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ctxuk's avatar
ctxuk
Aspirant
Oct 26, 2023
Solved

RN 204 - New user previously owned/used device

So purchased this 4 bay model, new to NAS completely to then find seemingly nothing available now for it. Managed to get and install Plex Media Server by googling but, is there any other software ava...
  • Sandshark's avatar
    Oct 26, 2023

    No install disk is needed.  All it contains is RAIDar, which you can download and is just a tool for easy access, a (now outdated) electronic version of the manuals, and maybe the client-side ReadyCloud, which is no longer supported.  Your RN204 is one of the most underpowered ReadyNAS in terms of CPU and RAM, and using it for surveillance (which is also no longer supported for new users) was not really a very good idea even when it was supported.  It's also not going to allow you to do transcoding via Plex.  You will be much better off getting a dedicated micro-PC for any apps (both in terms of computing power and application choice) and then using the NAS as storage for them.  For surveillance, I recommend Blue Iris, then set your NAS up as the backup location.

     

    I'm not sure why you say you wasted your money beyond using it as network storage, as that's what it's designed to be.  You cannot connect it to a PC via USB -- the USB is for backup drives and UPS monitoring.

     

    But Netgear clearly is exiting the NAS market and we in the forum are not expecting anything major in the way of OS updates from here out.  So, you may want to look for a NAS from a manufacturer who is staying in the market instead of learning to use a NAS that's already end-of-life per the manufacturer.

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