It’s getting time to retire the old Apple Airport Time Capsule, and I’m looking recommendations on easy-to-use replacements. This would be used for general files and automatic laptop backups.
Requirements:
- At least 2TB
- Capable of archiving to an offline disk used as an off-site backup
- Easy enough for my parents to use
- Not crazy expensive if possible
I’ve never used a dedicated NAS, so I’m humbly seeking the opinions of the Lemmy experts. Thank you!


This is the correct answer. Very beginner friendly. Very capable of growing on from this. Great way to onboard beginners.
I started with a 2 bay Intel CPU Synology. Used it for a couple of years.used it to learn about Docker. When I started using too many Docker apps and Synology couldn’t keep up, then I got a mini PC for compute and kept the Synology as just a plain NAS.
People recommending manual options for any “make your own” solution is throwing someone way into the deep end. OP can do that if that’s what he’s up for. But my first recommendation to anyone would be to pick up a secondhand Synology and bookmark:
https://mariushosting.com/