Overview

Choosing a NAS is easier when you align storage and network plans with how your household or team actually works.

This guide prioritises reliability, quiet operation, and simple management for Australian homes, creators, and small offices.

How to choose

Answer these questions to narrow your shortlist quickly.

• How much data do you have today and what will you add in three years
• How many users and devices will connect at the same time
• Will you edit media or run apps that benefit from SSDs
• Do you plan to upgrade to 2.5 GbE or 10 GbE in the next year
• What is your offsite backup strategy

Quick picks by use case

Use these profiles to steer your selection. Model families change each year but the logic remains stable.

Capacity and drives

Use NAS rated HDDs for bulk storage and add SSD cache or a small SSD volume only when there is a clear bottleneck.

Plan replacements in pairs and keep a spare drive to reduce rebuild windows.

Networking and performance

Throughput is usually limited by the slowest link in the path. A clean wired path often beats headline specs.

• Adopt 2.5 GbE when your switch and primary PCs support it
• Use short high quality cables and avoid unmanaged powerline links
• Enable jumbo frames only when every device on the path supports it

Setup tips

A small amount of preparation yields a stable result.

• Update DSM and packages before migrating data
• Create a separate admin account and disable the default one
• Schedule S M A R T tests and enable email alerts
• Test restores from backups before decommissioning old storage

FAQs

Short answers to common questions.

• Q: Do I need SSD cache
• A:Only if you see small random read bottlenecks
• Q: Is 10 GbE mandatory for video work
• A:Not when you use proxy workflows and schedule large copies
• Q: Can I mix drive sizes
• A:Yes in some layouts, plan to avoid wasted capacity