Network hard drive for beginners

The growing demand for storage has made NAS popular with many customers. However, the barriers to setup and operation have kept them from becoming as popular as the cloud.

Network Attached Storage (NAS) simplified as a personal cloud.

When using electronic devices, data is constantly being generated. With the development of technology, this amount is constantly expanding. Starting from the maximum 8 GB of the first generation iPhone, the highest number is now up to 1 TB of the 16 Pro line. Along with storage capacity, accessibility is also a problem that many people encounter with external storage solutions.

Cloud solutions have been growing steadily in recent years. However, as the amount of data increases, the amount of money users have to pay Google, Apple or Microsoft does not stop. Plans priced per TB are getting more expensive.

At the same time, network attached storage (NAS) solutions, which are widely used in enterprises, are becoming popular among retail customers. Synology is a global leader in this field. At Computex 2025, they introduced the BeeStation Plus solution, as a way for customers to access NAS for the first time.

As a network hard drive with an operating system, it is famous for its fast connection and ease of use, but setting up such a device is not easy for users who are not familiar with information technology. Optimizing, maintaining the system or self-correcting errors are also difficult problems to solve.

BeeStation Plus series with 8 TB capacity, priced at around 10 million VND.

BeeStation is stripped of almost all customization. Users only need to connect a network cable and a power source to run it. It interacts on the computer via a web platform as well as a mobile application. Customers exploit the device like a cloud Google Drive or iCloud.

The upgrade adds an 8TB option. This is enough to keep a family flexible for the next 7-10 years without worrying about storage. That’s about 3 million photos or 500 hours of 4K video . The new model can also function as a security camera data storage center or a Plex movie library.

Compared to a regular NAS, users cannot replace external hard drives in BeeStation. This means that RAID installation modes for speed or backup are not available. The simplified operating system and basic configuration also prevent BeeStation Plus from running complex tools like on DSM.

In return, the initial investment cost is lower. The 8TB version of BeeStation Plus costs about 410 USD (10 million VND). This figure is equivalent to 5 years of using Google Drive's 2TB package. The upgrade from 128GB to 1TB of the iPhone 16 Pro is also about 15 million VND.

Compared to the first version, the new BeeStation also has AI to classify images. The app automatically divides user-uploaded photos by location, face, and access information. The solution also opens a gateway to sync with files from Google Drive, Dropbox, to work as a single cloud.

However, the product also has inherent problems of network hard drives. BeeStation works well with stable network conditions. The product stops working when there is a power outage, and cannot operate continuously like clouds. In return, the cost and capacity are comfortable, helping users save significantly.

Source: https://znews.vn/o-cung-mang-cho-nguoi-moi-post1555083.html