As the Apple iPad has evolved, it has become something nearly as powerful as a traditional laptop. So in this series of videos, we are going to see how feasible it is to use an Apple iPad with a Synology NAS.
In our previous video we looked at how you connect your Apple iPad to SMB network shares on your NAS. So in this video, we are going to take a look at how we can create, edit and save files in a network share. While we used Apple Pages in this demonstration, both Numbers and Keynote will work in the exact same way.
For Microsoft Office files saved to your NAS, you can open Word, Excel and PowerPoint files if you have installed the Microsoft 365 app onto your iPad. However please note, that in order to edit and save MS Office files, you will need to also have an active Microsoft 365 subscription.
Notes: In this video we are wirelessly connecting to a Synology Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. If you would like to find out more about how to configure a Synology NAS please view our series on How to configure a Synology NAS
Quick reference notes:
- Make sure your Apple iPad is connected to your home network
- From the Home Screen, locate and select Pages (Number, and Keynote work in the same way)
- When Pages first opens is displays a screen similar to the Files app. You now need to display the sidebar, this can be done either by placing your iPad in landscape mode or selecting Pages (top right hand corner of the screen)
- From within the sidebar select the Options (…) icon
- Choose Connect to Server from the menu
- Enter either the IP address or host name of your File server or NAS
- Select Connect
- Choose either Guest or Registered User
- If you choose Registered User, enter a valid User Name and Password
- By selecting Next your iPad will be connected to your SMB shares.
Notes: Your User Name and Password credentials will be automatically saved to your iPad. This is so you will not be required to enter your user credentials each time you access your SMB shares.
Creating a new document
- Open the network share you wish to work in
- You will find a Create Document icon
- When you select Create Document, a document templates panel will be displayed.
- Choose the template you wish to use
Notes: the new document will be created in your network share with document title of Blank
Editing an existing document
Notes: your iPad will auto-save your work as you edit your document. However autosave is only reliable as your network connection. So we recommend that you regularly perform a manual save as you work.
- Open the network share your document has been saved to
- Select your document
- Edit your document
- Touch the title to display a quick menu
- Select Save
Reference materials:
- Apple Support Article – Connect external devices or serves with Files on iPad
- Apple Support Article – Save and name a document in Pages on iPad
