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Hi, 1st time NAS buyer with four primary use cases looking for advice.
1. Backup data (documents, files)
2. Backup photos from phones of all family members (Preferably good organization capabilities like FACE AI and Object AI)
3. Plex/ Jellyfin media server for local streaming
4. Docker support for self hosting services.
I prioritize good reliable software and services.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
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or your needs, a couple of solid starter NAS options to consider are the Synology DS423+ or the QNAP TS-464. Both are great all-rounders with reliable software ecosystems, good community support, and enough power for Plex/Jellyfin streaming, photo backups, and running Docker containers. They have easy-to-use interfaces, decent hardware, and plenty of apps/plugins for media and photo management.
If you’re looking for something with even better performance and more advanced features, especially if you want smoother Plex transcoding or more intensive Docker use, the QNAP TVS-h874 or other models in the QNAP 74 series are excellent. They’re more expensive but offer superior CPU power, more memory options, and more flexibility in storage and networking — so they’re a great investment if you want to future-proof a bit.
Regarding photo management, tools like Immich are great open-source options that work well with these NAS devices via Docker. They also have iOS apps and support facial recognition. While open-source facial recognition is improving, it might not be quite as polished as proprietary solutions like Synology’s—but it’s getting there fast!
