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Phase 1 — UNAS2 Setup

Goal: Get the UNAS2 fully configured with RAID 1, proper folder structure, user accounts, SMB file sharing enabled, and snapshots scheduled.

Time estimate: 1–2 hours
What you need: UNAS2 powered on and connected to your router via ethernet, a phone or browser on the same network, your UI account credentials
Prerequisites: Phase 0 complete (documentation site live)

Important Things to Know Before You Start

The UNAS2 uses UniFi Drive, not UniFi OS. It is a single-app console — the entire management interface is the UniFi Drive app. There is no Docker, no package manager, no shell access. It does one thing: storage. All software (Jellyfin, arr stack etc.) runs on the mini PC instead — see Phase 5.

A UI account is strongly recommended. You can set up the UNAS2 without one (LAN-only mode), but linking it to a UI account at account.ui.com gives you remote management, cloud backup support (Backblaze B2, Google Drive, OneDrive), automatic firmware updates, and push notifications. Since you will be setting up Backblaze B2 backup in Phase 7, link your UI account now.

RAID 1 is your only option with 2 drives. RAID 1 mirrors your data across both drives — if one drive fails, you lose nothing. Your usable storage is the size of one drive, not both combined.

Naming convention — use underscores, not hyphens or spaces. UniFi Drive does not allow hyphens or spaces in Shared Drive names. Use underscores only. For example Media_Library not Media Library or Media-Library. Violations will cause access issues.

Use Local Users, not Identity Endpoint. When creating users, you will see an option for Identity Endpoint — skip this for now. Identity Endpoint is designed for business environments with multiple UniFi devices. Since you have an ISP-locked router rather than a UniFi gateway, the ecosystem integration benefit does not apply yet. You can migrate to Identity Endpoint in future when you add a UniFi gateway and switches.

Your Configuration at a Glance

UNAS2 Local IP:   192.168.1.2 (static, set on device)
Gateway:          192.168.1.1
RAID:             RAID 1 (mirrored)
SMB:              Enabled

Step 1 — Initial Setup via Mobile App

The easiest way to adopt the UNAS2 for the first time is via the UniFi mobile app.

  1. Download the UniFi app on your phone and sign in with your UI account
  2. Stand within 3 metres of the UNAS2 — it uses Bluetooth for initial detection
  3. Tap the + button → Add Device
  4. The app will detect your UNAS2 almost instantly
  5. Follow the on-screen wizard — it will install UniFi Drive and run initial firmware updates automatically
  6. This takes roughly 5–10 minutes. The UNAS2 front LCD will show status during this process

Alternative — Browser setup: If you prefer a browser, find your UNAS2's IP address from your ISP router's connected devices list, then open http://[UNAS2-IP-address] in a browser on the same network. You will see the UniFi Drive setup wizard.

Step 2 — Create Your UI Account

If you do not already have a UI account:

  1. Go to account.ui.com and register
  2. Use a personal email address — this is your long-term account for all UniFi hardware
  3. Enable two-factor authentication — this is the master key to your NAS
  4. During UNAS2 setup, when prompted, link the device to this UI account

Step 3 — Configure the Storage Pool (RAID 1)

Once the initial setup wizard completes and you can access the UniFi Drive dashboard:

  1. Go to UniFi Drive → Storage
  2. Both drives should be detected and awaiting configuration
  3. Click Create Storage Pool
  4. Select both drives → choose RAID 1
  5. Click Create

⚠️ RAID 1 initialisation on large HDDs can take 30 minutes to several hours depending on drive size. The NAS is usable during this time but leave it running undisturbed.

Verify the pool is healthy: Once complete, the storage pool should show status Optimal with both drives listed. Do not proceed to the next step until you see Optimal.

Step 4 — Create Your Shared Drives

In UniFi Drive, folders are called Shared Drives. Each one appears as a separate mountable share over SMB.

Go to UniFi Drive → Storage → Create Shared Drive and create the following — using underscores, no spaces or hyphens:

Shared Drive Name Purpose Who Has Access
Photos_Yours Your personal photos (Android) You only
Photos_Wife Wife's photos (iPhone) Wife only
Documents_Yours Your Google Drive exports You only
Documents_Wife Wife's Google Drive exports Wife only
Documents_Shared Shared family documents Both
Media_Library Movies and TV for Jellyfin You only
Backups System and device backups You only

Why separate Shared Drives instead of subfolders? UniFi Drive sets permissions at the Shared Drive level, not subfolder level. Separate drives mean you can give your wife access to her folders without exposing yours. It also makes SMB mounting cleaner on the mini PC in Phase 5.

For each Shared Drive: - Leave encryption off — encryption causes a significant performance hit on the UNAS2's ARM processor and complicates recovery. Your Backblaze B2 cloud backup in Phase 7 provides the offsite protection you need. - Leave snapshot schedule empty for now — configured in Step 7.

Step 5 — Create User Accounts

Go to UniFi Drive → People → Add User.

When prompted, select Local User — not Identity Endpoint.

Your Admin Account: - Role: Administrator - Full access to all settings and all Shared Drives - Link to your UI account email when prompted

Wife's Account: - Role: User (not Administrator) - After creating, assign Shared Drive access: - Photos_Wife — Read/Write - Documents_Wife — Read/Write - Documents_Shared — Read/Write - All others — No access

File Service Credentials — critical extra step: SMB access requires a separate set of credentials called File Service Credentials. These are different from your UI account login password.

For both users: 1. Go to People → select the user 2. Click the Settings tab → Assignment 3. Find File Services & Time Machine Credentials 4. Set a password for SMB access

You will need these File Service Credentials in Phase 5 when mapping the NAS as a network drive on the mini PC. Note them in your password manager now.

Note: The File Services Credentials option sometimes only appears after you have fully saved the user and re-opened their profile. If you do not see it immediately, save and re-open the user from the People list.

Step 6 — Set a Static IP and Enable SMB

Set a Static IP on the UNAS2

Since your ISP router does not allow DHCP reservations, set the static IP directly on the UNAS2 itself:

  1. Go to UniFi Drive → Settings → Network
  2. Under IP Assignment or IPv4 Configuration, switch from DHCP to Static
  3. Enter:
  4. IP Address: 192.168.1.2
  5. Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
  6. Gateway: 192.168.1.1
  7. DNS: 1.1.1.1
  8. Save — the UNAS2 will briefly disconnect and reconnect

The UNAS2 is now permanently at 192.168.1.2 regardless of router reboots or network changes.

Enable SMB

  1. Go to UniFi Drive → Settings → Services
  2. Find SMB and toggle it On
  3. Note the SMB share paths — they will look like: \\192.168.1.2\Photos_Yours \\192.168.1.2\Media_Library You will use these in Phase 5 when mapping drives on the mini PC.

Step 7 — Configure Snapshots

Snapshots are point-in-time copies that protect against accidental deletion or file corruption. They live on the same drives — they are not a backup — but are very useful for recovering accidentally deleted files quickly.

For each drive, go to UniFi Drive → Storage → [Shared Drive] → Snapshots and configure:

Shared Drive Frequency Retention
Photos_Yours Daily 7 days
Photos_Wife Daily 7 days
Documents_Yours Daily 14 days
Documents_Wife Daily 14 days
Documents_Shared Daily 14 days
Media_Library None —
Backups None —

Media_Library does not need snapshots — corrupted media files can simply be re-downloaded. Snapshots consume storage space so only enable them where they add real value.

Step 8 — Configure Push Notifications

Set up alerts so you know immediately if something goes wrong.

  1. Go to UniFi Drive → Settings → System Log → Push Notifications
  2. Enable notifications for:
  3. Drive failure or degraded RAID — Critical
  4. Storage pool health warnings — Enable
  5. Low storage (set threshold at 20% remaining) — Enable
  6. User login alerts — Enable

Notifications are delivered to the UniFi mobile app on your phone.

Step 9 — Run a Firmware Update

  1. Go to UniFi Drive → Settings → System Updates
  2. Check for available updates and install if any are pending
  3. The UNAS2 will restart — takes a few minutes
  4. Enable Automatic Updates for stable releases

Step 10 — Verification Checklist

Storage: - [ ] Storage pool shows status Optimal - [ ] Both drives visible and healthy - [ ] All 7 Shared Drives created with underscores (no spaces or hyphens) - [ ] Snapshot schedules configured for photo and document drives

Users: - [ ] Your admin account created and linked to UI account - [ ] Wife's user account created with correct Shared Drive permissions - [ ] File Service Credentials set up for both accounts and saved in password manager

Network: - [ ] Static IP set on UNAS2 at 192.168.1.2 - [ ] SMB enabled in Settings → Services - [ ] SMB share paths noted for Phase 5

System: - [ ] Push notifications enabled - [ ] Firmware up to date - [ ] UI account linked

Troubleshooting

UNAS2 not detected by mobile app: Ensure your phone is on the same WiFi network as the UNAS2. Stay within 3 metres. If still not detected, open a browser and navigate directly to the UNAS2's IP address (find it from your router's connected devices list).

Storage pool stuck on "Initialising": Normal for large drives — leave it running. Do not power off the UNAS2 during initialisation. Check progress under Storage in the Drive dashboard.

SMB not accessible from another device: Confirm SMB is toggled on in Settings → Services. Confirm you are using File Service Credentials (not your UI account password) when connecting. Confirm the connecting device is on the same local network.

Cannot see File Services Credentials option: Save and close the user profile, then re-open it from the People list. The option appears after the user is fully saved.

Drive showing as degraded or failed: Power off the UNAS2, reseat the drive firmly, power back on. If the drive continues to show as failed it may be faulty — check the drive manufacturer's warranty.

Static IP not sticking after reboot: Re-enter the static IP settings in UniFi Drive → Settings → Network and confirm you clicked Save before rebooting.

Phase 1 complete. Proceed to Phase 2 — Data Migration.