Specific NAS needed?

WD External and Portable SSD External SSD for Windows
1

So I’ve heard some horror stories about compatibility of external hard drives with NAS’s, I decided to come here and see what I could find out. I have, I think, about four external hard drives from WD. Two are Elements and two are My Books. To this point, I have been using my Roku, PS4, and basic computer network Homegroup to access files from them. However, in an effort to maybe make things run smoother or make maintenance easier, I am looking into getting a NAS. Here is where the horror stories come into play, as apparently not all externals work with all NASs and visa versa. So I ask the Community; with two Elements and two My Books, what is my best options for a NAS? Or rather, does it have to come from WD? Do I have limitations on what I can or cannot get for a NAS?

Thanks all!

2

As far as limitations on WD NAS devices, since they use a LINUX format (EXT4) on the drives and a LINUX version of OS, They will not detect USB drives formatted in EXFAT format. NTFS (Windows), HFS (Mac), FAT32, and LINUX formatted drives are compatible. We did have issues with drives larger than 3TB, but those issues were corrected with updated firmware. If you have password protection enabled (MyBook) on your WD drives, you can unlock them through the NAS control panel without having to remove the password protection.

3

So you’re saying that I should be fine (I’m on Windows with hard drives smaller than 3 tb) with any WD NAS (that has updated firmware).

4

Yes, you will be fine.