Recently sold my iMac as it was sat in the back not getting used a lot – it was our media server for movies using plea and iTunes to share music – to laptops and out ATV in the front room. Ive replaced it with a dual screen ubuntu studio box from bits i had kicking around – a old shuttle i built ten years ago – runs perfect!!!! Any how i thought the idea of a NAS was the way forward just to keep all our files in one central location. So i took a look for a unit that was multi platform as i don’t buy anything that isn’t really as i use all platforms apart from windows but i need access from windows computers from the virus repaired machines i take in!!
Plugged in the nas fired the CD in my mac the assistant found the NAS and fired in the 3.1 DSM as the older versions is on the CD. I logged on to the NAS through the IP address gave to me through a browser and updated the DSM to 3.2 straight away though the browser it did it all really easily! proceeded to give it a fixed IP address and format the two drives. A hour later i created the users and gave them the permissions required and enabled the services i required – photo sharing – video sharing – and I added one of my YCAMS with one of the free licences provided to test. I moved across some pictures to the pictures directory and and videos to my videos directory and some albums to the music directory all through networking that popped up on my mac!! I then added the movie location to my XBMC on my ATV and streamed my first movie which was perfect! I added the music location in XBMC which was ok just a bit slow and the standard ATV desnt see the iTunes share like it did on the mac using home sharing which was a pain – so now i use the synology music app on the iPhone and simply airplay it direct to the ATV – simples 🙂
I moved about 8 gig of pictures in which took the NAS about 3 days to generate all the thumbnails!! but now its done its fine as ill only be adding small amounts at one time. I tried to get the NAS to do a auto configure on my router for automatic port forwards but my router draytek 2830 so did this manually which is kind or working… I added my HP F380 no problem and shared it on the network by plugging it in to the external UBB port – works a treat its always available.
Ive setup my iPhone / iPad and android devices using the free apps available which work a treat! and payed 2.50 for the bittorent front end which I’ve got on a schedule that kicks in 2am to 9pm so it doesn’t download when I’m working! all the apps work great!! Ive ordered a UPS for power outages when that arrives ill blog to let you know how that went as I had to search for a compatibility list for the UP’s so it automatically shuts it down in a long power outage…..
The surveillance software works pretty damn well and adding the cameras was a breeze it asked me how much room i wanted to use for the cameras and i have full schedule and can select from motion detection to full time recording. It came with one licence and i managed to get a additional licence for £35 which was worth it – I can go back a month if not more on each camera at specific times and dates. Works great on the iPad.
Last but not least i enabled airplay on my printer but my iPhone and iPad send the job but don’t print which is a pain – I enabled webdav and told onmi focus to use the webdav for its database so I have it shared and that didn’t work either. Im going to test time machine this week.
My verdict – 9/10 couple of things not as a like but the administration and the mobile apps are 100% great!!! invest in one 🙂