I have a Synology DS115 & Seagate 2TB HDD from ~2015 which is mostly photo (RAW & Jpeg) storage, currently around 900GB used, plus a small amount of music stored on there too.
I want to setup an automatic backup, and if I can improve file write speed that would be great too!
Would the best option be a new 2-Bay NAS, use the existing HDD and install a 2nd (SSD??) or just get a new HDD for the storage as well?
TBH buying a QNAP/Synology NAS is a waste of money these days unless you are going to use the additional features or you need to backup a lot of data from multiple sources etc.
Where do you want to backup from and how often?
I have the same NAS set up.
I periodically connect and external usb HDD to the nas for a backup which i keep offsite. I use a program called syncback free to manage backups, has been solid as a rock.
That said i set it all up 10yrs ago so probably tempting fate by saying that.
What’s the alternative?
well done for taking a snip of what I said and trying to use it out of context 
Eh?
Genuinely not with you.
Your post seems pretty unambiguous to me.
Clearly I’ve missed some nuance.
I think he’s asking a fair question - if you don’t need the QNAP/Synology bells and whistles, what’s the recommended alternative?
there isn’t a simple or stock answer, that’s why I said “unless” and asked a question to get more info around what is trying to be achieved.
Light dawns.
I think you’ve missed the OP’s point (or I have - very happy to be corrected).
He’s wants to back up his NAS. Not back up to his NAS.
Yes, I want to back up the data on the NAS, right now, if I loose the HDD I loose all the RAW photos.
Be that a multi bay NAS with RAID?? Or a manual external HDD as Graham suggests.
Unless some sort of Cloud storage is good these says for 1TB+ of data?
I back up to a mixture of a very, very old NAS that I bought cheap from someone years ago, some external HDDs and a bit of free cloud for a small amount of specific data.
The big cloud backups are too expensive or restrictive imo.
I just use the built-in “Hyperbackup” with a (well, two, on different schedules) crappy USB HDD plugged in the back of the enclosure.
Cheaper, simpler, less energy. The downside is that you can’t schedule when the HDD is in the safe or off site.
Also, the RAID 1 / mirroring that you’ve mooted is a bad idea IMO.
Fine for disk failure. Not so great for fire / flood / stupid.
Thanks, so sounds like just a basic USB HDD plugged in the back is the easiest option, and then stick in the safe.
AWS Glacier isnt too spendy if its a case of copy it up there and leave it. Some nas boxes have a app which can use it
But a 2TB usb disk sounds like the best option for the OP tbf
Yeah that. Photos are something you don’t want to lose, so an HD in the safe and/or off-site is a great idea.
Second backup plan could actually be Amazon photos, which has unlimited storage with Prime. Worth considering if you have a Windows/Mac computer that can just run the backup.
Until Amazon change the rules and start charging like other models including Photobucket did.
I think I would like a physical back up (or 3) if the pics were that important to me
Slight thread diversion.
I have a Synology DS15 with a WD Red 3Tb and a 3TB USB back up.
Someone wanted a copy of something a while ago and I lent him my Back Up.
He was unable to copy the files off the drive as it had been backed up using some Synology software and he couldn’t get access?
So is my back up useless without some Synology software to read it?
I have a feeling I used Hyper Back Up or similar
AFAIK the result of the Hyperbackup software is just a straight like-for-like copy that you can mount on any machine.
No strange formats involved.
(I have done this myself without any Synology middleman, it worked fine)
Thanks will have to investigate further when I get a moment.