7 hours ago
Thank you for your message! Your plan to upgrade to a modern NAS that combines media server and surveillance station functionalities makes perfect sense. Based on your requirements, here are my thoughts and recommendations:
NAS Recommendation: QNAP TS-264
The QNAP TS-264 is an excellent choice for your needs. It offers:
Powerful Hardware: Intel Celeron N5095 processor, great for media serving and surveillance tasks.
Surveillance Station: Includes 8 free camera licenses, which is a big advantage over Synology (2 free licenses). It will handle your 4 IP cameras well, allowing for better event tracking and review functionality.
Media Server: Supports Plex and works smoothly with Kodi (OSMC). Its hardware transcoding capability is perfect for most media formats.
Futureproofing: Dual 2.5GbE LAN ports and expandability via M.2 NVMe SSD slots for caching or additional storage.
Drive Configuration
Given your budget and use case, here’s what I recommend:
Primary Storage (HDDs):
Use 2x 6TB or 8TB Seagate IronWolf drives in RAID 1 for redundancy.
This will give you 6–8TB of usable space, ideal for your media and surveillance needs.
Caching (Optional, SSD):
If your workload involves frequent file access or intensive surveillance, consider adding 2x M.2 NVMe SSDs for read/write caching. This can improve performance for both media streaming and camera recordings.
Recommended models: Samsung 970 EVO Plus or WD Blue SN570.
Alternatives to Consider
If you’d like to stay in the Synology ecosystem, the DS723+ is another strong contender. While it only includes 2 camera licenses, it offers excellent software (DSM), expandability, and robust surveillance tools. However, QNAP’s TS-264 is more cost-effective with its included licenses.
Budget Breakdown
QNAP TS-264: ~£400
2x 6TB or 8TB HDDs: ~£300–£400
Total: ~£700–£800
NAS Recommendation: QNAP TS-264
The QNAP TS-264 is an excellent choice for your needs. It offers:
Powerful Hardware: Intel Celeron N5095 processor, great for media serving and surveillance tasks.
Surveillance Station: Includes 8 free camera licenses, which is a big advantage over Synology (2 free licenses). It will handle your 4 IP cameras well, allowing for better event tracking and review functionality.
Media Server: Supports Plex and works smoothly with Kodi (OSMC). Its hardware transcoding capability is perfect for most media formats.
Futureproofing: Dual 2.5GbE LAN ports and expandability via M.2 NVMe SSD slots for caching or additional storage.
Drive Configuration
Given your budget and use case, here’s what I recommend:
Primary Storage (HDDs):
Use 2x 6TB or 8TB Seagate IronWolf drives in RAID 1 for redundancy.
This will give you 6–8TB of usable space, ideal for your media and surveillance needs.
Caching (Optional, SSD):
If your workload involves frequent file access or intensive surveillance, consider adding 2x M.2 NVMe SSDs for read/write caching. This can improve performance for both media streaming and camera recordings.
Recommended models: Samsung 970 EVO Plus or WD Blue SN570.
Alternatives to Consider
If you’d like to stay in the Synology ecosystem, the DS723+ is another strong contender. While it only includes 2 camera licenses, it offers excellent software (DSM), expandability, and robust surveillance tools. However, QNAP’s TS-264 is more cost-effective with its included licenses.
Budget Breakdown
QNAP TS-264: ~£400
2x 6TB or 8TB HDDs: ~£300–£400
Total: ~£700–£800