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February 21, 2026

Hot PocketNAS: A Mobile Pocket-Sized NAS Using Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and OpenMediaVault

Meet the Hot PocketNAS — a mobile, battery-powered Network Attached Storage device built with a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W, PiSugar battery, and OpenMediaVault 6. Take your files anywhere!

Hot PocketNAS: A Mobile Pocket-Sized NAS Using Raspberry Pi Zero 2W and OpenMediaVault

Say hello to the Hot PocketNAS — the NAS-agotchi! 🐣

What happens when you take the world's smallest Raspberry Pi, strap a battery to its back, and install a full-blown NAS operating system on it? You get the most adorable (and actually useful) mobile Network Attached Storage device you've ever seen.

This build uses a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W paired with a PiSugar S 1200mAh battery kit and OpenMediaVault 6 to create a completely wireless, pocket-sized NAS. Fair warning: this is not meant to replace your beefy home server — but it's a wildly fun project, and surprisingly handy for certain use cases.

What Even Is a NAS?

NAS stands for Network Attached Storage. Think of it like a tiny personal cloud server — a drive that stores files and makes them available to any device on the same network (or even over the internet). Normally a NAS is a chunky box that sits on a shelf permanently plugged in. We're throwing that idea out the window.

The Hardware

Here's what makes up the Hot PocketNAS:

| Part | Details | |---|---| | Raspberry Pi Zero 2W | Quad-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1GHz, 512MB RAM, built-in WiFi | | PiSugar S 1200mAh | A battery pack designed specifically to snap onto the Pi Zero's back | | Micro SD Card | Holds the OS — use a high-endurance card (32 GB recommended) | | USB OTG Adapter | To connect a USB storage drive to the Pi Zero's micro USB port | | Small USB Flash Drive or SSD | Your actual storage medium |

The Pi Zero 2W is genuinely tiny — about the size of a credit card. The PiSugar battery is designed to attach magnetically or via pogo pins on the back, keeping the whole package compact.

Why Would You Want a Mobile NAS?

Great question! Here are some real use cases:

  • Travel media server: Load it up with movies and stream to your phone or tablet on a plane (no internet required — it creates its own WiFi hotspot!)
  • Field data backups: Photographers and videographers can dump SD card footage to it on location
  • Portable file sharing: Share files between multiple devices at a workshop or event without relying on cloud services
  • Learning project: It's a fun way to understand NAS concepts, Linux, and networking

Step 1: Flash the OS

We'll start with Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit) — this is the version without a desktop interface (called "headless"), which saves precious RAM and processing power.

  1. Download the Raspberry Pi Imager from raspberrypi.com/software
  2. Select Raspberry Pi OS Lite (32-bit) as the OS
  3. Select your Micro SD card as the target
  4. Click the gear icon (⚙️) to open advanced settings:
    • Enable SSH
    • Set your hostname (e.g., pockNAS)
    • Set your username and password
    • Configure your WiFi network (so it auto-connects on boot)
  5. Click Write and wait for it to finish

Step 2: First Boot and SSH In

  1. Pop the SD card into your Pi Zero 2W
  2. Attach the PiSugar battery and power it on
  3. Wait about 60–90 seconds for it to fully boot
  4. Find the Pi's IP address using a network scanner like Fing (free on iOS/Android)
  5. SSH in using your terminal or PuTTY:
ssh your_username@<pi_ip_address>

Step 3: Update the System

Always start with a fresh update:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This keeps everything secure and compatible. Grab a snack — it'll take a few minutes.

Step 4: Install OpenMediaVault 6

OpenMediaVault (OMV) is the magic that turns our tiny Pi into a proper NAS. It gives us a slick web interface for managing storage, network shares, and services.

Run the official OMV install script:

wget -O - https://github.com/OpenMediaVault-Plugin-Developers/installScript/raw/master/install | sudo bash

This will take 10–20 minutes depending on your internet speed. The Pi will reboot automatically when done.

Step 5: Access the OpenMediaVault Web Interface

Once it reboots:

  1. Open a browser on any device connected to the same WiFi
  2. Go to http://<pi_ip_address>
  3. Log in with:
    • Username: admin
    • Password: openmediavault

Security tip: Change the default admin password immediately! Go to User → Change Password in the top right menu.

Step 6: Set Up Your Storage

  1. In OMV, go to Storage → Disks — you should see your USB drive listed
  2. Go to Storage → File Systems → click the + to create a new filesystem
  3. Select your USB drive and choose EXT4 as the format
  4. Click Apply

Step 7: Create a Shared Folder

  1. Go to Storage → Shared Folders → click +
  2. Name it (e.g., PocketFiles)
  3. Select your USB filesystem
  4. Set permissions as needed and click Save

Step 8: Enable Network Sharing (SMB/CIFS)

SMB (Server Message Block) lets Windows, Mac, and Linux computers see your NAS drive in their file explorers — just like a network folder.

  1. Go to Services → SMB/CIFS → Settings and toggle it ON
  2. Go to Shares tab → click +
  3. Select your shared folder
  4. Click Save then Apply

Now open File Explorer on Windows and in the address bar type:

\\<pi_ip_address>\PocketFiles

Your Hot PocketNAS folder will appear! 🎉

Battery Life & Limitations

Let's keep it real — the PiSugar S 1200mAh battery gives you roughly 2–4 hours of run time depending on activity level. This is definitely not a 24/7 device.

The Pi Zero 2W is also not a speed demon:

  • Wi-Fi transfer speeds: ~2–4 MB/s (functional, not blazing fast)
  • USB: Only one USB port via OTG adapter, so one drive at a time

For light use — sharing a few files at a meeting, media on a plane, a quick field backup — it's totally fine.

Key Takeaways

  • The Raspberry Pi Zero 2W is powerful enough to run a real NAS OS
  • PiSugar S adds battery power without any wiring or soldering
  • OpenMediaVault 6 turns it into a full NAS with SMB file sharing
  • The Hot PocketNAS is best for portable, light-duty file sharing — not replacing your home server
  • This is a fantastic project for learning about Linux, networking, and self-hosting

Useful Resources

Who says a NAS has to sit on a shelf? The Hot PocketNAS proves you can take your file server anywhere. Build one, toss it in your bag, and never be caught without your files again! 🗂️✨

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