As the name says, NAS is a network that attaches a storage drive. Indeed, the term can be misleading because NAS is so much more than that. And most novice tech-users hear the name “Network Attached Storage” and immediately want to run. The concept really isn’t that hard to grasp once properly explained, but aside from that…, there are some really cool things you can do with this technology. Imagine saving files on one computer and accessing the same files from another computer without transferring them using a USB? This is one of the many cool things you can do with NAS. A Network Attached Storage (NAS) device is a great way to share files between devices on your network and can offer a lot of extra features depending on the model you choose.
LEARN MORE: What Is NAS?
Cool Things You Can Do With NAS
There are some awesome things you can do with NAS. Below are just the ones I think a lot of people would enjoy that fit their lifestyle.
#1: Make Your Own Spotify/Netflix Setup
NAS can be your perfect content streaming platform. The best thing is that it even works for old audio and video files that are now abandoned on your old computers. All you need is a third-party app like Plex, that can serve as a video server app or just get a server. This will complete the setup for you. Now you can stream your favorite old movies to your mobile phone, tablet, etc.
This feature is not limited to movies only. You can also get old MP3 or other format audio files back into a functioning state.
DISCOVER: Is This The Best Smart Photo Manager
#2: Create a Complete Surveillance System
Surveillance Systems are a must these days, be it for your home or office. Did you know that you can create a surveillance system as high-grade as enterprise-grade using your NAS? It is quite feasible and easy to do this.
You can purchase efficient cameras (like Blink) and connect them with your NAS Drive using an internet connection. The connected cameras will send recordings to the drive automatically.
RELATED: Our Synology DiskStation NAS Review
#3: Make Your Own Private Cloud
NAS can be an excellent storage service like iCloud and Google Cloud. Suppose you do not prefer storing your data on any Apple, Google, or Microsoft storage services for whatever reason. In that case, that is fine because you can easily survive digitally without them by building your Cloud using NAS.
You can sync your created NAS Cloud with your mobile phone. This way, while you are away from home taking pictures, they are automatically saved in the NAS Cloud library.
Which Is The Best NAS Device?
I’ve written an extensive review on the Synology DiskStation models. I highly recommend the DiskStation DS220j as your first entry-level NAS. Plenty of memory. Easy to set up. Easy to use. The most user-friendly operating system ever when it comes to NAS devices. And I absolutely love Synoloy’s App Catalog. Check out the NAS review to get all the details. Quite frankly, if you capture any kind of media (whether it be pictures from your phone, video from your phone, music, movies…literally any kind of media), you need a NAS.
There’s More To NAS Then Just Storage
A NAS Drive has many hidden functionalities that are only revealed and discovered once you start exploring them. I’m sure there are dozens of other really unique things you can do with NAS that I have yet to figure out. Bookmark this page and come back as I’ll regularly update this with new cool things I find.
