NAS (Network Attached Storage) any good?

[demonikal]

Since getting my newest laptop (signature) with Windows 8 and having OneDrive seamlessly always on (yet very buggy in my case), I've been thinking about Network Attached Storage.

I like having all my stuff in the cloud cuz of any hardware problems that would make it impossible to retrieve my data, but I'm not exactly sure if NAS is considered "cloud storage".

I know I'd have it in my home, but I wouldn't know if it would be accessible if I for example went to another state.

Can anyone help me on NAS and what kinds of things I should look for when getting one?

 

[Cromewell]

Cloud is usually reserved for some internet provider.

In a NAS, everyone will offer similar RAID options if you are looking at a packaged unit. I don't think there's a whole lot to differentiate them. Maybe some media center functionality.
You could just get a small form factor motherboard and a RAID controller card (or use the onboard RAID) and a bunch of hard drives.

Anything on the NAS would be accessible from anywhere in the world if the NAS is always on, your internet connection is always up (you need to know your IP or use some kind of DNS) and you've got the right firewall/port forward rules set up.

 

[demonikal]

Cloud is usually reserved for some internet provider.

In a NAS, everyone will offer similar RAID options if you are looking at a packaged unit. I don't think there's a whole lot to differentiate them. Maybe some media center functionality.
You could just get a small form factor motherboard and a RAID controller card (or use the onboard RAID) and a bunch of hard drives.

Anything on the NAS would be accessible from anywhere in the world if the NAS is always on, your internet connection is always up (you need to know your IP or use some kind of DNS) and you've got the right firewall/port forward rules set up.

Thanks. I don't this for a business. It's strictly home. I likely wouldn't have even have thought of it if I hadn't gotten a $100 promotional gift card from Dell. I probably don't need anymore than 3 or 4 GB of space.

But considering, my 25 GB of Dropbox space will go back to the default after another year and OneDrive (SkyDrive) is pretty limited, as well as the only 2 GB with WYSE PocketCloud Companion, I want something that I can access from all my computers in the home - and then also access [if that need arose] if I were traveling with my laptop for leisure purposes. I just want all my stuff in one spot.

 

[Geoff]

I would highly recommend a Synology NAS. I purchase the 1513+ which is a 5-bay NAS, running in RAID 5 with 3x 4TB drives. I can access my NAS remotely over the internet as well, but it's completely optional. The OS and software is top notch, it's Linux based, so you can install apps, setup your own cloud server, use it as a web server, and hundreds of other uses.