For what you describe, Plex + that storage + any server + a little reading and config = business.

As mentioned, be careful opening ports for access like plex wants you to do. I don't recommend it without some level of protection.

matttkkkk wrote: Thu Mar 06, 2025 12:59 pm I’d do it. Synology checks all the boxes and that’s a good deal.

Done deal.

What's the best way to integrate protections while granting access? If I spin this thing up and it is connected to my wifi, are these kids gonna steal my Harvey Milk bootlegs??

GuyLaCroix wrote: What's the best way to integrate protections while granting access? If I spin this thing up and it is connected to my wifi, are these kids gonna steal my Harvey Milk bootlegs??

i don't have experience of the Synology config tools, but they're supposed to be best in class. Some preliminary considerations:

1. Your network situation is unusual (and not entirely clear) but not that unusual. The NAS needs internet access to retrieve updates and patches; you need (ideally!) wireless access to the NAS from all your devices.

Most of these NAS boxes don't incorporate the self-contained ability to connect to a wireless network, presuming instead that you're going to install them through a wired Ethernet connection into a home/small office router that indirectly connects it to the wireless clients. If the college have kitted out your apartment on that basis (or can be talked into doing so) this becomes a lot more straightforward.

If the college internet provision is closer to "here's the campus-wide wireless SSID and here are your individual credentials" your options are (a) outline your use case to them and find out if they can accommodate it, or (b) run a simple independent wired network in parallel in your apt, possibly with a private wireless access point. I should be clear that (b) is a rubbish option for most people: generally devices can connect to exactly one wireless network at once, so it'd be in effect "do you want access to the NAS or the internet?", except for devices that have Ethernet ports: then you could be simultaneously connected to the internet over wireless & the NAS over wired.

2. Don't rush the setup. If you acquire the unit you posted a link to, you'll need to buy and fit a second disk and run the config before it has any redundancy. Specifically I'm saying don't do what I did first time round which was load all my data and then start trying to configure it. The ideal order to set up is something like: disks --> users --> volumes --> setup and test backup --> install a service/plugin --> copy a small sample of data to test --> get it right --> copy data onboard. I recommend sketching out what you think you'd like the final result to do (this includes estimating the qty of data involved in each service) but then tackling the set up loop one volume/service/block of data at a time.

3. When it comes to setting up users, including the admin account, use strong passphrases (Bitwarden/1Password/your favourite password manager can help you generate these) and enable multifactor authentication for all accounts. Set up the basic services for "deny everything unless authenticated". Put each set of creds into a password manager/vault as you set them up.

GuyLaCroix wrote: Thu Mar 06, 2025 12:34 pm VPN subscription

Not to interrupt, but if anyone wants to shoot over some recommendations for a decent VPN, I could use one for my laptop.

Not sure how well it would work, but sick of my stupid phone ratting out my socials to every other good ol boy who works at skull mountain with me.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Fri Mar 07, 2025 8:59 am

GuyLaCroix wrote: Thu Mar 06, 2025 12:34 pm VPN subscription

Not to interrupt, but if anyone wants to shoot over some recommendations for a decent VPN, I could use one for my laptop.

Current favorites online are Mullvad (https://mullvad.net/en) and Proton (https://protonvpn.com/) - but really Mullvad ay be your best choice.

Proton's social accounts (on Reddit and elsewhere) & CEO recently posted some misguided pro-Republicans policy statements. Not only does it make people uncomfortable because of its tacit endorsement of right-wing politics, but because the it shows the CEO making an incredibly stupid argument (that Republicans care about small businesses and will go after big tech companies in ways Democrats won't, which is about as fucking naive and wrongheaded as it could possibly be).

Having used both of these services, the biggest difference I see in Mullvad is its VPN servers getting blocked by some sites more frequently than Proton. Then I have to jump around my setting to change which location it shows I'm from so I can use the site. USPS is a site where this happens, for example. But that's just me, ymmv.

That inconvenience is still worth it to not deal with RW-embracing companies.

As a side note, you can configure Synology to act as a VPN, and route your home traffic through it. While a cool idea, you'd then be on the hook for anytime someone on your home network can't access a site due to your VPN settings. No idea how good/bad this works in practice, but noting it for anyone who's into that sort of thing.