Readynas too noisy for use in my livingroom?

Posted by: Claus-Thoegersen on 21 March 2012

I need a nas to store my downloads, and to make a second backup for my ns01. I am spending too much time comparing all the different nas versions and brands I can find. I do not really need all the fancy extra services any new nas has, but I need a quiet nas, since it has to be placed in the room with the rest of the hifi.

I can get a cheap readynas duo 2110. It is on the list of Naim tested nas, the only problem is that many users report that the fan noise is hard to live with, so a common tweak is to replace the fan installed in the Readynas. I do not want to buy a new unit and start by either destroying it in the process of changing the fan, or to have a very noisy unit.

Another cheap and quiet sollution is to get a Western Digital My Book Live nas. I am aware about all the limitations it has. The only problem is can it work with the Naim servers? It is not on the old list of tested units, and some users on the net reports a lot of problems when used in other streaming setups.

 

Reading on the net it seems that the Synology 211 or 212plus models have very quiet fans, and some qnap models also, but this comes at a higher cost than the Readynass duo.

Claus

 

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by Guido Fawkes

Why not get a custom Vortexbox - you can specify the hardwire requirements so it can be very quiet if you want it to be. 

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by Michael Chare

Put in this way.  I am glad that my ReadyNasDuo is in my attic and away from my HiFi. If the NAS was in the same room as my HiFi, I would be looking for a totally silent solution. i.e. no fans or spinning disks.

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by PinkHamster

There are models which do not have a fan. But the noise of the hard disk will always be there. However, this is very moderate. If you place it behind a drapery it should be perfectly ok. Unfortunately SSDs are not yet availabe in the required capacity and price range.

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by Guido Fawkes
Originally Posted by Michael Chare:

Put in this way....  I would be looking for a totally silent solution. i.e. no fans or spinning disks.

Vortexbox with SSD - though not cheap. 


UnitiServe with a very big USB stick. 

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by garyi

Why does it have to be in the same room?

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by Scarydog

ReadyNas was too noisy for me to have in our downstairs hall! I changed to a synology and am much happier. I don't think I could have a Nas in the same room as the music. 

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by KRM

I agree the Readynas Duo is too noisy for the living room. However, if it's only used for backing up you can program it to come on at night. Be careful with the Western Digital. In my experience, it can only back up the computers. It won't be able to see the NS01, only the PC being used to administer the NAS.

 

Keith

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by DT79

I'm a readynas user and mine makes a right old racket too. I had to put mine in a cupboard (and even now I can hear it when everything else is quiet) - as my main/only phone socket is in the lounge I have no option to put it anywhere else, unless i want to completely re-model my property and lay ethernet between rooms.

 

If quietness is a priority, then the readynas ain't for you

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by Claus-Thoegersen

Hi,

My apartment does not have a room where a noisy nas can stay. Living room, kitchen and bed room no good options. I could maybe find a place in a cubbord but having it hardwired would be as expensive as a silent nas.

I have searched for a fanless nas but only found people complaining about a discontinued qnap model.

With your answers I am leaning towards installing Vortexbox on my 2009 Mac Mini. This will not give me a backup sollution but work for streaming to the ns01.

Does anybody know if the Vortexbox installer can be run unattended. I like to install my software without sighted assistance!

A memory stick on my ns01 is another sollution, but anything less than 64 gb will not work for a long time, but I will check prices.

Claus

Posted on: 21 March 2012 by Guido Fawkes

Before starting you would have to create a VB install CD by downloading the ISO image and burning it as an ISO image to CD. 


It may be possible, but to install Vortexbox I had to select Install Vortexbox from a menu and give it a root password. I also had to eject the CD when it finished and rebooted so it didn't try to install it again. You may also have to tweak a few settings. So I would say you would need sighted assistance. Unless you bought the pre-built appliance. 


However, Tog or another forum member may know a way around this. 



Posted on: 22 March 2012 by Claus-Thoegersen
Originally Posted by Guido Fawkes:

Before starting you would have to create a VB install CD by downloading the ISO image and burning it as an ISO image to CD. 


It may be possible, but to install Vortexbox I had to select Install Vortexbox from a menu and give it a root password. I also had to eject the CD when it finished and rebooted so it didn't try to install it again. You may also have to tweak a few settings. So I would say you would need sighted assistance. Unless you bought the pre-built appliance. 


I found out that a 64 gb usb stick was cheaper than I thought, so this is a sollution for some time. On the other hand and just for fun I think I will play with the vortexbox since my Mac is not really used for anything else.






Claus