How to Transfer Your Media from Google Photos to Synology NAS

Chapter 1: Introduction to Google Photos and Synology NAS

Google Photos is a photo and video storage service provided by Google. Users can utilize Google Photos to store photos and videos in the cloud and access them from anywhere. It also offers various features such as AI-powered search, automatic album creation, and photo editing, making it hugely popular among users. However, Google Photos does not provide unlimited storage space. If users exceed their allotted storage space, additional fees must be paid.

About Synology NAS

Synology NAS stands for Network Attached Storage, referring to storage devices connected to a network. Synology is one of the brands that manufactures these NAS devices, globally renowned for its excellent quality and user-friendly interface.

Benefits of Synology NAS

Synology NAS offers a wide range of products from small home models to large enterprise models. They provide space to safely store and manage massive amounts of data, with the flexibility to expand storage capacity as per user needs. Additionally, Synology NAS can be utilized as media servers, ideal for storing and streaming media files like movies and music.

Differences between Google Photos and Synology NAS

While both Google Photos and Synology NAS offer methods for storing and managing media, there are some key differences. Google Photos is a cloud-based service requiring an internet connection with user data stored on Google's servers. On the other hand, Synology NAS is a physical on-premise device allowing access without an internet connection and data is stored directly on the user's device.

Why Compare These Two Services?

The reason for comparing these two services is simple. While Google Photos provides limited storage space and incurs additional fees, Synology NAS allows obtaining massive storage space with a one-time purchase. Also, Synology NAS offers capabilities for direct media management and streaming, making it an ideal choice for users wanting more control over media management.

Chapter 2: Why Backup Media from Google Photos

Google Photos is a service that stores and manages users' photos and videos in the cloud. By using this service, users can access their media from anywhere with an internet connection. This allows convenient usage across various situations like sharing travel photos or securely archiving important videos. However, despite this convenience, storage space on Google Photos is limited. If users exceed their allotted space, additional fees must be paid.

Storage Limitations of Google Photos

By default, Google Photos provides 15GB of free storage space. This space is shared with Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. Once all this space is utilized, additional fees must be paid. Especially when storing many high-resolution photos and videos, this space can be used up quickly.

Importance of Backup

Backing up media is very important. If smartphones or computers crash or get stolen, users risk permanently losing precious photos and videos. To prevent such situations, safely backing up media is essential. Google Photos is a service that easily enables this backup on the cloud.

Chapter 3: Why Choose Synology NAS

Synology NAS is network-attached storage that provides the ability to directly manage and protect user data. Unlike cloud-based services like Google Photos, this offers the benefit of users owning and managing data while also securing massive storage capacity. Additionally, Synology NAS can serve as media servers, ideal for storing and streaming media files like movies and music.

Data Ownership and Management

Using Synology NAS allows users to have complete control over their media. This signifies data ownership lies entirely with the users. In contrast with cloud-based services where user data is stored on the service provider's servers with the provider bearing responsibility for data management and security.

Utilization as Media Server

Synology NAS can be utilized as media servers. This allows users to directly stream their media, a capability not offered on cloud-based services like Google Photos. It enables users to utilize their media more efficiently.

Chapter 4: Moving Media from Google Photos to Synology NAS

The process of moving media from Google Photos to Synology NAS is straightforward. Fundamentally, it involves first downloading the media from Google Photos then uploading it to Synology NAS. Let's examine this process closely.

Downloading Media from Google Photos

First, media must be downloaded from Google Photos. This is achieved using a service called Google Takeout. Google Takeout is a tool that lets users download their data from Google services. Simply select and download the desired media files on Google Photos.

Uploading Media to Synology NAS

Next, the downloaded media is uploaded to Synology NAS. This utilizes Synology NAS's web interface. Open 'File Station' on the web interface, select the upload folder, click the 'Upload' button and upload the media files.

Precautions in Media Movement Process

There are some precautions in this process. Firstly, download times from Google Photos may vary depending on the size of the selected media. Care should be taken to avoid internet disconnections during this process.

Secondly, storage space on Synology NAS must be verified before uploading media. If the upload media size exceeds the available NAS space, uploading will fail. Hence, securing adequate space beforehand is recommended.

Verifying Moved Media

Finally, proper storage of moved media on Synology NAS must be confirmed. Open the upload folder on 'File Station' and check if the media files have uploaded correctly.

Chapter 5: Managing Media on Synology NAS Post Movement

After moving media to Synology NAS, its various capabilities can be utilized to manage the media. This chapter examines methods for media management on Synology NAS.

Building Media Library

Apps like 'Video Station' and 'Audio Station' on Synology NAS allow creating and managing media libraries. These apps can categorize media by genre, artist, album, etc. and automatically download media metadata to ease media management.

Media Streaming

Additionally, Synology NAS can serve as media servers allowing stored media to be streamed to other devices. This is achieved by installing and configuring media server apps like 'DLNA' or 'Plex'. It enables easy playback of media stored on Synology NAS on smartphones, tablets, TVs and more.

Media Backup

Finally, Synology NAS provides capabilities to safely backup stored media. The 'Hyper Backup' app allows backing up NAS-stored media to other NAS devices or cloud services. This permits media recovery in case of NAS issues, improving reliability.