to access them will…