Getting Started

NAS Reborn turns a spare iPhone or iPad into a network drive for your home. Setting one up takes a few minutes and a power outlet.

What you need

• An iPhone or iPad running iOS 15 or later. That covers the iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 and every iPhone since, the iPod touch (7th generation), and the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and every iPad since, anything from around 2014 on. The device you retired years ago is probably exactly right.
• A charger and a spot with Wi-Fi. The server runs as an always-on appliance, so it should live plugged in.

First launch

Install NAS Reborn on the spare device and open it. Nothing is shared until you tap the power key on the Share tab. When you do, iOS asks for two permissions, each exactly when it is first needed:

• Local Network, used to announce the drive on your network. Without it other devices cannot discover the server, and the app warns if access has been denied.
• Notifications, used by the watchdog that alerts you if the server ever stops. Asked on your first start, never at launch.

A fresh install comes with a Welcome folder holding a Read Me file with connection instructions, and one S3 access key for later. You can rename, replace or delete all of it. There are no device accounts yet; the first one is created the moment something first signs in.

See it appear

With sharing on, the device shows up as a computer named "NAS Reborn (device name)" across your network:

• in the macOS Finder under Network in the sidebar,
• in the Files app on another iPhone or iPad, via Connect to Server,
• in Windows Explorer under Network.

Sign in with a username of your choice. The first attempt is noticed on the server's Share tab, which offers to create that account: the username is taken from your attempt and you pick the password on the server, then type it into the login sheet still waiting on the other screen. The Share tab also lists the exact addresses to type when browsing does not find the server. Details for each platform are in The Network Drive.

From here

• Point Time Machine at the device and back up your Mac to it. See Time Machine Backups.
• Add folders and decide what each one is: an SMB share, an S3 bucket and, when public, a website. See Folders, Access and Websites.
• Make the setup permanent with Guided Access and charging guidance. See Always-On Serving.
• When you want the wider internet, opt into web serving on the Serve tab. See Your Address and HTTPS.
• Put the device's camera on the network as a live video stream. See Camera Feeds.
• Read your Apple Home accessories and the device's own sensors, and chart them. See Home and Sensor Data.