
Hardware-level encryption acceleration: File encryption is good to use even if you access your NAS exclusively inside your home network, because it protects your data if someone breaks into your house and steals your NAS or your disks.Most NAS devices released within the past year have at least 2 GB of RAM, so we stuck with that as our minimum. CPU and RAM: We preferred a reasonably powerful dual-core Intel Celeron processor, but we didn’t rule out ARM-based configurations as long as their processing speeds were similar.

If you opt for a cheaper model, you usually sacrifice read and write speeds or end up with a less-polished operating system. More than that, and you’re entering more complex and powerful business-class territory.

For most home uses, a two-drive NAS is just right because it protects your data by mirroring the contents of one drive to the other (a configuration known as RAID 1, or a mirrored array).

Two drive bays: Hundreds of NAS devices are available, and you can find models with one, two, four, eight, or more drive bays.
