When you are so concerned about your data you must look for the Best NAS for Mac. When you explore this industry you will be amazed to know various storage systems available in the market, NAS is better for some reasons. When you’re gonna create it for Mac, you have to be careful to make a worthy purchase. In the article you will see top picks of best NAS for home that will give you supreme performance, scroll down for further details!
NAS works just like the other public cloud services, for instance Dropbox, icloud and Google drive. For the Mac users they can easily access their files and get complete control over their data. From our recommended products, our overall winner is Synology DiskStation DS918+. When it comes to budget friendly Mac NAS you can trust WD 4TB My Cloud Home Personal Cloud.
Starting from the processor, to make your system a high performer you must look for the processor. A NAS that has RAM will be a superior option, it will give you efficient operations. When it comes to the storage capacity we recommend you to buy a NAS system with up to 8 TB capacity. Large storage size will give you peace of mind for a longer time period and will be a one time investment.
We recommend you to buy a NAS system that is easy to configure or if you get a diskless system will be a plus point. Preconfigured NAS systems will be simple but its drawback is that it is limited to upgrade. In simple words you must buy a NAS that is easy to set up and upgrade plus compatible with MacOS. NAS comes with iTunes, iphone, ipad and provider technical support will be great pointers for your purchase.
Our Recommended list of the Best NAS for Mac
- WD 4TB My Cloud Home Personal Cloud – WDBVXC0040HWT-NESN
- BUFFALO LinkStation 210 2TB 1-Bay NAS
- Apple Time Capsule – 2TB – (Renewed)
- Synology DiskStation DS918+ NAS Server
- Drobo 5N2 10TB: Network Attached Storage (NAS)
- Asustor Drivestor 2 AS1102T – 2 Bay NAS
Requirements
- Capacity: Up to 8 TB
- Performance: High Speed CPU
- Connectivity: USB, Ethernet
- Security: You have to look for encryption
- Reliability: Look for the warranty
- RAID: Look for the usable capacity
- Time Machine Support: Buy Mac-friendly
- User accounts & sharing: Look for the individual user accounts creation
- Mobile Device Support: Buy a NAS that supports iphone and ipad
- File Streaming: You need iTunes
NAS Vs SAN
NAS and SAN are developed to solve the storage issue and make it possible to access your data by multi user at the same time. Let’s get to know about the basic difference between them!
- NAS is useful for home and small sized business, SAN should use for highly professional and enterprise environment
- NAS inexpensive, SAN is more expensive
- You can easily manage NAS, SAN needs more administration
- NAS is not highly scalable to, you can scale SAN to increase both space and performance, by adding more storage controllers
- You can easily connect NAS to your Ethernet, SAN needs dedicated Fiber channel
1- WD 4TB My Cloud Home Personal Cloud – WDBVXC0040HWT-NESN
A simple-to-use personal cloud-based storage device called My Cloud Home connects directly to any Wi-Fi router at homes. So you can store all of your digital content in one location. It’s a straightforward centralized solution, as opposed to a NAS, for storing all of your information, images, and movies.
You can access, upload or share your data with the My Cloud Home app from any location by using your internet connection. Store data from USBs, external discs, and cloud accounts, or have cloud services download files automatically. Any device that is compatible with the service will allow you to stream videos. Sonos, Chromecast, Plex Media Server, and more streaming services are available.
IOS and Android-compatible as well as NAS Mac and PC-compatible. Set up backup and syncing on several devices. All of your stuff saved on the hard drive is duplicated when 2 hard drives are configured in Mirror Mode (RAID 1). Keep all of your favorite images, movies, and files together. Make family photos or folders by searching by date, time, or keyword to find your favorite memories quickly.
Share and access your files remotely from anywhere via the Internet. The user-friendly My Cloud Home app, available for free on any gaming laptop, tablet, or mobile device, makes it simple to find anything. Send one or more recipients a link to the folder, files, or photo album. Work together in a subfolder to easily share photographs, videos, or documents. This is a NAS for Mac and PC, you can use it the way you want with MacOS or Windows.
Pros:
- Reliable
- Easy to use
- Supports USB and Ethernet
- Backup for all PC and Mac
Cons:
- Aesthetics not appealing
2- BUFFALO LinkStation 210 2TB 1-Bay NAS
The LinkStation 210 from Buffalo is a simple, inexpensive, and feature-rich 1-drive networked storage device. Which is ideal for storing, sharing, serving, and safeguarding your most critical data. Continually access gigabytes of space on your network and even via the Internet. While you’re away from home by backing up several PCs and Macs simultaneously.
All PC and Mac PCs, tablets, and cell phones connected to your home network may quickly access shared storage and backup thanks to LinkStation 210. For access from anywhere in your house or when traveling, just connect it to any wireless router. You may build a private cloud with Buffalo’s free Web Access service for simple wireless monitoring and file sharing with anybody, anywhere online.
For all PC, Mac computers, Drawing tablets, and cell phones connected to your home network, ink Station 210 offers quick shared storage and backup. For access from anywhere in your house or when traveling, just link it to your Wi-Fi connection. Enjoy your videos, music, photographers,pictures, and other media, you will feel you are in safe hands.
LinkStation 210 offers a dependable and central location that allows you to store and safeguards all your data from every PC or Mac. This data will also accessible from tablet, and smartphone from home or small office. Thanks to its terabytes of storage. Up to twice as fast as a typical USB hard drive, this storage device allows you to view, share, and store information from anywhere over your wireless network. With iTunes and PS3 media server features, LinkStation 210 is DLNA Certified, which makes it trustworthy.
Pros:
- Features USB 3.2
- Closed system to reduce vulnerabilities
- Offers SSL encryption
Cons:
- Not easy to configure
3- Apple Time Capsule – 2TB – (Renewed)
A specialized third-party seller authorized by Amazon has tested and certified this Verified Reconditioned product to perform and appear like new, with little to no indications of wear. The item may be delivered in a standard brown or white box and is covered by a warranty that lasts at least 90 days. Accessories might not come straight from the manufacturer and instead be generic.
In this NAS system package you will see a 10 Foot Super-Fast Ethernet Cable is included. A 2 TB hard drive that integrates with OS X’s Time Machine to provide a hassle-free backup solution. With the AirPort Extreme wirelessly publishing capabilities, you can connect a printer. Add it to the list of printers on your Mac or PC, and begin printing all without being bound by a cable.
Everyone connected to the network can utilize one centrally located printer thanks to AirPort Extreme’s usage of the Bonjour networking protocol. The addition of this protocol makes it Mac and gaming PC compatible. AirPort Extreme station can achieve data transfer rates up to 1.3 Gbps that is based on theoretical peak speeds. With three-stream 802.11ac technology, which is approximately three times faster than 802.11n Wi-Fi.
Additionally, AirPort Extreme optimizes your connection when you use 802.11a/b/g/n devices. You get a quick Wi-Fi base station and a simple backup device in one by using the AirPort Time Capsule. It integrates using Time Machine in Mac OS X to wirelessly and automatically back up your Mac. Your programmes, OS X settings, music, photographs, videos, and even papers are all saved.
Pros:
- Fast TCP throughput
- Antennas
- 2 TB storage
Cons:
- Bit noisy
4- Synology DiskStation DS918+ NAS Server
A 4-bay NAS called Synology Disk Station DS918+ is aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises as well as IT enthusiasts. The DS918+ offers exceptional performance, data encryption acceleration, and real-time encoding of 4K High Definition source media. Powered by a great and high speed quad-core processor. The 3-year limited warranty from Synology is offered with the DS918+.
The Synology DS918+ is a 4-bay network attached storage device having 4GB of DDR3L memory and a quad-core processor. You have the capacity to expand the RAM up to 8 GB. The DS918+ has excellent sequential throughput performance with reading speed of 226 MB/s and for writing you have 222 MB/s while Link Aggregation enables. Thanks to AES-NI accelerated encryption that provides data encryption performance at over writing and reading speed.
Built-in data integrity check increases overall stability by using data and meta-data checksums to identify data or file system corruption. All user accounts and shared folders are completely under quota control thanks to the flexible sharing folder/user quota system. With the ability to install and run a variety of virtual machines, like Windows, Linux, and Virtual DSM, Synology’s Virtualization Manager opens up a world of opportunities. Additionally, you may isolate your clients’ computers, test new software updates in a sandbox.
With Video Station, you can watch 4K Ultra HD movies and arrange your digital video library with detailed media metadata. Music can be played back on DLNA- and Airplay-compliant devices with the help of Audio Station. Which also supports online radio and lossless audio formats. Data transfer and migration rates are accelerated by Windows Offloaded Data Transfer, and OpenStack Cinder integration turns the Synology NAS into a square storage component.
Pros:
- Great design
- Supports 4K
- BTRFS filesystem
- Ethernet ports
- Hardware encryption engine
Cons:
- Expensive
- Performance not so fast
- No 10 GbE support
5- Drobo 5N2 10TB Network Attached Storage (NAS)
The Drobo 5N2 offers an unmatched user experience for sharing data, remote access, and disaster response solutions. It is the most recent generation which is 5 Bay NAS. The 5N2 is indeed the fastest network-attached Drobo that prosumers can buy, and it has a port bonding option and an improved processor that can increase speed by up to two times.
To fulfill the demanding digital storage needs of home automation users, media professionals, and small companies, the 5N2 is constructed using Drobo’s unique BeyondRAI technology. Technology elements from Drobo’s enterprise-level offerings, such as DroboDR for disaster response backup, are part of the increased capabilities. Seems simplest NAS to use because it incorporates a level of automation typically reserved for even more expensive solutions. While retaining the award-winning simplicity seen in other Drobos.
On the 5N2 you get 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports that give you connectivity of your choice. In order to gain roughly twice the read/write speed from a single port, these can be connected together. The Drobo 5N2 provides you the choice to implement Hot Data Caching with the help of Drobo Accelerator Bay. Features often reserved for bigger businesses like enterprise storage solutions.
This function leverages high-speed flash to enhance performance in an intelligent way, giving you access to your information as quickly as possible. Mobile photographs and videos may be automatically and securely uploaded with DroboPix. Performance is ready to be enhanced by other Drobo Apps, which are embedded programmes. Offers a battery backup mechanism that safeguards any data stored in memory or cache in addition to providing protection against disc failures.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- No tools required
- BeyondRAID technology
- On board NAS UPS
Cons:
- For external devices no ports are available
6- Asustor Drivestor 2 AS1102T – 2 Bay NAS
Realtek RTD 1296 Quad Core CPU, 1.4 GHz, and 2 GB DDR4 RAM. For home and SOHO users, an affordable and effective NAS is available. up to 36 TB SATA SSD/HDD devices in 2.5″ or 3.5″ . One 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet port, which doubles the speed of Gigabit class devices, allows for easy expansion of storage to the desired amount. Features using hardware decoding to convert 10-bit 4K H.265 material allows for incredibly smooth video playing.
Provides support for Plex media servers, a wide range of backup options, cross-platform multi-user access, remote access, and mobile apps. Via the integrated App Central, more than 200 different apps. Three-year warranty In order to give you peace of mind when you use any Asustor product, the company will fix or replace any machine that sustains hardware damage within the 3-year warranty period.
A two-bay NAS with multi-gig connectivity, a tonne of programmes, and good performance at a fair price is the Asustor Drivestor 2 AS1102T. Comes with a decent range of programmes that enable you to utilize the NAS in a variety of ways, features a tool-free enclosure, and is administered using Asustor’s user-friendly ADM software.
All of this adds up to the AS1102T receiving our Editors’ Choice award for inexpensive two-bay NAS devices. The ASustor ADM 4.0 OS, which has some features not present in earlier versions, is used to administer the AS1102T. Management activities are a little bit simpler than on earlier Asustor devices. Thanks to an enhanced search engine, upgraded OpenSSL connection, and consumer web server capabilities.
Pros:
- Easy to install
- Multi-gig LAN
- Reasonable
- Solid performance
- Tool-free enclosure
- Large app catalog
Cons:
- Drives not included
- No HDMI port
Best NAS for Mac Buying Guide
If you are just entering the world of NAS then you should have a grip on Best NAS for Mac before its purchase. Because on your table options can be intimidating so you should carefully decide your best one. We have the best overall Synology DiskStation DS918+ you can try out. Below we have some points that will help you figure out your purchase.
Capacity:
First of all you should look at the capacity of your NAS because with it you can save dozens of TB data. This is determined by the number of hard drive brays, some systems come with diskless configuration or few have built in storage. You can check out RAID configuration too; it will give usable space in your NAS system. We have included from 2 TB to 8 TB storage for you, choose as per your need.
Performance:
Generally, NAS is used to store and access your data files, for faster performance you need a powerful processor. Your network needs fast speed to perform efficient operation. You should look for the processor, type, core and speed. We recommend you Synology DiskStation DS918+ it comes with Intel Celeron CPU and gives you your favorite performance.
Connectivity:
In all the NAS systems there are no same connections that is why you should consider them. One common thing in all the systems is ethernet, also WiFi and USB connections are integrated. You can buy a NAS with connectors of your choice but a USB connection is necessary. We have included products for you with all the required connectors so you can trust.
Security:
Security is one of the most important factors because you need to protect sensitive data from any damage. Most NAS systems offer encryption that gives you protection the way you want. You must go for a NAS that comes with a closed operating system it will give you built in encryption. Our recommended products come with highly strung security systems you can choose which you like.
Reliability:
Lastly, when you buy a NAS you should look for its reliability. Reliability refers to the warranty period of your NAS, and longer is obviously great. Although built in RAID and data applications will give you protection to your files. We included up to 5 years warranty products that will give you peace of mind.
FAQs
Is It Hard To Set Up A NAS?
No, configuring a NAS is not so hard, only a bit of technical knowledge is necessary.
How Many Ways To Backup Mac?
Mainly, there are 3 ways to backup your data: NAS, cloud storage and external hard drive.
How Many Bays Should Look For?
The number of drive bays depends upon your preference how much storage capacity you need.
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