Home Network and Storage

[gerryBScot]

When it comes to ICT I'm a bit of a dinosaur but a recent modem upgrade and an introduction to network storage has rocked this beast to his core. I understand I don't actually need a desk top PC or even notebook with a big hard drive. I would welcome the benefit of you guys who actually know about this stuff before I commit money to it and run the risk of buying bits that don't work. I could run everything off a wireless router and network storage and connect everything to it that way....phones,notebook, ipad and even the TV. I've been looking at QNAP network storage devices recently and like the idea of being able to connectt he TV and watch a movie without the rigmarole of copying to a disk and connecting that etc. would welcome any comments from you techie guys about going forward with a home network. many thanks.

[Chicog]

If you Router has a USB port (and I'd recommend USB 3.0) then you can plug a USB 3.0 disk into it and access it from anywhere on the network.

Or you can buy something like a Drobo and plug it into one of the Ethernet ports.

I then use a Mede8er to play all my video off it onto a one of the TV's, and the Samsung 8-series can actually see the drive directly as well.

So yes, you download your stuff to the disk and you're good to go on any device.

[IMHO]

If you want a cheap, it just works* solution, have a look at the Western Digital My Cloud/My Book range - all support DLNA streaming, backing up phones/PC's/tablets, and are expandable via USB 3.0 ports. Dirt cheap for what you get.

The QNAP and Synology NAS chassis's are the next step up that's readily available/supported in TH, but will end up costing a whole lot more on a Baht-per-GB basis. Advantages these can offer are the ability to function as an network video recorder (for CCTV usage, but you'll need to spend more money for licences), and faster processors/more RAM, which directly translates to throughput. If you want to stream multiple simultaneous HD streams you'll probably want one of these and a gigabit network.

*Excludes the WD2Go remote access feature which is known to be buggy.

[KittenKong]

Most smart TVs and tablets and phones etc will play shared media files directly from your Windows PC if it on the same network, albeit with a bit of configuration. You dont need an extra network storage device, unless you particularly want the extra storage space.

[gerryBScot]

thanks for this. i'm particularily interested in getting away from the desk top model and like the idea of a range of smaller devices like ipads, smartphones and laptops. still researching. What about concrete walls ....... live in a two storey house made of concrete. wireless seems to work adequately in terms of individual non-networked devices cnnecting to router. is networking going to be a problem as every wal here is solid concrete.

[KittenKong]

If your wifi currently works correctly throughout the house then your network will also work correctly. But there is a caveat.

If you are thinking of streaming (ie playing back in real time) media from one device to another then depending on the quality of the media file your network/wifi may not be up to the task, as high quality video may require a lot of bandwidth. Solutions for this would be to run network cables to strategic places, use devices that transmit the network data over the electrical circuit, or upgrade your wifi to N standard (assuming you dont have it already and that all your devices support this).

Another solution would be to copy/paste files rather than stream them. This would work for tablets etc but probably wont be possible to a TV and so another possibility for that might be to put the NAS storage device next to the TV and connect them with a cable and a cheap access point.

It does all depend on what you want to access from where and how fast.

Given that you can test the existing setup for free I would try it and see what happens.

[IMHO]

thanks for this. i'm particularily interested in getting away from the desk top model and like the idea of a range of smaller devices like ipads, smartphones and laptops. still researching. What about concrete walls ....... live in a two storey house made of concrete. wireless seems to work adequately in terms of individual non-networked devices cnnecting to router. is networking going to be a problem as every wal here is solid concrete.

Another alternative is powerline networking, which can achieve up to 500mbps (plenty enough to stream HD content) over your existing electrical wires. If going this route, just make sure the adaptors you buy have good encryption, and a foolproof pairing method so you don't end up sharing your data with your neighbors.

This vendor seems to be well liked by the TV community, but I've never used them so can't vouch for them:

http://www.invadeit.co.th/category/powerline-networking/

[Chicog]

The powerline stuff in my experience is good, but only works if the sockets are on the "same ring". Not being a sparky I can't tell you more than that, I believe my house has two rings so it didn't work for me.

[IMHO]

The powerline stuff in my experience is good, but only works if the sockets are on the "same ring". Not being a sparky I can't tell you more than that, I believe my house has two rings so it didn't work for me.

I use it to share files with my sister 3 houses down the road, so not sure why it doesn't work for you

[thaimite]

The powerline stuff in my experience is good, but only works if the sockets are on the "same ring". Not being a sparky I can't tell you more than that, I believe my house has two rings so it didn't work for me.

I use it to share files with my sister 3 houses down the road, so not sure why it doesn't work for you

If your house has a 3 phase supply maybe your "rings" are on different phases then powerline will not work across phases. Same for sharing with another house close by, they have to be on the same phase from the electric supplier

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

[Chicog]

The powerline stuff in my experience is good, but only works if the sockets are on the "same ring". Not being a sparky I can't tell you more than that, I believe my house has two rings so it didn't work for me.

I use it to share files with my sister 3 houses down the road, so not sure why it doesn't work for you

It wasn't that it didn't work, just that the I never got anywhere close to the supposedly achievable speed, unless it was on the same ring.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Chicog

[thaimite]

That could he due to "noisy" motors or other devices causing interference or just over optimistic claims from the equipment manufacturer

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

[robblok]

I love the qnap that i have but mine is more geared toward business but you can set it up as file server and such. But Qnap is expensive, what Chicoq said about routers that share usb drives is much better (for home users). I myself use both on my router i connect an usb drive too. Plus that i have the qnap that i connect some usb drives on too.

[IMHO]

The powerline stuff in my experience is good, but only works if the sockets are on the "same ring". Not being a sparky I can't tell you more than that, I believe my house has two rings so it didn't work for me.

I use it to share files with my sister 3 houses down the road, so not sure why it doesn't work for you

If your house has a 3 phase supply maybe your "rings" are on different phases then powerline will not work across phases. Same for sharing with another house close by, they have to be on the same phase from the electric supplier

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

That makes perfect sense, if it's the case

[Chicog]

The powerline stuff in my experience is good, but only works if the sockets are on the "same ring". Not being a sparky I can't tell you more than that, I believe my house has two rings so it didn't work for me.

I use it to share files with my sister 3 houses down the road, so not sure why it doesn't work for you

If your house has a 3 phase supply maybe your "rings" are on different phases then powerline will not work across phases. Same for sharing with another house close by, they have to be on the same phase from the electric supplier

sent from my Internet aware non fruity mobile device

If you can get it just a little bit nearer layman's terms..... Do I have to set it on "Stun"?

Edited May 7, 2014 by Chicog