UQ - want to get NAS but....

I did some searching; how about something like a Netgear MBR 1515?  It looks to me to have the features of a traditional home wifi router, plus it accepts a SIM card and can access 3g and 4g mobile networks.  If you ever do get broadband internet access at your home, it looks like you could continue to use this.  If you are lucky, the "wireless n" wifi signal will be available thoughout your home.  You can experiment with moving it around your home to where it gets a good 3g signal and provides wifi where you want it.

Hi Tim

Well, for a router I would look at the DrayTek range as many of these can use multiple broadband types including 3G and have wireless options if required.

As for a NAS I use Netgear ReadyNAS and Buffalo Linkstation (though Linkstation is quite old without usable UPnP server). Both have worked faultlessly, Qnap and Synology are also obvious contenders. If you intend to use the NAS’s  UPnP server to serve your music (as opposed to running through a computer) then this is probably the single most important issue to consider as the servers vary in the way they present your music for selection as generally but not always it is impossible to install an alternative server on a NAS. 700 CDs even in WAV format will easily fit in 500GB drive space, so in NAS terms this is quite small.

I have no knowledge of the Mac system so will leave that to others who will be able to advise, although most NAS run some form of Linux OS so should have no trouble in that respect.

I don’t know of a basic guide to suggest, but if you (or your girls) have reasonable computer skills these things are not that demanding to setup.

 As for your printer, if you are using wireless and wish to continue then there is no problem. But I would defiantly be looking to install wired especially for the Naim kit. Perhaps the router could be installed close to your main system or in the roof and a cable run to a switch (I assume that installing a lot of cables would be difficult for you) but Cat5e is not a lot bigger than a telephone cable and length is not a problem in a domestic environment. Remember you can install as many switches as you require so if you have a cluster of equipment close together a singe cable from the router to a switch is sometimes easier to install than multiple cables.

Hope this helps you get started, others will no doubt have other ideas.

Regards,

Peter

Tim, mac vs pc to set up and control the NAS is not an issue.  NAS's typically use a web interface for management and control.  So the NAS does not care if Firefox or Chrome or whatever browser is running on a mac or a pc.

As for your iPhone and iPad, you will use those to control playback by the UQ, but not to control the NAS; that is much better done from a computer.  But once things are set up, to play music stored on the nas you will not need to do anything to the NAS itself; the UQ does it all.

I highly recommend getting a printer with wifi built in.  Once you've got a wifi network in the house, it will be a simple matter to print from any computer on which you've "installed" that printer.  I would not spend money on a wifi adapter for an old printer if at all possible, and just buy a new one with wifi built in.  Setting those up on each computer is really easy these days.

I agree with Bart re getting a new 'in-built' wireless printer.Likely to be a stronger connection.

As for a NAS, it's something else to integrate. If you're Mac is sitting there idle I'd save money and use that. Most decent computers have eco settings that end up using not much more power than a NAS and you'll retain better integration for any other tasks if you stay all Apple.Apart from remote waking I don't really see the point in a separate NAS, though in fairness I probably do spend too much time with my computers.

Andy

Thanks guys - though I still don't understand quite a bit it is helpful to have some of the options set out!

Re the wireless printer - it might be an option to get a family printer that is wireless but the current printer is a colour HP laser printer (£300 ish I think excluding ink) that is still working perfectly well so it would be lunacy to replace...

Maybe the best thing is to use the iMac, as suggested by Andy, for now - will do some research into how I can do that sensibly, though I will now have to stop telling the family to turn it off after they have used it... have been spending the last few months trying to persuade them not to leave lights, computers etc on so seems like defeat to stop doing that! 

There have been a number of other guides referred to in this forum in the last couple of days that I have found since I made my first post above so will read them - though I do have a growing sense of doom from the extra complexity that can arise from streaming - more to go wrong.  And being in the country we have several power cuts a year

Perhaps just to get started in the world of digital music you should play files from a usb stick or an iPod directly into the UQ?  You could rip your cd's into one of the compatible Apple lossless formats and put them on an iPod.  If/when you move into networked music, those files would be just fine to stream to your UQ.

No, No, No!!! Apple will not convey the structure, which is necessary for a real digital streaming environmemt. Stay PC. Get a QNAP or NetGear or ReadyNAS or whatever and simply start. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. Just get started.

Given where the OP is starting, with NO home network at the moment, wired or wireless, imho telling him to buy a NAS and "simply start" is not good advice to get him using the UQ right away.  Yes, to create a home music library that can be played from a future NDS in the parlor and the UQ dictates that eventually he'll want a NAS and a robust home network.  One step at a time . . .

Blimey - geeks arguing over the advice.  Am this morning working downstairs with the main system playing so I don't need to worry about getting the UQ fully functioning yet.  

I have helpfully had some offline advice from fixedwheel who understands this sort of thing, and am keen to launch into QNAP though need to do a bit of looking round to get sorted what to buy and how to get up and running.  I do appreciate the cautionary approach of finding a simple way to start but I can see that that would cost me more in the long run, and if I don't grasp the NAS-nettle now I may never get round to doing it - probably best to start now while I don't have NDS so that when I go for one I should be able to dive in more quickly.  As a Yorkshire born accountant I am keen to take a longer view and spend my pounds wisely 

A QNAP NAS TS-212 is a great option for you as it will work as a print server so you can access the printer from anywhere on your home network and also has squeezebox server as a qpkg application (you can read up on qpkg later so don't worry about the name for now)

WiFi routers these days have very good range but if the stone wall is still an issue have a look at some powerlines for your kids bedrooms. Try and plan out your network on paper before buying anything and if possible have the NAS and Qute on a wired LAN and then let everyone else connect in via wireless.

Some offline advice, and maybe even a mate to come by and help you with it, is ideal.  Surely you can do it, it's just a matter of what resources you have available to you as you work it out.  And your personal tolerance for frustration vs. the prospect of learning something new. Once it's up and running you'll enjoy it, and be glad you learned.

Start with the network itself, then the attached storage (NAS).  A NAS with no network isn't all that useful

Bart, a NAS without a network is just an as(s)

I do have a good local friend who would undoubtedly help with setup (he's helped with the nVi) - he's just a nightmare to ask questions since he answers too completely...