When looking at the best NAS to use as a home media server we chose the QNAP TS-251A, which is an excellent two-bay NAS device that specialises in media playback. The storage volume on the NAS Pro 2-bay is preconfigured (comes in 2TB, 4 TB, 8TB and 10TB), which can save you hours of setup time.NAS drives are also designed to run 24 hours a day, so you don’t need to worry about having to turn yours on when you want to watch something – it will always be available. You can choose to install apps that enhance the functionality of the NAS, such as Seagate's surveillance app that turns the NAS into a recording solution for surveillance video cameras. The Seagate NAS Pro series features 2-bay, 4-bay and 6-bay models.

As it is also compatible with iTunes, streaming your music collection is a breeze. From the NAS, you can stream videos and photos to connected TVs and media players.

Ideal for the home or small office, the My Cloud EX2 delivers fast performances with its 512 MB memory and 1.2 GHz processor. It's an entry level but reliable and power-efficient home server that's affordable and meets the requirements of most home users. Synology DiskStation DS216j, $252 (without drives)Īpart from file-sharing and backup, the two-bay DiskStation DS216j allows for media streaming - if you store a video file in the NAS, you need not copy it onto your device to watch it. MP3 files have an average size of 6MB to 8MB high-resolution photos range have an average size of 5MB to 10MB and a 90-minute digital movie file has an average size of 800MB - multiply that with the estimated number of photo, music and movie files you have in your collection. Ask about the RAM size and processor speed, especially if you’ll be streaming video or music files, and consider how much storage space your household might need in the next few years. NAS appliances have differing capabilities, storage capacity and speed, depending on their specs and price. For the latter, you can build your NAS with the drives of your choice. You can choose a NAS with hard drives already installed or an appliance without drives. Multiple users or devices connected to the network can access the files stored in the NAS appliance. A NAS is very much like a server: An external storage appliance that connects to a network.

Best nas for home media streaming 2016