Bottom line: My pick for the best affordable NAS for Plex simply has to be the Synology DiskStation DS220+. The company recently released this enclosure with improved internals and a better CPU. It's a fantastic NAS enclosure for the price and can even handle some 4K transcoding, should you require it.
This is where Plex comes in-it transcodes media stored on your NAS and lets you play it on different media players and devices without stalling or hiccups. Because Plex uses only software transcoding, it relies mainly on the processor of the NAS to do hardware transcoding using the power of the NAS's CPU.
Overall, the balance of usability, functionality, and superb device compatibility, Plex is easily the best media server software you can (and should) use. Why you should use Plex: Great for Movies, TV shows, music, photos. Tons of compatible Plex client devices.
QNAP is more "modder" friendly in that they provide a full Linux shell access while Synology only provides BusyBox, but the set of tools in the Linux shell are not maintained to always be current. It's more of a "they do what QNAP needs, so don't change it" Synology support is better than QNAP.
Use Plex on these devices
- Browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari.
- Mobile Apps: Android, iOS.
- Tablets: Android and iOS.
- Desktop/Laptop computers: macOS, Windows.
- Smart TVs: LG, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, VIZIO, and Roku TV.
- Streaming Devices: Amazon Alexa. Amazon Fire TV. Android TV.
- Gaming Consoles: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Go to Main Menu > Application > Media Play (USB & DLNA) to enable DLNA service, press the Device button on your remote, and then select your Synology NAS from the list of devices on which media files you would like to access.
Right click folder - Share folder(advanced share with all) Allow the folders to be shared that are necessary. -Go into Plex go to home folder(click on the + "add button" find network mapped drive) Allow plex to add all files---***** and Done!
To create a library, launch the Plex Web App then:
- Click to open the settings menu.
- Ensure that the correct Plex Media Server is selected within the settings menu.
- Select Libraries under the Manage section of the settings menu.
- Click Add Library.
- Choose the library type from the selection.
Add networks to your drive in Plex:
- Click the Open Plex button.
- Enter your Plex account user name and password and click the SIGN IN button.
- Click +Add Library.
- Select your library type, enter a name for your library, and click the NEXT button.
- Click the BROWSE FOR MEDIA FOLDER button.
Instead, Plex is a media server. You direct the Plex software to this folder, and Plex then makes your computer available as a server. By using the Plex app on another computer, a mobile device or a streaming gadget plugged into your TV, you can stream content from your computer to another platform of your choice.
Overview
- Install Media Server. To install Media Server, please go to Package Center, find Media Server, and then click Install.
- Upload multimedia files to your Synology NAS.
- Configure browsing settings for your media player.
- Enhance DMA compatibility.
- Access the media files stored on your NAS with DLNA TV.
To configure media playback settings on your Synology NAS:
- Go to Main Menu > Media Server.
- Under the General Settings tab, do the following with the drop-down menu to adjust the settings of your DMA devices, and click Apply to save the changes.
The NAS device should appear as a network drive in Windows, MacOS or Linux, so you can copy and paste the files over as if it was a hard drive or USB drive plugged into your computer. With the media on your NAS device, you'll now need to tell your media server software where to look for that media.
Here's how to do it. Start by firing up your Plex server's user interface, and then click the “Settings” option. The next screen shows what version of Plex Media Server you're currently running. If an update is available, it will tell you just to the right of the version number.
- Head to the Synology website.
- Choose your NAS model.
- Download Synology Assistant.
- Install the software.
- Run Synology Assistant.
- Allow the suite to search your network.
- Right-click your NAS and choose Connect.
You could connect your PC directly to the NAS with an ethernet cable. This way you need to enable the NAS DHCP server or set both IPs in the same Address range. Then you don't need the „internet“/router/switch. Make sure both are connected to a router and connect to the IP Address of the Synology NAS.
Overview
- Open a Windows Explorer window and go to Computer.
- Click Map network drive.
- On the Map Network Drive window, choose a drive letter from the Drive drop-down menu.
- In the Folder field, enter the server name of your Synology NAS and shared folder name preceded and separated by backslashes.
Most Synology routers have a default IP address of 192.168. 1.1. The IP address is required when accessing the Synology router's web interface to configure it. You can also check the instructions on how to figure out your Synology router ip if you are connected to the router's network.
Click on the Status Tab and Below the status tab you will find the Sub tab "Router" Click on it and below you need to Click on "DHCP Client Table" and in that list you will find the IP address of your NAS.
To enable QuickConnect:
- Go to Control Panel > QuickConnect > General.
- Check Enable QuickConnect.
- Enter your existing Synology Account information or register a new account.
- Specify a new QuickConnect ID. Make sure it is easy to remember, so you will be able to access your Synology NAS anytime.
- Click Apply.
Part of the point of having a NAS device that's always on is that you can access it from wherever you have an internet connection. A NAS device isn't just useful for local storage. It can also give you access to your ?les wherever you are in the world. This Hub shows you how to make that connection.
NAS: Mapping a Network Share - PC
- From your desktop, click on the start menu and search for This PC.
- From the This PC window, right click on This PC and select Map Network Drive.
- The Map Network Drive window will appear.
- You will now see a window that will confirm that your computer is connecting to the network drive.
Overview
- Go to Control Panel > QuickConnect.
- Check the Enable QuickConnect box.
- If you do not have a Synology Account, click Log in to or register a Synology Account.
- Create your own QuickConnect ID in the QuickConnect ID field.
- If you do not see the QuickConnect DSM link, click Advanced and make sure DSM is enabled.
For web browser access, go to Control Panel > QuickConnect > General and tick Enable QuickConnect. For synced client access, go to Control Panel > QuickConnect > Advanced and tick to enable Synology Drive Server under the Permission section.
Drag and Drop Files/Folders between Browsers
- Go to Settings > General > File Station.
- Tick Enable drag and drop between browsers.
- Click OK.
- Open two web browsers of the same kind (e.g., Firefox), and connect them respectively to the source and target Synology NAS.
- Launch File Station on both Synology NAS.
Follow the steps below:
- Open File Explorer, then select This PC.
- Click the Computer tab on the upper part of the windows.
- Click Map network drive.
- Select a drive letter you want, then click Browse.
- Navigate to your NAS drive, then click OK.
- Confirm your selection, click Finish.
If you are planning to connect your Synology NAS to your PC over USB, then no, you can not. NAS means network attached storage and is being connected to a network. Once added as a network drive, the new drive will appear in your drive list on your PC or Mac. If you want to connect your NAS directly, you can do it.
