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Complete NAS Setup Guide for Home Media

Complete NAS Setup Guide for Home Media

Build your own Netflix with a NAS—hardware selection, software setup, and optimization tips

February 17, 2026 Storage 10 min read

Why a NAS Changes Everything

If you've been running Plex or Jellyfin from your desktop computer, you know the drill:

  • Your movie stops when your PC goes to sleep
  • You worry about drive failures wiping your library
  • You can't expand storage easily A Network Attached Storage (NAS) device solves all of this. It's a always-on, purpose-built server that stores your media, runs your software, and protects your data with redundancy.

Think of it as the difference between keeping your books in a pile on your floor versus having a proper library with organized shelves and a backup copy in storage.

NAS vs External Drive vs Cloud: The Real Comparison

Home server setup
Home server setup

Before we get into specifics, let's settle the storage debate.

External Hard Drives

Pros:

  • Cheap ($80-150 for 8TB)
  • Simple—plug it in and go
  • Portable

Cons:

  • No redundancy—if it dies, your data dies
  • Slower performance (USB limits)
  • Can't run server software directly
  • Not designed for 24/7 operation

Verdict: Fine for storing files, terrible for a media server.

Cloud Storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)

Pros:

  • Off-site backup (disaster protection)
  • Access from anywhere
  • Someone else handles hardware

Cons:

  • Expensive ($10-20/month for 2TB)
  • Upload bandwidth limits
  • Privacy concerns
  • Can't run Plex/Jellyfin directly

Verdict: Good for backups, impractical as primary media storage.

Dedicated NAS

Pros:

  • Data redundancy (RAID protection)
  • Runs Plex, Jellyfin, and dozens of other apps
  • Expandable storage
  • Fast local network speeds
  • Designed for 24/7 operation
  • One-time cost, no monthly fees

Cons:

  • Higher upfront cost ($300-1000+)
  • Learning curve for setup
  • Ongoing maintenance

Verdict: The right choice for serious home media.

Choosing the Right NAS

This is where most people get overwhelmed. There are dozens of NAS options, and the specifications look like alphabet soup.

Let me simplify it.

The Two Big Players

Synology and QNAP dominate the home NAS market. Both make excellent products, but they differ in philosophy:

Aspect Synology QNAP
Software Best-in-class DSM Feature-packed but complex
Ease of use Simple, polished Powerful, technical
  • Support | Excellent community | Good community | | Price | Premium | Often better value | | Plex support | Native package | Native package |

My recommendation: If you're new to NAS, go Synology. The software is more intuitive, and the community support is unmatched. If you're technical and want maximum flexibility, QNAP gives you more options.

Synology Options for Media Servers

Synology DS224+ (2-Bay Entry Level)

Specs:

  • Intel Celeron J4125 processor
  • 2GB RAM (expandable to 6GB)
  • 2 drive bays
  • 1GbE network port

Best for: First-time NAS users, small libraries (under 8TB)

Price: Around $300 Synology DS224+

Can it transcode? Yes, but limited. Intel QuickSync handles 1080p easily, 4K is hit-or-miss.

Synology DS923+ (4-Bay Sweet Spot)

Specs:

  • AMD Ryzen R1600 processor
  • 4GB RAM (expandable to 32GB)
  • 4 drive bays
  • 1GbE + optional 10GbE expansion

Best for: Serious media collectors, growing libraries, multiple simultaneous streams

Price: Around $599 Synology DS923+

Can it transcode? No hardware transcode (no Intel QuickSync), but excellent for direct play.

Important: If you need transcoding on Synology, the DS224+ (Intel processor) is actually better than the DS923+ (AMD), despite being cheaper. Synology made an odd choice with the AMD chip.

Synology DS1522+ (5-Bay Workstation)

Specs:

  • AMD Ryzen R1600 processor
  • 8GB RAM (expandable to 32GB)
  • 5 drive bays
  • 1GbE + optional 10GbE

Best for: Power users, large libraries (50TB+), running multiple services

Price: Around $799 Synology DS1522+

QNAP Options for Media Servers

QNAP TS-464 (4-Bay Value)

Specs:

  • Intel Celeron N5095 processor
  • 8GB RAM (expandable to 16GB)
  • 4 drive bays
  • 2.5GbE network port

Best for: Value-conscious users who want transcoding

Price: Around $450 QNAP TS-464

Can it transcode? Yes. Intel QuickSync handles 4K pretty well.

QNAP TVS-674 (6-Bay Workstation)

Specs:

  • Intel Core i3 processor
  • 8GB RAM (expandable to 64GB)
  • 6 drive bays
  • Dual 10GbE ports

Best for: Power users who want serious transcoding performance

Price: Around $1,200 QNAP TVS-674

My Top Picks

Budget Recommendation Why
Under $400 Synology DS224+ Best software, good starter NAS
$400-600 QNAP TS-464 Best value for transcoding
$600+ Synology DS923+ Best balance for large libraries

Hard Drive Selection: Don't Cheap Out

Here's where people make their biggest mistake. They buy a nice NAS and fill it with cheap hard drives designed for occasional use.

The wrong drives:

  • WD Blue, Seagate Barracuda (desktop drives)
  • SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) drives
  • Random external drives shucked from enclosures

The right drives:

  • NAS-specific drives with CMR recording
  • Designed for 24/7 operation
  • Higher reliability ratings

CMR vs SMR: A Quick Explanation

CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) writes data in traditional tracks. SMR (Shingled Magnetic Recording) overlaps tracks like shingles on a roof to squeeze in more data.

SMR drives are cheaper but significantly slower when writing data—and they can cause problems in RAID arrays.

Rule: Always choose CMR for your NAS.

Recommended NAS Drives

WD Red Plus (CMR, 5400-7200 RPM)

  • Quiet and cool
  • 3-year warranty
  • Good value
  • Price: ~$180 for 8TB WD Red Plus 8TB

WD Red Pro (CMR, 7200 RPM)

  • Faster than Red Plus
  • 5-year warranty
  • 24/7 workload rating
  • Price: ~$250 for 8TB WD Red Pro 8TB

Seagate IronWolf (CMR, 7200 RPM)

  • Comparable to WD Red Pro
  • Includes Seagate's IronWolf Health Management
  • Good for Synology/QNAP
  • Price: ~$200 for 8TB Seagate IronWolf 8TB

Seagate Exos (Enterprise Class)

  • Overkill for home use? Maybe.
  • Incredible reliability (2.5M hour MTBF)
  • 5-year warranty
  • Often cheaper than IronWolf due to enterprise pricing
  • Price: ~$200 for 16TB (!) Seagate Exos 16TB

Capacity Planning

A rough guide for media storage:

Media Type Space per item 8TB holds
DVD-quality movies (2GB) 2GB ~4,000 movies
1080p movies (8GB) 8GB ~1,000 movies
4K HDR movies (40GB) 40GB ~200 movies
TV show season (1080p) 25GB ~320 seasons
Music albums (FLAC) 500MB ~16,000 albums

With RAID redundancy (using 2 drives for every 1 drive of actual storage in RAID 1, or getting ~75% capacity in RAID 5), account for:

  • RAID 1 (mirror): 2x 8TB = 8TB usable
  • RAID 5 (3+ drives): 3x 8TB = ~16TB usable; 4x 8TB = ~24TB usable
  • RAID 6 (4+ drives): 4x 8TB = ~16TB usable; better redundancy

Setting Up Your NAS

You've bought your NAS and drives. Now what?

Physical Setup

  1. Unbox and install drives

    • Power off the NAS
    • Open drive bays (usually tool-less trays)
    • Insert drives, secure with screws or clips
    • Close NAS

  2. Connect to network

    • Connect Ethernet cable to your router or switch
    • Connect power
    • Power on

  3. Find your NAS

    • Check your router's device list, or
    • Use the manufacturer's finder tool:
      • Synology: https://find.synology.com
      • QNAP: https://www.qnap.com/go/find-my-nas

Initial Configuration

  1. Install the OS

    • Synology: DSM (DiskStation Manager)
    • QNAP: QTS or QuTS hero
    • Usually auto-detected, download and install

  2. Create your storage pool

    • Select drives to use
    • Choose RAID level (RAID 1 for 2 drives, RAID 5 for 4+ drives)
    • Let the system create the pool

  3. Create a volume

    • This is what your applications will see as storage
    • Choose file system (Btrfs for Synology, ext4 or ZFS for QNAP)

  4. Create a user account

    • NOT "admin"—create a new admin account
    • Disable the default admin account for security

Installing Media Server Software

Plex on Synology

  1. Open Package Center
  2. Search for "Plex Media Server"
  3. Click Install
  4. Open Plex and claim your server
  5. Point Plex to your media folders

Jellyfin on Synology

Synology doesn't include Jellyfin in the Package Center, but it's easy to add:

  1. Open Package Center → Settings
  2. Add a community source: https://packages.synocommunity.com/
  3. Search "Jellyfin" in Package Center
  4. Install

Plex on QNAP

  1. Open App Center
  2. Search "Plex Media Server"
  3. Install
  4. Configure your libraries

Jellyfin on QNAP

  1. Open Container Station (Docker)
  2. Search for Jellyfin container
  3. Deploy with recommended settings

Remote Access Configuration

Your NAS is set up. Now you want to access your media from anywhere.

Option 1: Manufacturer's Solution

Synology QuickConnect

  • Free service from Synology
  • Works through most router/firewall setups
  • Some performance limitations

Setup:

  1. Control Panel → External Access → QuickConnect
  2. Enable QuickConnect
  3. Register a unique ID
  4. Access via https://quickconnect.to/your-id

QNAP myQNAPcloud

  • Similar to QuickConnect
  • Available through QNAP account

Option 2: VPN (Recommended for Privacy)

Direct access reveals your IP to anyone. A VPN provides security and privacy.

Setup:

  1. Install VPN Server on your NAS
  2. Configure (WireGuard or OpenVPN)
  3. Open ports on your router (or use UPnP)
  4. Connect from anywhere

Why VPN?

  • Encrypted connection
  • Access your home network, not just media
  • Privacy from ISP snooping
  • NordVPN or ExpressVPN if you prefer managed VPN with NAT traversal

Option 3: Tailscale (Easiest)

Tailscale creates a private network without port forwarding.

  1. Install Tailscale from Package Center
  2. Sign in with Google, Microsoft, or GitHub
  3. Install Tailscale on your phone/laptop
  4. Devices can now reach each other directly

Free for personal use, incredibly simple.

Maintenance and Backup

A NAS isn't "set it and forget it"—but it's close.

Regular Tasks (Monthly)

  • Check drive health in Storage Manager
  • Update DSM/QTS when available
  • Check for security alerts
  • Verify backup jobs completed

Backup Strategy (The 3-2-1 Rule)

Keep 3 copies of important data, on 2 different media types, with 1 off-site.

For NAS:

  1. Primary: Your NAS storage
  2. Secondary: External drive attached to NAS, or cloud backup
  3. Off-site: Cloud backup (Backblaze B2, Wasabi) or drive at a friend's house

Synology Hyper Backup

  • Built-in backup app
  • Supports local, network, and cloud destinations
  • Backblaze B2 integration (excellent value)

The Bottom Line

A NAS transforms your home media experience. It's the difference between "watching some movies I downloaded" and having a genuine personal streaming service.

Start simple:

  • Synology DS224+ or QNAP TS-464
  • 2x 8TB NAS drives
  • Plex or Jellyfin installed

Grow from there:

  • Add drives as your library expands
  • Configure proper backups
  • Explore additional NAS apps (Sonarr, Radarr, Home Assistant)

The initial investment pays for itself quickly when you consider what you'd spend on streaming services—and you own your content forever.

Quick Start Shopping List

Item Recommendation Price
NAS (2-bay) Synology DS224+ ~$300 Synology DS224+
NAS (4-bay) QNAP TS-464 ~$450 QNAP TS-464
Hard Drives 2x WD Red Plus 8TB ~$360 WD Red Plus 8TB
Backup Drive WD Elements 12TB ~$200 WD Elements 12TB
Network Cable Cat6 cable ~$15 Cat6 Cable

Total starter investment: ~$650-800

FAQ

How many drives do I need? Minimum 2 for redundancy (RAID 1). With a 4-bay NAS, start with 2 and add more as needed. You can expand RAID arrays on most systems.

Do I need SSDs for my NAS? For media storage, HDDs are more cost-effective. SSDs are useful for a cache volume (speeds up some operations) but not essential. Consider NAS SSDs (like WD Red SA500) if you want a cache.

Can I use drives I already have? Yes, if they're CMR NAS drives. Desktop drives (WD Blue, Seagate Barracuda) will work but are more likely to fail under 24/7 use.

What's the minimum internet speed for remote streaming? For 1080p streaming, you need about 5 Mbps upload speed per simultaneous stream. For 4K, you need at least 25 Mbps upload.

Can I run other services on my NAS? Absolutely. Synology and QNAP support dozens of packages including: Sonarr, Radarr, Home Assistant, Nextcloud, and more. Think of it as a mini home server.

Your media library deserves a real home. Build it right, and it'll serve you for years.

NAS RAID Levels Explained

NAS Recommendation by Storage Need

Media Library Size Recommended NAS Drives Approx. Cost
Under 10TB Synology DS220+ 2x 8TB $500-700
10-30TB Synology DS920+ 4x 8TB $900-1,200
30-60TB Synology DS1520+ 5x 12TB $1,500-2,000
60TB+ QNAP TVS-872XT 8x 16TB $3,000+

Ready to Build Your NAS?

Start simple, expand later. A 2-bay Synology with 8TB drives is perfect for most home users and can grow with your library.

💾 Shop NAS Hardware

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