Connecting a NAS or network drive to your home network is not that difficult: connect a network cable and your NAS is connected. However, there are some things you can pay attention to.
The advantages of a NAS are of course countless. With one device you can share files with everyone on your home network and have an always accessible place to make automatic backups. But where do you put it and what do you have to pay attention to in order to use it optimally? The starting point when connecting your NAS is that you connect the device to your network via a gigabit connection. Also read: What exactly can you do with a NAS?
In any case, never connect your NAS via a powerline set or moka adapter. You may be tempted to do so because you want to get rid of the somewhat noisy NAS in your attic, for example. Despite the promise of gigabit speeds, powerline kits never provide enough bandwidth for a NAS, even under the most optimal conditions. Of course, with devices that are connected via a powerline adapter, you can access the data on your NAS.
As central as possible
Because the NAS plays a central role in your home network for multiple users, the starting point for placement is a point that is optimally accessible for all network equipment without bottlenecks. It is best to use the central location in your network or the main switch for this. With a smaller home network, this is usually the built-in switch in your router, but with a more extensive network you will probably use a separate switch. In addition to the fact that the central switch is optimally accessible for your entire network, another advantage is that this central point is usually located in your meter cupboard. In our opinion, a great place for your NAS, because in your meter cupboard you are not bothered by the noise that a NAS produces. Make sure that your NAS does not get too hot, but that will rarely be a problem with an average dual-bay model. Be careful if you have a NAS with four or more drives.
NAS in the living room
If you have an end of your network that has relatively light network users, then it's no problem to place your NAS there. One of those places is probably the furniture in which all your AV equipment is located. If you mainly use the NAS for streaming movies to your media player or television, then that's a great spot. The data traffic from your NAS to your media player or television then stays within the same switch and you are assured of the fastest connection. In addition, we must honestly admit that this does not really matter much with a well-designed gigabit network. Even streaming a Blu-ray rip only requires about 50 Mbit/s, a fraction of the 1 Gbit/s you get over a home network. A possible disadvantage of placing your NAS near your television is that you may hear the NAS simmering and humming. After all, a NAS contains mechanical disks and is equipped with a fan for cooling.
