SMART NAS Home Automation
Step 9: Using a Smart NAS
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Purchase: QNAP NAS device
I purchased a TS-453 from smikbox, again because they know how to get all the technology working together allowing me to unpackup it turn it on and it all just works. Brilliant!
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Install a "smart NAS" with home automation software built will for starters gives you access to all the major home automation systems, software, tools devices on the planet. But will also provide you with your own personal cloud, Web servers, media services and load more to discover.
I looked at QNAP and Synology and settled on QNAP because they were a lot faster and had better set up for running multiple applications.
A NAS is tradionally used to store your files, and modern NAS works like your own personal cloud, sync files from your devices on the road, backup your information from Google or Dropbox, but a NAs will sufficient capacity can also run multiple applications at the same time, and in this case I chose the open source Home Assistant package that comes with the smikbox offering.
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With this decision I automatically had a device that will work with IFTTT, Openhab, Smart things, Home Assistant, Amazon Echo, Google Home and all the other technologoes I may wish to use in the future.
To complete this project you would need to purchase a NAS which I understand is an investment, but worthwhile if it is within your budget. I am certain the Synology devices will also run home assistant so its possible to proceed with this step using a Synology NAS, just make sure you have a minim of 4GB of memory in the NAS.
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