I bought awhile back a stand alone file server.  My desire is get a standalone file server that I can upgrade the hard drives without doing a whole bunch of work to keep it up and maintain it.  This is what I bought, and I’ve been very happy with it.

First, I wanted a File Server that I could connect to our MS Server 2008 Active Directory users so that I didn’t need to recreate all of the users again.

Second, I wanted to know that if I needed an extra 2 TB hard drive that it wouldn’t be hard to add it in. This setup is perfect. You can pull out the Bays and add new ones in.

Some of the surprise benefits that I have found is that they do regular updates, and are adding new functionality on-demand (so, if I don’t want the functionality, I don’t have to download it).

 
I bought this Synology File Server:

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&Operation=GetAdHtml&OneJS=1&source=ac&slotNum=2&ref=tf_til&placement=B004GKLT4G&show_border=true&tracking_id=kunzemtechno-20&ad_type=product_link&marketplace=amazon&region=US&asins=B004GKLT4G&link_opens_in_new_window=true

The Hard drives I bought to go with the File Server:

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&Operation=GetAdHtml&OneJS=1&source=ac&slotNum=3&ref=tf_til&placement=B003SANWI6&show_border=true&tracking_id=kunzemtechno-20&ad_type=product_link&marketplace=amazon&region=US&asins=B003SANWI6&link_opens_in_new_window=true

One of the networks that I have been working on, I have been adding some switches and firewalls together. So far, it has been a really good setup. Here is what I have:

Firewall:

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&Operation=GetAdHtml&OneJS=1&source=ac&slotNum=0&ref=tf_til&placement=B0006OCZGW&show_border=true&tracking_id=kunzemtechno-20&ad_type=product_link&marketplace=amazon&region=US&asins=B0006OCZGW&link_opens_in_new_window=true

Switch:

https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&MarketPlace=US&Operation=GetAdHtml&OneJS=1&source=ac&slotNum=1&ref=tf_til&placement=B0002CWPW2&show_border=true&tracking_id=kunzemtechno-20&ad_type=product_link&marketplace=amazon&region=US&asins=B0002CWPW2&link_opens_in_new_window=true

This is my new favorite toy. I bought the following:

Here is why I like it.
#1. It connects into my car’s Aux input. And it connects into my lighter outlet for power (no need to recharge batteries all the time).
#2. It works great with my iPhone. It autoconnects if when I turn on my car I’m on a call or playing music, it automatically switches over.
#3. It doesn’t automatically connect to my phone and turn on my music like some of the other devices do. Some people see this as a feature. I do not, because sometimes I listen to my radio, and if I wasn’t paying attention, I might have the radio on, and then the bluetooth podcasts would be playing in the background and I would lose my position.
#4. (this is the worst piece) People can hear the road noise when I use the handsfree. But also note that I have a Corolla and it is loud. I wish that I had my old Camry that was pretty quiet and much smoother.
#5. There is a button that I can push to connect. If I push this button and someone is calling, it will answer the phone. If I push the button and there is no phone activity, it automatically starts the from the last place where I was listening to music or a podcast.

Overall, I couldn’t have wished for anything more. It is very easy to use and after the installation (which was easy), I haven’t had to do anything else.