Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This is a short term evaluation and overview of the basics. I'll cover some things that I considered important for my buying decision. I'll be updating this review with more information as it develops.
PROS
SETUP - I haven't used all the features yet, but the basic Disk Station (DS211) set up is easy if you're familiar with the NAS concept, users, privileges, etc. If you're not, it's really not too difficult and there are lots of online references to help you get started. I used a single WD 640GB drive for my initial tests, and had the software/hardware installed, configured (with SHR), and the users/folders/privileges assigned in about an hour, including the time it took to prepare the drive.
ADMIN - DSM 3.x (DiskStation Manager, now upgraded to 3.1) is a relatively polished interface used to manage your NAS box's storage, applications, and users. Creating users, shared folders, and assigning privileges to each is straightforward and after mapping the folder/network drive in windows (will ask for a password), Explorer will see it like any other drive. DSM 3.0 is loaded with features and applications including web site/blog hosting with up to date versions of Apache/MySQL/PHP, FTP access, DNLA multi-media streaming, Audio station/iTunes music server (Squeezebox can be loaded), internet radio options, smart phone support for Android/Windows/iPhoney, USB printer support (check Synology's list), Bit torrent downloads, etc., and with a large 3rd party software community, you can probably find whatever application you want.
Important** - Check Synology's site before buying new drives. Synology has one of the largest published, and regularly updated, hard disk compatibly lists that I could find. With 2-bay models you can use RAID 0 or 1, JBOD, or Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) - an open source Unix/Linux mirroring like RAID 1 - depending on your needs and it's important to get the right drives for your chosen option.
Has a 2-year warranty and reportedly excellent support. My pre-sales questions were all answered - not immediately, but still in a reasonable time. There's extensive online community support, 3rd party software, wikis, FAQs, forums, etc. and Synology seems to care about its products and its customers; a big plus in today's sell-it-and-forget-it environment.
CONS - These cons may be petty, but it's a little pricey for an empty NAS box. It's white (I prefer black), the blue "power" light is too big/bright, and for this money it really should have USB 3.0 or an eSATA port (it does have 3x USB 2.0). Drives are not hot swappable, it reportedly takes a long time to format dual 1-2TB RAID drives, and even longer if one disk fails and you need to rebuild an array.OTHER THOUGHTS & BUYING TIPS - If you're looking at Synology, you're entering a professional NAS category (beyond most Seagate/WD/Iomega/DLink boxes) and expect a little more. All Synology NAS boxes now share DSM 3.x software and features so don't let software be your guide. Instead, select a model based on hardware performance and features such as the processor, installed memory, eSATA ports, SD card slot, etc.
Do you need a 2-bay, or larger, box? Quick backups to duplicate/share data only requires one disk (single copy redundancy with the original) and Synology's 1-disk solutions offer the same or better features compared to some 2-bay models (e.g., the DS111 has an eSATA port). Again, you'll get the same streaming, download, hosting, etc. support with a single disk unit as you will with a multi-drive box. *See back up note below.
Entry level 2-bay models include the 210j/211j and provide slightly lower performance than the 209/211 (there was no DS210). The "+" models (DS210+/DS211+) should have higher performance, but the DS211 matches the DS211+ in nearly every category. Decide how many users/computers will be logged on, whether you'll be hosting blogs and web sites, how much data/audio/video streaming you'll need, and then choose a model. Again, with software parity among all the models (even the larger 4, 8, and new 12 bay models) the primary difference is hardware performance.
The DS211 was an impulse buy for me, but if I could do it over again, I may have purchased the DS210+ instead of the DS211. The DS211 uses less power according to the specs, but the DS210+ has slightly better performance (may not be noticeable), equal software/features, more memory, an eSATA port, and WOL (Wake on Lan) which is something I might want and has been stripped from the DS211+. Once the DS210+ is gone, you'll have to step up to the DS710+ (or DS711+?) to get WOL.
PERFORMANCE - The DS211 supports gigabit Ethernet connections and hardware file encryption. I'm averaging 40MB/s (a range of 30MB/s - 50MB/s, depends on file size) on a wired connection; N.B. that's megaBYTES (MB/s) not megabits. All our N/G laptops are all set to G wireless for consistency and performance is average. I hope tuning my Gigabit NIC (I'll try jumbo frame support), router (Netgear WNDR3700), or the Synology setup will provide better performance. Over 2x that speed is reportedly possible on Windows with the right hardware. Note: All connections in your network chain must have and support gigabit transfer capabilities to maximize performance. You're never going to get high throughput if you have a 10/100 NIC, a 10/100 router/switch, or any other LAN bottleneck. Another review reported a speed of 9Mbs, but that's far below specs and I'm betting the reviewer has a slow connection/device in the chain.
For comparison, I had a 4+ year old NAS box that served files and streamed iTunes audio without issues, supported multiple laptops, yet only provided 4-7Mbs wired up/download performance. It was limited by a slow processor and 10/100 interface, but it was extremely usable for many years as a file sharing device. Besides, for wireless traffic the router's performance is often the limiting factor. The DS performance is significantly faster (5x-10x).
POWER & TEMP - Power drains the wallet and heat kills drives. Specs say it uses about 22W under load and 10W-19W (found conflicting info) while idle, which beats running a 24x7 server. You can also schedule downtime and hibernation to further lower the draw. UPDATE: After testing with a kill-a-watt meter, my results are as follows - peak draw at start up (lasts for a minute) 28W; operating with 2 Hitachi 1TB 7200 RPM drives installed 18W; unit powered on, but hard drives in idle state, 7W. This NAS is extremely efficient with the right drives installed.
I had hoped for better, but my single WD 640GB drive test set up - will be 2x 1TB or 2TB drives - reports about 85 degrees F (30 C) idle/inactive and 104+ degrees F (40+ C) under load. I know it varies by disk and manufacturer, but I'm assuming it will be hotter with 2 disks. UPDATE: I was wrong... I'm using two Hitachi 1TB drives now and the operating temperature ranges from a low of 85-99 degrees F (30-37 C), so it's actually a little cooler with two, more efficient, drives installed. The drives consistently report different temperatures with one (the newer of the two) 2 degrees C cooler than the other.
BACK UP - Data Replicator 3 (DR3) can back up your selected folders/files from any connected disk (it won't clone or image a disk) using either the Immediate, Scheduled, or Sync options. Immediate runs the back up now; scheduled is good for backing up day/night when you're not using the computer(s), and Sync monitors files/folders and backs them up as you update them on your computer during the day (frequency depends on interval set). Note: with a 1 disk solution, this can effectively act as a RAID 1 second disk with close to real time periodic mirroring. One curious feature when using Sync is that it automatically maps the back up folders as drives in Windows (7 Pro x64). In several tests so far, it works well and backed up 60-70GB of data in 2 hours, but your network speed will affect the performance. UPDATE: I found a small problem with DR3 - it did not back four (4) shortcuts that were contained within a folder on my desktop. I have contacted Synology support but I'm not sure of the outcome (a software update possibly?), but all other files/folders were backed up without issue and match to the exact byte. I'm still very pleased with the backup capabilities.
In summary, it's an excellent NAS solution that offers more features than most home or business users will need, but they're available if you want to use them. It's best to have some computer/network knowledge, but it's easy to set up the basic features and get it on line, even for a medium tech skilled person. Highly recommended if you're in the market for a NAS box.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Synology DiskStation 2-Bay 2 TB (2 x 1 TB) Network Attached Storage DS211 2100 (White)
Synology DiskStation DS211, bundled with 2x1TB HDDs, is an affordable and full-featured 2-bay NAS server designed to increase productivity for office workgroups. Cross platform file sharing, office oriented applications, data backup and security are easily achieved in a flexible solution. Running on DiskStation Manager 3.0 (DSM 3.0) operating system, it delivers ease of use and variety of features.
