Personal NAS / cloud for my wife insatiable taste for iphone pictures

[Enquiries]

So, essentially smart phone backup (address book, calendar) and offloading a sh!t load of pictures and videos that my wife produces in no time! Some sort of RAID and maybe if possible that takes different sizes of HDDs so I don't have to buy all of them at once to upgrade it. No plans for video streaming or gaming. Read-only mostly and 1-time writing - she doesn't want to part with ANY of her pictures. Don't know much about NAS, but would think 50/50 between drives and the rest in terms of cost.

[ed]

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out! It sounds like you need a solid NAS solution to keep up with your wife’s growing collection of iPhone photos and videos. Based on your needs and budget, I have a couple of recommendations that should work perfectly for you.

NAS Recommendations:
Synology DS423+

Pros: This 4-bay NAS is a great fit for your needs. It’s user-friendly, reliable, and offers plenty of space to start with a couple of drives and expand as needed. Synology’s DSM software makes it easy to set up automatic photo backups from your wife's iPhone, so you don’t have to worry about manually transferring files.
Flexibility: The DS423+ supports Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR), which allows you to mix different sizes of drives. This way, you can start with what you have and add more storage over time without replacing all the drives at once.
Synology DS1522+

Pros: If you want a bit more flexibility and future-proofing, the DS1522+ is a fantastic option. It comes with 5 bays, so you have even more room to expand. It’s built for handling larger volumes of data, which is perfect if your wife’s photo collection keeps growing. Plus, it has a bit more processing power, which helps with quicker backups and smoother file management.
Versatility: Like the DS423+, it supports SHR, meaning you can use different drive sizes and expand your storage as needed. It also has additional features like extra RAM capacity, which can help if you decide to use the NAS for more tasks in the future.
Hard Drive Recommendation:
Start with a couple of WD Red Plus 4TB drives. They’re reliable, designed for NAS use, and offer a good starting point. As your storage needs grow, you can easily add more drives.
Additional Features:
Photo Backup: Both the DS423+ and DS1522+ come with Synology’s excellent mobile apps, which can automatically back up photos and videos from iPhones. Set it up once, and the NAS will do the rest every time your wife’s phone connects to your home Wi-Fi.
Other Backups: You can also use these NAS devices to back up contacts, calendars, and other important data, ensuring everything is safely stored in one place.
Cost Efficiency: Both models fit well within your $800 budget when you start with a couple of drives, and they provide plenty of room to grow as your storage needs increase.