NAS versus External HDD

Network-Attached Storage devices and External Hard Drives perform similar jobs. However, one is better than the other for multiple reasons. We’ll be going through some of the advantages and drawbacks they each have.

External HDD connectivity

Hard Drive Pros/Cons Table

PROSCONS
Cheap storageStorage not upgradable
PortableUsually very slow 5200 RPM drives
External power not neededOnly accessible by devices with USB support

Network-Attached Storage Pros/Cons Table

PROSCONS
Expandable StorageUsually requires external power source
Connected to the network so accessible by wireless devicesMore expensive than external Hard Drives
Multiple con-current connectivity possibleRequires some knowledge of networking to configure correctly

If you want basic storage then we recommend going with a standard external Hard Drive. If you want to access your files from anywhere at home and from almost any device then get a NAS.

Please see below for our digital diagram of a typical NAS server setup and a typical external Hard Drive setup.

NAS setup vs external HDD

As you can see per our diagram, the NAS setup is slightly more complex. Meanwhile, an external Hard Drive is basically plug and play. You connect it directly to your computers USB port and “go to town.”

The biggest advantage of a NAS is easily the network connectivity. If you store a lot of media, such as music and videos. You can stream them directly to your computer, phone, tablet, or even T.V. from anywhere in the house.

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