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Forum Discussion
How to Setup a readyNas RN102 2023
I have recently bought a second hand readynas with intent to start a little home media server/cloud storage for my files. Im having a hard time trying to work out to to start this now with the knowle...
SmellyFella wrote:
I have recently bought a second hand readynas with intent to start a little home media server/cloud storage for my files.
The best option for a home media server on the RN102 is to stick with the built-in DLNA service. Alternatively, just use the RN102 to store the media, but host Plex or perhaps Emby on an always-on PC that uses the NAS just for storage.
The RN102 is a 10 year old platform with very limited memory and a modest processor. It's not capable of on-the-fly transcoding, and the limited memory can create problems if you try to run Plex on it. If you do want to try and install other packages, you would need to go in and make some modifications to the NAS OS. We can give you some guidance there, so just ask if you are wanting to try that.
SmellyFella wrote:
cloud storage
Can you explain in more detail what you have in mind? ReadyNAS are used for on-premise storage, not cloud storage.
Are you just thinking remote access for yourself and maybe family? Or something more extensive?
Netgear advertised the ReadyNAS as a sort of "local cloud", a ridiculous concept because they are mutually exclusive. As such, they pushed using ReadyCloud (IMHO, to give the illusion that it really is cloud storage), but they have also always had a local admin interface.
The easiest way to access it is to download RAIDar and select "Admin Page" from it. A NAS is not a "set and forget" device, and running RAIDar is a good way to monitor it, though a periodic "check-in" using the admin interface is also something I recommend.
Thanks for the reply, do you know how to use raidar with it? Ive downloaded it and raidar cant discover it. I've put a drive in the nas and connected it to my wifi, but I get a continuous blue blinking light not sure what that means?
Id love to have it set up as a plex storage mostly as I have a 2tb hard drive in the nas at the moment. And just to use it as extra storage for my household. Ive tried setting it up with raidar but it cant scan for it. so at the moment I have no idea how to tap into it?
Thanks for the fast reply
SmellyFella wrote:I've tried setting it up with raidar but it cant scan for it. so at the moment I have no idea how to tap into it?
Are you seeing it in your router's attached device list?
Also, try powering down and removing the disk. Then power up and see if RAIDar finds it (it should report a no-disks status).
Internet security software (including some antivirus packages) can interfere with RAIDar, so maybe also try disabling those.
SmellyFella wrote:Id love to have it set up as a plex storage mostly as I have a 2tb hard drive in the nas at the moment. And just to use it as extra storage for my household.
It should be ok for those uses.
Plex.tv/downloads does have a package for the RN102, but I found it didn't work that well for me. The library scans tended to lock up (likely due to lack of memory in the RN102). And it can't transcode, so remote access won't work well if the media bandwidth is too high. Running plex on a PC with the media shares on the NAS mapped to a drive letter works much better.
Also, be careful on the disks you use - many desktop drives don't work well in ReadyNAS. Drives in the 2-6 TB range in particular often use a technology called SMR. Using those in a NAS can result in glacially slow write speeds. For the RN102, I recommend Seagate Ironwolf or WD Red Plus. Don't get the WD Reds, as they are also SMR.
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