Synology DS218J Network Attached Storage / NAS Review - Entry Level Synology

This link also has my recommendations for hard drives. This will direct you to Amazon in your home country (including the USA).

Start with my first Synology video for the basics. It's an older video but I run through the offsite syncing and cover the basic functionality:

VIDEO INDEX:
0:00 - Intro
00:59 - Hardware overview
02:03 - Ports
02:52 - Power Consumption
03:34 - RAID 1 - Mirrored Dual Drive Scenario
04:37 - Choosing the right hard drive
06:05 - Web based management interface
06:51 - Configuring multiple users and access
07:50 - Accessing the drive from Windows / Mac
08:30 - Remote Access
09:23 - Memory limitation / installable features
10:41 - No video transcoding
12:03 - Network Performance Tests
13:48 - Encryption and performance hit
15:07 - Conclusion and final thoughts

What I've always liked about Synology's products is that the devices function the same at both the low and high ends of their product line. Obviously with the limited RAM and processor on this device you'll be limited in how much you can do, but most of the key features are here. It's a great starting point and easy to migrate to higher end devices in the future.

I found in my testing that the device performed better than the 214se I reviewed a few years ago, delivering full gigabit throughput for both reads and writes. Using encryption will reduce that performance, however.

Be sure to check out my other videos in the playlist where I detail many of the features I mentioned in the video.

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[LonSeidman]

These reviews are always tough - I've covered Synology extensively here on the channel of course but 80% of my viewers are new to the channel and find me via a search. So those of you who watch on a regular basis should definitely check out the index to skip ahead to parts that might interest you.

00:59 - Hardware overview
02:03 - Ports
02:52 - Power Consumption
03:34 - RAID 1 - Mirrored Dual Drive Scenario
04:37 - Choosing the right hard drive
06:05 - Web based management interface
06:51 - Configuring multiple users and access
07:50 - Accessing the drive from Windows / Mac
08:30 - Remote Access
09:23 - Memory limitation / installable features
10:41 - No video transcoding
12:03 - Network Performance Tests
13:48 - Encryption and performance hit
15:07 - Conclusion and final thoughts

[dblanco_]

Love your raw in depth reviews, not just marketing fluff. You actually talk about the critical things that a consumer should be aware of when buying a device like this! Good job and please don’t change!!!

[gordonnorris]

I understand that this NAS cannot transcode to stream video on a mobile device, but if I connect my TV to the network and access the video file directly then it should work? The TV should play the file normally, right?

[chadwyckchung]

Thank you so much for the quick tutorial!!! I just had this model ordered and I'll be getting it this coming Monday, December 9th 2019! I'm new to using a NAS system. I was always against getting one, thinking they were only for business people. That was when I had one desktop computer, now I have 4 of them and I'm getting tired of backing up things onto a drive and doing it 3 more times. If every computer could access the NAS from their perspective locations I don't have to worry about getting up all the time. It's not a laziness thing, I had a hip replacement and moving around unnecessarily puts a strain on my muscles and joints!

[kwaninhd]

Thanks always for your detailed reviews. I've always wanted a NAS like this but I've had my WD Mybooklive 2TB for 5 years with no issues, ever.

[fsmdude]

Hi, have you tried using this model with the Nvidia Shield? I think combining these two allows for 4K transcoding since the shield is doing all the work. Also, If I get the DS218J can I watch movies on it with Plex on my TV if it's inside my house? Thank you

[DIY_Dad_]

Great review Lon! I recently picked up the 418j for storing all my media for plex and use an i7 NUC for the plex server sitting right next to it! I've had up to 10 streams and transcodes going at once so no NAS I found fit the bill unless I built my own.

[LC]

Hi Lon, just a quick question, is it possible to set the second Hard drive thats plugged in as a backup drive? And by doing so does the second drive still run 24/7? Essentially what I am trying to do is to get a proper NAS drive as the main drive, and if the second bay does go into hybernation when not being used, then I can get a cheaper (less durable) HDD to keep the cost down.

[MaxellAdGuy]

well done Lon, Synology asked me to customize one for them, so your overview gave me good idea of what I can work with.

[SebastianMeda]

Hi Lon. I’m on the verge of buying a NAS for my TV Room on my house. Do you recomend this Synology NAS for 1080p movie playback? Usually the movies are from 2 to 6 gb mp4 files. Thanks in advance.

[MrDesi]

Just purchased this yesterday. Amazon prime day for 118.00!

[arthurvasey]

Can this device shuffle all the music in your hard drive - all of it, not just one folder at a time - on a mobile device like an iPhone? If so, how?

[respibob]

I don't know if you will see this but there is a good deal on Amazon for this NAS. I am looking at it for some Plex but I don't need transcoding. I rip everything in 720p just for size and it looks good on my TV. This should do Plex pretty good without needing to transcode, correct? Just curious.

[kylesmith]

Can this connect directly (usb) to a DAC/amplifier for playing FLAC audio or must you stream through an app/Bluetooth?

[LucaOLu]

hi but I did not understand, can I view mkw movies even of 15 gb? or the nas in question fails?

[ricardonunes]

Does this device support rtsp?
If it does, how many cameras can be uploading footage for this device?
And does it have any extra cost?
Thank you and sorry for my English.

[niravniel]

hi Lon, is a Synology DS220j good NAS for Plex server? transcoding will be good? or do I need plex pass in this NAS?

[eric]

can this Synology DS218J running Plex server direct stream to an Nvidia Shield using Plex client? Even 4K 10-bit TrueHD etc?

[jasontv]

"If one drive were to fail?" It's more like when not if. With that said, RAID1 is not really data backup. It's about drive backup. If you delete a file by mistake, this mistake is automatically and instantaneously replicated on the other drive in a RAID1 set so the data is lost.

[mrbryce]

Thank you for stressing the use of NAS drives! I learned that the hard way by almost losing everything, including photos from a wedding that I had just shot. Two critical reasons I learned: desktop drives can't handle the vibration of nearby drives, and desktop drives can crash a RAID since they can't transmit data to the array at the same time. NAS and enterprise drives know to wait in order for the array to receive data from all drives simultaneously. Plus NAS drives have almost the same MTBF hours as enterprise drives (at least 1 million).