6 ways you can repurpose an old prebuilt NAS after going DIY

Prebuilt network-attached storage (NAS) hardware is excellent for newcomers to the NAS world and those who simply prefer to have a turnkey system ready to go. Simply throw some drives inside and you’re good to go. But there may be a time when you look to expand beyond the limitations of a prebuilt enclosure running proprietary software, which is where DIY servers come into play. There’s no need to throw the old NAS away as you can repurpose it for other projects, including backup destinations, home surveillance, game servers, and more.

6

Use as a JBOD

Just a Bunch of Drives

A NAS is simply a collection of drives for storage, in the most basic sense. Once you have a prebuilt NAS enclosure as a spare, it may be time to transform it into a JBOD enclosure, which is essentially Just a Bunch of Drives. It’s as the name implies. Your NAS will become a collection of drives for simply storing data and is slightly more capable than direct-attached storage (DAS), since the NAS will remain connected to the network. Although smarter, this will allow you to maintain a higher capacity for storage pools.

5

Store backups

Follow the 3-2-1 rule

We’re huge proponents of the 3-2-1 backup strategy, which consists of 3 backup copies, stored on two devices, and one copy is stored off-site. An old prebuilt NAS could be incorporated into such a strategy, be it located elsewhere or within the home, and configured to automatically copy backups from your main server. You can never have too many backups, and relying on just a handful of devices for keeping data safe could result in potential data loss, which is where an old NAS comes into play.

4

Test new apps and changes

Create a dev instance

When fleshing out your home lab, you’;ll likely try new software, settings, and hardware configurations. While it’s possible to achieve greatness within a live enviornment at home, I’d recommend setting up a developer instance if possible so as to avoid any heated exchanges with family members who are unable to access their stored photos and videos. Using an old NAS for testing new things could not only save you many headaches, but it can be used as a spring board to learn more about networking, Docker containers, Linux, and general computing.

3

Store all your Steam games

Create a networked library

Games aren’t getting any smaller and our Steam libraries only continue to grow in size. That’s why storing games on a NAS could make sense, especially if your gaming PC has a smaller internal drive. When working with larger games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Final Fantasy XV, you’ll want to ensure you’re using SSDs inside the NAS and a 2.5GbE network switch for maximum performance. It won’t be as fast as internal strorage and you may notice some popping here and there as the network attempts to stream data upon request, it’s not a terrible experience.

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2

Create a home surveillance DVR

To protect and serve!

Running home surveillance on the same system you’re using as a backup destination and Docker Container server can be costly for the hardware. Recording footage from multiple IP cameras is taxing on the drives, as you’ll write a lot of data. It’s best to separate them when possible, and an old NAS could do precisely that. You can try and have a go with first-party software, or deploy a container image for Frigate, a popular free choice for those looking to protect their home.

Thankfully, Frigate is a fairly lightweight container, making it possible to run this powerful app on even the more affordable prebuilt NAS enclosures. It’s extremely smart with detection features and tracking facilities, supports thousands of camera SKUs, has a clean and easy-to-follow UI, and can be improved with AI accelerators, though that’s largely for more advanced users (and NAS servers).

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How I self-host Frigate to power my home surveillance system from my NAS

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1

Run some game servers

Load up your very own Minecraft world

Depending on how capable your old NAS is, you could repurpose it as a game server. Hosting online game modes, be it Unreal Tournament 2004 or Minecraft, can be costly, especially when using well-established hosting companies, but all you need is a NAS, some free time, and downloaded server software for that game. Running a Minecraft server, one of the most popular games, is simple on a NAS with the excellent MineOS. Check to see if it’s possible with the game(s) you play with friends and family, and you could save a small fortune.

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How to host a Minecraft server on a NAS

If you have a NAS lying around not doing anything, you might be able to turn it into a Minecraft server.

Don’t throw it away … yet

Even if you’re not planning to use the old NAS enclosure for naything yet, it’s worth holding onto the hardware, if not to have a spare copy of whtever you had stored on the drives. It may be a few months or even a year before you come up with a way that makes sense to re-use old NAS hardware. It’s always better to try and save money (and the environment) by finding new ways to use products we no longer have any use for and these are some excellent ways to make sure your old prebuilt enclosure can continue ticking along for a little bit longer.