Thinking about upgrading your podcast or creative studio setup? This guide walks you through setting up a Synology NAS the easy way—especially if you’ve ever lost files or outgrown your old external drives. If you’ve already read the article titled “The Shocking Storage Mistake That’s Sabotaging Your Podcast—And How to Fix It,” this is your next step to fix it for good.

What You Need

• Synology NAS (example: DS1522+)
• At least 1 hard drive (HDD or SSD)
• A computer (Mac or PC)
• Ethernet cable
• Internet router (home or office)

Easy NAS Setup (Plain English, Step-by-Step)

1. Plug Everything In

• Connect the NAS to power.
• Use the Ethernet cable to connect the NAS to your internet router.

2. Install the Drives

• Slide the hard drives into the front of the NAS until they click into place.

3. Turn It On

• Press the power button. Wait 1–2 minutes for it to start up.

4. Open Your Computer’s Web Browser

• Type this address into your browser: find.synology.com
• Click your NAS name when it shows up and follow the setup steps.

5. Choose Your Storage Type

• Pick “SHR” for a safe and flexible setup if you’re unsure.

6. Make Your Folders

• Create folders like “Photos,” “Videos,” and “Client Work.”

7. Turn On Synology Drive

• This tool helps you share and sync files easily.

8. Install Synology Drive on Your Computer

• Download the app from Synology’s website.
• Connect it to your NAS.
• Now you can sync files just like Dropbox or Google Drive.

Optional: Set Up Access on Your Phone

• Download Synology Drive or DS File from your app store.
• Sign in and you’ll be able to view or upload files from your phone.

Time Machine Backups (Mac Instructions)

Want your Mac to back up automatically to your Synology NAS? Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Prepare the NAS

1. Open DSM in your web browser.
2. Go to Control Panel > File Services and turn on SMB.
3. Create a new user just for backups (example: “timemachine”).
4. Create a new shared folder and name it “TimeMachineBackup”.
5. Edit the folder and turn on the setting: “Enable as Time Machine backup target.”
6. Make sure the backup user has permission to write to that folder.

Step 2: Connect Time Machine on Your Mac

1. On your Mac, go to System Settings > General > Time Machine.
2. Click “Add Backup Disk.”
3. If your folder doesn’t appear, click “Connect to Server.”
   • Type this address: smb://your-nas-name.local/TimeMachineBackup
4. Use the username and password you created earlier.
5. Choose the folder and start your backup.

Your Mac will now back up to the NAS automatically in the background.

Bonus Tips

• Want an extra backup in the cloud? Use Hyper Backup to connect to Dropbox or Google Drive.
• You can access your NAS files anywhere using Synology’s QuickConnect feature.
• Add SSDs to your NAS for a speed boost—this is especially helpful for editing.

Don’t wait until you lose your work. If you’ve ever had a drive fail or hit a wall with your current setup, this is your chance to fix it for good. Be sure to read the article, “The Shocking Storage Mistake That’s Sabotaging Your Podcast—And How to Fix It,” to learn how a simple upgrade changed everything for my workflow.