5 best NAS devices for home and small business

A NAS device, or network-attached storage, is a small server that can be connected to your home network to create your media center, cloud file storage, or even a surveillance platform. Investing in a NAS device is a smart move if you want to upgrade your workflow and provide better reliability, scalability, and excellent protection.

In today's article, we'll learn about the five best NAS devices you can buy to improve your home and small business.

WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra, Synology DiskStation DS1522+, and three more best NAS devices

1) WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra ($299.99)

Western Digital's My Cloud EX2 Ultra provides easy remote access through the My Cloud service and excellent read performance. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core Marvell Armada A9 processor and 1 GB of RAM. The back panel features two USB 3.0 ports and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

With an awesome interface and excellent performance, the WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra stands out as a decent low-cost NAS device.

Pros

Neat and tidy interface.
Easy to assemble.
The My Cloud service allows for easy remote access and configuration.
Fast read speeds.

Cons

Flimsy and breakable plastic handles.
Write speeds are average.

2) QNAP TS-453D ($429.12)

The QNAP TS-453D is a two-bay NAS device that offers high-speed connectivity and expandability for home users and small businesses. It is equipped with a powerful quad-core Intel Celeron J4125 processor clocked at 2 GHz for excellent performance.

The reliable file transfer performance, fast LAN ports, and numerous I/O ports of this network-attached storage are all viable reasons to buy it.

Pros

Excellent value.
PCIe upgradable.
Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, and a single JBOD.
USB and HDMI compatibility.
QTS software with a lot of features.

Cons

Only Qnap adapters can use the expansion slot.

3) Drobo 5N2 ($499.00)

The Drobo 5N2 has five drive bays and is fairly well-rounded in terms of specs because it can tolerate up to two disk failures without losing data. It's a fantastic option because it allows you to share files on your network and protect your data with the least amount of hassle.

Once the device is fully operational, you must download the Drobo Dashboard application. It's compatible with both Windows and macOS.

Pros

Extremely simple setup.
Reasonable price for a 5-bay NAS.
Two Ethernet ports.
Quad-core Marvell CPU.

Cons

The UI looks outdated.
The Marvell CPU limits the utility of the media server.

4) TerraMaster F4-423 ($499.99)

The TerraMaster F4-423 is a four-bay NAS device that offers swift performance and is intended for small businesses or home setups. Furthermore, it offers a wide range of aspects, such as a tool-free chassis, dual 2.5GbE LAN ports, an HDMI output, and dual USB ports.

It comes with 4 GB of RAM that can be expanded to 32 GB and a 2 GHz quad-core Intel Celeron CPU. The TerraMaster F4-423 NAS device is a decent choice for backing up small business data, creating a cloud server, or storing and serving multimedia files.

Pros

Simple to set up and manage.
Excellent CPU at the price point.
USB 3.2 Gen 2.
2.5GbE LAN ports.
Upgradable memory up to 32 GB.

Cons

Only single-lane M.2 slots.
TOS Software appears to be lacking in great apps.

5) Synology DiskStation DS1522+ ($699.99)

The Synology DiskStation DS1522+ is a five-bay NAS device that offers efficient performance and a sizable selection of NAS programs. It's one of the best NAS devices if you need lots of storage capacity and various RAID configurations for your home and small business.

The DS1522+ includes a dual-core AMD Ryzen R1600 CPU and 8 GB of standard RAM, allowing you to run as many virtual machines and programs as you want. There are many storage options available thanks to its five-bay drives, two embedded M.2 NVMe SSD slots, and the capacity to add an extra 10 drives using an expansion unit.

Pros