Why You Should Get a NAS (Network Attached Storage)

In this video, I delve into the world of Network Attached Storage (NAS) and explain how you might be able to make the ultimate upgrade to not only your data storage, but your entire setup itself.
Products in this video:
⮕ Synology DS218play 2 Bay DiskStation: geni.us/DS218play
⮕ Synology DS420+ 4 Bay DiskStation: geni.us/DS420
⮕ Seagate Ironwolf Hard Drives: geni.us/sZzPTc
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📷 Behind-the-scenes content on Instagram: / createdtech
00:00 Introduction
02:34 What Is a NAS?
03:03 Two HUGE Advantages of a NAS
03:49 Sponsor
04:35 What Can You Do With a NAS?
06:41 How You Can Make Your Own NAS
08:45 How Fast Is a NAS? How to Connect Your NAS To Your Computer?
11:04 The Proper Way to Backup Your Data
#synology #nas #createdtech
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Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliated, and we may receive a small commission (at no cost to you) if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

[@CreatedTech]

One like = one dollar to replace my cat's fish photos hard drive. Products in this video: ⮕ Synology DS218play 2 Bay DiskStation: geni.us/DS218play ⮕ Synology DS420+ 4 Bay DiskStation: geni.us/DS420 ⮕ Seagate Ironwolf Hard Drives: geni.us/sZzPTc

[@wzzt1ldzynze187]

Have you count power consumption by day/week/month/year together with all the running costs of your solution? Honestly I am not aware about electricity prices in Australia but here in Central Europe is it not funny to let run "hungry" NAS with 6/8/12 or more drives 24/7 these days and near future due to electricity costs. Anyway great video.

[@ChatGPT1111]

Friday: CT Guy saves all his files to one box. Saturday: Random Guy envious of CT Guy’s stuff steals his NAS.

[@aminealaoui5325]

Can you make a full video of setting up the NAS and upgrading it? Thank you for the amazing content and specially the best youtube intros ever

[@CreatedTech]

I think I will have to make a dedicated video on my personal NAS! There's a lot of information to go over, so I didn't go into much detail in this video.

[@teresamason1983]

That would be great. I have a Synology NAS but am not fully utilizing its capabilities.

[@ioncicc]

@@CreatedTech yeah, we need that video!

[@qwe14205]

Full Tutorial would be great

[@EikonasNet]

Would be great!

[@wolvrG]

I build a Raspberry Pi4 NAS for myself. It was a good hobby project and turned out quite good for low powered NAS. It's not too high end but good enough for backup purpose.

[@johnvodopija]

Great video. Thank you. I have an older 4-bay Synology DS412+ and it has been a) simple to setup and manage and b) like you is a central data store to share files between computers. I have Mac and Windows machines and the setup is rock solid. I highly recommend Synology for anyone that is considering a NAS. Cheers 👍😎🇦🇺

[@CreatedTech]

Great to hear!

[@felixVanDiemen]

Nice info, thanks! You have inspired me to finally suss this topic out and set up my own system, Cheers bro!

[@Apticx]

FunFact at 5:24 ! RAID in "redundant array of inexpensive disks" is the outdated name because raid was initially used to increase "partition sizes" back when bigger hdds were exponentionally more expensive than smaller ones Nowdays its called "redundant array of independent disks" because now the cost factor isnt a thing anymore But in reality both are correct its just that inexpensive isnt being used anymore. Greetings!

[@rickseigh460]

Glad to see Cliff Clavin online.

[@UvinduJayasekera]

This video couldn't have dropped at a more perfect time. I was literally just looking into getting a personal NAS!

[@afterfurtherreview]

Such a great explanation, easy to follow and understand. Earned a new subscriber

[@emretouchcompany3096]

really nice Video. Ive been looking at getting a NAS, Im a retoucher and need a lot of storage and also accessible storage. This is a clear video explaining how I go about that

[@CompleteProducer]

This was SO helpful, thank you!

[@qwe14205]

Exactly what I wanted. You combine style and information perfectly, something some of most popular tech KZbinrs are lacking.

[@IamYuto]

I am a long-time traveler and photographer, and in the past I used external hard drives and clouds to backup my stuff. I was literary thinking about that NAS stuff yesterday and if it would make sense to use something like that. Glad you are helping me out with that :D thank you

[@KAMProductions]

Last year, I bought a DS218+ with 2x 4TB drives, and a CyberPower UPS. Definitely worth the money.

[@jull9038]

great video, would love to see a more in depth one, also talking about the fan noise as i noticed your one has the psu built in and i saw in the max tech channel mentioning how quiet theirs was with the psu outside and negating the need for a always on psu fan.

[@HaydnMowbray]

The Synology ones are very quiet. I have one under my desk with 6 drives in it (a DS1815) and I never notice the noise

[@udaykiranneelayadora2669]

Loved it, will be doing it soon

[@christianjohnson8171]

Yes, please. Video on 4k editing would be awesome!

[@CreatedTech]

The people have spoken!

[@beautifulnz]

Good point - will have to get cracking cheers

[@alphaomega9650]

Ultimate UPRADE

[@ben8140]

Nice one

[@REAZNx]

You mean UPGRAID?

[@spacedudey2k]

Yes, I’d like to see a full video on your NAS setup. Thanks.

[@puradoble_p1]

intros are awesome:)

[@deekshas2600]

Amazing ❤️

[@ItsMoustache]

The intro is perfect

[@Mevi]

That OCZ ssd gave me the nostalgic feels. 😌

[@Andrew-nj3zm]

Yep, same thing I did. I bought a entry model m1, 1tb external ssd and a 12gb nas this time as opposed to a specced out mpb. Seems to have been a wise decision

[@ChatGPT1111]

12 gb NAS? Where did you find that boat anchor?

[@aveerajsharma]

Thanks a lot!!

[@VinexAesthetics]

Bro I swear you cat makes these videos 10000 times better😂

[@L0wPressure]

I would love to see your NAS setup. I wanna use it as a personal cloud, local work storage and server for docker containers.

[@anamaticfilms7800]

Hi, great to see you reviewing a Nas. I want to do the exact same thing in the future, I want to be able to edit 4K footage off it, since my MacBook has only 512gb of memory. How do you set it up for this? Do you need a ssd for the nas?

[@CreatedTech]

I'll be making a video on this in the next week or so!

[@emmanueldonbraye4617]

Great video. Would you mind making a video on the upgrades you made on your NAS that makes it edit 4K videos. Thank you

[@xoxtoddxox]

Thank you.

[@byroncenz]

Great video, but a few questions: 1) Would it be better to use SSD instead of HDD with the NAS? SSD is more reliable and the whole NAS is supposed to be used for several years. 2) I saw some reviews saying its operating system isn’t compatible with Mac for remote access and have to save a local copy for files that are being used? 3) How fast is it when access thru wifi? Can I edit video remotely? If I have to connect the ethernet to get the speed, then it is not really useful for laptop. 4) NAS has its own cpu and ram. What are they for? Why some people need to upgrade the ram in NAS?

[@CreatedTech]

1. Use a HDD instead, much cheaper, and it's a misconception that SSDs are "more reliable" in NAS setups. In fact, there's a lot of evidence that say SSDs are LESS reliable than HDDs for NAS use. 2. Depends what NAS software you use. Synology works perfectly fine. A NAS is essentially a separate computer, so your Mac should have no issues interfacing with it regardless of which software you go with. 3. Depends on your wifi network and how good it's performance is. Unlikely you will be able to edit video over wifi, you will need some kind of ethernet or direct attach method (just use an ethernet to USB-C adaptor whenever you need to edit footage). 4. The NAS enclosure is essentially a mini computer. It is needed to "run" the NAS and the accompanying software.

[@roghitvishal7455]

Your intros are amazing🤣

[@johnnybtheshooter1457]

I couldn’t get passed the intro. I’m here for info not this personal “comedy”

[@CreatedTech]

@@johnnybtheshooter1457 Johnny, if you can't get PAST (passed is incorrect grammar) a 30 second intro, or can't figure out how to press a button to skip the intro, I don't really think you possess the patience to watch a 12 minute video in the first place.

[@aleks3449]

@@CreatedTech Touché my man, touché

[@wookie_]

The full video of your custom NAS setup would be great.

[@bbs32]

NAS is basically a server that dedicated to manage data storage and attached to the private network as you like.

[@thealexoff777]

It's a great thing to have for sure, but not the best solution for remote workers who are constantly traveling and are on the go. But looks great for those who live at the same place for long periods of time.

[@misterjt961]

im curious how much your current set up is? i was going to start a NAS but HDD prices shot up because of crypto

[@johncaling6150]

Can you plz make a video on specing out a DIY NAS, like on Pcpartpicker?

[@DavidKing86]

I have multiple iPhoto Libaries on multiple drives over the years, I want to consolidate to one platform on a NAS, what do others recommend, stay with iPhoto or move to Lightroom or other?

[@dougfreidman1]

Would love to see you do a vid of how you set this up!! Ps can you give out like a password to people so they could download data but can’t delete it? Maybe like “read only” users… 🤔

[@danquixote6072]

Sounds great but what happens if your house burns down? My biggest fear. Is it fireproof? What about a Tsunami? Living in Huelva, Spain or parts of Japan, a real possibility. Or even if you spend time on the road or you move a lot? Your video brought back tragic memories of when I dropped and broke my hard drive. I’m now invested in cloud based services at around €10 a month. But you get a load of goodies thrown in with that too and I can sleep much better at night now knowing that if I die, I don’t have to worry about someone finding fish videos or private documents on my hard drive.

[@somdobomk]

He talks about that around 11:04. He has that setup locally to get the benefits of speed. He mentioned it would be best to have a duplicate somewhere else like his parents house and/or using something like Backblaze to have a duplicate online. All 3 setups should be kept in sync and he won’t have to worry about his house burning down or tsunamis like you mentioned. He can get a backup from his offsite duplicate or if he can download it from online or send hard drives to Backblaze so they can populate them with his data and then get the drives mailed back. Privacy after death? I personally don’t care because I’m dead. But you can encrypt your drives anyways.

[@danquixote6072]

@@somdobomk Yeah, in,liked the speed thing, especially being able to edit 4K videos using footage from multiple drives. Personally though, natural disaster or crime - someone stealing all your drives and accessing all your personal info is a major concern - before or after death. I wouldn’t want my family to have to fight legal battles if someone opens a bank account in my name or starts committing fraud using my details and photos. Not sure how you go about encrypting hard drives - the only one I ever had requiring a password was a Buffalo. If it’s possible to encrypt them, I will search online.

[@RuvasGamingChannel]

If you don't mind making a video on how you setup your Synology i would be much appreciated!!! Thank you.

[@eldarikus]

Отлично! Спасибо!

[@AurorasPop]

I Have invested in the same Synology NAS last spring. But I have encountered a big issue when working on iMAC: I can't seem to search and find folders, especially subfolders or files, by name (or parts of the name). Seems like there is an indexing issue... I use a direct connection, upgraded to the last Synology System. My workflow is based around Adobe Bridge, as search and work tool. This is now useless as the search functionality is random or non working. I'm in despair. Any solutions? I wonder how your setup works and how you manage files and processing.

[@AHR_James]

Great video, been considering a NAS for a while now. How does this work with TimeMachine? Do you need to dedicate an entire drive to TimeMachine? Or just do some fancy partitioning?

[@CreatedTech]

It's essentially a different partition (although not a proper partition), and it's all done through Synology's interface. Takes about 5 minutes to set up. Although, personally I don't use Time Machine. I just keep all important files on the NAS or on a secure cloud drive (or both, depending how important the files are).

[@AHR_James]

@@CreatedTech Awesome, thanks for replying :) That sounds ideal, but TimeMachine is my excuse for not knowing in advance that files are "important" ;)

[@wolvrG]

@@AHR_James lol.. Basically time machine is excellent if you want increment backup of your system. Working on different files and project and you ever want to go back in time. It is wonderful and have saved me couple of times in the past.

[@666Husky]

It’s just a shared folder on the NAS. No partitioning required to get it working.

[@peeppeep7594]

Yes - more detailed video on your NAS setup for 4K editing…please

[@wakkowarner8810]

I would love to see a video on how you used your NAS to edit 4k footage in real time.

[@Ragnar707]

Yes! I've seen that an external SSD works well - it would be nice to use NAS though

[@wolvrG]

Also can you tell what is the max read/write speed you are getting both wired and wirelessly? 2.4Ghz and 5Hz and gigabit ethernet. Will really appreciate it. Thanks

[@CreatedTech]

Wireless depends a lot on your wifi network. My home network is not the fastest, so getting roughly 30mb/s write and 50mb/s read. I could improve this quite a lot by investing in a better router + setup. Wired with 10GbE networking (e.g. directly attached to my PC or Mac via 10GbE cable) I can get up to 1000mb/s read and write, but more realistically it's around 400mb/s currently. However, I am only using 4 hard drives, so that is my biggest bottleneck in terms of speed. Standard NAS connected to your network via ethernet, and your computer also connected via ethernet? Up to roughly 120mb/s will be your max speed, as most networks are limited to 1GbE. Again this depends a lot on your specific NAS and setup.

[@jasonchan5372]

I have a few HDD running Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Do I need to format them to NTFS before putting them into the machine? Was thinking of purchasing a NAS for a long time.

[@666Husky]

You can do the formatting once they’re in the NAS. You want to format them to BTRFS there. Doing that enables you, for instance, to run a virtual machine on the NAS.

[@BriteTap]

If you connect your NAS directly to your computer via ethernet (vs to the router) can you still access your files from anywhere in the world? Does the computer need to be left on to do this or is it possible to access files remotely when the computer is shut down but the NAS is powered up?

[@talala.aaleidan6387]

Please make a full video about your NAS system.

[@rayhong7778]

Can you share folders and files via secured URLs as in Google drive or Dropbox?

[@Andrew-xo6xs]

I'm so glad I found a gem in a world of thrashy tech reviewers. Keep it up, mate.

[@Maverick00555]

Am I able to back up photos on my iPhone to a nas?

[@DevotedtoTruth]

Please do a vid on how you set it up to be able to edit 4k footage rt

[@derrickdoan1060]

What is the format of the hard drives in order for the NAS to be used between Mac and Windows? Is it exFAT?

[@PolloRot1]

Can you manage photos and videos from your phone or it just for computers ???

[@_claudiafdo_]

Plz see this message there is a problem like when I uploaded videos to my usb through Mac when I plugged to the tv there r files like spotlight and trash files on the usb. Is there anyway to remove it hope you see this message 🥺🥺🥺

[@madseo11]

Do NAS devices sync all data automatically from all connected devices or I should do it myself ( manually )

[@joshuaisaacallan]

I'm curious your thoughts on the access methods outside of the Network (aka, online). Isn't there massive security risks? I see way too many Zero Day notifications on NAS vulnerabilities. Typically with cloud, it might be more expensive, but at least you're paying someone else to fix those Zero Days and secure it.

[@CreatedTech]

I can't speak for other NAS software, but Synology has a pretty good track record. After all, Synology's biggest client base is enterprise business. So they have the enterprise-grade encryption/security protocols to match. Is it more secure than Google Drive for example? I couldn't say, but Cloud providers like GDrive or Dropbox definitely do NOT have a good track record! I went onto the Synology website and found this link if you're interested: www.synology.com/en-us/dsm/overview/security

[@nathan12581]

Do a longer video on the Synology Nas

[@akaufmann]

What would you say - LrC editing directly off it with 21MP RAW files, would that work smoothly?

[@666Husky]

I use an external SSD for editing - once everything is done, I move all the files on the NAS.

[@JordanSaddam]

You’ve been to Saint-Petersburg! How was it?

[@AndreasKowacsik]

what if I dontT have an ethernet port? can I connect it via usb-c, too? how is the write speed then?

[@CreatedTech]

You can connect via wifi, or connect your computer directly to your home network using an adaptor (e.g. ethernet to USB-C). Speeds will vary quite a lot, between 20mb/s and 120mb/s depending if you're using wifi or connected with an ethernet connection.

[@adilkhalifa8489]

could u do a more detailed vid on ur NAS setup

[@karloshagen4037]

Would love to see if it’s possible to set this up with time machine plus regular file access

[@666Husky]

It is - no problem at all.

[@arjunchundi9801]

wow ur the best

[@ShervinShares]

Why don’t you have a second NAS at another location? And could it behave the same?

[@CreatedTech]

I'm just about to install a second NAS in my office which will sync with the one in my home.

[@klalzawmliana1674]

Does macbook air m1 need screen protector?

[@SteveKowarsky]

Thanks for this. It left me with network topology questions. If I connect the NAS to a computer via ethernet, can other computers still see it, and how does that work? Right now, my computer ethernet port is connected to my router. Does the NAS sit between the router and the computer and provide pass-through network access as well as fast storage for the local computer? Thanks for clarifying.

[@CreatedTech]

You would connect your NAS to your router via an ethernet cable. That would allow your NAS to be seen by all other devices on the network. You can then connect your computer to your network via wifi, or directly via ethernet (faster speeds). There's no pass-through or anything required. The NAS is simply attached to your network in some way (either directly to the router or through a network switch). Or, you can connect directly to your NAS via the methods I mentioned in the video for the best speeds. Personally, I have a 10GbE networking card in my NAS, and my computer is connected directly to the NAS through that. I also have the NAS connected to my router, so all my other computers can still access it at the same time.

[@SteveKowarsky]

@@CreatedTech Thanks much. The question that leaves open is how your computer is connected to your router. Wifi? or a second ethernet connection?

[@CreatedTech]

@@SteveKowarsky I edit my videos from a Windows editing PC with a 10GbE network card installed. I connect my NAS directly to my PC via this network card with a cable. My PC is also connected to my home network via an ethernet cable. I use wifi for my MacBook however.

[@SteveKowarsky]

@@CreatedTech Got it, thanks. So the PC supports two ethernet interfaces and understands what is on each one. I wonder if my Mac Mini will do that.

[@michaelmanus7765]

Given RAID 5 and 6 being popular, maybe do a video on replacing a failed drive - show how long it takes to restore and, that failures can occur when doing a replacement of a drive.

[@thelorax9622]

My current NAS just stopped working, so this is interesting (I'm not a professional, so lucky I was running in JBOD mode, so I hope no data is lost and I can just swap the drives into the new unit). You say Synology's software is easy to use for inexperienced people - I've seen other reviews that say kind of the opposite. I haven't decided what to replace it with, but Synology will be in the running.

[@CreatedTech]

I had never used a NAS in my entire life - but my Synology NAS took about 10 minutes to get up and running. I am quite tech savvy but still found the whole experience and learning about the different NAS configs a bit daunting, but the Synology software learning curve was not one of them.

[@thelorax9622]

@@CreatedTech Cool. I will keep Synology on the list - thanks.

[@Jannickjay]

Does your ironwolf have noisy sound? It’s 7200 or 5400 rpm?

[@ATBHDX]

yes please full setup of nas

[@sim-sam]

And you can also install other apps, containers with dockers etc on those Nas... Collaborating over the net with SSL and not in the sniffing cloud.. thats the thing to go!

[@Georgy_47]

Can u do another video how to set up please?

[@laurentiusjudhianto6631]

The only problem with NAS is that when I need to restore or access time machine backup to Mac on safe mode. Some magic tricks required!

[@3DLasers]

OMG, this is the tenth time I've dropped this SSD today... :Maybe I've had too much coffee... -)

[@joshuagutzeit4690]

Please do a more detailed look on your NAS!

[@ayeshafatima4001]

love the kitty

[@volaksin5842]

Can you remote edit 1080 footage off of the NAS?

[@CreatedTech]

Depends on how fast your NAS, home network, and destination network are, and also the type of 1080p footage. I'd say unlikely.

[@ATBHDX]

please full setup video

[@samanthajones9846]

Can you make a video about apple lawsuit for defect screen m1

[@0z_838]

Can you tell me what song did you use for the intro????

[@GuilhermeMartinsTV]

Technology it's amazing

[@durohr232]

I also have a NAS. MacOS disconnects the drive after sleep. This is so annoying. Windows can handle it perfectly.

[@enzocaputodevos]

I am not so sure about that HDD under 10K RPM would be able to follow with your video editi in 4K or higher quality… Perhaps better to use some SDD, just to say… but I am agreeing with you about the topic of the vidéo and the Cloud privacy issues.

[@CreatedTech]

If you are using multiple HDDs in a NAS configuration, they combine together to provide increased speed. There's no need to pay much attention to the individual RPM speed of each drive, as you're not just using a single drive. I can edit 6K footage with ease using just 4 of these drives in my NAS.

[@erikwsince1981]

I just got a Synology DS920+ as well! Please do a video on how you setup your NAS for those great speeds! I’d love to learn what you did there.

[@dab42bridges80]

Be aware that you still have a single point of failure if you aren't storing at least one instance of backups off-site.

[@justinzandee]

Hey there! Could you do a video on how to connect two monitors to an M1 MacBook? Thanks! :)

[@tazsmith]

Go into detail please!

[@myatix1]

What about the security risk of having your NAS stolen from your house? You still need to backup your NAS and that’s expensive as well! It’s difficult for a thief to steel something in the cloud especially if you use a secure cloud service rather than Google drive. ;) You need to include the cost of buying 2 NAS’s for the backup or the extra cost of the cloud backup services?

[@Resist4]

Why isn't the Synology using SSD's? And can it be used for Time Machine and storage at the same time?

[@HaydnMowbray]

You can use SSDs. It's just a lot more expensive. Yes it can be used for time machine and storage

[@Resist4]

@@HaydnMowbray now that answer makes more sense. Thank you!

[@Yes_Im_Adarsh]

Alternative title : Ultimate upgrade your all old, current using and all the future device you ever purchase

[@kmx7771]

But don’t forget there is always a possibility when nas fails itself. I experienced that and waited about a month until get it back repaired. You don’t lose your data but it’s very inconvenient

[@dexholtkamp5307]

Yaaaasssss

[@dianedeguerny]

attention: the nas is a secure storage, not a backup... Many people use NAS without doubling the information on an external hard drive and are absolutely not preserved from a....failure of the NAS ! For my part (while waiting for a NAS investment for photographers: therefore with big hard drives that make the investment heavy): - 2 hard drives (purchase of different brands to avoid the risk of failure at the same time), or even 3 ... - I synchronize the files on both drives (to have exactly the same datas, delete the deleted files, update files which was modified...) with Total Commander (Windows) or Double Commander (Mac); When I leave home (holidays...): I leave one copy of my drives at home, the other one travels with me --> avoids the risk of burglary, or others This is the "handmaid" solution of the nas or secure storage (without network applications....), not expensive but which implies a constant regularity...

[@KGF968]

What happens if the NAS dies? It has happened to me. I got replacement. Same brand, same model. Disks we locked though. Could not read the drive data. They used some embedded Linux. Second NAS could not read the data. They were locked. All my data were inaccessible. Finally I decided to buy a SATA RAID CONTROLLER pci express card with 4 ports and use an old pc. In case any hardware dies its readable and hardware can be replaced. This works for me since 2010

[@HaydnMowbray]

I had a Synology NAS fail (known issue with an Atom chip). I sent it to them, they sent me a new one by return of post and I just put the drives back in in the same order and it booted up and I carried on. It's essential they go back in in the same order they came out

[@Riko_KP]

Ultimate Uprade?

[@nasserdiyqtrdny9500]

I want to buy one to back up all of my devices like an old computer for my dad the hard drive almost to fill my dad need this stuff

[@rw7150]

I’d really like an in depth video

[@laurencegoldman4639]

ditto