Setting up your first NAS is quite an exciting affair. You discover new features and their unique use cases — the sheer joy of the experience is much like assembling your own PC. However, in all the excitement, it’s easy to overlook critical details that can potentially leave your NAS vulnerable to security risks, drive failures, and data loss. Many of these factors also affect your NAS’s longevity — and you want it to last a very long time! When setting up your first NAS unit at home, you should keep these key points in mind to avoid any snags down the line.

9 Choosing the wrong NAS

Know your needs before picking a NAS

A lot of factors go into finding the right NAS model for your home. If you pick the wrong NAS model, you will be stuck with it for a long time, making it crucial to be wise in your purchase decision. A small, two-bay NAS may not be enough for your video editing side hustle, while an underpowered NAS won’t keep up with your video streaming needs.

To avoid this, start planning before you even make a purchase. Ensure the NAS has the right storage capacity to last for years. Look for NVMe caching to maintain fast file transfers, and check if your router has Gigabit ports for better performance. If possible, choose a NAS that allows future network upgrades.

8 Using incompatible hard drives

Non-NAS hard drives are a recipe for disaster

Your NAS is designed to work 24/7 with no breaks. A big part of that constant operation depends on the hard drives — they must spin all day long without breaking. Many people overlook drive selection when getting a NAS and end up installing regular desktop drives. This makes your NAS susceptible to frequent failures since those drives aren’t made for that kind of load and continuous use.

The best approach is to use NAS-specific hard drives or SSDs built to sustain constant operation and handle the resulting heat. These drives are engineered for server environments, where they withstand vibrations and heavy workloads, making them more than ideal for home or small business use. As a bonus, they often come with excellent warranty support, which regular drives don’t offer.

7 Not accounting for storage expansion

Future-proofing your NAS requires more storage

Even if you get yourself a four-bay NAS, you’ll eventually run out of space — especially if you keep a full archive of past projects or use the NAS for both work and personal needs. In that case, your only option down the line will be buying a new NAS, which will be an expensive and tedious affair. You can steer clear of it by planning ahead.

Many mid-tier and high-end NAS models include an expansion slot for daisy-chaining dedicated expansion units. These expansion units don’t have their own processors; they simply provide extra drive bays, making them much cheaper than replacing your existing NAS with a new one. Checking for this option alone can save you significant costs in the long run.

6 Not planning for redundancy

"What’s redundancy?"

I will admit that when I first started with network storage, I didn’t fully understand redundancy either. But I quickly realized its importance, and now I think no one should run a NAS without a RAID configuration. One of the biggest risks of data loss comes from drive failures, which you absolutely want to avoid to protect family photos, videos, and business files. RAID mitigates this by reserving some space on your NAS that is used for data recovery in case of an incident.

When setting up your NAS, always configure RAID based on what your model supports. On a two-bay NAS, RAID 1 is your best (and only) option. On larger NAS models, RAID 5 or RAID 6 provides better space efficiency. Some NAS brands, like Synology, offer proprietary alternatives like SHR, which provide more flexibility by letting you mix drive sizes.

5 Skipping regular off-site backups

‘Skipping’ and ‘backups’ shouldn’t be used in the same sentence

Many assume that a NAS itself is a backup solution. While this may be true for home users who store primary copies of their data on their devices (phones, laptops, et al.), it’s the opposite for freelancers and small businesses that use a NAS as their primary storage. If a flood or hardware failure damages the NAS, all data could be lost. That’s why a remote backup is essential.

A good way out of this is to maintain an off-site backup so your data remains safe even if your main NAS becomes unusable. We suggest that you set up automatic and regular backups — daily is ideal, though weekly should be the bare minimum.

4 Neglecting proper cooling

Your NAS needs to let off steam, too

Think of your NAS as a small PC. Spinning drives naturally generate heat, which must be dissipated. If you place the NAS in an enclosed space with poor ventilation, the hard drives will overheat and cause frequent shutdowns. And if this continues, repeated overheating incidents can lead to premature drive failures and eventually, data loss.

You can avoid this by placing your NAS in a well-ventilated area, away from heat sources like kitchens or direct sunlight. If overheating persists, consider upgrading the NAS’s fans with aftermarket solutions for better airflow. Since home NAS units aren’t in constant use, unlike their business counterparts, you can also consider scheduling daily downtimes where the NAS automatically shuts down and starts up, improving the device’s longevity.

3 Leaving default security settings unchanged

Customize security to your needs

It poses a major security risk if you leave the default settings unchanged on a new NAS. Not a lot of people realize that keeping the 'admin' username as is makes your NAS an easy target for bad actors as it is the easiest to guess. Additionally, accessing your NAS over the internet makes your NAS vulnerable to attacks if you don’t take precautions when you are outside your home network.

You can start by creating custom user profiles to make it harder for attackers to guess the credentials. Always use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication for added protection. If you must access your NAS remotely, implement strict security measures to safeguard your network.

2 Not setting up automatic updates

Updates do more than just add new features

New updates often introduce exciting features to your devices, but for a NAS, they also include crucial security patches that protect against external attacks. It is often seen that many vulnerabilities stem from outdated OS versions and unpatched applications that attackers tend to exploit, making these updates a no-brainer.

When setting up a new NAS, make sure to enable automatic updates if it isn’t already by default. The same rule applies to the apps installed on the NAS. If you’ve downloaded apps from the official app store, you can set them to update automatically. For third-party apps, you will have to keep an eye on the respective developers’ official social media pages to stay up to date on any new releases that you can install without delay.

1 Ignoring proper user permissions

Not everyone should have access to all data

Failing to configure user groups and permissions properly on your NAS could give all users unrestricted access to your data. This increases the risk of accidental deletions or data breaches, resulting in a device-wide breach, including even critical business files, if a user has a weak password.

Even in a home setting, separating admin files from general user access is helpful. If you use the NAS for both work and personal purposes, assign different permissions for each user case. This helps you segregate your two lives, preventing any needless overlap.

Thoughtfully committing to your NAS

While choosing the right NAS is important, the post-purchase setup is just as critical. Pre-built NAS models offer guided setup processes, which you should follow carefully instead of skimming through. Pay close attention to every setting and configure the NAS so that it meets your specific needs. Use this checklist to fine-tune your NAS, close security loopholes, and ensure long-term reliability.