A home media server can free-up hard drive space while centralizing your household’s favorite media. It makes a sleek addition to any home’s entertainment system and allows everyone with a WiFi connection to access your digital collection of photos, videos, and music. Still, figuring out how to set up a home media server can feel like a challenge.
Fortunately, setting up your home media server is a relatively straightforward process. By following the steps below, you can install your new device and begin enjoying the convenience of instant media access across all of your WiFi-enabled devices.
What Is a Home Media Server?
Home media servers come in many shapes and sizes. Some people use their home computer as a home media server, while others utilize standalone servers with upgraded storage options. To understand what a home media server is, it’s helpful to ask what it’s used for.
The average home media server stores a household’s digital media, allowing members to access hundreds or even thousands of photos and videos. Music lovers can store their digital albums on their home media server and access that database with nearly any WiFi-connected device. The exact usage is entirely dependent on the owner.
Still, though the appearance and potential benefits of a home media server vary, their components tend to stay the same. Understanding what items you’ll need before starting your home media server installation is crucial and can help save you time and a little frustration.
Before You Get Started
Imagine driving several hours to visit the beach, only to arrive and realize that you didn’t bring your bathing suit or sunscreen with you. You may feel a little annoyed with yourself and regret not spending more time preparing for your day at the beach.
Though there’s not as much sunshine and shore involved, it’s also essential to be prepared before attempting to set up a home media server. Before you begin installing software, downloading compatible apps, and gathering your transferable media, you’ll want to have:
- A dedicated server
- A dedicated media storage hard drive
- An ethernet cable
Of course, it’s also helpful to have media to transfer to the new home media server. If your personal computer’s hard drive is overcrowded with movies, songs, or photos, you’ll enjoy moving that data to your new server/storage system.
When it comes to accessing that valuable media, you’ll likely need to choose an app or service provider that specializes in device-wide server access. But before you can begin comparing potential services, you’ll need to select a server type.
Setting up a Home Media Server: Step-By-Step Guide
It’s essential to follow the steps below in the order shown. After all, if you know what access service you’d like to use but you don’t own a dedicated server yet, you’re not very close to enjoying the ease-of-use provided by a home media server.
To set up a home media server, you must:
- Start With a Server
- Decide on a Hard Drive
- Calibrate and Configure
- Connect to the Network
- Transfer Your Media
- Browse and Install Apps
If you’re unsure as to what type of server you need for your home media, don’t worry. There are tons of potential options available, including your pre-existing personal computer. However, there are some notable benefits of purchasing a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device.
1. Start With a Server
When it comes to setting up a home media server, the first thing you’ll need is the server. While it is possible to utilize a computer as a media server, the results aren’t always impressive. The standard route that most home entertainment enthusiasts take is investing in a NAS server or NAS box.
These devices are designed to handle the media needs of a household. They’re often reasonably small in size, and they’re easier to configure, manage, and use than standard servers. A NAS can help you streamline the media storage/access process. Also, a few NAS boxes are pre-set with specific streaming services (like Plex), which may be a boon for some shoppers.
When choosing a NAS, you should be sure to check the user interface. Some interfaces can be overly complicated and confusing, causing users to choose alternative streaming options. To take full advantage of your home media center and server, you’ll want to select a NAS that’s easy to use.
It may also be worthwhile to invest in a NAS that has multiple hard drive bays. This could help your device last longer, as you can potentially install several terabytes of storage. Of course, before you begin settling on how much space you’ll need, you’ll want to figure out what kind of hard drives are compatible with NAS boxes.
2. Decide on a Hard Drive
There are quite a few different types of hard drives available. But the typical NAS is compatible with only one kind: Red-label hard disk drives. These components fit into the body of a home media server, sometimes via a specific slot.
They come in many different sizes, and your current digital media collection’s size can help you determine how large of a hard disk drive you’ll need for your server. Of course, it’s always wise to order a drive that’s at least twice as large as you need it to be. This way, it will last far longer before needing to be replaced with a larger, more capable HDD.
Some NAS boxes feature multiple drive bays, maximizing a user’s potential storage capacity. If you’re someone who takes thousands of digital pictures over the course of a year or who purchases hundreds of digital tracks every few months or so, you may want to invest in a NAS box with this feature.
NAS-ready hard disk drives range in price and can cost anywhere from $40 to more than $300. The larger drives tend to be more costly, though brand name also influences the price of a drive. Once you’ve installed your hard drive into the NAS box, it’s time to connect your cables and configure your system.
3. Calibrate and Configure
Now is the time to go ahead and retrieve your ethernet cable. To ensure your home media server has access to the highest internet speeds possible, you’ll want to use a Cat 6 cable. While you may end up spending a little extra on this high-speed option, you’ll undoubtedly benefit in terms of access speeds.
You can connect the ethernet cable to a modem or router, but be sure that your preferred device is capable of transferring data at high speeds. Otherwise, the Cat 6 cable won’t be able to perform at its most exceptional speed, and you may find that media loads slowly across multiple devices. After connecting your cable to either a modem or router, plug the opposite end into your NAS device.
Once you’ve connected your NAS to a modem or router, you should begin to see changes in your device’s appearance that indicate connectivity. However, it’s vital to ensure network connectivity before attempting to transfer media or install apps.
4. Connect to the Network
Most NAS boxes have a series of lights that will blink to indicate usage and connectivity. Be sure to refer to your specific server’s manual or guidelines to ensure that the device is correctly connected to your home’s network.
Once you’ve confirmed full connectivity, you can go ahead and begin the process of transferring your media to your new home media server. If you’ve collected your digital data beforehand, or it’s mostly stored on external USB hard drives, this step won’t take much time.
5. Transfer Your Media
Just as you’ll need to refer to the user’s manual when checking for confirmed network connectivity, you’ll also want to check out what the manufacturer has to say about transferring media to your NAS device.
Some boxes have USB ports that allow users to transfer media directly from external drives. Others may encourage users to use the network and transfer files digitally through a cloud-based account. Each manufacturer relies on a different method for media transfer, so you’ll have to contact customer service and support if you’re without a manual.
Still, transferring media from your devices typically takes anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. The fewer files you’re moving, and the faster your internet connection, the sooner you’ll complete this step. If you’ve got several gigabytes worth of media to transfer, don’t fret. You have all the time in the world to upload that data to your NAS.
Once you’ve transferred your favorite movies, TV shows, songs, and photos, you’ll probably want to begin accessing them via your network. However, you’ll have to install an access app before enjoying your new wireless household media-sharing capabilities.
Fortunately, most NAS boxes and servers are compatible with a handful of tried-and-true media server access apps.
6. Browse and Install Apps
Remember how vital your NAS’s user interface was a few steps ago? Here’s the first moment where that ease-of-use really pays off. In order to access all of your incredible home media, you’re going to need to choose, install, and potentially pay for an access app. There are a few current apps available, though the most popular of these seems to be Plex.
You can check your NAS’s app compatibility before or after purchasing, which should help steer you in the right direction. However, be aware that nearly all of these streaming-friendly apps include a service fee that’s charged monthly or annually. The right one for you and your household will depend on your device’s compatibility and your budget.
These apps will help you access your movies and photos with ease. You’ll be able to share this capability across unlimited devices, ensuring that your family gets the most out of your home media server. Now you can sit back, relax, and enjoy endless entertainment from any room in your house.
All you need to do is connect your preferred device to your home’s WiFi network and make a decision. A bag of popcorn probably wouldn’t hurt, either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below you will find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions regarding home media server installation and set-up.
What is the purpose of a home media server?
A home media service acts as both a storage device and a media streaming device. It can be used to house an exceptional amount of common media data, including high-resolution digital photographs, HDD movies and videos, and high-quality song files.
This allows users to store all of their media in one central location, freeing up space on their electronic devices. It also ensures that a household’s media is convenient to locate and use. Once a home media server is fully installed and connected to a home’s WiFi, users can access every file in the device’s storage with nearly any electronic device, including smartphones, tablets, and personal computers.
In conclusion, home media servers have many purposes. They can be used to make media access convenient for household members, and they can also help computers and hard drives retain some space. Individuals that decide to transfer their physical media collection into a digital format can also save some valuable floor space in their home.
How does a home media server work?
Primarily, home media servers work by connecting a home’s WiFi network. Once connected, the server allows other devices that are connected to the network to access stored media files. To do this, a home media server requires a few constants, including:
- Internet Access
- Electricity
- Available Memory
- A Connected Media Service
Without these four necessary components, a home media service is likely to be inoperable. It’s also important to remember that users will need to download (and oftentimes pay for) a media service app that allows them to access their stored data quickly and across multiple devices.
How do I make my computer a media server?
Converting an unused computer into a home media server is a straightforward process, though it does require some mechanical experience and understanding. There are a few types of software available that can help you transform a personal computer into a media server, but rebuilding your machine is the most effective option.
Still, if you’re not confident in your technical repair skills, you may want to stick with some simple software alternatives. But be aware that these software-based solutions often feature limited capabilities. For example, depending on your devices, certain types of software may be incompatible with your tablet or smartphone, limiting the effectiveness of your home media server.
If you choose to rebuild your PC, you’ll need to be familiar with your machine’s components. You’ll also need to know how to create a NAS from a personal computer’s internal parts and pieces. This can prove overly complicated and taxing for the average user, and it may be better to simply purchase a NAS that meets your standards, preferences, and budget.
Do I need a home media server?
The answer to this question varies. You may feel compelled to invest in a home media server if you:
- Struggle to stream your favorite TV shows onto multiple devices
- Want to be able to access your digital music library from anywhere in the home
- Could benefit from storing photos and personal media on an external device
But these are only a few examples. A home media server can be used in a variety of ways, making it an efficient and practical device. However, it’s best suited to those looking to consolidate their streaming capabilities and digital media into a single machine and service.
It’s entirely up to you to decide whether or not a home media server is a necessary home upgrade. However, it’s likely that these devices will become more commonplace and more affordable over the next several years as more digital media is released.
Final Thoughts
Setting up a home media server is far simpler than it may initially appear. If you prepare yourself beforehand and follow the above steps, you’re bound to succeed.
Of course, you’ll want to secure a NAS box or server, and a hard drive disk before getting to work with the initial installation. And it’s also crucial to consider what kind of home media service and app you’d like to invest in before purchasing a NAS device.
Having an ethernet cable handy to ensure your server has a rapid internet connection can help save you time, and it’s essential to make sure that it’s a high-speed cable. Having plenty of digital media ready for transfer can save you time and help ensure that you’ve got tons of media to work with after installation.
By following the above steps in the right order, you can enjoy a smooth home media server installation and begin taking advantage of your new streamable media more quickly. Enjoy!
image credit: TJStamp, Flickr, CC 2.0