I'm seriously considering getting a NAS box so I don't have to keep turning a PC on and leaving media servers open just to get access to files. I'm happy to stick with two HDDs only, so a system like this seems to offer what I need. Two bays, DLNA, UPNP. I like the idea of also being able to connect a third, portable drive via USB. Not too worried about USB being slow as it would mostly be used for images anyway. Does a NAS box like the one above allow sharing from a third drive connected by USB as above?
Yes it does. Have you considered saving for a wee bit longer and getting a synology unit? I use a DS210j and it is a fantastic bit of kit. Transfer speeds are massively faster on most units and it has far more features, but most of all the web interface is far superior.
I like the reviews of the Synology kit but it is very expensive for my needs, and is usually only 1 drive. Essentially, I need a device which will offer space for 2 drives, allow 2.5" drives to connect by USB (therefore no added PSU's needed), with DLNA and UPNP. Web interface doesn't worry me as I'm used to setting up folder structures on PC that even granny could understand, and my PS3 handles UPNP easily anyway. I'm quite surprised at how expensive some NAS can be, so to see a relatively decent brand like D-Link at such a low price was a surprise. I'll put a little more thought into it but at least I know that a NAS can be extended via USB hard drives as well, thanks for the info
I had that D-Link and it was pretty slow compared to my Synology, which to be completely honest was only a problem when originally putting everything onto it, it was quick enough to watch movies off, whether properly streamed to a device or by just navigating to the file and opening from there. I never got to stress it by having multiple people accessing it at once, but I assume it wouldn't do too badly until you started getting more than 4 people accessing files at once. It was also quite loud the majority of the time, especially when starting up. This bothered me quite a lot as I am sensitive to noise and it was in my bedroom at the time.
As said before Synology is the way to go. It's worth the extra. If you don't buy now you'll only end up replacing whatever you buy with a Synology later on. So if you buy now your actually saving money
I have a DNS-323. Tidy for what it does (and it's jailbroken to run Twonky) but slow. Needless to say, I want the DS212J
Oh pleeeeease get a Synology! Honestly, its in my top 5 tech buys of all time! Hell, last time I submitted something to tech support (an issue that ended up being my fault), an engineer from Synology (not even their customer service department) called me back to help me out! Best UI. Great Speeds. Ability to load 3rd party apps. Low running costs/power use, totally reliable. I can't say enough good things.
Another vote for Synology here, I had a FreeNAS homebrew NAS then went Synology and never looked back. I now use the old FreeNAS server to backup the Synology (but backup is a whole different subject). To summarise: I cannot recommend the Synology NAS kit enough, best investment I ever made.
Well it looks like the Synology fans are in the majority here! I think I'll wait a little longer and go for Synology. It's not desperate for me to get a NAS sorted; my core PC is on pretty much every day anyway. I take it that Synology NAS boxes have a sufficient power supply to support drives over USB as well? Ideally I'd like to have two drives contained with another couple of 2.5" drives connected and powered over USB.
Won't be an issue. Do it regularly. One thing I have done to mine is mod it slightly, I have fitted a 120mm fan to the back to keep it cooler, had to be done via adaptors but still works very well.
