Newbie: can't I power off my NAS to save energy?

[marcospt]

Hello all, newbie to the NAS world, just got a TS251D up and running.

I'm using the NAS for listening to music, watching movies and browsing photos. Due to work and kids, I will use mainly in the weekends, which will just leave it running "for nothing" most of the time. From what I read people don't recommend shutting it down, making it seem almost like a nuclear reactor.

The fact is, I don't use it for surveillance or off-site usage so it just bugs me it consuming energy unnecessarily. Is simply shutting it down using the power button harmful? What's the best way to save energy if you don't use it constantly like me?

[albumman]

I use mine the same way you do and it sits idle for days since I'm the only one using it. As you know, they are designed to run 24/7 and depending on the model, consumer very little; similar to an LED bulb. If power is a concern, shut it down properly. Hitting the power button is not wise unless it does a shutdown like Windows. I've never attempted that so check the manual.

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

i do 24/7 as well, but it does use up energy which does result in a higher year annual bill.

if people are bothered by that, you can go for low rpm hdds, or you can use the hdd spindown mode (takes time to correctly configure it so stuff don't accidentally wake hdds constantly cept when it's intended by you).

in the hdd spin down mode, the nas uses power but not so much that it is problematic. also you save yourself the headache of a long boot up in order to access your nas.


there is another mode which is a scheduled power down in qts. i never used this before, not quite sure how it works, cept it can be configured on a schedule for the nas power on/off setting.


too much spin up/down wears out your hdds, so avoid doing that too often.

[marcospt]

Thanks for the feedback. Although it might not be power hungry, it just bugs me that it's on 90% of the time, doing nothing. Still resources being wasted for no reason. Just the same as I switch off the TV or the Apple TV shuts down after using.

But I'm starting to understand they are designed to be always on. But it bugs me

[Moogle Stiltzkin]

well you are not wrong to worry about this.

one of the hidden or not really noticed cost for running a NAS is it's annual electricity bill. it depends on whether you do 24/7 or have spin down enabled during no usage, or you set it on a power schedule.

spin down and power schedule may be good if you don't use it very frequently.

but if you are spin up/down too often, it may negatively affect your hdd longevity.

you can google about that online.