Can you connect a NAS via USB directly?

If I were to purchase a Synology NAS and connect it via USB 3.1 to my PC, will I be able to access the file system and move files to it directly using Windows explorer? I have gotten mixed responses to this from forum answers.

Finally… if I were to get the DS1621+ and then just want to use it as a DAS, connected directly to my PC running the Plex Server, will that still work? Again, I have been getting mixed messages because some people have said that Synology NAS cannot connect to a PC using USB at all, and that the USB is only used for expansion purposes.

Either way, I’m assuming that I will have to at least start by connecting via Ethernet to set up the NAS device and to access the user interface, or can that be done via USB as well? (fingers crossed?)

Hearing these answers from a trusted source in the know will greatly help.

 

The only NAS that could have been connected via USB was Qnap 53A and 73E series. But they are discontinued already.

But one you map your network drive, it will appear in your Windows File Explorer. https://www.synology.com/helpfile/help/DSM/5.2/dsm/enu/Tutorial/store_with_windows.html

You can also connect directly from a PC to a NAS via LAN if you have multiple LAN ports on a PC (or USB LAN dongle). Or if you want better speeds than 1Gbit, you can install 10GbE card on your NAS and a PC.  https://nascompares.com/answer/can-i-connect-synology-diskstation-nas-directly-to-a-pc-or-mac/

If you want your network drive to be seen as an internal disk (similar to drive D:), you can set it up as ISCSI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xtVVARULC4

I hope this helps.


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