But every component on your network must be gigabit capable-the NAS box, the router, the computers, and any switches in the data path-must support gigabit ethernet, too. Gigabit ethernet will support more and it will ensure smooth streaming of 4K UHD (2160p) video, not to mention faster backups. Gigabit ethernet You can back up and stream 1080p to a couple of devices over 10/100 ethernet with no problem. The one exception we’ve come across are Asustor box’s whose “round robin” function increases performance with any router or switch. See below.ĭual ethernet ports A NAS box that supports port aggregation (i.e., using multiple ethernet ports to send and receive data) will deliver significantly higher throughput over your network-but generally only if they’re connected to a router that supports the same feature, and those are rare in the consumer market ( Netgear’s Nighthawk X10 is one of the few). Plex is a popular option these days as well, and in some cases supplanting DLNA.

Nearly every NAS box comes with a DLNA server these days, but check the one you’re buying to be sure. Only initial backups or synchronization tend to be time consuming, so subsequent partial backups will be relatively quick even on a slower box.Ĭloud service connectivity Like backup, being able to sync your files with online services such as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, et al is super handy and allows access to your files when you don’t have an internet connection.ĭLNA media server Nearly all PCs and most multimedia devices can play media streamed from your NAS box via DLNA, although they might require a client app to do so.

That means that streaming performance was basically a non-issue for these drives, though we’ve noted where a particular box was outstanding.Īdequately fast backup and synchronization was another baseline that each of the boxes met, though some were considerably faster than others. A box that can do that, can easily stream 720p and 1080p video to multiple devices. A DLNA media server was used whenever possible when it wasn’t, we used Plex Media server and the relevant client app.Įach of the boxes reviewed here proved capable of delivering data fast enough to stream 10-bit color, 2160p (4K UHD) video at 60 frames per second.

We streamed 1080p-and where possible, 2160p-video files to multiple client devices, including two second-generation iPads, the test PC, two Android phones, and a Windows Phone. Additionally, backups of 40GB of data aare performed to check real-life throughput against the benchmark. Each box was mapped under Windows 10 on a faster Core i7-5820 system with NVMe SSDs and then benchmarked with CrystalDiskMark 6. Speaking of testing, here’s how we benchmarked them.

Nas box storage