The Recommended IP Cameras for Synology and QNAP NAS for 2017

Choosing the right IP Camera for your QNAP OR Synology NAS

 Buying a NAS server to house, share and protect you most important data is fast becoming the system of choice for home and business users alike. The days of a draw filled with 4 or 5 USB keys or indeterminate size and quality are disappearing fast and it is now becoming easy for even the most novice IT user to get to grips with a 2 or 4-Bay NAS or DAS storage enclosure for HDD or SSD. However there are so many reasons to buy your first NAS. A well suited and mid-rage NAS can serve as a Plex Media Server, an iTunes server, an Apple Time Machine image archive, a DLNA certified media center or a Download station for RSS, HTTP, BT and FTP. The list of things you can do with a NAS is surprisingly long and most tasks can be carried out simultaneously with the others. However a more and more common reason many are buying their first NAS in 2017 and 2016 is home/Business security – a NAS Surveillance Solution.

Why would you use a Synology or QNAP NAS as an NVR?

 Both the big NAS brands, QNAP and Synology NAS, have been in the business of Network Attach Storage Servers for a great deal of time now and both arrive with completely free Surveillance software included with their respective units. Likewise both brands have specialised HDMI enabled NAS devices that let you connect an HDMI Monitor or HDMI TV and (along with a USB Keyboard and Mouse) to create a completely standalone CCTV Network Recording solution. Of course you do not need a Monitor or Peripherals, both units give you full access and control to all cameras, software and video feeds via your network or other the internet via your Mac, PC or mobile device (with numerous apps available in both Google Play and iTunes). Likewise the control deck and multiple camera feeds that you expect from expensive and often subscription based software platforms like Milestone and NetCam is provided for FREE with the QNAP and Synology Surveillance Station software, as well as being compatible with Thousands of different IP Camera models and in most cases being able to utilise and integrate popular IP Surveillance camera features like:

• Motion Sensor Recording
• Infrared
• Thermal Imaging
• Short/Log record
• Low Power Modes
• Low/High Frame rate recordings
• Multiple codec outputs
• Zoom
• Facial recognition
• Colour/Black and White
• Nightvision
• And more

What are the Disadvantages of using a QNAP NAS or Synology NAS for Surveillance and IP Cameras?

It all sounds too good to be true and with all this good news, it would be remiss of us here at NASCompares.com not to mention a few of the drawbacks to using a NAS for a NVR Surveillance NAS solution.

• The lower the power of the NAS, the fewer cameras the unit will support in constant and simultaneous use. I recommend minimum a Dual-Core, Intel CPU with at least 2GB of RAM for the most stable NVR NAS platform, like the Synology DS216+II or the QNAP TS-251+2G.
• Almost all Synology and QNAP NAS arrive with just two IP Camera Licences. In brief what that means is the FREE surveillance software with your NAS can only support 2x cameras at the beginning but can support more if you buy Camera licences. When asked about this, both Synology and QNAP that the software is provided free for Home users and those with light/small Surveillance needs. However larger Business and Enterprise customers would utilise the full Surveillance functionality with a larger number of cameras and this requires support in real time and long term functionality from them. So they say that those that want to use it for business/large scale needs should support it through further IP Camera licences. If you want more FREE IP camera licenses than the standard 2x, I would recommend the QNAP TS-253A as it arrives with 4X FREE Camera Licences. Alternatively, you can buy more IP Camera licences from nascompares.com here.
• In order to get the most from your Surveillance over NAS with IP Cameras, it is recommended that you get CCTV or NAS tailored HDDs for your QNAP NAS or Synology NAS, which are around 10-20% more expensive than standard Desktop PC Hard Drive Media. This is because they are designed with 24/7 powered usage in mind, as well as the Surveillance Class Drives being designed for Heavier Write than Read (I.e. more time recording footage onto, than you spend accessing it). nascompares.com recommend the Western Digital Red NAS and Purple Surveillance Drives. Alternatively you can get the Seagate Ironwolf or Seagate Skyhawk Drives.

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