Alright, folks, let’s talk about setting up a 2-bay NAS. I’ve been meaning to do this for ages, and I finally took the plunge. I wanted a place to stash all my photos, videos, and, you know, important documents – stuff I didn’t want to lose if my laptop decided to take a permanent vacation.
First thing I did was research. Lots and lots of research. I read reviews, watched videos, and basically drowned myself in information about different NAS brands and models. I needed something that wouldn’t break the bank but was also, you know, good. I wasn’t looking for anything super fancy, just something reliable.
After what felt like forever, I finally settled on a Synology Disk. Seemed to have the best balance of features and price for what I was looking for. Plus, lots of people online seemed to like it, so that was a good sign.
Then came the hard drives. I went with two WD Red Plus drives. They’re specifically designed for NAS systems, supposed to be more reliable and run cooler. Figured it was worth the extra few bucks for peace of mind. I got two 4TB drives, which should be plenty of space for me, at least for now.
Unboxing and Setup:
- Unboxed everything. The NAS itself was smaller than I expected, which was nice.
- Slid the hard drives into the bays. Super easy, no tools required.
- Plugged it into my router and the power outlet.
- Turned it on!
Next, I had to set it up using my computer. Found the NAS on my network, which went smoothly. Then I went through the setup wizard. It asked me some basic stuff, like setting up a username and password, and configuring the RAID type. I went with RAID 1, which means the two drives mirror each other. If one drive fails, I still have all my data on the other one. Seemed like the safest bet.
The whole setup process took a little while, maybe an hour or two, mostly because the drives had to format and do their initial checks. But once it was done, it was pretty straightforward. I downloaded the Synology apps on my phone and computer, and boom, I could access all my files from anywhere.
I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and so far, so good. I’ve been slowly moving all my important stuff over. It’s so much nicer having everything in one central place, and I feel a lot better knowing my data is backed up. I am thinking to upgrade to larger capacity drives in the future. But for now, it perfect.