Zyxel NSA310 Network Storage: taking it to the limit my way

[StanleyB]

There has been quite a few truly deserved mention of the Zyxel NSA310 network storage hard disk on AoS, and for good reason. It's cheap and versatile. This little box of tricks can do things that I never expected to be possible, let alone at the price. Having upgraded the internal hard disk of mine to a 3TB version, my storage solution for the next year or two seems less of a headache now.

But the basic NAS can be equipped with a lot more features and allow it to be operated remotely. That includes remote start/shutdown/reboot. This is something that interested me a lot. The general consensus on the net is that the NSA310 cannot be controlled over a wireless network. Everyone says you need a wired network. But having been a network engineer and designer of network products I considered that to be a challenge worthy of my time. So the following solutions are not to be found anywhere else on the net. It's a AoS exclusive so to speak. I have broken down the different options into several sections for ease of reading. It will also allow others to add their own extra suggestions etc. to the thread without making it messy.

[Trumpton_Rioter]

Sounds interesting, may have to get one of these as a backup for my music on my Synology NAS

Would be interested to read what you have written

[StanleyB]

Most users just plug their NAS into a RJ45 socket on their router and leave it at that. The downside of this method is that you are tied to a fixed location with the NAS. For security reasons I prefer to have my NAS well out of sight. So here is how I converted my NSA3190 to a wireless device:
Zyxel does a wireless repeater called the N300. It costs about £30 delivered and is an ideal solution for the job. It has an RJ45 port, which should be connected to to the NSA310 via a RJ45 cable. Once you have set up the N300 to communicate with your wireless hub the NSA310 will appear as a device on your network as well whne it is plugged in. That means it will have its own IP address.

[StanleyB]

One thing I am not keen on is to have my NSA powered up 24/7. It would be a great solution if you could switch on/off the drive remotely and save yourself having to leave your PC to do those functions in a different room where the NSA310 is located.
Well there have been solutions, but most of them have been patchy and incoherent. The myriad of threads about the NSA310 is a testament to the struggle that users have undergone to get it to respond to remote commands. The fact that all the available solutions are tied to wired operation has made that even more of a challenge. But after you have converted the NSA310 from a wired to a wireless NAS, some solutions are now far easier to implement.

The one I opted for in this case, and the one that is the easiest for the not so technically minded, requires a program download from http://www.zyxelforum.de/download/file.php?id=727&sid=e7b6df405abaf0f8efd48e7e3221aae0
It's in German, but luckily not difficult to grasp. Once you have extracted the RAR file, run the main file NSA_Status.exe. This will install the main monitoring file on your PC. A coloured icon will appear in your task bar. Green means that the NSA is up and running. Red means it is off line. And Yellow means it is rebooting.
If you right click on the icon in the taskbar you'll get a list of options. The first one you need at this stage is the one marked "settings".
Open it and fill in the required details. No doubt some of you might have problems knowing what to fill in and where to find the info. Those questions will hopefully be answered as we go along.
But for now the thing to know is that the extra files that are required to execute the start up etc options are in the originally extracted RAR directory. Just link to the relevant .exe file in the relevant folder from the extracted main directory, and that's it done.

[StanleyB]

Now that you have installed the NSA Status file and filled in the details to access it you can get down to operating it.
If you right click again on the NSA icon in the task bar you'll see options such as START, SHUTDOWN, and REBOOT. If you select any of those, the NSA310 will respond accordingly if you installed everything correctly. And with that you'll have a NAS system that is at the cutting edge of what is possible.

But the NSA310 can do a lot more than that. So watch this space for more tips and tricks from the NSA310 community.

[Trumpton_Rioter]

Thanks for this, looks interesting and if I get one I will certainly have a look at this again

[Ali Tait]

Great info Stan, might look into one of these as a second backup to my Drobo.

[StanleyB]

The NSA310 can do more than backups. You can also do unattended downloads with it :eyebrows:.
I also use it as a documents repository for the rest of my household. They have their own log in folders and drive space.
I am currently experimenting with access to the NAS via the internet for when I am not home. I call it my HomeCloud. I feel another section coming up on that..

[Ali Tait]

Good stuff Stan, sounds interesting and useful. I like the Drobo as it has 4 HD's and backs itself up automatically, and you can lose a HD and replace it with no loss of data.

[StanleyB]

There is a RAID version of the NSA310 that takes two drives. I thinks it's the NSA320. But the idea of being able to remotely switch on and off the NSA310 was partly to increase the reliability of the system and in turn reduce the need for a RAID system.

[Ali Tait]

Aye, would be useful. I leave the Drobo on all the time. Was thinking about some new HD's for it, perhaps the WD Red, as I believe they are specced to run 24/7?

[Canetoad]

I have my Synology NAS set up to turn off between midnight and 8am each day. Easy to do using built-in tools.

[Nihil Sleighride]

Looking forward to seeing more about this. So far just have it plugged into the router and never really explored what more it can actually do.