Poll: Router + NAS Combos

[htismaqe]

the only thing to question is its read and write speeds , yes it may have been cheap but if its slow would it be wise to have the poster above recommending them

write speeds are quite important when it comes to backups and the like

pete

Well the OP was pondering going with a router-based NAS and also was trying to stay sub-$400.

The Linkstation runs about 45MB write speed fro me, which means it's about double of what SNB tested on the AC68U and R7000.

No, it can't compare with some of the newer stuff out there but they're also not as cheap either.

 

[Charlie Mack]

Go with a RT-AC66U instead, as the AC bandwidth is the same between it and the 1900AC routers. With the cash saved, buy yourself a Synology NAS.

You'll thank me later.

 

[TenaciousDuck]

Firstly, I want to thank everyone who has become part of the discussion. I have been meticulously reading over all of your comments and trying to come up with a solution.

As per these NAS's, has anyone had extensive experience or any at all with FreeNAS? I saw something about it and I figure this may be a cheaper alternative for faster read/write speeds, and the program seems quite in-depth.

Any thoughts on that? Otherwise, I am looking into the Netgear NAS as posted earlier, as well as a couple Synology ones

 

[L&LD]

Go with a RT-AC66U instead, as the AC bandwidth is the same between it and the 1900AC routers. With the cash saved, buy yourself a Synology NAS.

You'll thank me later.

With about $40 saved and up to 100% faster 5GHz performance with the RT-AC68U I would say that is not the best decision at this time.

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/bar/113-5-ghz-dn-c?see=MIN

 

[TenaciousDuck]

Out of curiosity, I just read a few things on the Seagate Central NAS - Apparently can get around the 40MB/s write and 70MB/s read.....

 

[TenaciousDuck]

Either that or a Synology DS213J.... not sure on it's specs but looking into it!

 

[Scooter92]

Any reason why you picked the Synology? Seems like that wasn't within the original budget.

In regards to FreeNAS I believe the general consensus across the verteran NAS users is that if you're going the FreeNAS route, that implies you're building a PC for the intended purpose of using FreeNAS or using an old one. With that in mind, those PCs aren't necessarily designed for being on 100% of the time as a storage servers so they aren't as "bullet proof" as a NAS would be. This means that you may often need to restart them, replace hardware in them, debug this or that which can get tedious if you need to push a video project out and all of data is on your file server.

These are professional opinions and I am not a professional nor do I own a NAS, but I'm just conveying what I typically see on these forums in regards to that question.

 

[j3iii]

Any reason why you picked the Synology? Seems like that wasn't within the original budget.

In regards to FreeNAS I believe the general consensus across the verteran NAS users is that if you're going the FreeNAS route, that implies you're building a PC for the intended purpose of using FreeNAS or using an old one. With that in mind, those PCs aren't necessarily designed for being on 100% of the time as a storage servers so they aren't as "bullet proof" as a NAS would be. This means that you may often need to restart them, replace hardware in them, debug this or that which can get tedious if you need to push a video project out and all of data is on your file server.

These are professional opinions and I am not a professional nor do I own a NAS, but I'm just conveying what I typically see on these forums in regards to that question.

I mentioned FreeNAS in my earlier post and just wanted to comment on this post,. Remembering that I am no wizard in my own right with Nas or Networking but i get what need done pretty efficient or so I think.

My FreeNAS machine has been running for well over the three year mark and it doesn't hiccup, stutter, or need any type of reset. Like I said in the original post it runs off a 8g USB stick (might have said 4 before but it is 8) and the only thing i did have trouble with early on is that i broke the stick off when relocating it in a different corner of my house. But I just made another one in the 20 or so minutes it takes to compile and everything back to normal. Any one that has serious questions about FreeNAS should certainly do some research on it @ http://www.freenas.org/. I believe the new development of FreeNAS 9.x.x have been some great accomplishments. The FreeNAS community is very interactive and willing to help and they have very detailed and documented forums about the product.

With that said you can spend a little or a lot on a FreeNAS, I think I spent about 200.00 on mine not counting the 3 2T greens and I recently added a second NiC. i added removable drive bays and so on, this device has been rock solid for me and has hosted everything i need for home and work and I travel a lot so I can not be without Nas as i need my work thing and my personal thing movies document ect..

 

[TenaciousDuck]

Well I have looked deeply into the FreeNAS options, but I think I am going to go with the Synology DS213j.

It appears to have some good performance, and the reliability and configuration options that I would like to see in a NAS. Going to combine it with a couple WD Reds and I should be good to go!

Thanks all for opinions and advice - Greatly appreciated!

 

[htismaqe]

Which router did you select?

 

[stevech]

Well I have looked deeply into the FreeNAS options, but I think I am going to go with the Synology DS213j.

It appears to have some good performance, and the reliability and configuration options that I would like to see in a NAS. Going to combine it with a couple WD Reds and I should be good to go!

Thanks all for opinions and advice - Greatly appreciated!

I would not pay the hefty premium for WD Red drives. All that gets you is a longer warranty - and they still RMA and send you a used drive, not a new one.

 

[TenaciousDuck]

Which router did you select?

The RT-AC68U. It was on sale locally, and I think overall I am going to like the UI, versatility (DD-WRT) and other benefits of it. I'm glad I asked for advice before buying

 

[TenaciousDuck]

I would not pay the hefty premium for WD Red drives. All that gets you is a longer warranty - and they still RMA and send you a used drive, not a new one.

Depends what you consider hefty then.... I'm planning on getting two 2TB drives @ $115 each. I feel it isn't too bad of a price for my market up here in Canada

 

[TenaciousDuck]

I actually have yet to buy the router, but I feel I am going to be going the Asus route, though I have heard mixed reviews and stats on it's actual performance - My laptop supports the 5GHZ band, and I've heard that it is quite under-performing in this and the 2.4GHZ in short range... any reason why?

My main area I will be working in is on the bottom level of a bungalow, so about 25-40 feet from the router, through a floor. I want to have great speeds for streaming over my network from the Synology - Is the Asus in real-world situations going to be able to do this?

EDIT: I am still considering between all three(3) routers, but I think I have it narrowed down to either the Nighthawk or the RT-AC68U. For myself, as I will now be having a NAS, I am most concerned about speed and range. Any suggestions here?

 

[htismaqe]

I found the AC68U compared favorably with the R7000 in both range and performance. It was also FAR more stable.

Unless you're going to use DD-WRT, I wouldn't recommend the R7000 at all. Even with the latest firmware, several problems still exist.

If it's down to those 2, the Asus is the better bet.

I have the Linksys WRT1900AC. I find it to be a tad better than the AC68U on 5Ghz. It's not quite as good as the R7000 but outside of one issue with the GUI, it's far more stable than the R7000.

Given your budget though, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[TenaciousDuck]

I found the AC68U compared favorably with the R7000 in both range and performance. It was also FAR more stable.

Unless you're going to use DD-WRT, I wouldn't recommend the R7000 at all. Even with the latest firmware, several problems still exist.

If it's down to those 2, the Asus is the better bet.

I have the Linksys WRT1900AC. I find it to be a tad better than the AC68U on 5Ghz. It's not quite as good as the R7000 but outside of one issue with the GUI, it's far more stable than the R7000.

Given your budget though, I wouldn't recommend it.

Thanks. My budget has 'sort of' gone up. The $50 price difference up here between the WR1900AC and the AC68U is no longer a deal breaker. Knowing that, would your recommendation change? My laptop is the only one that runs o the 5Ghz band, all my other devices are still 2.4

 

[htismaqe]

I personally like the WRT1900AC but it definitely has GUI issues, to the point that if you mess with it too much it crashes. Otherwise, it has been rock solid and fast for me.

I can't say it's worth the extra $50 though. The main reason I didn't stick with the AC68U was because of an issue with the way the guest network functioned and I was so burnt out from fighting with Netgear for almost 2 months that rather than stick it out, I just sent it back.

If I had bought the AC68U first rather than the R7000, I'd probably still be using the Asus.

 

[TenaciousDuck]

Yeah, I'm pretty torn between the 86U and the WRT1900. 86U gets me the better software, features, and range (apparently, I've heard the WRT is superior in 2.4GHZ and 5GHZ bands from a few reviews), but the WRT has significantly better USB speeds (I know the one member listed some test results, but so many others have gotten 60MB/s write... can't wrap my head around why they are so different, not accounting for actual network activity)

 

[TenaciousDuck]

I bought the AC68U today, will see how I like it and go from there. I will be getting a dedicated NAS anyways, now. Too bad USB speeds suck on this 86U, it has some pretty great (but basic) NAS functionality to it

 

[htismaqe]

I'm guessing you'll end up being pretty happy with your decision to get a router and standalone NAS.