It is an ideal solution for streaming and archiving but you can buy it with a pre-installed and configured drive as a RAID 1 when it is not So we have Plex Media Server and the related client app.
10-bit color, 2160p (4K UHD) video fast enough to deliver data at 60.
NAS stands for Network Attached Storage and this is a storage device that is connected to a network that allows multiple users and all the client devices to store and retrieve data from a central location for network users who are authorized to have access to this storage and varied clients.
| Pic | Best NAS For Plex 4K | Shipping | Weight | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | WD My Cloud Personal | Free | 4.50 lbs | Check Price |
 | Seagate Personal Cloud | Free | 3.65 lbs | Check Price |
 | QNAP TS-251A NAS drive | Free | 5.06 lbs | Check Price |
 | Buffalo LinkStation | Free | 6.15 lbs | Check Price |
 | Synology DiskStation DS1817 NAS drive | Free | 4.85 lbs | Check Price |
 | DROBO 5N DRDS5A21 | Free | 2.85 lbs | Check Price |
 | ASUSTOR AS5202T | Free | 7.85 lbs | Check Price |
 | Zyxel NAS540 | Free | 5.35 lbs | Check Price |
 | Asustor AS5304T | Free | 4.85 lbs | Check Price |
I agree with this statement and NAS (Network Attached Storage) does the data management job for them very well.
The dictionary of SNIA defines the Network Attached Storage (NAS) very well.
It says that the NAS is a term that is used to refer to storage devices that are connected to a network and provide the computer systems with file access services.
If you haven’t used this device, then Network Attached Storage (NAS) has some great benefits waiting for you. Some of those benefits are:
- It doesn’t require a mastermind IT professional to operate this device because it is very simple to use.
- This one comes at a very affordable price and can drastically reduce wasted space over other storage devices and technologies.
- It provides you with easy data backup and recovery features.
- This one centralizes all the data stored safely and reliably for authorized network users and clients.
- A large range of applications are supported
- It allows you to have access to your data across the network, including applications based on cloud and data.
10+ Best NAS For Plex 4K 2024
In case you are new and wondering what is NAS, it stands for Network Attached Storage.
The SNIA dictionary has defined this NAS (network-attached storage) pretty well, as it says that this term is used to refer to a storage device that is connected to a network to provide the computer systems with the file access services.
NAS for the Plex server is a type of external memory or storage that connects to any network or a plex server rather than just connecting to a single PC as similar as a normal storage device i.e. hard disk.
It is way more beneficial than a hard drive, as it can have accessed from different devices that are authorized with the permissions and are within the network, and multiple users can have access to the data and use the data at the same time.
If required, the data that is stored in the NAS device can have accessed remotely as well, only if it is allowed by your NAS setup.
NAS is available in different shapes and specifications, from small devices that are designed for homes to some large-scale products that are designed for organizations and projects. In this article of mine.
I will light up some of the best NAS available in the market for all of you guys respectively for home as well as high-scale organizations or enterprises.
WD My Cloud PThe personal
This is a simple, yet fast NAS drive which has attained quite considerable success with its consumer-friendly products of My Cloud.
Image source: here
This WD device can stream to any DLNA submissive device and can have accessed with the help of mobile apps that are supported by both the iOS and Android operating systems.
It starts at a 2TB of storage model, but it offers other models with expanded storage capacities of 3TB and 4TB as well.
This one is considered one of the best NAS drives and it is advertised as a “personal cloud.”
This is a one-bay unit, this is why it can’t back itself up because there is only one drive. But thanks to the USB port on the back of it, it can have backed up to an external hard drive whenever you want.
Seagate Personal Cloud 2-Bay
This NAS device is said to be the best among convenient network storage devices.
This Seagate NAS drive continues with the theme of “personal cloud.” But it has taken the lead from My Cloud.
This dual-bay feature allows this great to mirror the files from one hard drive to the other hard drive to secure and save your files in case of future that if any one of those drives fails, your data will be secured in the other one.
The no-fuss appearance of this is worthy of appreciation to be very honest. It fits very easily under a router or on a shelf, wherever you place it.
An additional feature you get with this is that it can work with cloud accounts, such as Dropbox and Google Drive.
Not only this, but you can also use an application to share the content stored in this device with the streamers, apps such as Chromecast and Roku can have used for this purpose.
QNAP TS-251A
It is said about this QNAP TS – 251A NAS drive that this media NAS device is packed full of features.
This is an extraordinary NAS device that I am reviewing right now. It has more features than you have in mind. Let me tell you only some of them for a brief review of this drive.
This NAS drive includes dual ports of Ethernet, has an HDMI out for connecting this device to a TV, and respectable supported hardware such as the dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Celeron CPU and 4GB of RAM for hardware 4K media transcoding.
The QTS operating system lets you install a good number of applications effortlessly and easily.
You can get a variety of applications from the Plex Media Server and file-sharing application to a karaoke app which is very surprising and it runs Ubuntu Linux for added flexibility as well.
It is one of the best and no doubt it is an incredible NAS device. Even if you think you have to purchase the hard drives separately, this device is one to buy.
Buffalo LinkStation LS220D
As we keep going on and on, interesting features are coming our way. This drive is a decent dual-bay NAS drive that has built-in BitTorrent.
Because of the features, this is one of the best NAS drives out there in the market nowadays.
The main key selling point of this great model is very distinctive, and it is that it can integrate directly with BitTorrent.
This feature means that it can download files for you even while your PC is off, you don’t need to worry about your downloads getting interrupted if you have this great NAS drive with you.
Synology DiskStation DS1817
Another great NAS drive is here. In every category of technology, there always comes a product that challenges all the other products available in its product category.
As you know that most of the NAS devices have little to no room for expansion but they occupy the value of space.
This great DS1817 Synology NAS drive breaks all the customs and rules related to this particular room for expansion, as it allows the users to fill the eight drive bays it includes inside with whatever they desire to store in it.
It allows you to have as much or as little storage you want, according to your needs and usage. This one is ranked as one of the best NAS drives available because of its massive expandability.
DROBO 5N DRDS5A21
This NAS device is considered to be an excellent Drobo NAS with Apple Time Machine.
This is yet another great NAS to keep your data safe and secure. It is an updated version of the Drobo 5-bay NAS.
This Network Attached Storage ( NAS ) device is quite simple to use and it includes automatic protection against hard drive failures.
The 5N2 is a great choice for those who have Mac devices as it provides integration with Apple Time Machine.
There is also an Adaptive Link Bonding which is used for link failover and link aggregation without Ethernet switch support. This NAS device also offers my Drobo Platform support as well as encrypted end-to-end remote access.
Read more: How To Fix External Hard Drive Not Showing Up Mac?
All thanks to the DroboPix that all of the uploads of mobile files are also protected. By the way, it comes with DroboApps support which wraps WordPress, Plex, Elephant Drive Resilio Sync, etc.
ASUSTOR AS5202T
This is a fast, well-equipped Network Attached Storage ( NAS ) which the majority of the home users are looking for and this is just that type of device.
It is equipped with two 2.5 GBE ports which allow for 5 GBE speeds all thanks to link aggregation.
It has a 2.0 Hz Dual-Core processor and 4GB of eMMC Flash and it also has 2 GB of DDR4 RAM that can also be upgraded up to 8 GB. In simple words, it has more than enough resources even for home power users.
It has two drive bays, but unluckily without HDD drives itself. Even though it offers good connectivity ( three USB 3.2 ports and one HDMI 2.0 port ), it also supports JBOD, RAID 0, and 1, and it is compatible with both Windows and Mac.
Furthermore, it is supplied with some handy features such as the Asustor Backup Plan ( it is useful and supports schedule backup ), Asustor EZ Connect ( it allows remote access to your NAS ), Asustor EZ Sync ( this offers synchronization of NAS data and cloud data ).
And also as well as more than 200 apps dedicated to cloud backup, anti-virus protection, data sync, etc.
This is a great device that also delivers 4K video decoding that allows for smooth video streaming all thanks to the 10-bit 4K video transcoding engine.
And also the tool-less design and four very practical free IP camera licenses, make it a great and perfect surveillance tool.
In simple words, this is one of the best NAS devices which you can buy.
Zyxel NAS540
It is a budget NAS with a screwless design that offers you a quick and simple drive installation. In addition to that, it also delivers quiet performance all thanks to its 120 mm silent fan, which also takes care of NAS ventilation.
This device has a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU and 1 GB of DDR3 RAM. It also has 3.0 ports which provide data transfer rates with up to 4 GB per second speed.
Its SD slot comes with the latest SDXC support and it lets you transfer the files to NAS540 for an easy and fast backup. By the way, the Zyxel NAS provides a range of RAID options that guarantees reliable protection in case of hard disk failures.
All thanks to the user-friendly GUI there is also an intuitive graphic interface that makes apps management an easy process.
There is more, you can use Web GUI to control all the network storage health status including the fan speed and CPU utilization.
Asustor AS5304T
This device is designed for users who prefer to store and stream their music, video, and other content multimedia files.
It is a four-bay NAS device that provides top-shelf hardware, which includes dual 2.5 gigabit LAN ports with link aggregation, embedded 4K video decoding, and it has a powerful quad-core processor.
It is easy to install and uses a tool-free drive sled, and it provides an extensive catalog of apps that will allow you to use it as a media server, a backup solution, an IP camera surveillance station, a web server, and more.
This one also delivers a speedy file transfer performance. All of this makes the AS5304Tone of the best NAS devices.
The AS5304T offers the same design which a two-bay sibling as the AS5202T. It uses a black enclosure with red accents and it measures 6.6 x 9.0 inches ( HWD ).
The four front loading hot-swappable drive bays are sheltered by a magnetic cover and use tool-less sleds that will contain 2.5- and 3.5-inch drives.
NetGear ReadyNAS Plex RN422
This is a durable NAS for Plex. It is heavier and larger than the typical 2-bay NAS, it has a two-line LED display which is one of the most good-looking and attractive NAS available in the market.
Its overall design is a bit heavy and it looks like it may be the drives that are pre-installed but it is not true.
It contains five buttons with a blue light which can have used to maintain various features and settings of the device.
On its front side just below the center of the screen, you can see a single 3.0 USB port Is available which can have used for the connectivity of external drives, and there is another USB port that can have found at its rear side.
At the back of the device, it has a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports, an eSATA port as well as a power jack.
Its cover is metallic and it is black and you would need a screwdriver to remove it. From the rear side, this device RN422 looks like a mini version of a desktop PC.
TerraMaster NAS Bay F2-220
A famous and known headphone selling company Noontec jumped into the market of network storage devices with the name of Terra Master by creating an F2-220 device, which is a two-bay 2.4 GHz Dual Core NAS device having 2 GB of RAM which can have expanded up to 4 GB.
Its design somehow shows some of the similarities with the QNAP TS 251 as well as Synology DS 718+ having two drive bays on the front side with having no locks.
On its front side, you will also find LED indicators for both the hard disks, LAN connectivity and power status, a power button, and also an Intel Inside sticker on the left bottom corner.
On one side of this device, there is a big logo of TerraMaster placed. At the rear side, there is one USB 3.0 and a USB 2.0 port, a Giga network interface port with a power interface.
There is also an 80mm fan that is placed at the back to cool down the device while it is operational.
Along with the device, you will also get an Ethernet cable, two sets of screws, and also a screwdriver, along with a guide and warranty card. Its adapter of the power supply is made by KeZhen Electronics and it offers an output of 12V.
Netgear ReadyNAS Plex RN214
Netgear is a famous company for producing high-performance quality Network-attached storage. This ReadyNAS RN214 for plex is manufactured by them.
This is a 4 bay NAS that has a bulky shape and it contains a quad-core cortex A15 1.4 GHz processor with 2 GB of RAM.
It can hold up to 8TB of storage capacity per bay which makes 32TB of total storage capacity. The drives are supported in SATA/SSD 3.5 inches or 2.5 inches configuration.
It is a bit chunky but it is very beautifully designed with a glossy front with a NETGEAR logo written in the middle.
At the top front, there is a power button, a USB 2.0 port, and also a button for quick backup. On the rear side, there are two USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA port just below the USB ports, and also 2 Gigabit Ethernet ports.
There is a big cooling fan which is also placed at the backside. On the bottom side of the front, a small LCD screen is also placed. The drives can have removed and swapped by opening the front glossy lid which exposes all 4 bays.
The initial setup of Netgear ReadyNAS RN214 is very easy, just insert the drives in bays (the device already come with 4 x 1TB hard disks), offer it power, and sign up to Netgear’s ReadyCloud web-based portal to configure it.
Its interface is user-friendly and it will inspire you to use your device more like a plex cloud storage.
Netgear ReadyNAS Plex RN212
This RN212 device is from the famous RN21X family of Netgear ReadyNAS. I have already reviewed RN422 a two-bay NAS and RN214 a four-bay NAS.
Now, it is more or less like RN214 with the exception that it is a 2 bay NAS device.
It is much more beautifully designed than the RN214, with a glossy shining front side and a piano black finishing. On the left side of the front, there is a USB 3.0 port, a power button, a one-touch backup button, and several LED lights.
The glossy window on the front side is to expose both the bays which can slide open by pushing the small buttons which are just underneath it.
Around the rear side, you will see two USB 3.0 ports, an eSATA port, and two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports. There are a reset pinhole and Kensington lock which also reside on the back of the device.
It is 8 inches deep 4 inches wide and a 5 feet and 6 inches tall device. Furthermore, it can support up to 12TB of storage and it has a Quad-core Cortex A15 1.4 GHz processor with 2GB of RAM which makes it a powerful NAS.
What is the best storage connected to the network?
The Synology Disc Station DS218 + is the best bay house NAS for most people.
Linux-based Disk Station Manager (DSM) software is not complicated. If you’ve used a Windows or Mac computer, you’ll be able to find your way around DSM and find out how fast it works.
What is the best NAS for small businesses?
Synology DiskStation is our first choice for small business NAS needs.
It has earned a reputation as one of the best nas for mac and ios manufacturers for small and medium-sized businesses because they offer a wide range of options that will meet your needs.
How much storage do I need for home NAS?
The capacity you want to acquire depends on what you store on the drive. If you are using NAS for home storage, you can usually take up one to two terabytes of space.
What is a network-connected storage device?
A NAS system is a storage device connected to a network that allows storage and retrieval of data from a central location for authorized network users and conflicting clients.
Is NAS Drive worth it?
They don’t get as much attention as smart speakers or fitness trackers, but network-connected storage (NAS) drives are still worth a place in your smart home.
NAS drives are hard drives that connect to the web, make them highly versatile, and host useful applications.
What is the best NAS drive for home use?
Best NAS for most home users
Our choice for most home users is Synology DiskStation DS218 + Best NAS. QNAPTS 251B. Also a great NAS for most home users.
Choose upgrade. Synology DS418play. Additional data protection and storage.
