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Ismar is a Senior Author at How-To Geek. He previously worked as a writer, editor, and general manager at a content agency before joining the How-To Geek team in 2023.

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If you’ve ever complained about running out of storage around a group of geeks, you’ve probably been told you need a NAS. With promises of 24/7 access and fancy backup solutions, it sounds more appealing than it actually is. I’m going to go against the grain today: most people don’t actually need a NAS—they just think they need one.

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What is a NAS used for?

Before I can tell you why you don’t need a NAS, let’s briefly go over what it actually is. NAS stands for “Network Attached Storage.” Think of it like a mini-server for your home: you can use the device to upload, store, and access all of your files, share data across multiple devices, and automatically back up critical files from your PC. It’s essentially like having your own Google Drive, but better.

Credit: Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek

Except, it’s even better than Google Drive.

A NAS isn’t just for crude file storage and sharing. You can also set it up to act as a media library for your movies and TV shows with Plex or Jellyfin, organize your photos, store footage from security cameras, and so on.

The term “NAS” is often associated with purpose-built units designed specifically for file storage and sharing, but technically speaking, any standard PC or PC-like device (including single-board computers like a Raspberry Pi) can serve as a NAS, as long as you have a way to attach enough storage drives.

Purpose-built NAS units just make the initial setup a little easier, make adding or removing drives more convenient, and tend to be more energy efficient.

The price and setup headaches of a NAS aren’t worth it for most people

Credit: Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock.com

While having your own mini-server sounds like a nice idea in theory, I don’t think many people are actually willing to go through all the trouble of setting one up. It’s not like you can just plug a NAS into an outlet and start using it.

Whether we’re talking about a purpose-built NAS or a DIY solution, you still have to set up and format drives, choose an operating system and RAID layout, configure permissions, set up backups and network access, and figure out the best way to enable remote access without compromising the rest of your network (which might even require buying a new router).

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This might sound like a walk in the park for a Linux user, but for someone whose hands-on experience doesn’t go much further than installing Windows from a flash drive, there are a lot of hurdles to clear before everything is up and running.

Cost is another major factor. A basic NAS device you can use for storage and file sharing will set you back around $150 to $200 just for the device itself, without any drives, so you still need to factor in the cost of an SSD or HDD.

Credit: Synology

Synology DiskStation DS124

Brand Synology

CPU Realtek RTD1619B

The Synology DiskStation DS124 isn’t ideal for demanding setups, but with access to the powerful DSM software and impressive reliability, it’s a great choice for beginners.

If you want to dabble in virtual machines or AI features, expect to pay even more. A DIY solution using an older PC is the best way to lower the upfront cost of a more powerful NAS.

There’s also the ongoing cost of electricity if you want to keep the NAS running 24/7—and that cost only gets worse if you’re using an old PC instead of a more power-efficient NAS unit.

If you want more storage or backup, just buy a few hard drives

As much as I love the romantic idea of having my own media library, building one would take forever and cost a lot of money.

I’m not going to stop using Spotify in favor of building my own music streaming service anytime soon. Besides, I’d miss all the latest songs. That’s also true for TV shows and other streaming content.

Related

6 Ways I’m Using My NAS

It’s a great little server.

Chances are, you largely agree with me—so a lot of the appeal of a NAS is already gone for most people. Beyond media, the main advantage of a NAS is storing and backing up files. But do you really need a special device for that?

A regular HDD is all you need to store data safely and securely.

Credit: Patrick Campanale / How-To Geek

If you have a desktop PC, you can install a cheap hard drive to store all your large files. From there, there are plenty of ways to access those files from other devices.

If you don’t have a desktop PC or want to take your storage a step further by following the 3‑2‑1 rule (three copies of your data on two types of storage, with one off-site), you can just get a couple of external HDDs and automate backups using Windows File History or a third-party tool.

Seagate Portable External Hard Drive

Storage Capacity 2TB

Brand Seagate

The Seagate Portable 2TB External Hard Drive is a compact USB 3.0 drive that makes storing and accessing files on Windows, Mac, PlayStation, or Xbox easy. Just plug it in and drag and drop your content for quick backups on the go.

Using “cold storage”—drives that aren’t powered on regularly—is one of the safest ways to store data (yes, even safer than a NAS). The reason why HDDs are preferable to SSDs here isn’t just because they’re cheaper, but because they’re more reliable for long-term storage.

When you run out of space on an external hard drive, you can just buy more. In that regard, you even have a slight edge over a NAS used solely for data backup.